...fellow (Lennie), and the other, a typical ranch hand(George) who travels with him. On the path to achieving their dream, they run into obstacles, but stick together, stressing the importance of true friendship. Steinbeck wrote this book to tell us how important it is to have a friend to share your life with. The book starts off set in Soledad, which, when translated into English means "lonely". But when Lennie and George are together, they are anything but lonely. They share a friendship so great that if either person dies, or both are separated, the other could not survive. Steinbeck shows us that their friendship is a true one, where they share their lives together, benefiting from each other’s company. “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 they go inta town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they’re poundin’ their tail on some other ranch. They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to… With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don’t have to sit in no bar room blowin’ in our jack jus’ because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us. But not us! An’ why? Because I got you to look after me and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.”(P31-32) Because of the extent of Lennie and George’s friendship, they...
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...motivates George and Lennie in their work on the ranch. It is their friendship that sustains this dream and makes it possible. While the dreams are credible to the reader, in the end all dreams are crushed, and the characters are defeated by their circumstances. The characters in Of Mice and Men have very little to look forward to as migrant ranch hands. They travel from ranch to ranch with all of their possessions in a bundle, looking for work for fifty dollars a month, and that work does not usually last very long. If a man is a good worker, he might be kept on at the ranch indefinitely and wind up as Candy does, old and crippled, just waiting until he is no longer useful. George explains the despair of a ranch hand to Lennie: 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 they go inta town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they're poundin' their tail on some other ranch. They ain't got nothing to look ahead to. (Steinbeck 13-14) Despite their destitute state, many of the characters in Of Mice and Men are prone to dream. George and Lennie dream of owning their own land, Candy and Crooks dream of joining them, and Curley's wife dreams of becoming an actress. According to one critic, "The dream itself is the final possibility" (McCarthy 58). The dream, however, cannot exist without friendship. This is most...
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...How does Steinbeck’s 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...
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...successfully explores the theme of friendship within a harsh environment. He portrays this through the characteristics and relationship between the protagonists, George and Lennie. The novel centers these characters who are two childhood friends who travel around together looking for work and face many struggles due to Lennie’s disabilities. Steinbeck initially presents the reader with a clear image of the central characters, who are complete opposites. George is told to be “small and quick” with a thin figure. He is seen as being short-tempered but a loving and devoted friend. He always makes Lennie’s protection his primary purpose despite sometimes coming off impatient towards Lennie. Lennie on the other hand, is very large with ‘sloping shoulders’ which leads the author to compare him to “the way a bear drags his paws”. Lennie is a very strong man with a child’s mind and this is the main problem that George and Lennie face in the novel. I think that Lennie is the least dynamic character as he is very flat and undergoes no significant changes in the novel and appears in the end exactly the same as when we first meet him. At the start of the novel we can clearly see that the author seems to have set Lennie up for disaster. These very different qualities of the characters George and Lennie show the peculiarity of their friendship. From the outset, Steinbeck sets the tone of George and Lennie’s relationship through George’s first words; “Lennie for God’s sake’s don’t drink so...
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...ohn Steinbeck presents the relationship between George and Lennie by using different techniques and devices in the first chapter. Their relationship is shown in different ways through âOf Mice and Menâ, and is such, that George is protective and makes decisions to prevent Lennie coming to harm. Also, Steinbeckâs presentation of relationship between the two men changes through the novella as they attempt to fulfil their dream-The American Dream. The first paragraph focussing on the two men (page 4) describes as one being a leader, and the other a follower. âThey had walked single file down the path, and even in the open one stayed behind the other.â Immediately, Steinbeck portrays the essence of George and Lennieâs relationship through the quote, that this relationship had a hierarchy; it was a leader and follower relationship, with one guiding the other. In the quote, one of the main words is âsingle fileâ, which suggests that George and Lennie are both children, because a group of children normally walk in a single file line. Furthermore, children always have dreams, which George and Lennie have-The American Dream, which is ironic because they are built and strong men acting like children. Another word which is important in the quotation is âopenâ, because we can infer from that word that Lennie chooses to walk behind George instead of beside, even though he has the choice. This can be because Lennie takes George to be the carer or the person who will guide Lennie to their...
