...INSERT ATTENTION GETTER HERE! Friends are sometimes forced to make fatal decisions, and dreams often don’t 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...
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...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...
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...Cruelty is unavoidable in society, always has been and will likely continue to be throughout many centuries to come. Capturing the cruelty of society is a concept that William Golding and John Steinbeck both vividly exemplify. Steinbeck’s use of racism and discrimination through characters powerfully demonstrates cruelty. Golding illustrates cruelty through examples of bullying, self-preservation, and abandonment. However, although man's cruelty to other men is expressed clearly in William Golding's work, Lord of the Flies, as well as John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men, they are both epitomize the concept in alternative ways. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, cruelty is shown by targeting people over things they can’t control,...
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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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...Through a list of harsh truths, John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men casts humanity in an unfavorable light. These include loneliness, oppression, and imperfection. The grim realities of the hardworking characters are revealed through their actions to rise above challenges and in the end their defeats These truths are all used to build the complex main theme of friendship and the effect it can have on an individual's life. Of Mice and Men exposes the validity,loneliness, of people during the Great Depression. For instance Curly’s wife seeks attention ,positive or negative, from anyone on the ranch because of her isolation being the only woman present. When confronted with her isolation she says,“Wha’s the matter with me?Ain’t I got...
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...the Working Class: John Steinbeck and His Mark on Literature Writing has left influence on millions. Books have transformed lives, given purpose and happiness to those who have read them: literature is one of the most important things to a society, as it not only allows its readers to grow intellectually, but also creatively. John Steinbeck was once just a nine year old with Le Morte d’Arthur by Thomas Malory, who then went on to be someone considered one of the best writers of his time. Steinbeck has been held up next to authors like Edgar Allen Poe, and his writing is taught in most, if not every, high schools in America. Very few people are born famous and even less are born skilled in their field. Steinbeck was born in Salinas,...
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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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...may view the Great Depression as the loneliest and most isolated period in American history for the people who experienced it first hand. It can be difficult to really capture the essence of the need for companionship that was immensely present in the Great Depression. However, when John Steinbeck uses the dialogue of Crooks, the actions of Curley's wife, and multiple characters undergoing major inconveniences for friendship it openly depicts the need for companionship in his novel, "Of Mice and Men". The primary way that Steinbeck portrays loneliness and the need for companionship, is through the articulation of the character Crooks. Initially, this can be viewed when Crooks expresses that he feels unheard and that nobody listens...
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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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...06 November 2012 John Steinbeck: A Champion for the Common Man Born with the hand of a writer, John Steinbeck’s career sparked great political controversy, and greatly influenced the writings of his time. Widely considered one of America’s greatest novelists, his books are still frequently studied in school. Among his many accomplishments is the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the Nobel Prize in Literature. With notable works such as The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, he expressed his dissatisfaction with capitalism and his sympathy for the struggle of the common worker in a way that captured the world’s attention – which resulted in some of his work even being banned. In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck explores the pervasive theme of loneliness and illustrates the fallacy of the American Dream. Widely considered his masterpiece, however, is The Grapes of Wrath which depicts the struggle of a family of Oklahoman farmers who are forced into a migratory existence due to the drought and dust storms following the Great Depression. When considering both The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, it is clear Steinbeck drew from his own personal experiences as a laborer when writing each of these novels. On February 27, 1902 in Salinas, California, John and Olive Steinbeck welcomed their third child and only son, John Ernst Steinbeck. John Ernst Steinbeck, Sr. was a county treasurer and Olive Hamilton Steinbeck was a schoolteacher. By all accounts, Steinbeck enjoyed...
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...John Steinbeck: Of Mice and Men This scene in Of Mice and Men is made extra tense by the author, John Steinbeck, by a mixture of linguistic devices, description and speech. Curley’s wife is introduced in this scene and it starts by describing her. In the novel “Of Mice and Men” John Steinbeck tells a story of dreams, hopes and loneliness. We are introduced to a majorly significant and complex character, Curley’s wife. Steinbeck shows us that Curley’s wife is flirtatious, mischievous but most of all an isolated character. She plays a main part in the novel; in doing this she displays and presents many of the main themes. Before we are presented to Curley’s wife, Candy talks about her, to George and Lennie. She is spoken about in a gossipy manor. “I think Curley’s married a … tart.” Steinbeck is prejudicing and preparing us before we meet Curley’s wife. He does this, so that we have an influenced preliminary impression of Curley’s wife and the way she acts. Steinbeck creates tension in this scene as, at the start, he builds up a stark image in our mind about how Curley’s wife looks. He also makes it very clear to us what both George and Lenny are thinking. Lenny is dazzled by Curley’s wife’s beauty whereas George is more wary of her and knows better than to chat with her too long. We develop an initial perception of Curley’s wife as being flirtatious and promiscuous. This is shown at the entrance of Curley’s wife’s. Steinbeck first introduces us to her appearance, “full...
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...wife in the novel Of Mice And Men in John Steinbeck. Curley's wife is one of the loneliest characters in John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men. She is the only woman aside from talk of Clara, (Lennie's dead aunt) There for separates her from the rest of the people working on the ranch. She is one of the outsiders, she feels like she can't talk to anyone or Curley will get mad. He pays no attention to her what so ever and uses her more as an object to show off. From her first appearance she is dressed in red which foreshadows danger later in the story, she is blocking out the light which also foreshadows darkening the dream. She has a big dream like everybody else, she wants to be in the movies she says to Lennie the only reason she married Curley was because she didn't receive a letter she had been promised to get into hollywood. She says to Lennie “What kinda harm am I doin' to you? Seems like they ain't none of them cares how I gotta live I tell you I ain't used to living like this I coulda made something out of myself.” Being on the ranch shows that Curley's wife's dream failed. Curley's wife is extremely coquettish towards the other men on the ranch she doesn't do it because she wants to offend Curley she simply does it because she is so lonely and wants friendship. Curley's wife dresses over the top with heavily made up eyes and mules, she thinks she will get more attention if she has a strong appearance. She has no connection to any of the men on the ranch and feels...
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...lead the kindest of people angry and aggressive. It can make the strongest of people feeling weak and useless. John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, shows that loneliness and isolation can have negative impacts on its victims. First of all, Isolation can make people feel unwanted, leading them to make others feel the same way. In Steinbeck's story, Crooks wanted to make Lennie feel unwanted by being rude to him and trying to get him to leave. On page 68 Crooks said sharply, "You got no right to come in my room. This here's my room. Nobody got any right in here but me." Although it was Crooks's room, he could have given Lennie a chance to see if he wasn't like the others. Crooks eventually did allow Lennie to stay after realizing that he has someone to talk to for a while. He didn't care that Lennie wasn't paying attention to what was being said, he was just glad that he had...
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...Loneliness makes people frustrated and bored.In of mice and men by John Steinbeck,characters deal with their loneliness by searching for companionship with others on the ranch.In the novel george and lennie dream of owning their own land but then loneliness and sacrifices get in the way.The theme “everybody needs friends” is evident in crooks and curley’s wife,ultimately arguing that loneliness can affect people in many different ways Crooks conveys the theme “everybody needs friends” by allowing the men into his room.For example,...
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...Power— the Oxford Dictionary defines the term, “power”, as “the authority that is given or delegated to a 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’...
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