...writing make this such a powerful and revealing moment in the novel? Steinbeck makes this passage such a powerful and revealing moment in the novel as it highlights main of the themes throughout the book, the main theme being friendship. In this novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck focuses on the loneliness of California ranch life in the 1930’s. One of the most important things in life is to have a friend, without friends people will suffer from loneliness like in this novel, not everyone in the novel has the same connection and special friendship like George and Lennie’s. Of Mice and Men is the story about lonely men who travel from ranch to ranch not really communicating with other ranch hands. Candy, Crooks and Curley’s wife all were lonely and dealt with their loneliness in different ways. Steinbeck makes this such a powerful and revealing moment in the novel as it is the first time Curley is introduced and meets Lennie. Curley's character is described in a very wealthy style, convincing the reader that he does not live the life of a ranch hand. This is presented in the first line when Steinbeck presents Curley as a “young man”. On its own, this connotes naivety, as though he is fresh to the job, lacking experience and altogether slightly out of place compared to the other ranch workers. The extract continues, to portray him differently as “like the boss, he wore high-heeled boots”. At this moment Steinbeck makes the reader feel as if Curley is trying to ‘follow in the footsteps’...
Words: 1052 - Pages: 5
...Loneliness: The quality of being unfrequented and remote; isolation. Being lonely can change a lot about a person. In a way, loneliness can define who someone is. Even the strongest person can crumble under the wrath of loneliness. Many characters in the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck have experienced times of extreme loneliness. One of the characters, Lennie Small, often feels very lonely. Loneliness drives Lennie to believe that he isn’t wanted by George, his companion. “If you don’ want me I can go off in the hills an’ find a cave. I can go away any time.” (Steinbeck 12) This quote shows that Lennie often feels as if he is unwanted by George. Lennie offers to go away and live in the hills where he wouldn’t bother anyone, including...
Words: 368 - Pages: 2
...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...
Words: 1065 - Pages: 5
...John Steinbeck was a writer, and he wrote sixteen novels, six non-fiction and five collections of short stories and they resulted in a Nobel prize. He was born 2/27/1902 and he died on 12/20/1968. He was married three times. He also didn't have much money and he didn't have many friends. He had two kids. He enrolled in Stanford. The migrant workers were foreigners and some US citizens. They came to America to work and get money. They worked on farms in California. The workers had to carry the cotton they picked on their spines. Then the dust bowl happened and that was because over farming and it made dust storms. These workers made from $268 to $500 dollars a year. These workers had to live under bridges. Jim Crow laws were so the...
Words: 387 - Pages: 2
...In John Steinbeck’s Novel, Of Mice and Men, the character, Curley’s Wife, is a misunderstood woman, as were most women during The Great Depression. Everyone is basically judging her like people judge a book by its cover, which leads to her acting out in ways to get attention because the loneliness and depression is eating away at her. Curley’s wife may seem like there is nothing to her. Some might think she just stands for a promiscuous person, but that is the thing. So many people judge before they really think or get to know a person. Yes, Curley’s wife does act like what people see her as sometimes, but she has reasons as to why she acts this way. During the Great Depression, women were treated as objects, or should I say sex objects. Curley’s wife is a prime example of what women had to do to get some attention during this time. Desperation drove them to become these dolls in society who would do anything to feel the least bit of love....
Words: 544 - Pages: 3
...Free Will People need to realize that their lives are controlled by free will because our decisions shape how our lives turn out so we need to make good decisions for a good future. This is shown in, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and the films, The Adjustment Bureau, and To Save A Life. Firstly, the environment that someone lives in shapes who the person becomes. Secondly, a relationship in a person’s life helps/hinders how a person achieves a goal. Lastly, the way a person overcomes an obstacle shapes a person’s life. In conclusion everyday people are faced with decisions that affect their lives so we need to make good decisions to have a good future, this is shown in, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, and the films, The Adjustment Bureau, and To Save A life. Firstly, the environment that someone lives in shapes who the person becomes. This is shown in “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck when, Crooks who is black, sleeps in the barn with the animals since his black. Lenny notices the light under the barn door so Lenny opens the door to find Crooks yelling at Lenny for intruding his area. “You got no right come in my room. This here’s my room. Nobody got any right in here but me” (Steinbeck, 68). Since Crooks lives in a racist environment he gets treated quite poorly which makes Crooks an angry, cranky and stubborn man towards the other farm hands, and white people in general. This is also shown in the movie “To Save A Life”. Jake and his friends all just think...
