...Of Mice and Men Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck tells the story of two migrant workers who are very dependent of each other. George Milton and Lennie Small have been friends since before the Great Depression began. The story follows their friendship through the twists and turns of the Great Depression. George Milton is not a strong man physically, but what he is lacking he makes up mentally. On the other hand, Lennie Small is a very strong man. In the book Lennie is referred to as,” strong like bull.” Lennie is mentally handicapped and has the mind of a chill. Due to Lennie illness he has a hard time grasping events such as death and change. George who is not mentally handicapped helps Lennie navigate life. Together, traveling place...
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...Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck was published in 1937 during the Great Depression in the United States. The novel follows two men during the trying period as they search for work. Lennie’s mental condition proves to make keeping a job difficult, but George is always there to protect Lennie when he gets himself in trouble in a time when so little was understood or accepted about mental disabilities. Steinbeck uses literary devices such as symbolism, imagery, foreshadowing, metaphors, and oxymora to tell his story eloquently and expertly. When you first meet Lennie and George, they are beginning the long trek to their new jobs. Lennie has a mild form of autism, and though George and Lennie are not related, George still feels obligated to protect Lennie. When they arrive at the ranch, the pair are afraid that their...
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...Professor Gordon ENC 1102 TTH 830 am 19 November 2009 Research Paper Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck the author of the novel, Of Mice and Men, wrote a story about two migrant workers and their dream of one day owning their own piece of land (Bloom). George Milton and Lennie Small are the two main characters that travel together in search for work. The story took place in California, during the Great Depression, a time in history where everyone suffered from the economical problems and hardship. It was a hard era to live in, there was an extremely high unemployment rate, no one had a steady job and people had to adapt to a new living style. John Steinbeck was present at this time and had a firsthand experience working on a ranch (Leaf). He wrote about the American dream every human being wanted; through the characters of George and Lennie, who both dreamt for the same future, in owning their own land and working for no one else. These two characters are both similar in the sense of wanting the same thing, yet are completely different. Also, Steinbeck included a character, Curly, who lives every American dream and displays how he is. I am going to characterization these three major characters and show their part in the novel. The story begins with two different, thus alike men who are each other’s companion. George and Lennie are both men who work on ranches for money and do not have family, thus they both have a common future. They are both hard workers and optimistic for...
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...The classic novel, Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck was made into a movie in 1992. The novel, which takes place in the 1930’s, follows the lives of two men, George Milton and Lennie Small, as they try to attain their dream of owning their own farm and “live off the fatta the lan’”. George is a smart man who always seems to have things figured out. Lennie is massive, a contradiction of his last name, but has the mind of a young child. George looks after him, but it is not easy since Lennie always seems to get himself in some kind of trouble. As they struggle towards their dreams, George and Lennie face obstacles that test their friendship. In the end, with Lennie dead, George finds out that dreams aren’t worth striving for, and eventually, loneliness overcomes everything. The book Of Mice and Men differed from the movie adaptation, with the portrayal of Curley’s wife, and Lennie’s death scene. Along with those differences there are aspects in the movie that show a strong resemblance to those in the book, like how the characters were written, and how they were acted. The movie of Of Mice and Men had many differences while still giving the same messages that the book intended on having. A major difference between the book Of Mice and Men and the movie was Lennie’s death scene. In the book there was a scene in which Lennie was alone, where George told him to go in case he ever got in trouble. At that moment Lennie was hallucinating about his Aunt Clara and rabbits. This...
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...(Steinbeck 90). Lennie Small from Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is known for being different. Steinbeck implies that he has an intellectual disability. Lennie travels with his friend George during the time of the Great Depression, although it makes them more deviate. They share a dream about owning their own land with their own farm. Moreover, Curley’s wife realizes that there is a specific discrepancy between Lennie and the rest of the ranchers. The difference is Lennie’s behavior and thoughts. It causes problems escalating from a dead mouse to a dead woman. His behavior is similar to those with autism. Thus, Lennie Small portrays signs of autism based on his inept social interactions, obsessive interests, and difficulties communicating. The articles “Autism” by Carol Turkington and Albert Tzeel, “Autism”, and “Nursing Standard: Autism” provide information about autism. To begin, Lennie Small has trouble socializing. Turkington and Tzeel assert, “the primary feature of autism is impaired social interaction”...
