...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 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...
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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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... the impossibility of a perfect dream coming to fruition, is often expressed. An example of this is in John Steinbeck’s classic novel, Of Mice and Men. One character in this novel, Candy, had hoped to settle down in the near future, but this dream was inevitably broken. Candy, the aforementioned character, was the swamper in Steinbeck’s novel. He had a strong ambition to join George Milton’s and Lennie Small’s future dream ranch. Candy had just lost his dog, had no living relatives, and disliked his current occupation, so he was really looking forward to this plan. Candy shows his excitement, along with Milton and Small, “They all sat still, all bemused by the beauty of the thing [the dream],” (Steinbeck 60). At this point in time, the dream had seemed actually possible to all three men, especially since Candy had offered such a large sum for the purchase of the ranch. Since Candy had nothing else to look forward to, he soon realized that this dream was everything to 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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...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. But he is...
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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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...Throughout the history of literature, few authors have captivated audiences like John Steinbeck. Some of his most famous works like The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men are known for his use of realistic dialogue to convey his thoughts on the Great Depression. This dialogue indicates that the author believes, no matter how hard they try, members of the proletarian class could not achieve their American Dream. During the novel The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck uses his characters to show that the Great Depression was filled with hardships for the proletarians consequently limiting their ability to prosper. One example is when, in chapter one, an unnamed man trying to knock down a house says “There is nothing I can do. I’ll lose my job if I don’t do it” (The Grapes of Wrath 45). If this man chooses to destroy a house, he is destroying a family’s dream, but if he does not, his own children may starve. By destroying another man’s hopes and dreams, he is preserving his own. Another example of this is when Tom, regarding Uncle John’s small home, says “He only has one room and a cookin leanto” (The Grapes of Wrath 87). This is a blunt description of life in the Great Depression for the proletarian class. Many people were reduced to living in cramped, one room homes. These quotes show that the characters, due to their low wages and unfair treatment,...
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...Of Mice & Men In John Steinbeck’s book “Of Mice & Men”, we meet the two friends George Milton and Lennie Small, who are the main characters. They travel around to ranches in search for a job so they can fulfill their dream of having their own house with rabbits and other animals. George and Lennie are not similar to every other ranch workers that appears to be lonely. George and Lennie got a future and somebody to talk to, that cares about them. That is because George got Lennie to look after and the other way around. George knew Lennie’s Aunt Clara who took care of Lennie when he was a kid. When she died, Lennie came along working with George and after a while, they became good friends. Lennie is like a kid inside and he has a bad memory. That is recognizable in the scene when he do not understand that he cannot pet the puppies, because they were born the day before. Lennie does not changes through the story. From the beginning to the end, he remains as that person that cannot think on his own and constantly needs someone to tell him what is wrong and right to do. Even in the end, he still thinks that everything will be all right, although he killed Curley’s Wife. The other way around George attains significant changes through the story. In the beginning, he seems like a low tempered person, as he talks about how easier his life would be without Lennie. That he could enjoy himself and easier get a job. He once used Lennie as a benefit for himself, because he...
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...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 Curley’s wife is a complete accident. Because of his mental disability, Lennie has a tactile deficiency...
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...The novel "Of Mice and Men" written by John Steinbeck in 1937 is a short novel about the story of two migrant workers living in California. They travel from town to town looking for work at ranches and farms. Steinbeck follows the two migratory workers who dream of saving enough money to buy their own land and finally settling down. One of the main characters is George Milton, an angry, hopeless, and brusque man, who is the leader of the duo. The other half of the duo is Lennie Small, who is oversized, mentally challenged, physically powerful, and inclined to getting into serious trouble. In the novel there are multiple occurrences of repeating patterns and events. Steinbeck effectively uses cyclical patterns throughout his novel to thoughtfully portray its themes. In section four of the novel Steinbeck uses a cyclical pattern to depict feelings of hope and companionship. Section four begins with Crooks, a stable hand, rubbing liniment on his spine alone in his shack with no hope. Next, Lennie wanders into Crooks's and tells him about the protagonists' goals of purchasing a plot of land. Crooks's lack of hope is portrayed when he tells Lennie, "Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land" (Steinbeck 74). This quote marks the beginning of the cyclical cycle showing the reader that Crooks is hopeless. Then, Candy arrives explaining to Lennie and Crooks that buying land may actually be plausible. When Crooks becomes aware of this he has a sudden change of heart. This is...
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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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...Argumentative Essay - Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, centers around migrant farm workers George Milton and Lennie Small on their search for work in the Salinas Valley of California. Friends since childhood, George and Lennie settled for work on a ranch where troubles soon arose. While trying to protect Lennie, George was faced with a crippling decision and upon great consideration, shot Lennie in the back of the head. George made the right decision killing Lennie because, on his own, Lennie would not be able to take care of himself. Also, George realized that due to the fact that Lennie killed an innocent girl, they would not be able to run away from the problem this time. Some people may argue that George did not make an acceptable decision in killing Lennie, however, if George did not kill Lennie,...
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...One of John Steinbeck’s most well known novels Of Mice and Men takes place in California during the time period of The Great Depression. The Great Depression was a time when people could work extremely hard for many hours and still have a difficult time trying to support their families or even just themselves. George Milton and Lennie Smalls show how difficult this truly is throughout the entire book. It is so difficult for them because they bounce around trying to find work but struggle to do so. In the novel, John Steinbeck uses motifs, imagery and tone to show how difficult it was to live during The Great Depression time period. First off, Steinbeck uses motifs to show how hard it was to live during The Great Depression. During this era,...
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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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