Of Mice and Men
John Steinbeck’s book Of Mice and Men is an extraordinary novel with unique characteristics. The novel is about an uncommon friendship between two extremely different individuals who are living and working together. This story belong to the genres tragic realistic fiction, historical fiction and drama. The linking between the novel and The Great Depression emphasizes throughout the story, which makes the novel very realistic and down to earth. The author touches on several themes such as: the unreachable American dream, the economic injustices, loneliness, friendship and people’s propensity for cruelty. In this book review, we will get into a deeper understanding of what the actual story means.
All characters represents an actual person in American society during the 1930s. The linking between the book, characters and The Great
…show more content…
Some of these characters play a major role in the plot while others represent a group of people that is discriminated, because of race or gender. George and Lennie are the main characters, which makes them most important to the book’s content. Their friendship and dream about having an own farm are most valuable for the story, since the plot is based on these factors. Crooks and Curley’s wife are on the other hand just as important as the previous characters, but they are more important for the linking between the book and The Great Depression than to the actual plot. These characters reflect how the society looked like in the past, which creates a perception of reality. For example, Curley’s wife has no name, which signalize her powerlessness and position on the ranch. This character does also represent a segment of American society that is discriminated against because of gender. Crooks symbolizes people that is discriminated because of race. These characters are important, because they strengthen the book's action, link, message and
Of Mice And Men' by John Steinbeck is a classic novel, tragedy, written in a social tone. The authorial attitude is idyllic, however, as the story develops it changes into skeptic. It is evident that Steinbeck knew the setting and places he is writing about.
would then have to try to get Lennie out of the current predicament. This sort
You can judge a society by its treatment of the old, the weak, the helpless and the needy. Through the narrative conventions of foreshadowing and characterisation, John Steinbeck, in his novel Of Mice And Men, published in 1937, is able to effectively reveal the imperfections of America’s capitalist
Logan Cook Mrs. Wilbourn English III-4 3 October 2014 “Of Mice and Men” analytical essay What is the deeper meaning to the novella “Of Mice and Men”? What do the characters and scenes symbolize? In this essay the reader will get a better understanding on the deeper meaning to the story that Steinbeck conveys through complex symbolism.
Some characters in this novel are alienated by mainstream society because they do not fit society’s ideal image of a person. And they are all not accepted as human beings. Throughout John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, the social injustice of how people were treated during the Great Depression is explored through the characters Crooks, Curley’s wife, and Lennie, to show that society actually needs to become stronger than it really is.
For example, Candy, the older, one-armed, ex-worker who is now a permanent resident, bound to the ranch, offers to pitch in his savings in exchange for living with George and Lennie on the hypothetical farm that has kept the two friends together. Crooks, the pessimistic stable hand, previously made a comment on how the dream farm could never be a reality. "I seen hunderds of men come by on the road an' on the ranches, … an' that same damn thing in their heads… They come, an' they quit an' go on; an' every damn one of 'em's got a little piece of land in his head. An' never a God damn one of 'em ever gets it." (ADD CROOKS HERE) Candy and Crooks are both isolated, Candy because of his disability, and possibly his age, Crooks because of his race. However, Candy welcomes the idea of sharing a farm with Lennie and George, while Crooks sees the dream farm as an unrealistic ideal to help the workers cope with their current situation. Looking back, Crook’s statement foreshadows the events that take place later on. When Lennie is killed, the illusion of paradise, the farm’s possibility, dies too. Nothing truly separates Lennie and George from other migrant workers with heads full of dreams except for the seed of hope planted by Candy in their minds, and simultaneously, the reader’s mind. Candy, the optimist, made the farm seem close, and very possible. According to Jill Karson, in his article “The Need For Commitment”, he states: “...Steinbeck allows for no serious hope that George and Lennie will ever achieve their dream farm”(30-31). However, the statement is easily disproven because of the optimistic nature of Candy, and the money he offers, almost upfront (PUT PART OF TEXT WHERE CANDY OFFERS MONEY) throughout the novel. Candy, who has been bound to the ranch, finally has an opportunity to leave. His personality switches from a dull, filler character to a key part of
The Great Depression: Of Mice and Men The novel Of Mice and Men is set in the 1930s, during the Great Depression and just before the Second World War. The story focuses on two friends on a ranch in California, right around the Dust Bowl. This story gives a small glimpse into the time period, showing its trials and tribulations. The author, John Steinbeck, uses the characters and their dialogue to convey the trying times they were in and the struggles faced by the people during the Great Depression.
