...Everyone has aspirations is life. Whether they are to become a scientist, discover new and amazing things, or become a star basketball player and be the highest paid player in the league; people dream about their future. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is a story about two men’s, George and Lennie, eagerness of owning their own ranch. The readers follow them through the obstructions that stand in the way of that eagerness, which reveals the nature of dreams, loneliness, and sacrifice. Ultimately, Lennie, the mentally handicapped man who makes George's intention of owning his own ranch worthwhile, becomes the biggest hurdle to achieving that target. Through his use of characterization, imagery and setting, and symbolism in Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck demonstrates that dreams serve as an incentive, particularly when one is faced with the adversities of life. Steinbeck’s diction reveals that dreams cause people to persevere in attempts to accomplish their goals.On Sunday nights, all the ranchmen go to the club and the “weak ones” get left behind: Candy, Crooks, and Lennie. Lennie decides to go into the barn to play with his dog and while he is in there he gets approached by Crooks, the stable buck. At first Crooks is...
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...evident in John Steinbeck’s novella, “Of Mice and Men” when we see Lennie complain about the bunkhouse but tolerates staying there because of his dream, which is to tend the rabbits. Another example would be George. On the weekend, instead of spending all his on tempting offers, he stashes it in the bank to save up for his and Lennie’s dream ranch. Lastly, Candy is also a prime example of this statement. When Candy is let in on George and Lennie’s dream, Candy’s outlook on life improves and even...
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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: Thematic Ideas In the novella, Of Mice and Men (1937), John Steinbeck asserts many different important thematic ideas in the lives of two migrant farmers, George and Lennie through their dreams of owning their own house and living a better life with their hardships and obstacles. Steinbeck supports his ideas by successfully symbolizing many realistic ideas and problems of the twentieth century through his characters. In this fictional tragedy, the purpose is to amplify the nature of being human through isolation, dreams, reality, obstacles, and sacrifice. Steinbeck successfully develops the importance and meanings of dreams and reality, unity and isolation, and the marginalization of different characters. Steinbeck enforces...
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...In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck loneliness plays a key role in the book. Loneliness affects most of the character throughout the book. The characters Crooks, George, and Candy all experience loneliness throughout the book. In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Crooks, George, and Candy all experience loneliness. Being lonely can lead to being distrusted. Being lonely can lead to being distrusted because loneliness is a feeling and people can still feel lonely when surrounded by people. Crooks experienced loneliness by having his own room in the barn with no other workers around. Crooks feels lonely because he lives alone in the barn while all the other workers live in a bunkhouse. In the book Crooks says, “I ain’t wanted...
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...Both Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou explores the topic of discrimination. Of Mice and Men tells the tale of the unlikely bond that forms between protagonist and antagonist, George and Lennie. "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" is a poem that used different types of birds to symbolize opposites in society. This poem can be interpreted as the black race being restricted from the privileges that white people acquire. Of Mice and Men and "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" illustrates the theme that people should not be hindered from any form of success because of who they are. In Of Mice and Men, the theme is conveyed through the most obvious form of discrimination depicted in the novella,...
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...In a staunch, musty bunkhouse and the sweltering heat of the northern California sun, nothing is worse than being all alone. This is especially true for the lives of the laborers in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. The novel tells the story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two nomadic consorts who travel through California looking for work. They have a dream of owning a small stake of land together and living a relaxed, comfortable life on that land. While living in a bunkhouse in Soledad, they meet an old man named Candy, who has no family or relatives that care about him. His only true friend is his dog. Through Candy’s speech and thoughts, Steinbeck reveals that everyone is much happier with a companion than without. Candy’s relationship...
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...Of Mice and Men “The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” This quote from James Truslow Adams “The epic of America”, states one of the themes in the novella Of Mice and Men. John Steinbeck, the author of Of Mice and Men, deals with the topic of living through the great depression, as the readers follow the story of two migrants workers and their wish to fulfil their American Dream. Steinbeck’s inspiration for his novella can be linked back to his own life, as he was both born and raised in Salinas Valley, the most productive agricultural region in California. This essay will cover Of Mice and Men’s setting, the characterisation of major characters and the key themes identified within the novella. Two protagonists, Lennie and George, travel around together to obtain work. Within the novella, Steinbeck has presented two obvious settings, and focused on the contrast between them. Nearing the beginning of the book, the two men spend a night in a small, secluded glade near the river. The description of the nature area could be compared to heaven, just a beautiful place as described in this quote: “On one side of the river, the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Galiban mountains” (page 1, line 5), where the nature is described as majestic, strong and even golden. However a contrast is formed with the two men entering the setting...
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...Discrimination in Of Mice and Men All throughout American history, minorities have been mistreated. In the John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, prejudice influences the way the ranchers treat others. Curley’s Wife, Crooks, and Candy are excluded because of gender, race, age, or disability. This bias results in these people feeling lonely and inferior. In Steinbeck’s novella, multiple characters experience alienation due to discrimination by other ranchers. Throughout the novella, Curley’s Wife is isolated from the male workers several times due to her gender. This is portrayed when the men in the bunkhouse argue with Curley about his wife, when they try to avoid Curley’s Wife because they view her as a nothing more than a distraction because they think her beauty is her only valuable characteristic. Carlson says, “Why’n’t you...