Words: 914 - Pages: 4
...H. Tharp The Unspoken Truth about John Steinbeck’s Legacy in Monterey County John Ernst Jr. Steinbeck is one of the most respected and honored American writers among our society today. In many classrooms around the world, his books are still mandated as reading requirements and there are many museums and centers dedicated to this esteemed author. John Steinbeck has won numerous awards for his books, most notably the Pulitzer Prize for his fictional novel, The Grapes of Wrath in 1940, and the Nobel Prize in literature in 1962 based on his entire body of work. Steinbeck’s other awards, which are typically less known are included in the following chart: WORK | YEAR | AWARD | MEDIUM | “The Murder” | 1934 | O. Henry Award | Print | Tortilla Flat | 1935 | Commonwealth Club of California Gold Medal for Best Novel by a Californian | Print | In Dubious Battle | 1936 | Ibid | Print | Of Mice and Men | 1938 | N.Y Drama Critic’s Circle Award | Play | “The Promise” | 1938 | O. Henry Award | Print | Of Mice and Men | 1939 | American Bookseller’s Award | Print | LifeBoat | 1944 | Academy Award nominee for Best Story | Print | A Medal for Benny | 1945 | Ibid | Print | The Moon is Down | 1946 | King Haakon Liberty Cross | Print | Viva Zapata! | 1952 | Academy Award nominee for Best Original Screenplay | Play | N/A | 1963 | Honorary Consultant in American Literature to the Library of Congress | N/A | N/A | 1964 | U.S Medal of Freedom; Press Medal of Freedom | N/A...
Words: 5126 - Pages: 21
...John Steinbeck Research Paper: Final Draft John Steinbeck is regarded as the “quintessential American writer.” He created many works of literature that “evoke life in the 20th century with compassion and lyrical precision” (Li). John Steinbeck’s most popular works such as Of Mice and Men (1937) and The Grapes of Wrath (1939) explore the darker side of life in America for farm laborers. Though these works were considered highly controversial, they gained him major recognition. Of Mice and Men was adapted as a play in 1938 and was declared the best play by New York Drama Critics’ Circle. He went on to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1940 for The Grapes of Wrath. In 1962, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature (Schultz & Li). As a child and youth, Steinbeck spent a lot of time working on farms and interacting with other migrant workers. His experiences with migrant farm workers created the foundation for Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath. John Ernst Steinbeck was born on February 27th 1902 in Salinas California to John Ernst Steinbeck Sr. and Olivia Hamilton Steinbeck. Steinbeck Sr. managed a flour mill, and his mother Olivia was a teacher in a school, thus securing the family a middle class income (Bender). His mother Olivia looked to “mold him into a man of broad intellectual capacity” (Kiernan). She read him several books as a child and, by the age of five, he could read. In school he was teased for “his large ears…so he withdrew into books.” His...
Words: 1697 - Pages: 7
...order to achieve the great American dream. In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck shows loneliness and the need for companionship through characters, conflict, and setting. Steinbeck depicts the effects of loneliness through characters in Of Mice and Men. Curley’s wife is possibly the loneliest character demonstrated in the book Of Mice and Men. She says, “I never get to talk to nobody.” (Steinbeck 86) This quote suggests it isn’t just Lennie and George who distance themselves from Curley’s wife; it is...
