...Throughout the novella ‘Of Mice and Men’ various themes are explored, a main theme noticed throughout the novella is authority. The boss is one of many characters who have authority on the ranch because he owns the ranch and is the employer. Authority within the boss is shown when he questions George “what stake you got in this guy?” this shows authority because the boss can question who he wants if he notices any suspicions because it’s his ranch The boss also shows he has authority when Steinbeck says “he wore high-heeled boots” this is a symbol of authority, by wearing high-heeled boots it proves that he is not a labouring man because he is the owner of the ranch. Another reason high-heeled boots may show significant authority is because they make him taller, which makes him higher than the average migrant worker. Curley also appears to show authority but he lacks respect for the men. Curley does not have natural authority because he is the boss’ son this is the only reason Curley gains authority. The men on the ranch only put up with him because he is the boss’ son, he also tries to fight bigger men “he hates bigger guys” curly likes to fight with bigger guys to gain respect but it makes the others dislike him even more. Throughout the book many things are used to symbolise authority. A main symbol noticed is that the boss and Curly wear high-heeled boots this gives a sense of authority because it shows that neither of them are labouring men, and the heel gives height...
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...Power of Influence What would you do if you had the power to influence everyone around you? Well, Slim uses the great respect he has earned, to create a momentous role for himself. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, George and Lennie travel around together, seeking work, in order to achieve their dream of living of the fat of the land with their own cottage, garden, and herd of animals. George is the care taker of Lennie, who has the mind of a five-year-old child and the strength of a bull. When they arrive at the Tyler Ranch where Slim is in charge of all the workers, they meet many folks, who George knows are going to cause trouble, and trouble they are sure to cause. Slim is the most influential character because all the workers at the ranch look up to and respect him; Slim is so respected that even Curley, the boss's...
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...Power is found within many of the characters in the novella Of Mice and Men. Power is found from the confident jerkline skinner, Slim, to Curley’s trampy wife, who is the only woman, all the way down to the lonely stable buck, Crooks,. Slim is the “Prince of the Ranch”, a high authoritative figure among all the workers. Then, there is Curley’s wife, she is powerful, but at the same time she isn’t. She only has power over men, but only if they are alone or if they do something to hurt her. Finally, at the same time the hard-working stable buck, Crooks, is working just as hard, and only has power in his own private quarters. All of these characters have power, but at the same time it is still limited. The “ Prince of the Ranch” is Slim. He...
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...Characters in of mice and men ❖ Lennie - A large, lumbering, childlike migrant worker. Due to his mild mental disability, Lennie completely depends upon George, his friend and traveling companion, for guidance and protection. ❖ George - A small, wiry, quick-witted man who travels with, and cares for, Lennie. Although he frequently speaks of how much better his life would be without his caretaking responsibilities, George is obviously devoted to Lennie. George’s behavior is motivated by the desire to protect Lennie and, eventually, deliver them both to the farm of their dreams. ❖ Candy - An aging ranch handyman, Candy lost his hand in an accident and worries about his future on the ranch. Fearing that his age is making him useless, he seizes on George’s description of the farm he and Lennie will have, offering his life’s savings if he can join George and Lennie in owning the land. ❖ Curley’s wife - The only female character in the story, Curley’s wife is never given a name and is only mentioned in reference to her husband. The men on the farm refer to her as a “tramp,” a “tart,” and a “looloo.” Dressed in fancy, feathered red shoes, she represents the temptation of female sexuality in a male-dominated world. Steinbeck depicts Curley’s wife not as a villain, but rather as a victim. ❖ Crooks-crooks, the black stable-hand gets his name from his crooked back. Proud, bitter, and caustically funny, he is isolated from the other men because of the colour of his skin...
