...Of Mice and Men is one of the most widely assigned modern novels in high schools because of both its form and the issues that it raises. John Steinbeck’s reliance on dialogue, as opposed to contextual description, makes the work accessible to young readers, as does his use of foreshadowing and recurrent images. Equally important is the way in which he intertwines the themes of loneliness and friendship and gives dignity to those characters, especially Lennie and Crooks, who are clearly different from their peers. By focusing on a group of lonely drifters, Steinbeck highlights the perceived isolation and sense of “otherness” that can seem so overwhelming when one is growing up. Of Mice and Men is also important because it explores the way in which events can conspire against the realization of one’s dreams. It pits a group of flawed individuals against a set of circumstances that they are unable to master or, in the case of Lennie, even to comprehend. This is a theme that Steinbeck also explores in his classic novel The Grapes of Wrath (1939). When Steinbeck began Of Mice and Men, he was planning to write a children’s book called Something That Happened. His intent was to demonstrate that events often have a momentum of their own and need not reflect the existence of a higher power that is exacting punishment. Perhaps it was for this reason that he decided to retitle the book, drawing from Robert Burns’s oft-quoted poem “To a Mouse,” which contains the line “The best-laid...
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...As some of the paramount examples of early 20th century literature, John Steinbeck's novels not only encompass the epitomes in characteristics of the laboring class, but also demonstrate the resilience of the human spirit. Through stories of the downtrodden, Steinbeck teaches the reader a much-needed lesson about the complexity of the world in which we live and the people's response to that complexity. Of Mice and Men's protagonist, George, convincingly personifies the dispiriting mood that spanned America at the time of the Great Depression. Attempting to find work in California, George is depicted as a capable, yet underprivileged, laborer who begins to form conceptions on the dynamics of society. Through George's journey, Steinbeck paints a picture of a typical American worker in the Depression-ridden country, and in turn shows the reader the unfortunate realization that the main character comes to as he searches for a job: the world is designed for the weak to become weaker and strong to become stronger. In other words, the concept of social Darwinism prevails in this novel as, time and time again, the main characters are forced into an endless cycle of poverty (want to say something along these lines but a different word than poverty). "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place. They come to a ranch an' work up a stake and then go inta town and blow their stake, and the first thing...
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...Of Mice and the Meaning of Life Although some may disagree, John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is a parable of the meaning of life. This novel explores many aspects for this parable including the need for human contact, the motivation of dreams, and the obstacles to achieving happiness. Steinbeck brilliantly portrays these aspects through his symbols and themes throughout the novel. One aspect of the meaning of life that is portrayed in Of Mice and Men is the strong need for human contact, which he establishes through the lonely soles living on the ranch. Curley’s wife, the only woman on the ranch, exhibits her loneliness through her constant need to be around the other men. She incessantly attempts to engage in flirtacious conversation with...
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...Explore Steinbeck's portrayal of Curley's Wife in Of Mice and Men. John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr, was born on February 26th, 1902, Salinas, California, United States. He decided while in high school he wanted to be a writer. Steinbeck studied at Stanford University intermittently between 1920 and 1926 where he majored in English. He married on the 28th December 1950 to his third and last wife, Elaine Anderson Scott. During his lifetime he wrote twenty-seven books, including five collections of short stories, six non-fiction books and sixteen novellas. One of his most successful novellas is ‘Of Mice and Men’ which I am going to explore and analyse. Steinbeck uses Curley’s wife as a symbol to portray and demonstrate male dominance and portray female oppression in the 1930’s USA. He also shows the futility of the American dream throughout the novella. Steinbeck portrays the nameless wife throughout the novella as Curley’s wife, as that ‘title’ shows the apostrophe of possession. Curley’s Wife is not a person of her own but merely a possession. We are not informed the name of Curley’s Wife. Steinbeck never informs us about her at all during the course of the novella, she remains much of a questionable character. Steinbeck's way of showing us this is that she is always asking questions, she never gives any solid information about herself. This gives way to excessive mystery and many different observations about her. Symbolism is used by Steinbeck when he refers to Curley’s...
