Naturalism as a Mirror of the 1930's

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? 



          Loneliness, hardships, burdensome are characteristics and aspects of the 1930s which are identified in the texts. I think that Steinbeck was trying to show us how much people struggled during this time in American History.  He used two guys without a job as an example.  People were not educated, they were homeless without jobs and food.  Steinbeck was trying to show us how difficult everything was in this time period.  They had to travel, find jobs, and work hard to get the little money they could.  This is how life actually was in the 1930s.