Words: 664 - Pages: 3
...Guadalupe Dominguez June 3, 2011 Humanities 303 Mrs. Nyhan Of Mice and Men Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck was a book that told the ultimate demonstration of love George had for Lennie. The first instant that George demonstrated that he cared for Lennie was when he asked Lennie to give him the mouse he had pulled out of the river. When Lennie gave George the mouse he began to cry so George said “Aw, Lennie!” “George put his hand on Lennie’s shoulder” (Of Mice and Men). “I ain’t taking it away just for meanness” (Of Mice and Men). “That mouse ain’t fresh, Lennie; and beside, you’ve broke it petting it” (Of Mice and Men). Here George demonstrated he cared about Lennie’s feelings. He wanted Lennie to understand that he was not taking the mouse from him just because he didn’t want him to have it; it was because it was died and he could get sick. George showed compassion toward Lennie when George places his hand on Lennie’s should as a way to comfort Lennie because the mouse was taken away from him. Another instant when George demonstrated he cared about Lennie was when Lennie got in trouble for the first time in Weed. Lennie said “jus’ wanted to feel that girl’s dress---jus’ wanted to pet it like it was a mouse---Well, how the hell did she know you jus’ wanted to feel her dress?” (Of Mice and Men). Because Lennie grab this girl’s dress and wouldn’t let go he got accused of raping this girl. Since, no one was going to believe Lennie didn’t do anything...
Words: 3239 - Pages: 13
...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...
Words: 536 - Pages: 3
...come true. In John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice And Men, George and Candy are forced to kill their best friends, and the dreams of Lennie and Candy die out. Many times throughout the novel, friendships became fatal. In John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice And Men, A frightened Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife. Lennie, who recalls what George told him, ran to the spot where they had arranged to meet. George - who knows he has to kill Lennie in order to spare him a worse fate - distracts Lennie so that he can shoot Lennie using Carlson’s gun in the back of the head, so that Lennie feels no pain. To distract him, he tells Lennie about the rabbits, and then “He brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head… He pulled the trigger.” (Steinbeck 66). George doesn’t want to shoot Lennie, but he knew that it would spare him...
Words: 544 - Pages: 3
...Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Exam style practice questions for AQA GCSE English Literature Teaching notes The following questions are designed to meet the assessment objectives for Of Mice and Men for GCSE English Literature Unit 1, Section B: Exploring cultures. Where we have created practice questions, they follow a similar structure and wording to the questions that have been set for examination. Questions are provided for each section of the text, according to the passage focused on in Part (a). It is not necessary to have completed a reading of the whole text in order to answer Part (a) of each question, so you may wish to use one or more of these with students as they study a particular section. Part (b) of each question requires reference to the novel as a whole. Where available, past paper questions have been identified for you to use as possible practice questions for that section of the text. These can be downloaded here: http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/gcse/english-literature-9710/past-papers-and-markschemes. Please note that for copyright reasons past papers are moved to the Secure Key Materials of the AQA website after three years, with copyright extracts removed. Please also note that the passages focused on in Part (a) of the practice questions below have not been reproduced, again for copyright reasons. Section 1 Foundation Read the following passage and then answer Part (a) and Part (b). Extract from p.2, ‘For a moment the place...
Words: 1186 - Pages: 5
...person or body”. The novella Of Mice and Men is a book about a shared platonic friendship between two opposites named George Milton, a short yet clever man and Lennie Smalls, an unusually big man who is mentally disabled. The two of them travel together to Soledad, California to work as buckers and together they meet the memorable characters of the book. This novella written by John Steinbeck centers around one’s power and powerlessness and reveals that those who are powerless are, more often times than not, treated differently than their powerful counterparts. This theme is ever-present in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men through its characters’...
Words: 1344 - Pages: 6
...A Dreams Depression John Steinbeck is a famous American author, best known for his book Of Mice and Men. On February 27th, 1902, John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. was born in Salinas, California. As a teenager, fourteen years old, he decided to start writing stories and poems. Steinbeck enrolled into Stanford University in 1919. In 1925 he dropped out because he had no passion for school. Cup of Gold, was Steinbeck’s first official novel to be published. On October 1929, only two months after the publication, the U.S. stock market crashed, igniting the Great Depression. Steinbeck met his first wife, Carol Henning, around the same time he wrote his first novel. They then moved into a small cottage in Pacific Grove, California, where he completed much...
Words: 542 - Pages: 3
