"the wall of background": Cultural, Political, and Literary Contexts of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

While the historical and social contexts are not overtly provided in Of Mice and Men, in "The Long Valley Ledger" Steinbeck enticingly suggests there is a "wall of background" behind this novel that readers may approach only by subtle indirection. This implied background may be observed in forebodings of World War II and in portrayals of euthanasia, racism, feminist issues, and stereotypes of the mentally handicapped.