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...Curley’s Wife: The Tart In this novel, Of Mice and Men, the author is John Steinbeck. The author explains Curley’s wife. Curley’s wife is flirtatious with everyone she goes around. “gives men the eye, kinda flirting with them” (31). “I’m lookin’ for Curley”, she exclaimed. “Oh!” said George. “You’re the new fellas that just come, ain’t ya?” (31). Curley’s wife is a lonely woman since Curley is always busy doing stuff on the farm. Earlier into the novel, Of Mice and Men, Curley’s wife is not only flirtatious, she claims to be lonely. Lennie made a comment to Curley’s wife “George says I ain’t to have nothing to do with you- talk to you or nothing” (86). She began to giggle “George giving you orders about everything?” (86) Lennie still wanted to listen to George and he expressed to Curley’s wife “No, sir. I ain’t gonna talk to you or nothing” (86). “Listen” she said. All the guys got a horseshoe tenement goin’ on. It’s on’y about four o’clock. None of them guys is goin’ to leave that tenement. Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely” (86). No one never wanted to Curley’s wife because if Curley ever found out or saw them talking, he would get mad and then want to fight them. Not...
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...Abnormal Woman The famous story “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, uses characterization of women throughout the piece to represent the social attitudes towards women in the 1930’s, the story's time period. There is only one main, female character in the text, referred to as Curley's wife, who Steinbeck characterizes well throughout the text as an unfitting, flirtatious and irresponsible woman who does not contribute to her household. First, when Curley's wife is being introduced to the antagonists, George and Lennie, at the bunkhouse she is described as very elegant and voluptuous. When Lennie and George look up to see Curley's wife for the first time she wears a “cotton house dress and red mules, on the insteps of which were little...
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...The Great Depression, a time of cruelty and prejudice among all social classes and races. In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck shows this cruelty though character behavior, and how man was cruel to his fellow man. Curley’s behaviour is an example of cruelty. He has it out for the “big fellas;” he hates strong guys like Lennie. Later in the novel Crooks describes to Lennie how he isn't wanted because he “smells” due to that he is coloured; with how Crooks is treated cruelty by fellow man. Soon after Crooks describes to Lennie describes his problems he gets “supposin” to Lennie what if George don't come back, Crooks is doing to Lennie what others have done to him. The theme of cruelty and prejudice in Of Mice and Men is shown to the...
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...BOOK: OF MICE AND MEN by John Steinkbeck Learn: An introduction to The novella ‘of mice and men’ Keywords: -historical background -1930’s -cultural – ‘farming community’ –working on land –ranch, barn, bunkhouse, horses, donkeys – many words related to the farming community -characters -themes -1929 wallstreet crash – the great depression 1930’s -stucture – nature versus man (write these words in the exam ^^^ to have a A* or a B) Chapter1: opening paragraph -description of Soledad (loneliness) -Salinas River -Gabilan mountains -Sycamores (like helikopterblaadjes of a tree) -Soledad – Twinkling – Golden – Strong – Sloops – Jungle – deforest George Small, darkface, restless eyes, strong features. Lennie Shapeless of face, large pale eyes, huge man, dranks like a horse, like a child. John Steinbeck Born in 1902 in Salinas California his father owned a …. John describe farming life he was an intelligent student and at age of 14 he decided to become a writer. He did Stanford university, never complete his degree he went to NY and works as a construction worker. He later became a newspaper reporter. *1928 – cup of gold *1932 – pastures of heaven *1933 – to an unknown god *1935 – Tortilla flat *1937 – of mice and men The clearing by the river- Salinas begins by the river and ending by the river –full circle storyline Nature=Good Questions OF MICE AND MEN: * Physical environment * Infested environment * Racist environment ...
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...John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice And Men’ is a fictional story, about George and Lennie, the main protagonists, who find work in a ranch and the events and consequences that happen during their time there. The story has become an American classic, partly due to the fact that there are many levels of Disenfranchisement present in the story. Disenfranchisement in it’s simplest form, is the lack of power of individuals, places or animals in the context of the story. This idea of lack of power can be viewed through the lens of various literary theories. The two theories this essay will explore are Marxism, power through property, money and class, and Foucault’s theory on, the power of spaces in relationships. The story of George and Lennie is placed...
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...John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men In John Steinbeck's classic novella, Of Mice and Men, one of the predominant themes that govern the story and characters in the book is friendship. One of the ways in which friendship plays a large role is in the area of mercy killing, which affects the main characters as well as the supporting ones. The two major mercy killings that occur in the book are those of Carlson's killing of Candy's old dog, and of George's killing of Lennie. In both of these examples, the killer kills the other out of mercy and love, not for the usual motives of hatred, rage, anger, etc. The killing of Candy's dog is an excellent example of mercy killing in the aforesaid novella. Candy's dog was in terrible condition, and it could barely be said that the ratty old thing was even alive. It stunk like a dozen skunks, was nearly blind, could barely hear, had arthritis that was so bad, the old mutt couldn't sit down, had no quality of life, and probably had urinary and bowel problems, a miserable condition that is almost assured in old dogs. This instance of mercy killing, however, was more driven by peer pressure than the typical case of mercy killing. When someone kills another loved one out of mercy, it is normally done to put the afflicted one out of their misery, torment, anguish, distress, etc. The other ranch hands thought that the dog reeked more than any of its other conditions, which was the only one that they, too, could experience. Candy's dog loved its master...
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