Cliffs Notes Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men Author:Susan Van Kirk, M.Ed. In This Book - Learn about the Life and Background of the Author; Preview an Introduction to the Novel; Study a graphical Character Map; Explore Themes and literary devices in the Critical Commentaries; Examine in-depth Character Analyses; Enhance your understanding of the work with Critical Essays; Reinforce what you learn with CliffsNotes Review.