Steinbeck uses characters in Of Mice and Men to show that societal conditions during the Great Depression caused people to feel alone. Crooks is segregated as a black man and lives alone. Curley's wife married for security but receives no attention, leaving her lonely. Though George and Lennie have each other, their friendship is doomed due to Lennie's interactions with others.

1. Name Theme: In Of Mice and Men , because of the condition in society, people are destined to be alone. Point one: Crooks is a black man who is segregated into his own room because of his race, and he is not allowed to interact with others. Support from the novel (Give the quotations and the page numbers): “’Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black.” (page 68) Point two: Curley’s wife is lonely because she married Curley for security. Curley does not love her or give her any attention, and he does not allow her to talk to the other guys on the ranch. Support from the novel (Give the quotations and the page numbers): “Ain’t I got a right to talk to nobody? I don’t know why I can’t talk to you.” (page 87-88) Point three: George and Lennie are two characters who are not alone, but because of Lennie’s interaction with others, their friendship is doomed. Support from the novel (Give the quotations and the page numbers): “But not us! Why? Because . . . because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.” Page 14 “And George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head . . . He pulled the trigger.” Page 106 To plan the body , we will use the POINTS now. The SUPPORT will be used when we write the body . Planning the Essay

2. In Of Mice and Men , people are destined to be alone. Crooks (Point 1) George (Point 3) Curley’s wife (Point 2) Segregation Crooks is black and lives alone George and Lennie travel together Crooks needs someone to talk to Take care of each other Men think she is a “tart” Wants to talk to Lennie Hangs around the bunkhouse George ends up alone at the end Essay Planning – Prewriting!!!

3. In Of Mice and Men , people are destined to be alone. Crooks Curley’s wife George Segregation Crooks is black and lives alone Crooks needs someone to talk to Hangs around the bunk-house Men think she is a “tart” Wants to talk to Lennie George and Lennie travel together Take care of each other George ends up alone at the end Thesis: Steinbeck uses characters in his novel Of Mice and Men to point out that because of the condition in society during the Great Depression, people were destined to be alone. I: Crooks is a black man who is segregated into his own room because of his race, and he is not allowed to interact with others. A.Segregation was common in the 1940s. B.Crooks must live in a room attached to the barn. C.Crooks tells Lennie that everyone needs someone to talk to. II: Curley’s wife is lonely because she married Curley for security. Curley does not love her or give her any attention, and he does not allow her to talk to the other guys on the ranch. A.Curley’s wife spends her time hanging out around the bunkhouse. B.The men misinterpret her as a “tart” with a roving eye. C.She tells Lennie about her dreams and her desire for someone to talk to. III: George and Lennie are two characters who are not alone, but because of Lennie’s interaction with others, their relationship is doomed. A.George and Lennie travel together, and most men do not. B.George and Lennie look out for each other. C.George becomes a lonely character by the end of the novel because he is forced to make a choice to “protect” Lennie. The graphic organizer puts ideas in order. Use the graphic organizer to develop a thesis . Use the graphic organizer to develop the outline .

4. Two Main Parts A Thesis Statement generally consists of two main parts Your topic, and then the analysis, explanation, or assertion, that you’re making about the topic. Topic Assertion

5. Two Main Parts Topic Analysis Explanation Assertion Part 1 Topic (The novel theme) Part 2 What will you prove?

6. Of Mice and Men Thesis Steinbeck uses characters in his novel Of Mice and Men to point out that because of the condition in society during the Great Depression, people were destined to be alone. Topic: The theme “Societal conditions cause people to be alone.” Assertion: Steinbeck uses characters to show us the theme.

7. Contender Thesis “ It’s the climbing that makes the man” is a theme that taught Alfred a life-changing lesson that was not necessarily just about boxing. Topic: The theme “It’s the climbing that makes the man.” Assertion: Alfred learned a lesson that changed his life.

8. Lord thesis Ralph learns that all individuals have a natural capacity for brutality, and it is a hard lesson he is not likely to forget. Topic: The theme “All individuals have a natural capacity for brutality” Assertion: It is a hard lesson that Ralph will not forget

9. Grab the reader’s attention! Make them guess what the topic is. Get more and more specific in the next sentences. Let the reader in on the topic a little at a time. THESIS Writing the Introduction DOs DO begin with an attention-getting sentence. DO spend time developing the topic. DO end with the thesis. DON’Ts DON’T write “In this essay, I will write about” DON’T use “you,” abbreviations, or contractions.

10. Introduction beginnings Begin with a quotation When George tells Lennie in Of Mice and Men , “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world (Steinbeck 13),” it means much more to him than Lennie realizes. George understands, like Crooks does in chapter four, that “A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody” (72). Several characters in the novel prove that they need other people. The setting, the Great Depression, shows a bleak picture of lonely people trying to survive in an economically devastated country. In addition to the economic situation, factors like racism, class, and sexism isolate people from one another. Steinbeck uses characters in his novel to point out that, because of the condition in society during the Great Depression, people were destined to be alone.

11. Introduction beginnings Begin with a question What causes people to feel loneliness? Loneliness is a problem today just as it has been throughout the history of mankind. To put it simply, people need people. John Steinbeck shows this concept in his novel Of Mice and Men . Several characters in the novel prove that they need other people. The setting, the Great Depression, shows a bleak picture of lonely people trying to survive in an economically devastated country. In addition to the economic situation, factors like racism, class, and sexism isolate people from one another. Steinbeck uses characters in his novel to point out that, because of the condition in society during the Great Depression, people were destined to be alone.

