...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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...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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...person is not compassionate. It is not euthanasia. It is murder.” In John Steinbeck’s book Of Mice and Men, there are many reasons to believe that killing is wrong. Lennie, one of the main characters, is a large man, but would be considered mentally handicapped and he loves soft things. When Curley’s wife and him are in the barn alone, he grabs ahold of her hair and she tries to pull away, but his grip on her hair was too strong for her to pull away from, she screams in terror. When she cries out, Lennie slaps his hand over her mouth in hope that nobody would hear her. As she continues to struggle under his firm grasp, Lennie continues to tighten his grip on her hair...
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...What is an outcast? Who are they? In John Steinbeck’s gripping tale, Of Mice and Men, a few people display the struggle in society financially and emotionally in the era of The Great Depression. Though times were already bad, being an outcast was definitely more difficult. What is an outcast? The definition of an outcast is a person who is rejected or cast out, as from home or society. Here are some examples of outcasts in this book. George and Lennie have had only one another and only each other. They are outcasts from the beginning and it’s because of Lennie’s disorder. According to John Steinbeck’s book, Of Mice and Men, George is angry and tired of Lennie. “God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could get a job an’ work, an’ no trouble. No mess at all” (Steinbeck 11). This shows that Lennie is difficult to work and live with but they still...
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...Prejudice and bias are a recurring theme in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. Nearly every character in this book has had some sort of bias or prejudice against them, such as Crooks because of his color, Curly’s wife for being a woman, and even Candy’s dog for being old, frail and smelly. Prejudice and bias are based on a lack of empathy for a person. This leads to a animosity developing between people. Crooks is one character who faces prejudice and bias to the fullest extent due to his color. Crooks is often referred to by derogatory slurs and is excluded from any friendly interaction with the other men in the barn. For example, according to Of Mice and Men, it states, “ I ain’t wanted in the bunk house, and you ain’t wanted in my room.”[Crooks...
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...Everyone has aspirations is life. Whether they are to become a scientist, discover new and amazing things, or become a star basketball player and be the highest paid player in the league; people dream about their future. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is a story about two men’s, George and Lennie, eagerness of owning their own ranch. The readers follow them through the obstructions that stand in the way of that eagerness, which reveals the nature of dreams, loneliness, and sacrifice. Ultimately, Lennie, the mentally handicapped man who makes George's intention of owning his own ranch worthwhile, becomes the biggest hurdle to achieving that target. Through his use of characterization, imagery and setting, and symbolism in Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck demonstrates that dreams serve as an incentive, particularly when one is faced with the adversities of life. Steinbeck’s diction reveals that dreams cause people to persevere in attempts to accomplish their goals.On Sunday nights, all the ranchmen go to the club and the “weak ones” get left behind: Candy, Crooks, and Lennie. Lennie decides to go into the barn to play with his dog and while he is in there he gets approached by Crooks, the stable buck. At first Crooks is...
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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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...Attempting to deliver the same message of a classic novella visually on screen with cinematic techniques is definitely a challenge. The original story, written by John Steinbeck consistently uses the contract of light and darkness and imagery at the beginning of every chapter as his literary techniques to highlight the social conditions of the American Great Depression. On the other hand, Gary Sinise's adaptions uses a variety of cinematic techniques, such as lighting, shot and angle, and character costumes to represent the original story. At the beginning of Chapter 3, ''Although there was evening brightness showing through the windows of the bunk, inside it was dusk,'' and ''Slim....turned on the light tin shaded electric light.... Instantly...
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...In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, two men, George and Lennie, are kicked off of a farm and need to find new work, but, George is always covering for the trouble that Lennie causes unintentionally, causing George’s life to be harder than it needs to be. This leads into the idea that Steinbeck shows throughout the story, which is companionship is detrimental and will cause problems. Steinbeck uses characterization, archetypes, and motifs throughout the story to prove the detriment of companionship. Throughout the story, Steinbeck shows the detriment of companionship through the use of character development. The first place that the reader can find an example of this is through Lennie holding George back and not letting him reach...
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...In a staunch, musty bunkhouse and the sweltering heat of the northern California sun, nothing is worse than being all alone. This is especially true for the lives of the laborers in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. The novel tells the story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two nomadic consorts who travel through California looking for work. They have a dream of owning a small stake of land together and living a relaxed, comfortable life on that land. While living in a bunkhouse in Soledad, they meet an old man named Candy, who has no family or relatives that care about him. His only true friend is his dog. Through Candy’s speech and thoughts, Steinbeck reveals that everyone is much happier with a companion than without. Candy’s relationship...
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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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...Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Seeing is believing but even then, sometimes looks can be deceiving. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Lennie is often lured into many traps. Due to his mental disability, Lennie has a childlike mind that never suspects a thing, which causes George to regularly figure out ways to avoid and get out of trouble. Although this duo has each other’s backs, what to say that the future can’t change anything? Throughout the novel Steinbeck uses the color red as a symbol of seduction in order to foreshadow danger from all of this, Steinbeck conveys those who play with fire are bound to get burned. Steinbeck intentionally uses the color red throughout the story to represent seduction, when Lennie and George...
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...Essay Question Of Mice and Men is set in California during the 1930s. This is an important time in US history because it was the time of the Great Depression, which did not end until the start of the Second World War. During this period of failed businesses, harsh poverty and long-term unemployment, many migrant workers came to California from other parts of America in search of work. The ranch workers in the book are all examples of people who have been affected by the Great Depression, as most of them are itinerant worker. One of them being Slim, who I am to be analysing from the book, to see what contribution and importance he makes in this Novel. Personally in my opinion John Steinbeck’s description of Slim “prince of the ranch” is a good explanation of the character. I believe this as He's the consummate Western man: masterful, strong, fair-minded, practical, non-talkative, and exceptionally good at what he does. Slim lingers in the shadow of his overwhelming description throughout the novel. He serves as the fearless, decision-maker when conflicts arise among the workers and wins the confidence of George, offering advice, comfort, and quiet words of wisdom. Steinbeck from the start makes Slim above the other men and this is continuous throughout the whole novel till the end of the story. He is a God among men, and his word on any subject is law. When Slim agrees with Carlson that Candy’s dog needs to be shot Candy’s reaction shows how much authority Slim has. “Candy...
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...Every person has wants, dreams, and aspirations they hope to accomplish, but they are not always possible to achieve. In the short story Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck two migrant workers, George and Lennie, travel from place to place in search of a job. Lennie constantly gets himself into trouble. This forces the two men to flee town regularly thus having to find new work. George and Lennie hunt for employment in the hope of fulfilling their dream of affording a small farm of their own. Like George and Lennie, we all desire something in life. Dreams offer individuals hope and direction; without a dream, we are left empty and deprived of a purpose in life. Our lives are infused with pain and suffrage. However, even through all the hardships, goals give us hope and remind us that life will improve. Dreams allow people to see light despite all the darkness. For example, (transition), “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place” (Steinbeck, pg. 6). Despite the insufficient life of other farmers, George and Lennie dream of a better life. The idea of owning their own land gives them faith of having a decent future and the satisfaction of belonging somewhere. Likewise, one of my strongest desires to...
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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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