Of Mice And Men By John Steinbeck | DPLA

Skip to Main ContentDigital Public Library of AmericaShowMenu

• Home
• Browse by Topic
• Browse by Partner
• Exhibitions
• Primary Source Sets
• My Lists

• About DPLA
• News

• DPLA Pro

• Home
• Browse by Topic
• Browse by Partner
• Exhibitions
• Primary Source Sets
• My Lists

• About DPLA
• News

• DPLA Pro

SearchPrimary Source SetsOf Mice and Men by John SteinbeckOf Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men tells the tragic story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two migrant ranch workers in Salinas, California. Published in 1937 and set during the Great Depression of the 1930s, Of Mice and Men explores the themes of loneliness and isolation. In a time when every man is for himself to survive, George and Lennie travel together and take responsibility for each other. They are seeking their version of the American Dream: to own a farm together “an' live off the fatta the lan’.” However, dreaming becomes desperation as circumstances continually conspire to rip it away. Because the novella is told in six parts, where each scene has a specific setting and the plot is chronological and dialogue driven, it has also been frequently adapted for the stage. Its first production in 1937 was written and produced by Steinbeck, himself.

Due to racism, profanity, and violence, Of Mice and Men is on the American Library Association’s list of the Most Challenged Books in the 21st Century. Of Mice and Men is still widely-taught in high schools across the United States eighty years after publication, not only because it is part of the literary canon, but because Steinbeck has packed so many literary devices and complex social issues into a tiny little package. This primary source set includes photographs, book excerpts, and documents that provide context for both events and themes in the novella.

Show full overview

Created By

• Susan Ketcham, East Central High School, St. Leon, Indiana

Time Period

• The Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945)

Subjects

• American Literature

Cite this set

Chicago citation styleSusan Ketcham. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. 2018. Retrieved from the Digital Public Library of America (Accessed February 10, 2026.)APA citation styleSusan Ketcham, (2018) Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Retrieved from the Digital Public Library of AmericaMLA citation styleSusan Ketcham. Retrieved from the Digital Public Library of AmericaNote: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.

• Source Set
• Additional Resources
• Teaching Guide

• An excerpt from a critical study entitled The Novels of John Steinbeck, 1939.
• An oil-on-canvas painting entitled Valley Farms by Ross Dickinson, 1934.
• An excerpt from a pamphlet entitled Legislation for the Feeble-Minded by Miss A. H. P. Kirby, 1914.
• A photograph of an insane asylum, 1963.
• A photograph of two migrant workers in California, 1937.
• A photograph of workers gathering seedlings in California, 1930.
• A photograph of migrant workers in San Joaquin Valley, California, 1940.
• A photograph of San Jose State College Speech and Drama Department’s production of Of Mice and Men, 1961.
• A photograph of men playing cards and drinking in the forest, ca. 1930.
• Robert Burns’s poem “To a Mouse” in A Primer of Burns, 1907.
• A drawing of the ranch of S.M. Hoover in Sacramento County, California, 1879.
• An architectural drawing of a small farm and residence, 1930.
• A political cartoon about World War II by Dr. Seuss, 1942.
• A drawing by David Smith titled “Private Law and Order Leagues,” depicting vigilante justice in America, 1938-39.

Related Primary Source Sets

Elie Wiesel's Night and the HolocaustTheir Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale HurstonThe Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

These sets were created and reviewed by teachers. Explore resources and ideas for Using DPLA's Primary Source Sets in your classroom.

To give feedback, contact us at [email protected]. You can also view resources for National History Day.