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...Of Mice and Men Kiescha Giles Of mice and men is a novel written by author John Steinbeck, published in 1937. It’s about George Milton and lennie small, two displaced workers. Who move from place to place in California in search for new job opportunities during the great depression in United States of America? John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men is a fable about what it means to be human. Steinbeck's story of George and Lennie's ambition of owning their own ranch, and the obstacles that stand in the way of that ambition, reveal the nature of dreams, dignity, loneliness, and sacrifice. Ultimately, Lennie, the mentally handicapped giant who makes George's dream of owning his own ranch worthwhile, ironically becomes the greatest obstacle to achieving...
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...John Steinback’s Of Mice and Men is a thought-provoking novel set in the 1930’s during the Great Depression on a ranch. The main characters are two men: Lennie and George. Looking out for one another, these two wander from place to place in search of work. The conflict occurs when the two find work on a ranch in Soledad, California, and Curley, the ranch owner’s son, starts harassing Lennie. Curley’s wife, who is not named in the novel, arouses Lennie, and Lennie’s unhuman-like strength causes him to accidentally kill her. George knows the men on the ranch will brutally kill Lennie once they find out he killed Curley’s wife, so George decides to end Lennie’s life quickly by shooting Lennie in the back of the head. Throughout the novel, the reader can infer that George is protective of Lennie, and his personality exhibits a short-temper, but also, understanding. The author describes George as small and short with sharp features. To begin with, the author shows George’s affection towards Lennie. George feels obligated to watch after Lennie. He feels this because Lennie’s Aunt Clara asked George to take care of Lennie before she died. Although George...
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...Throughout the novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the characters Lennie Small, George Milton, and Curley’s Wife all had dreams and were determined to achieve them. One of the main characters in Of Mice and Men, Lennie Small had a dream he was determined to achieve. Lennie Small was a very large man who was not mentally stable; people called him crazy. They called him crazy because during the great depression they did not have the technology the do presently. Lennie travels with his friend George Milton. They were at a river valley in the middle of California, where they stopped to sleep on their way to a new job on a farm. Lennie, and his comapnion George, were migrant workers. Lennie and George were working toward a goal that...
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...Of Mice and Men is a popular book written by John Steinbeck. In Of Mice and Men we are shown a brotherly relationship between our characters, George Milton and Lennie Smalls. George is almost like a parent or guardian for Lennie, and Lennie often gets into trouble. Lennie is unaware of his own strength, thus killing many small animals like mice and puppies. The deaths of these animals are just one symbol out of the many throughout this book. There’s symbolism from mice to Curley’s wife, and from Crook’s quarters to Lennie’s puppy. The symbols that are most important include Curley, Crook’s quarters, and the dream of owning a farm. Have you ever had a dream that was deemed impossible or unlikely? In Of Mice and Men we get a glimpse of George’s...
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...Of Mice and Men “The best laid schemes of Mice and Men go often askew.” Of Mice and Men tells a tale about two unlikely friends, small but intelligent George and enormous but childlike Lennie. They are going to a farm and Lennie gets in a lot of trouble. Lennie has a tendency to grab onto things when he gets scared and that gets him in trouble, and George has to bail him out by packing up their stuff and leaving. The death of Lennie, Curley’s wife and George and Lennie’s dream are all important events in this book. The death of Lennie might come as a surprise to some or might be obvious to others. For example candy says “ I shoulda done it myself,” after Carlson kills his dog. Candy feels bad that he didn’t kill the dog himself. George...
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...Analysis of Major Characters Lennie Although Lennie is among the principal characters in Of Mice and Men, he is perhaps the least dynamic. He undergoes no significant changes, development, or growth throughout the novel and remains exactly as the reader encounters him in the opening pages. Simply put, he loves to pet soft things, is blindly devoted to George and their vision of the farm, and possesses incredible physical strength. Nearly every scene in which Lennie appears confirms these and only these characteristics. Although Steinbeck’s insistent repetition of these characteristics makes Lennie a rather flat character, Lennie’s simplicity is central to Steinbeck’s conception of the novel. Of Mice and Men is a very short work that manages to build up an extremely powerful impact. Since the tragedy depends upon the outcome seeming to be inevitable, the reader must know from the start that Lennie is doomed, and must be sympathetic to him. Steinbeck achieves these two feats by creating a protagonist who earns the reader’s sympathy because of his utter helplessness in the face of the events that unfold. Lennie is totally defenseless. He cannot avoid the dangers presented by Curley, Curley’s wife, or the world at large. His innocence raises him to a standard of pure goodness that is more poetic and literary than realistic. His enthusiasm for the vision of their future farm proves contagious as he convinces George, Candy, Crooks, and the reader that such a paradise might be possible...