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...During the early and mid 1900’s, African Americans are endless victims of discrimination. They are seen as outcasts and are treated horribly. The events of discrimination are shown very well in the novels A Summer of Kings by Han Nolan and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Both of the books clearly show the themes of racism, segregation and gender inequality throughout the content of their storylines. Having these forms of discrimination in both of the novels, make the readers realize how much suffering these innocent people had to go through every single day of their lives because of the cruel societies around them. Both of the novels have events within them showing the segregation, racism and gender inequality that are associated with the theme of discrimination. The events that they endure every day are horrible and these events have made a mark on history. Every event that shows discrimination is embedded in history and in A Summer of Kings and Of Mice and Men, the authors have shown these events clearly and made the suffering real enough to clearly understand as the reader. In the book A Summer of Kings racism is a central issue. Han Nolan makes sure to inform the readers that the African-American people live in different cities than the white people do. King-Roy Johnston, who is a black man that has been accused of murdering a white man in Alabama. When he comes to live with her family, Esther’s neighbour Pip is not so happy about this when he says “You think...
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...These questions are fought in John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men. George was justified in killing Lennie since the other men would have tortured Lennie, he also saved Lennie from himself, and George vowed he would take care of Lennie and George thought this was Lennie’s best option. First of all George saved Lennie from being tortured by the other men especially Curley. George was justified since he gave Lennie mercy and made his death instantaneous. He prevented Lennie from a long and painful death. For example...
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...Gloria Kim Mrs. Maniscalco College Prep English I November 2, 2015 Literary Signposts In the novella Of Mice and Men, there are many meaningful moments that stand out in the literature. These are called signposts. They let the reader discover the text and confirm their interpretations. Contrasts and contradictions, again and again, memory moment, aha moment, tough questions, and words of the wiser are all examples of signposts. Of Mice and Men is a novella about two migrant workers who travel from place to place looking for new work opportunities. By integrating again and again, tough questions and words of the wiser into Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck has developed a suspenseful novella. Throughout the book, Lennie tends to accidently kill many of the things he touches. He fails to acknowledge his personal strength over the feeble. All the mice that Lennie killed overtime represents the advantage between the strong and the weak. Lennie doesn’t mean to kill his own puppy or Curley’s wife but he can’t fix his same routine. He enjoys petting furry, soft things but sometimes puts a little too much force, killing the poor creatures. “’He was so little,’ said Lennie. ‘I was jus’ playin’ with him…an’ he made like he’s gonna bite me…an’ I made like I was gonna smack him…an’…an’ I done it. An’ then he was dead.’” (Steinback 87). The author made Lennie’s character...
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...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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...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 “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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...Seventy six years ago, John Steinbeck released what The New York Times called ‘A thriller, a gripping tale that you wilnot set down until it is finished. Steinbeck has touched the quick’. Of Mice and Men is a novel and film demonstrating the Heroes Journey and a tale of friendship that triumphs over incredible odds, of life in the dust bowl of the Great Depression. But what is it about Steinbeck’s novel that never ceases to appeal to all audiences? From Joseph Campbell’s novel The Hero With A Thousand Faces, a twelve step model known as ‘The Hero’s Journey’ and ‘Archetypes’ has been established. The Hero’s Journey is a narrative pattern that the leading character takes on their typical adventure, and the Archetypes are the supporting characters though out the story. The Heroes Journey and archetypes can be perceived in thousands of stories, dramas, storytelling, religious rituals and psychological development including Of Mice and Men. The narrative pattern of, Of Mice and Men starts with the first stage, what Joseph Campbell called ‘The Ordinary World’. George and Lennie’s ordinary world is going around America, from job to job and ranch to ranch to complete their ‘American Dream’, they wished to own their own property and ‘live offa the fatta the lan’. George and Lennie were forced to leave their hometown, Lennie did not realise his strength and got himself into trouble, this was common for Lennie, but George was always there to fix the problem. As discovered by the reader...
