Picturing the History Behind Of Mice and Men

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!

This opening section from "Of Mice and Men" reminded me of the second picture we saw in class, Bag man on Road.  There are many similarities between the section and this picture.  In the third sentence, Steinbeck descibes, "were dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats with brass buttons."  This outfit is just like the one this man on the road is wearing.  Also, the author says that, "Both wore black, strapless, hats and both carried tight blanket rolls slung over their shoulders.  This man who is traveling has a bag over his shoulder as well.  On the other side, the opening scene depicts two men traveling together with each other's company while this man is traveling alone with many obstacles to face by himself.  This section also describes the two men's faces and how ardous it was to travel.  These men fatigued and afflicted kept on going waiting for job opportunity, just waiting and waiting all torn apart.
The text and the photographs tell us a great amount about the 1930's.  We learn how difficult it is to travel for an average man.  It is lonely and expenssive to survive during the Great Depression.  I think Steinbeck is trying to show us that life back then was difficult, burdensome, tiring, challenging, and most of all lonely and depressing.  We can see how much men would work to support him and his family in order to survive.  Most people had to travel to find jobs which were hard to find.  This means that everyday workers have to travel miles and miles to get the little amount of money they need to live.  Life was tough and and there were many hardships.
I found a video that shows the hardships of a people during the great depression ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3O0ZxKtV7c