...Of Mice and Men Free Response Essay Questions The scene in which George shoots Lennie and the scene in which Carlson takes Candy’s dog away to kill it both add characterization to the novels theme of a person’s responsibility to another person. The novel of mice and men allows us to explore the relationship between George and Lennie. We also explore the relationship candy has with his dog. Candy’s responsibility over his dog is parallel to George’s over Lennie. Carlson cannot stand candy’s dog because it is old and smells badly it’s also arthritic. With candy’s consent Carlson takes the dog out on a thong leash and tells candy “He won’t even feel it.” Away Carlson shoots the dog with his gun and then buries it. Later candy confesses to George that he shouldn’t have let a stranger shoot his dog. Due to Lennie’s retardation Lennie accidently kills Curley’s wife. After the rest of the workers find out, they set out to find Lennie and kill him. George is stuck between turning his friend in to the police or letting curly and the rest of the workers kill Lennie. George decides that none of the two options will save Lennie from horrible consequences. Because candy expressed his remorse in not killing his own dog George decides to kill Lennie rather than have Lennie spend his life in jail. When George finds Lennie by the river he comforts Lennie. George tells Lennie to picture the farm they will buy and live off. As George tells the...
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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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...All great and precious things are lonely John Steinbeck once said, “All great and precious things are lonely.” Steinbeck exemplifies the theme of how loneliness determines people to try and find friendship in order to dodge loneliness. Three main examples show this idea. The first example being Candy after his dog passed away. The second example being Curley’s wife and how she dealt with her loneliness and the third noteworthy example being how Crooks was treated on the ranch due to his race and disability. Each example presents the theme of how loneliness determines people to try and find friendship in order to dodge being lonely. Once Candy’s dog dies, he desperately goes searching for a new companion because he is trying to run away from the idea of being lonely. He idealizes becoming friends with George and Lennie once he overhears them talking about buying their dream ranch. “S’pose I went in with you guys. That’s three hundred and fifty buck I’d put in … How’d that be?” (pg.86 Steinbeck). Steinbeck shows us how Candy is tired of being in a place where he knows he is not wanted and how he’s starting to give up on himself after his dog got shot. Candy had had his dog as his companion from the very beginning. Candy is the only other character besides Lennie to have ever loved an animal. After Carlson took his dog to the back and shot it, instantly Candy became attached to George and Lennie’s dream to settle down on a farm. His sudden attachment to their plan shows...
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...Of Mice and Men Argumentative Essay If you were to take a random adult from today’s developed world, it would probably be safe (albeit judgmental) to say that he or she has stress and concerns. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Lennie is a man with incredible physical strength, but unusually low intelligence. He travels in a duo with his childhood friend George, but often is under his companion’s jurisdiction. He often seems to be controlled by George, but is usually happy to comply, and leads a relatively comfortable life with his friend looking after him. In life, Lennie the weak is more fortunate than his more powerful peers, because his mental weakness leads to a humbler and happier life. The weak live an inherently modest life. Those who are weak cannot be selfish or proud, because they have little or nothing to be selfish or proud of. For example, the mouse in the poem To a Mouse Robert Burns has a “small house” (Burns 19), and only wishes for a “small bit of leaves and stubble” (31). It only has the ability to attain small things. Therefore, it can only have little pride. Furthermore, this is demonstrated in the novel Of Mice and Men. Lennie, who is arguably the weaker one due to his extreme dependence on George, for the most part, has humble wishes in life. Although he shares his big dream of owning land with George, he often just wants to pet soft things, which is why he obsesses over small furry animals (Steinbeck 10). His wishes are quite simple, especially...
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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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...Banning Of Mice and Men in high school In the United States, Of Mice and Men is a very popular book in Junior classes but it is currently on the banned book list, therefore many people believe that it should not be read in class. This book appeals to most students because of the fact that it’s on the banned book list. Of Mice and Men was written in 1937 and things were bad back then which leads to why people think the book should be banned. Steinbeck shows many examples of sexism, violence, racism, and mental retardation which are all the controversial issues. This book should not be banned because Steinbeck was showing exactly how things used to be in the 1900’s. As a high school Junior who understands Steinbeck’s purpose for writing the book the way he did, including profanity, and all of the other controversial issues, this book should not be banned. Most people think that...
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...Steinbeck reveals that life was lonely in the Great Depression. And the book that portrayed, this is Of Mice and Men, a book written by author John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it tells the story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two ranch workers, in search of a new job opportunity, in order to achieve their dream of owning their own house during the Great Depression. It’s a very lonely ranch with people leaving to go on with their lives.Well, except one old man.While Steinbeck provides a plethora of characters, one stands out of the crowd, one who is the loneliest character in Of Mice and Men. And the loneliest character in Of Mice and Men is Candy for the reasons that he loses his only pet dog, has no family, and feels that his one hand makes him feel useless. The first reason for Candy being the loneliest is because he lost one of his hands,making him feel self conscious about himself. The reason for him losing his hand is because of a farming accident that happened on the ranch, as claimed by Candy himself, ”I ain’t much better with on’y one hand. I lost my hand right here on this ranch. That’s why they give me a job swampin’,”(Page 59, Steinbeck). Another example of Candy’s insecurities towards his disability is when he states,” They’ll can me purty soon. Jus as soon...
