Picturing the History Behind Of Mice and Men

For a moment the place was lifeless, and then two men emerged from the path and came into the opening by the green pool.
     They had walked in single file down the path, and even in the open one stayed behind the other. Both were dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats with brass buttons. The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose. Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely.
     The first man stopped short in the clearing, and the follower nearly ran over him. He took off his hat and wiped the sweat-band with his forefinger and snapped the moisture off. His huge companion dropped his blankets and flung himself. (1.2-4)

Sound familiar? Kind of like the pictures, right? In writing, compare and contrast this opening section from Of Mice and Men to the pictures you analyzed in class. What does the text and the photographs show us about the 1930s?  Be specific!





The opening section above reminds me of the picture of what seems to be a homeless man walking down an empty road. I can compare to this photo from the text due to the specific descriptions used in the excerpt above. "Both were dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats with brass buttons." If you look at the picture closely, it looks as if the man walking is indeed wearing denim trousers and though not a coat exactly, but a denim blazer just as it was described in the quote. The quote after the one I have just told, explaining how both men look and seemed to have completely opposite features, reminds me of some cartoon shows that was aired when I was younger, such as Dexter's Laboratory, or even Invader Zim, where there is one strong and smart character, but there's also a weak and dull character.

I believe that the author of Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck, as well as the pictures show that times were pretty tough in the 30's and life was miserable. The economy was horrible, with most people completely out of jobs and searching for new ones if possible, and agriculture was almost the same, having farmers looking for land to work off of, and then taking of what seemed to be lifetime to produce goods to finally start up business and make a profit!

I found this webpage that has a few more pictures as well as a graph charting the poverty rates during the Great Depression. Check it out here!!