12. Introduction beginnings Begin with a startling fact In 2005 it was reported that seven out of ten people experience depression caused by loneliness at least once in their lives. It is no wonder that John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men is so moving. Several characters in the novel prove that people simply need people. The setting, the Great Depression, shows a bleak picture of lonely people trying to survive in an economically devastated country. In addition to the economic situation, factors like racism, class, and sexism isolate people from one another. Steinbeck uses characters in his novel to point out that, because of the condition in society during the Great Depression, people were destined to be alone.

13. Introduction beginnings Begin with general background information Americans have seen some bad times, but one of the worst was the stock market crash of 1929. Suddenly people found themselves without jobs, and many times, people had to travel from temporary job to temporary job just to make ends meet. The result of that was people began to lose attachments to family and friends. It was a dark time in American history, and it was a time in which people felt alone. John Steinbeck shows us this in his novel Of Mice and Men . Several characters in the novel prove that people need other people. The setting, the Great Depression, shows a bleak picture of lonely people trying to survive in an economically devastated country. In addition to the economic situation, factors like racism, class, and sexism isolate people from one another. Steinbeck uses characters in his novel to point out that, because of the condition in society during the Great Depression, people were destined to be alone.

14. Writing the Body Name Theme: In Of Mice and Men , because of the condition in society, people are destined to be alone. Point one: Crooks is a black man who is segregated into his own room because of his race, and he is not allowed to interact with others. Support from the novel (Give the quotations and the page numbers): “’Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black.” (page 68) Point two: Curley’s wife is lonely because she married Curley for security. Curley does not love her or give her any attention, and he does not allow her to talk to the other guys on the ranch. Support from the novel (Give the quotations and the page numbers): “Ain’t I got a right to talk to nobody? I don’t know why I can’t talk to you.” (page 87-88) Point three: George and Lennie are two characters who are not alone, but because of Lennie’s interaction with others, their friendship is doomed. Support from the novel (Give the quotations and the page numbers): “But not us! Why? Because . . . because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.” Page 14 “And George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head . . . He pulled the trigger.” Page 106 + Thesis: Steinbeck uses characters in his novel Of Mice and Men to point out that because of the condition in society during the Great Depression, people were destined to be alone. I: Crooks is a black man who is segregated into his own room because of his race, and he is not allowed to interact with others. A.Segregation was common in the 1940s. B.Crooks must live in a room attached to the barn. C.Crooks tells Lennie that everyone needs someone to talk to. II: Curley’s wife is lonely because she married Curley for security. Curley does not love her or give her any attention, and he does not allow her to talk to the other guys on the ranch. A.Curley’s wife spends her time hanging out around the bunkhouse. B.The men misinterpret her as a “tart” with a roving eye. C.She tells Lennie about her dreams and her desire for someone to talk to. III: George and Lennie are two characters who are not alone, but because of Lennie’s interaction with others, their relationship is doomed. A.George and Lennie travel together, and most men do not. B.George and Lennie look out for each other. C.George becomes a lonely character by the end of the novel because he is forced to make a choice to “protect” Lennie.

15. Writing the Body = Crooks is a black man who is segregated into his own room because of his race, and he is not allowed to interact with others. Segregation was common in the 1940s, but it seems more powerful in a novel that shows the effects of loneliness on all people. In fact, it seems cruel to force a man to live alone in a room attached to a barn when even the men who share the bunkroom together feel lonely. When Lennie stumbles into Crooks’ room, Crooks is willing to forget that they are from two different races because he would like to talk to anyone. He tells Lennie that people will not talk to him , “’Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black” (Steinbeck 68). He also says, “A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody” (72). Because of his race, Crooks is one of the loneliest characters in the novel.

16. Transitions Connect ideas within paragraphs Connect paragraphs within essays Show a logical connection SEE HANDOUT FOR EXAMPLES. Look for examples in my essay.

17. In-text Citations Crooks is a black man who is segregated into his own room because of his race, and he is not allowed to interact with others. Segregation was common in the 1940s, but it seems more powerful in a novel that shows the effects of loneliness on all people. In fact, it seems cruel to force a man to live alone in a room attached to a barn when even the men who share the bunkroom together feel lonely. When Lennie stumbles into Crooks’ room, Crooks is willing to forget that they are from two different races because he would like to talk to anyone. He tells Lennie that people will not talk to him, “’Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black” (Steinbeck 68). He also says, “A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody” (72). Because of his race, Crooks is one of the loneliest characters in the novel. Give the author credit – His last name and the page number

18. End with a clincher! This should be a sentence to provide a final PUNCH to drive the point home. Sum up the main points of the essay. Remember: this is the last chance to make your point. Ask yourself: What did you try to accomplish? Restate THESIS Writing the Conclusion DOs DO restate the thesis in different words. DO make final connections to the thesis. DO sum up the main points. DO end with a clincher. DON’Ts DON’T write “In conclusion.” DON’T include NEW information. DON’T copy the thesis from the introduction word for word! Use different words!!!!!!

19. Writing the Conclusion Of Mice and Men is a novel about how characters struggle against loneliness caused by situations beyond their control but do not win that struggle. Steinbeck, who cared about the suffering of people during the times of the Great Depression, points out in a realistic way that other factors contributed to their inevitable situations. He used his novel to show us this problem – and it continues to affect people to this day. The social problems like racism, class, and sexism that plagued people during those times are still relevant. Unfortunately, so is loneliness.

20. Works Cited Page Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men . New York: Penguin Books, 1937. Give the information about the source. For a book, you must give the author, the title of the book, the city of publication, the publishing company, and the date of publication. This will go on a separate page called Works Cited.

21. Works Cited Page Lipsyte, Robert. The Contender . New York: Harper Trophy, 1967.

22. Works Cited Page Golding, William. Lord of the Flies . New York: Berkley Publishing Group, 1954.