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...There are several major themes in the novel, “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck. Themes such as the condition of the working class and friendship. The biggest theme, however, is the American Dream. Steinbeck portrays the theme of the great American dream throughout the book with characters. Characters such as Lennie, George, Curley's wife, and Crooks. The characters of the book represent different styles of dreams. Steinbeck is showing the readers that the American dream is overrated, along with creating unrealistic goals for people. The biggest dream in the novel is the one that is shared between two men, Lennie and George. Their dream is the classic dream of freedom. They want to “live off the fatta the lan’” (page 14), meaning they want their own ranch and animals, along with no rules. However, the dream is very unrealistic for these two specific men. George and Lennie are an odd pair. George is small in size, but not in attitude, with slight anger issues. Lennie is giant-like yet sweet. He is also mentally challenged. So for these pals, their dream is hard to achieve. The reasoning for that is because Lennie usually gets into some sort of trouble, due to the fact that he doesn’t know any better, and making the men leave work. Which means not making money. While George...
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...book ‘Of Mice and Men’ is a great representation of the values and beliefs of the 1930’s. It was well known that there was a lack in woman rights and importance, people were in a state during this period due to the Great Depression, and people had a lack of understanding towards the mentally disabled. John Steinbeck recognises this and displays it throughout the book therefore making him worthy of running a series on. In his book, the character George shoots his mentally disabled best friend Lennie as he thinks it is what had to be done due to the Sheriff being after Lennie, the lack of understanding people had for Lennie and knowing what would happen to Lennie if he was put in a mental institution. George did what was right according to the morals and beliefs in the 1930’s. During the 1930s, the values of the era were very different to nowadays. There was a lack of equality in gender, race and wealth and what you had very much defined who you were. People with mental problems were seen as freaks and dealt with in a way we see as wrong in today’s society. Women’s roles in society were also very different to now. Women didn’t need to know anything; they just had to be pretty and the perfect image of a wife therefore being a housemaid with an unimportant opinion on anything. Anything a woman said of the 1930’s was insignificant simply because she was female and all she was there for was cooking, cleaning and various other household chores. Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ tells...
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...Saad Ali Ms. Hunt ENG3U0-B July 20th 2015 Not All Heroes Wear Capes Superman is a well-known superhero who succeeds in protecting others. However, being a protector does not mean that one must be a superhero. George Milton, in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, is not a superhero but is characterized as a protector. The novella is about two migrant workers, George Milton and Lennie Smalls, who travel together during the Depression in order to find work. Unfortunately, they get into all sorts of mishaps because of Lennie. The two men have a dream to one day own a farm, but Lennie’s mental disability proves to be a far greater obstacle than anticipated. George Milton is a common man but shows the qualities of a superhero through his caring, resourceful, and selfless personality. Without these traits, George would not travel with Lennie, for he would have no reason to. Perhaps then, the ending of the novella would not end as tragically as it did. Firstly, Steinbeck depicts George as a caring person through his actions and attitude towards situations. At the start of the book, Lennie is seen drinking water from a river. When George sees this he says, “Lennie, for God’ sakes don’t drink so much […] you gonna be sick like you was last night. […] You never oughta drink water when it ain’t running, Lennie” (3.) George is looking out for Lennie, and is concerned that he will get sick from drinking the water, thus showing how compassionate George is since he cares for Lennie’s...
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...In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses a lot of symbolism. The story is about two men, George and Lennie, who are living in the great depression and just trying to stay alive. Steinbeck uses symbolism to show readers what life was like for his characters. The three major uses of symbolism are George and Lennie’s dream farm, Candy’s dog, and Lennie’s animal like features. The largest symbol in Of Mice and Men is Lennie and George’s dream farm. Having this dream helps Lennie have hope. Lennie has a mental disability, which makes him act as if he was a kid. The dream far is a way that George keeps Lennie in check. George asks Lennie if he remembers the story, and he responds, “I remember the rabbits George” (Steinbeck 9). Not only does it give Lennie hope, but also it keeps George going. He knows that they will never be able to have a farm, but if it keeps Lennie happy, then George is happy....
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...The definition in the Webster Dictionary of friendship is "the state of being attached to another by affection or esteem." In the book of Mice and Men considering the dictionary definition may be valid but according to “Friendship in an Age of Economics” it’s fairly different. There are three kinds of friendship presented in the excerpt from Todd May; pleasure friend (finding on that is pleasant), useful friend (one who could cover your shift), and a true friend (can take advice, tell truth). Lennie sees George as a true friend not knowing he is also a useful by George sticking by him and explaining what is morally right and wrong in society. George sees Lennie as a true friend because he wants to keep him safe. They both look after each other by also being sticking by each other like the definition in the Webster dictionary. Question 2 In the story of Mice and Men foreshadowing occurs letting the audience take indication of what happens later, you can also think of foreshadowing as the opposite of irony (unexpected ending).The climax of the story was the event that demonstrates foreshadowing in the story when Lennie...
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...Webster’s Dictionary defines dreams as “an idea or vision that is created in your imagination and that is not real.” Dreams are achieved by hard working people. These hard working people strive to achieve the goals they set for themselves. However, in Of Mice and Men George and Candy work hard all day to get their dream farm but the dream got terminated. In Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck clearly supports the theme that dreams can be taken away in a blink of an eye through the characters of George, Candy and Curley’s wife. George is one example who illustrates the theme that dreams can be taken away in a blink of an eye. George is a small man who travels and takes care of Lennie his best friend. He always speaks about how much better his life would be without Lennie due to his childish actions but he is clearly devoted to him. He had a dream that him and Lennie would get a farm. For example, when George and Lennie were talking George mentioned them getting a farm and Lennie...
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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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...that have to deal with being lonely but Crooks is the most lonely character in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Some individuals, however, disagree and think other characters can be classified as the loneliest. Crooks is the loneliest because he is segregated from everybody else on the ranch, he talks about how lonely he is, and has limited social and work contact because of his disability and race. Firstly, Crooks is segregated from everyone on the ranch triggering him to be lonely. “Crooks, the negro stable buck, had his bunk in the harness room; a little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn” (66). This shows Crooks does not live...
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