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...lived. Of Mice and Men is a classic book by John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, this tale shows the adventures of two poor men, George and Lennie, who are suffering in the Great Depression. The book goes through a portion of their life through different places and roads. Lennie, I believe, is the most interesting character. Lennie shows his strengths and flaws from Of Mice and Men by having a big heart but bigger hands, helping keep George sane, and accidentally killing animals and people. Lennie has extraordinary physical strength, but his mind does not have that type of power. His head and heart did not know what to do when Curley started punching him and: “he was too frightened to defend himself… Curley’s fist was swinging when Lennie reached for it. The next minute Curley was flopping like a fish on a line, and his closed fist was lost in Lennie’s big hand” (69). Lennie’s brain could not comprehend the events developing around him and his body initially shut off in the process. If it was not for George yelling at him to fight back Lennie could have been really hurt. Some might say fighting is wrong all together, but if it is not possible to walk away from it then it is important to defend yourself. Even though it took him a while to be convinced to hit Curly, it only took a couple seconds to end the fight when he grabbed his wrist like he was catching a fly. George may protect Lennie throughout the whole book, but George needs Lennie just as much as Lennie needs him....
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...How does the setting of Of Mice and Men influence the book's thematic development? In answering, consider the connection between the novel's setting and the characters' vocations. Also, how does Steinbeck signal the importance of setting in his choice of place names? Though the novel is more famous for its characters than its setting, Of Mice and Men could not have been set elsewhere than in the rural Salinas valley of California. The problems of the novel are intimately tied to the rhythms and frustrations of the itinerant worker's life. Shifting from ranch to ranch, from one menial job to another, the Californian itinerant worker risked a life of meaningless labor - of pure, cynical sustenance. George and Lennie, with their dream of acquiring a farm, represent an attempt to stand against such perpetual loneliness. Even the name of the city near which the novel is set - Soledad, which is Spanish for "solitude" - resonates with this theme of loneliness. The title, Of Mice and Men, is an allusion to a Robert Burns poem. How is this allusion meaningful in the novel? Consider some similarities and differences between Burns and Steinbeck's works. Robert Burns' poem, "To a Mouse," is the source of the famous quotation: "The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men / Gang aft agley" ("often go awry"). And, indeed, Of Mice and Men features two men with a scheme - to escape their lives of menial, temporary employment - that goes awry. Beyond this simple plot similarity,...
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...07/10/12 Karla Roman Ms karigian “of mice and men” book summary The novel opens with two men, George Milton and Lennie Small, walking to a nearby ranch where harvesting jobs are available. George, the smaller man, leads the way and makes the decisions for Lennie, a mentally handicapped giant. They stop at a stream for the evening, deciding to go to the ranch in the morning. Lennie, who loves to pet anything soft, has a dead mouse in his pocket. George takes the mouse away from Lennie and reminds him of the trouble Lennie got into in the last town they were in — he touched a girl's soft dress. George then reminds Lennie not to speak to anyone in the morning when they get to the ranch and cautions Lennie to return to this place by the river if anything bad happens at the ranch. When he has to take the dead mouse away from Lennie a second time, George chafes at the hardship of taking care of Lennie. After calming his anger, George relents and promises Lennie they will try to find him a puppy; then he tells Lennie about their dream of having a little farm where they can be their own boss and nobody can tell them what to do, where Lennie will tend their rabbits, and where they will "live off the fatta the lan'." Lennie has heard this story so often he can repeat it by heart. And George emphasizes that this dream and their relationship make them different from other guys who don't have anyone or a place of their own. They settle down and sleep for the night. The...
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...Of mice and men is a novel written by John Steinbeck, published on 1937. The novel portrays the theme of loneliness throughout the story. The story of mice and men was begun at South Soledad, which means loneliness. The story evolves in a two man namely George Milton and Lennie Small, who displaced migrant ranch workers. They move from one place to another in searching for a new job opportunities. Before their arrival in Soledad, however, Lennie and George lived and worked in Weed, California, but fled after the authorities there accused Lennie of attempted rape. Physically, Lennie and George differ as much as night and day. George is small in stature but quick-witted and sharp. What George lacks in height Lennie makes up for, but he lacks...
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