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...A threatened person reacts like a rattlesnake, as in both will rattle and then attack. John Steinbeck knew this was true, and portrays rattlesnake-like violence in his writing. One specific work of Steinbeck’s, Of Mice and Men, is abundant in examples of animosity. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck examines how feeling threatened engenders violence through his portrayal of the violent outbursts of Curley, Lennie, and Curley’s Wife. Curley’s inner doubt leads him to lash out in violence. To start, Curley feels threatened by big people. Candy described that Curley was “alla time picking scraps with big guys” because he’s mad “he ain’t a big guy” (Steinbeck 26). When Curley is after Lennie, Steinbeck develops the threat of bigger people to Curley. In addition, Curley assaults people who his wife eyes. Because Curley’s Wife is promiscuous, Curley...
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...Of Mice and Men Essay ‘Of Mice and Men’ was written by John Steinbeck in 1937, the same time as the great depression. In ‘Of Mice and Men’, Steinbeck presents Curley’s Wife in a variety of different ways. In the novella Curley’s Wife is seen as a villainess. Curley’s Wife is also seen as someone who craves attention which leads to the novellas tragic ending. Steinbeck could also be showing society’s view of how women should behave. In the 1930s women were one of two roles- a ‘tart’ or a ‘mother’ in the both cases they are presented as serving a purpose for men- either to give the man sexual pleasure or to provide a family. Steinbeck presents Curley’s Wife in many ways in the novella. Firstly he presents her through the male gaze as a tart and we see this through Candy’s description of her. Steinbeck’s use of description states that she is ‘heavily’ made up and she exhibits extremely flirtatious behaviour. Although this could be because how restricted women were at the time. Curley’s Wife did not have children so she may have been automatically put into the category of a ‘tart’. Curley’s Wife also never had a positive female role model because of her bad relationship with her mother. Throughout the novella the reader’s view of Curley’s Wife changes from her being a ‘tart’ to a lonely figure that just wants attention. Steinbeck also presents her as a victim of prejudice and sexism as the reader’s perceptions change as her character develops but the male view of Curley’s Wife...
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...American Lit Justification for Mercy Killings The jurors for the trial of Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the physician convicted of second-degree murder for helping 130 terminally-ill patients commit suicide, had to decide whether or not he was justified in assisting the death of these patients. After reading Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, the readers have a chance to take a side on relatively the same issue of whether or not mercy killings are justified. The novel is about Lennie Small, a huge, mentally impaired man, and George Milton, a friend that looks after Lennie, searching for work in California during the Great Depression. Towards the end of the novel, Lennie enrages Curley by accidentally killing his wife, and George is left with the decision of whether or not to kill Lennie himself. George decides to shoot him solely out of love for his friend, but this killing initiates a debate in which the readers can take sides about his righteousness. Some people believe that George is justified in killing Lennie and should have done it, while others would argue that George should not have done it and should be held accountable for murder. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, George Milton should have shot Lennie Small because George is his friend and knows what is best for Lennie, and he knows that if Lennie lives, he will suffer. Other people may believe that George should not have shot Lennie and should therefore be punished because Lennie has mental issues and his killing of...
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...John Steinbeck’s novella “Of Mice and Men” was written the 1930s, during the great American Depression. He used the ranch as a microcosm to show society’s desensitisation to violence, the inhumane ways in which the marginalised were treated and the prevalent misogynistic attitudes. Steinbeck focused on lives of itinerant farmworkers who constantly searched for work. The economic crisis led to high unemployment rates and fierce competition for jobs. Many people were poverty stricken, violence became their ultimate source of escapism and a cheap source of entertainment thus creating a hostile environment. Steinbeck resigned from the prestigious Stanford University in order to gain insight of the hardships faced by peripatetic workers. His strong socialist views and empathy towards the marginalised inspired him to write this story. During his time on the farm, he witnessed a lot of violence. He based most of his characters on people he met; Lennie’s character was based on a man who killed a ranch foreman and stabbed his boss in the stomach with a pitchfork. One way Steinbeck portrays the importance of violence in the novel is through the way in which characters treat each other to determine status. When Curley is introduced in chapter two, he “glanced coldly” at George, his arms “gradually bent at the elbows” and his hands “closed into fists”. Curley “stiffened” and “went into a slight crouch” making Lennie “squirm” and “shift his feet nervously”. His actions...
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