A young John Steinbeck learned about bindlestiffs-single migrant laborers, generally white men, recruited to work during harvest season-through his own experience on a company-owned ranch. Recognizing the frustration that many such workers felt, Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men illuminates the hopes and hopelessness common along California's agricultural belt. Its main characters, George and Lennie, display an uncommon bond that keeps alive their dream of carving their own niche in a society that preys upon laborers like them. The novella portrays a class of previously ignored workers on California ranches of the early 1900s.
California ranches. In the early 1900s central California was producing large supplies of citrus fruits, sugar beets, and cotton. The Salinas Valley, located along California's agricultural belt, featured lettuce as a primary crop; other harvested vegetables included broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, garbanzo beans, and onions. In order to harvest these products, many of which could be picked only during a short period of time, the farms hired laborers on a temporary basis. Some of the larger ranches provided housing and stores for their laborers, who would drift in and out according to the seasons.
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