Naturalism as a Mirror of the 1930s

Literature is often a reflection of the time period in which it was written or, in the case of historical fiction, of the time period it is focused on.  Authors will often find sneaky little ways to demonstrate the dominant characteristics of the time period by blending in details, that, at a closer glance, reveal these hidden themes.

     In class, we viewed several videos (in the LitByFleming blog video bar) that gave us a look at some major events and common themes or characteristics of the 1930s.  John Steinbeck certainly considered these elements when writing Of Mice and Men.  In fact, it might be said, his writing style intentionally made use of naturalism in order to capture and expose some of the attitudes and characteristics of the American 1930s.

Let's see if you can make the connection!  Think about some of  the naturalistic elements we identified in class (Chapter 1).  What aspects or characteristics of the 1930s are being demonstrated to us at those moments in the text?  What do you believe John Steinbeck was trying to show us or expose about the way people, life, or society was during this time in American history?

Well, just by reading the first section of the book, you can tell that there are multiple characteristics being shown. One being that times were pretty tough back then. Most people were unemployed, homeless, looking work, or trying to make a living with the job they already have. In the ending part of the chapter George goes off on Lennie, ranting about how he's so useless and that he forgets everything. I think that this part of the chapter shows that Steinbeck is trying to tell how sad and upset or how people were so fed up of all the misery that they've been through throughout the years.

Look at this link I found on Naturalism!
http://www.naturalism.org/