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...'How does Steinbeck present the importance of friendship to convey important ideas about America in the 1930's'? Steinbeck presents friendship as an important theme in the novel by embedding qualities in the characters personalities and their ways of life. This helps the reader to realise the theme of companionship in 1930's American society. Isolation and loneliness are recurring themes in the novel, and is a central issue for some characters. Curley's wife and Crooks especially are examples of attitudes in the 1930's towards women and black people. This helps the reader to identify that America in the 1930's was a very lonely and discriminative place. Curley's wife is an example of a lonely character seeking companionship in the novel. This also gives us an insight to women's status in the hierarchical structure in society, because she is so neglected of friendship. Steinbeck presents friendship as a luxury, which is desired by many characters in the novel. 'Think I don't like to talk to somebody ever' once in a while?' Is an example of the neglect that Curley's wife feels, and how it affects her confidence. Friendship is hard for her to achieve because she is a woman, and the ranch 'ain't no place for a girl'. This demonstrates her lack of interaction with the other male characters. Another character who demonstrates the importance of friendship in the novel is Crooks. He is discriminated against because her is black. This automatically reduces him to the bottom of the...
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...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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...Birling for AIC -Steinbeck can use the theme of fate to present Curley. - Curley does not have to work hard like the others but still holds power because he is the Boss's son. - Curley picked a fight with Lennie. Lennie hurt Curley. George asks slim "Slim, is Curleys old man gonna can us?" George is worried as Curley has authority because he is the Boss's son. - Curley is said to be evil and was born with authority. - Steinbeck uses Curley to highlight the American Dream. No matter how hard you work success only comes to those who are fated to receive it. This links to the theme of fate. And his fate has brought him power and authority because of what he can do and because he is the Boss's son. he predicts it's Curley for OMAM, Mr Birling for AIC -Steinbeck can use the theme of fate to present Curley. - Curley does not have to work hard like the others but still holds power because he is the Boss's son. - Curley picked a fight with Lennie. Lennie hurt Curley. George asks slim "Slim, is Curleys old man gonna can us?" George is worried as Curley has authority because he is the Boss's son. - Curley is said to be evil and was born with authority. - Steinbeck uses Curley to highlight the American Dream. No matter how hard you work success only comes to those who are fated to receive it. This links to the theme of fate. And his fate has brought him power and authority because of what he can do and because he is the Boss's son. How Does Priestley Present Mr Birling Priestley...
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...‘Of Mice and Men’ is written by John Steinbeck, published in 1937. The novel is set in the 1930s during the great depression in California. The two protagonist characters, George and Lennie are farm workers who have a dream of one-day owning their own ranch. They find work in a ranch near Soledad, after escaping from Weed because of George’s incident. They are met by different characters on the farm that all have a dream. To be lonely means to lack friends or companionship and to feel isolated. Most of the characters are lonely and the only thing that keeps them alive is their dreams. Some of the loneliest characters they meet are Candy, an old man with only one hand, Crooks, a black cripple and Curley’s Wife, a woman who has no identity, she is lonely even though she is married. Although they are all on the ranch together, they are lonely because of who they are and their history. ‘Of Mice and Men’ is an emotional story with many different themes and characters. This essay will describe the way loneliness is portrayed in ‘Of Mice and Men.’ George Milton and Lennie Small are friends who travel together. They both share the same dream, which is to one day own their own ranch. George is quick-witted and intelligent. He takes the parental role of looking after Lennie, a simple-minded man who in the book is described as a giant. Lennie is kind hearted with huge physical strength. He does not know how powerful he is and likes to pet animals. The other men on the ranch find their relationship...
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...How does Steinbeck present the ranch community in Of Mice and Men? Value of Work and Working Men in Of Mice and Men for GCSE and IGCSE Steinbeck presents the ranch community with a startling degree of realism, dramatising a condition created by the Great Depression of migrant labourers, forced into work communities, with no families. This is summarized in the key quotation at the start of the novel where George says ‘guys like us are the loneliest guys in the world.’ It’s a large scale farm with permanent and temporary workers, then the boss and boss’ son, and wife - who all have a higher status. The men put in ‘crops’ but never reap what they sow. The American Dream is to be self-reliant and self-sufficient - to own land - not to be isolated, but to be empowered, to be secure and to be able to ‘have fren’s over’. Though the men are forced into community on the ranch, there’s little friendship or kindness because of the poor conditions and poor job security. The community is presented as being intolerant of any kind of weakness - is racist and sexist - and often cruel. Here, there’s little sense of humanity: man is a machine whose purpose is to work. If one breaks down, you can always get another one. IDEA ONE The ranch is at the heart of the novel, framed by Chapters One and Six which are set in the same Edenic natural landscape in the ‘Gabilan hills’. This is the natural, god-given beauty of America - ‘gold’ and ‘warm’ - precious. It has both a mythical and a vividly realistic...
