The Role Of Migrant Workers In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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In the novel Of Mice and Men, the author John Steinbeck focuses the novel on the lives of two migrant workers. During the Great Depression, the migrant workers faced many challenges throughout the novel. John Steinbeck was born in the small town of Salinas, California on February 27, 1902. During his teenage life, he worked on nearby ranches to earn his own money. Steinbeck went to Stanford University, but two years later ended up withdrawing from the school. When the Great Depression hit, Steinbeck began to work on his novel Of Mice and Men. He based the novel off of his ranch experiences and knowledge of migrant workers during the time. Steinbeck worked with George Kaufman who decided to make a play based off of the novel. Of Mice and Men …show more content…
Life as an American worker was completely turned around. The wages were decreased dramatically and labor strikes increased. Men migrated all over the United States searching for work. One critic acknowledges that “The maximum a worker could make was $400 a year, with the average about $300. Yet California's agricultural system could not exist without the migrant workers. It was a problem that would continue for decades” (Telgan, 251). This created a lot of conflict between the workers and the government. Women during the Great Depression were in charge of at home task such as: taking care of the children, cleaning the house, and cooking. Some low income women worked outside of their homes to provide enough for their families. According to this critic “Middle class and/or married women working outside the home were publically criticized in the media and perceived as taking jobs away from unemployed men” (Hall, 234). Women were seen as maids and not as useful and powerful human beings. The Great Depression was a tough time period for both men and women. Throughout the novel Of Mice and Men you will see that the color red is used a number of times to symbolize the women in the story. The color red is used to describe the women’s fashion in the novel. “Curley’s wife fingernails were red. Her hair hung in little rolled clusters, like sausages. She wore a cotton house dress and red mules, on the insteps which were little