Book Portfolio

George and Lennie were so close to each other that where ever one of them went the other followed. George takes care of Lennie so nothing happens to him. George and Lennie are quiet different from each other. George is the smarter one, but is small. Lennie is big in size, but has a mind of a younger child. Having a mind of a younger child is that Lennie does not think before he acts. They are migrant workers, meaning that they move from place to place finding work. They never find a steady job. Of Mice and Men is a realistic fiction book by John Steinbeck. John Steinbeck was one of the best-known writers in the 20th century. Of Mice and Men was released in 1939. The book shows that friendship is a very powerful thing. Steinbeck shows this by the way George and Lennie are so close. They are pretty much like brothers. George is always telling Lennie what to do and what not to do for Lennie’s own sake. George doesn’t want Lennie to get in any trouble when they get this good job at a ranch in Salinas Valley.


The ranch in Salinas Valley is where George and Lennie go to work. Salinas Valley is in California, it lies close to the Salinas River. Strawberries, lettuce, and tomatoes are the dominant crops in the area. The area was founded in 1822. They have this dream of one day owning an acre of land and a house that they would love to call their own. When they get to the ranch they think that they will have their dream come true but saving all the money they earn. Another fellow (Candy) that also works on the ranch overhears George and Lennie talking about how they are going to make their dream come true, and Candy told them that he would help them get the money if he could go with them, and George said it would be fine. Of Mice and Men took place in the time period of the Great Depression. The Great Depression began in some countries in 1928. It was associated with the stock market crash in October of 1929. It has more effect on countries that exported raw materials. Cities that were dependent on heavy industries were the ones that are got hit hard by the great depression. Also Of Mice and Men had a lot to do with Migrant Workers. George and Lennie were migrant workers. The start of migrant workers started around the time the great depression had occurred. There are still migrant workers today. Many people move from one place to other for better paying jobs. We have people from other countries coming to our country for work. If George and Lennie were not so close it would probably be hard to get worker because they work so good together. George keeps Lennie so that he doesn’t do anything wrong to mess up the job. He has to keep reminding Lennie that if he messes up he will not be able to tend to the rabbits. This ties into how powerful friendship can be. No one really realizes how powerful it is.
<---Migrant Worker




This theme can connect too many people because if you have a friend that keeps pushing you to keep you going then your friendship will become more powerful. It may not be that it’s hard to find work and need help; it may just be that it’s good to have a friend there to keep you going. George pushes Lennie a lot because Lennie does not see that if he messes up without George there he could get punished badly. With George there he can talk to the boss and let him know that Lennie does not think before he acts. It’s good to have a good friendship with someone because they will keep pushing you until you get to where you need to be.


Of Mice and Men was a really good book to show how powerful a friendship can get. It has been notified that George helped Lennie out alot in this book. It can't be stressed enough that you will need someone to keep pushing you, so that you can get what you want. John Steinbeck was born on Feb. 27, 1902 and passed away on Dec. 20, 1968. Steinbeck studied marine biology at Stanford University, but never got the chance to finish college. Steinbeck wrote 25 books, including 16 novels, 6 non-fiction, and many short stories.



<--- John Steinbeck