Picturing The History of Of Mice & Men

Think about this section from the beginning of the book:

     For a moment the place was lifeless, and then two men emerged from the path and came into the opening by the green pool.
     They had walked in single file down the path, and even in the open one stayed behind the other. Both were dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats with brass buttons. Both wore black, shapeless hats and both carried tight blanket rolls slung over their shoulders. The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose. Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely.

     The first man stopped short in the clearing, and the follower nearly ran over him. He took off his hat and wiped the sweat-band with his forefinger and snapped the moisture off. His huge companion dropped his blankets and flung himself. (1.2-4)

Sound familiar? Kind of like the pictures, right? In writing, compare and contrast this opening section from Of Mice and Men to the pictures you analyzed in class. What does the text and the photographs show us about the 1930s?  Be specific!

When reading the first few pages, I just kept having the picture of the man walking down the long, dry, barren highway. The picture seemed to describe the men in the book. "Both wore black, shapeless hats and both carried tight blanket rolls snug over their shoulders." It also says how a man named George was mad that the bus driver didn't know what he was talking about. The bus driver seemed to have given them directions, telling them that the ranch they were going to was only "a little stretch down the highway", if you consider four miles a "little stretch" something is definatly wrong with your sense of direction.

Now they had no choice but to walk down this dry, deserted highway. Steinbeck probably wanted to show the struggles of finding work in the 1930's. People would have to just pack up their belongings and leave, not knowing if they were going to ever see their familes again. The man in the picture is traveling on foot with a heavy looking bag on his back. Obviously knowing that he has a long road ahead of him, he packed nessesities because he wouldn't know when he was going to be home or if he was ever going to return home. The book and the picture go hand in hand when showing the struggles of men trying to make a living in the 1930's.