He describes how the working men at the ranch felt in the novel. To the working men in the ranch, the relationship between Lennie and George seemed very unusual to them clearly showing the aloneness at the ranch between the men. He also uses Candy to illustrate loneliness by showing how lonely Candy gets after his dog was shot. Another character was Curly’s wife. She was shown lonely simply by saying she was the only woman on the ranch resulting her to make countless efforts of trying to make freinds with the working men.
Of Mice and Men is a fable about what it means to be human, and the obstacles that present themselves in the process of fulfilling our own ambitions. Although this parable is short, Steinbeck does not fail to satisfy with this absolute unforgiving tale of a broken friendship. This story of George and Lennie’s dream of owning their own ranch is subsided by unattended consequences, it capitalizes on the emotions of the characters, as well as, the audience. John Steinbeck’s classic, is a book of what it means to be human, this parable engages us in friendship, loneliness, and sacrifice.
“Of Mice and Men,” wise words describing the relationship between man and animal alike, the sharing of the beautiful quality known as hope. The novella of mice and men is very layered and it illustrates the topic of dreams, hopes and plans, it speaks about the life and the downfall of two men, George and Lennie. During a time when the world faces many problems, having only each other to depend upon, they choose to cope and crush any obstacles that get in the way of their most treasured desire, the Dream Farm. John Steinbeck develops a theme of
Throughout the novel, a major theme of the hope for the American Dream is clearly defined in and different for each character. Four of the characters, George, Lennie, Candy, and Crooks, all have the common goal of living and working on their own farm together. Despite this, the motives and ‘American Dreams’ all differentiate. Candy is an elderly man who feels as though he will be discarded due to the lack of need for him at his age. His American Dream is to find a safe haven, where he can be sure he would have a permanent home. Lennie is a young, buff man with a mental disability who doesn’t appear to have any major issues apart from the fact that he fantasizes of owning a farm where George, himself, and rabbits reside. Although this appears strange, Lennie enjoys touching soft objects, so he has this image in his mind of tending to rabbits. Crooks, on the other hand, has a more pressing issue. He is not only a migrant worker, but a colored man as well. Crooks therefore is sheltered from the rest of the workers due to his skin color, and dreams of living a life together with other men, as he is extremely isolated. George is the man who takes care of Lennie, and would just like a home for the two of them where he
In the novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck there are different power relationships between the characters. The author, John Steinbeck, has lived through times that have changed his moral outlooks and influenced his writing. Of Mice and Men is an example of his finely crafted writing.
John Steinbeck’s classic novel, Of Mice and Men, has been banned from many school districts because of the explicit content yet the details describing each character’s nature is truly incredible. This story captures the journey of two men, Lennie and George, on their path to finding their American dream. Steinbeck was successful at making Lennie sympathetic since he shows how Lennie is sensitive and childlike and also loyal with how he listens and trusts George. The traits that make up Lennie is what makes people sincerely feel for his character.
John Steinbeck wrote ‘Of Mice and Men’ to show how hard life was for migrant ranch workers during the time of the Great Depression and how they were often exploited by their employers. In showing how George and Lennie’s dream of owning their own piece of land did not come true, Steinbeck explores a wider theme, criticising the idea of the American Dream. The American Dream tells people that there is ‘opportunity for each... regardless of the fortuitous circumstance of birth and position. Steinbeck criticises this as these ranch workers were given few opportunities. Settings play a very important part in the novel as they pinpoint clear times and places giving a sense of realism to the story, but they are also used to create atmosphere.
John Steinbeck, an American novelist, is well-known for his familiar themes of depression and loneliness. He uses these themes throughout a majority of his novels. These themes come from his childhood and growing up during the stock market crash. A reader can see his depiction of his childhood era. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck shows the prominent themes of loneliness, the need for relationships, and the loss of dreams in the 1930s through the novels’ character.