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...John Steinbeck the author of the novel, Of Mice and Men, wrote a story about two migrant workers and their dream of one day owning their own piece of land (Bloom). George Milton and Lennie Small are the two main characters that travel together in search for work. The story took place in California, during the Great Depression, a time in history where everyone suffered from the economical problems and hardship. It was a hard era to live in, there was an extremely high unemployment rate, no one had a steady job and people had to adapt to a new living style. John Steinbeck was present at this time and had a firsthand experience working on a ranch (Leaf). He wrote about the American dream every human being wanted; through the characters of George and Lennie, who both dreamt for the same future, in owning their own land and working for no one else. These two characters are both similar in the sense of wanting the same thing, yet are completely different. Also, Steinbeck included a character, Curly, who lives every American dream and displays how he is. I am going to characterization these three major characters and show their part in the novel. The story begins with two different, thus alike men who are each other’s companion. George and Lennie are both men who work on ranches for money and do not have family, thus they both have a common future. They are both hard workers and optimistic for the future. However, George is the brains and leader of this friendship, since Lennie is mentally...
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...possible, no matter what your situation is. The victims of this fallacy, men and migrants, who owned nothing but the clothes on their backs, would end up living in squalid camps or wandering around the California Dust Bowl, searching for a job so they could make a meagre living. Despite all that was going on around him, each man would have his own small dream in his head of becoming a future success. Miller and Steinbeck were inspired by these dreamers and featured them in many of their books/plays. John Steinbeck was born on February 27th 1902. By the age of fourteen he had made up his mind to become a writer. He completed his first novel, Cup of Gold, in 1929. What is considered to be his finest, most ambitious work is The Grapes of Wrath, which was published in 1939. The book tells the story of a disposed Oklahoma families struggle to set up a new life in California, which is in the midst of the Depression. Steinbeck was living in California whilst this sort of thing was going on. Many of his books protested against the American Dream, explicitly illustrating how much disruption and deception it causes. The Grapes of Wrath is essentially a tragedy and it is a...
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...‘Of Mice and Men’ serves as a reminder that dreaming is futile. How far do you agree with this representation of the text and its key themes? To first answer the question we need to define a key element, what are dreams? When we dream we contemplate the possibility of doing something or indulging in fantasies about something greatly desired. Yet they are necessary to keep the levels of hope high in people to stand for what they believe in whether it be the inadequacies of society or something else. Furthermore without incorporating dreams and having something to achieve in our life will result in an endless stream of days that have little connection or meaning. The representation of dreams occurs via prejudice and stereotypes- Crooks, because he is black in a racist culture- seems to be no hope for him; Curley’s wife, only woman on the farm and regarded as a tart- will never feel wanted, another hopeless situation; Candy, one-handed- can’t do the same work as the others and is old- can’t socialize with anyone, lonely and isolated. These situations give reason for dreaming as it becomes a paradise for those who wish for something more in their life and acts as a beacon of hope yet over time dreams either materialize or they question reality and in the book no one achieves or has achieved their dream- Lennie and George, Curley’s wife and Curley. Dreams will always be a source of hope but if they are not achieved you begin to realise that they are futile which is why to some extent...
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...OF MICE AND MEN John Steinbeck is an American novelist. He was born on the 27th of January 1902 in Salinas California and died in the 20th of December 1968 of heart disease and congestive heart failure at the age of 66. He was of German, Irish and English descent. He was a college dropout from Stanford University back in 1925 and was a manual laborer before he started to achieve his success as a writer. The story takes place in a stream near Salinas River and in the ranch it the Salinas Valley of Northern California during the Great Depression. During that time, there were massive lack of jobs and increasing number of workers. The population travelled from one place to another to seek employment. Steinbeck’s way of writing reflects his character. Steinbeck concentrates on revealing the characters and presents them directly to focus the reader’s attention of their quandary. Steinbeck is very clever on using stereotypes and has highlighted the importance of human issues, friendship, intellectual prowess, different racial background, social status and responsibility. For instance, he describes Lenny’s appearance as an animal – which Lennie really behaves and looks like. The meaning of Steinbeck’s story is about what it means to be a human being – in different aspects, how the society looks at you as an individual. Steinbeck is a master of description, and one of his many passions was the California landscape. The setting in this novel contains the "golden foothill slopes" and...
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...Consideration of context and writer’s intentions/themes and ideas Speaking and Listening to show understanding of issues and empathy with character Writing a draft essay and set targets for the assessment Produce an analytical essay for CA (New Acronym = SMILE (Structure, Meanings, Ideas, Language, Evidence) Prior knowledge (Enter pre-requisite knowledge and skills.) Analytical essay – Year 9 KS3 reading skills National Framework for Secondary English Strands National Framework for Secondary English – Strands 5 Reading for meaning 5.2 Understanding and responding to ideas, views, themes and purposes 6 Understanding the author’s craft 6.1 Relating texts to the social, historical and cultural contexts in which they were written 6.2 Analysing how writers’ use of linguistic and literary features shapes and influences meaning 6.3 Analysing writers’ use of organisation and...
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