John Steinbeck: Interview Transcript

John Steinbeck: Interview Transcript

1. Denton: National Scot poet: Robert Burns’ had a poem which had similar ideas to your Of Mice and Men noel, what were they?

Steinbeck: Yes I had read that poem, in the story the mouse is can be okay or a pest. This would be just like the character since they can be very moody; Lennie is kind to George but is a pest because he does bad things.

That mouse’s home is destroyed as an accidental consequence, this has similarities to events that occur in Of Mice and Men because the characters have destroyed dreams or loved ones or may be destroyed inside because of their disabilities.

As the poem explains the best laid schemes of mice and men, often go wrong and leave us with nothing but grief and pain. George is the man, and Lennie is the mice, their friendship is great but even that goes wrong by George having to kill Lennie for protection.

This suits for reasons that every characters is given grief by other by their disabilities or pain form losing those we love or giving up our dreams.

2. Denton: What was your reason for writing this novel?

Steinbeck: Of Mice and men is a novel that explains life during the great depression and the reason to why I wrote it is to tell the tale and also teach the world useful knowledge about values of life, racism, prejudice against mentally unstable and loneliness between characters and the world.

3. Denton: So do you think that our society will, take their lives less for granted after reading this novel?

Steinbeck: Yes, from what I have experience is different from most of the novel, but as long as we should not look to these characters for role models. I would expect people to be disgusted by the characters values and attitudes because they to me are appalling.

4. Denton: What can you tell me about the main characters, George and Lennie?

Steinbeck: George and Lennie are two men in looking for work in the time of the great depression. They have great companionship with each other, unlike other characters who seek companionship from lowlifes. Their friendship is excellent for them since they can stay happy and it does relive the stress of being alone at this time period.

5. Denton: Why did you decide to write about disadvantaged people, did you ever fell sympathetic?

Steinbeck: Well I was born into a moderately rich family, and as I have lived by many of those who