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...essay is about how John Steinbeck represents human nature and the nice and unfavourable qualities people had during the American depression in the 1930s where the story ‘Of Mice and Men’ took place. The story shows the way different people will react diversely to various situations. In this case, living with the trouble of having to travel to faraway places to search for jobs. It shows how some people can behave overly difficult while others can be calm, friendly and easy to live with. The many characters in the story represent the many different combinations of worthy and unworthy qualities but this essay shall concentrate on three characters Slim, Curley and Crooks. In ‘Of Mice and Men’, John Steinbeck uses the character Slim to represent a man who has only the admirable qualities of human nature and seems to possess absolutely no unworthy traits whatsoever. John Steinbeck shows the ideal man who respects and is respected greatly in return. He is known as ‘the prince of the ranch’ suggesting that he has skill above all the other men in the ranch and able to do things others could not. He can ‘kill a fly on the wheeler’s butt with a bull whip without touching the mule.’ This shows his precision and skill on the ranch supporting his title as the ‘prince of the ranch’. Furthermore, John Steinbeck shows how Slim is a born leader. His ‘godlike manner’ implies that he is like god, kind, respected and always listened to. Everything he does is done with ‘dignity’. People respect him so...
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...Slim is described always in terms of dignity and majesty. When he first comes into the bunkhouse, he moves "with a majesty achieved only by royalty and master craftsmen. He was a jerk-line skinner, the prince of the ranch, capable of driving ten, sixteen, even twenty mules with a single line to the leaders." Slim is tall, ageless, and an expert in his job. His voice is the voice of rationalism. When Carlson suggests killing Candy's dog, Candy appeals to Slim as the final authority. Slim is so respected and admired on the ranch that even Curley listens to him. When Lennie smashes Curley's hand, Slim is the one who intercedes and tells Curley he will not have George and Lennie fired. Slim understands Curley's fear of ridicule, and he uses that fear to help George and Lennie. Slim also inspires confidences because he is not judgmental. When George first meets Slim, George tells him about Lennie's troubles in Weed. George senses in Slim a person of intelligence and empathy who will not be mean to Lennie, make fun of him, or take advantage of him. Slim is the only one on the ranch who appreciates the difficulty of George's position. He understands the constant oversight George must exercise in watching Lennie and keeping him out of trouble. It is Slim, in the end, who suggests that George did the right thing in killing Lennie mercifully. He explains the alternative: "An s'pose they lock him up an' strap him down and put him in a cage. That ain't no good, George." Slim is present...
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...Of Mice And Men In the masterful story Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck there is a looming theme of loneliness. This theme is told to you through the words and actions of the characters in the story . This story is told through two characters Lennie and George. The setting is 1930’s America. The story involves traveling ranch workers that live only for the one purpose to get paid and waste their money on a few drinks and some pleasure. These men are consumed with loneliness. The care for nothing but themselves. They are very unlike George and Lennie who have each other and a dream. Lennie is a big man with the brain of a child. Lennie never meant to hurt anybody but managed to get himself and his only true friend George into trouble. George is a small smart man who has known Lennie all his life and knows to well that Lennie could not survive on his own lets him travel with him as a favor too Lennie’s aunt Loneliness is defined as Without companions; lone. I will use this definition to describe different aspects of Steinbeck’s treatment of loneliness in this novel. Steinbeck’s use of loneliness is in this novel is very noticeable in some of the dialogue like when Lennie accidentally stumbles into Crook’s home in the stable and they talk. "You got George. You know he’s goin’ to come back. S’pose you didn’t have nobody. S’pose you couldn’t go to the bunk-house and play rummy ‘cause you was black...
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...Of Mice and Men top quotes Chapter 1 · "A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green. The water is warm too, for it has slipped twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight before reaching the narrow pool." – Steinbeck uses vivid images to create the setting; the setting is idyllic, perfect and untouched. · “On the sand banks the rabbits sat as quietly as little gray, sculptured stones." – Simile adds to the timeless feel but suggests that this is a real place, the rabbits are scared and stay still like stones, emphasizes the quiet setting, Personification. · "Guys like us that work on ranches are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place. . . . 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." - Steinbeck idealizes male friendships, suggesting that they are the most dignified and satisfying way to overcome the loneliness that overtakes the world. Shows the closeness of Lennie & George. · "...and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws." – metaphor, bear like, animal imagery – Metaphor, makes Lennie’s bear-like qualities clear (strong), only described this way because of his looks his...
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...from the personal, social and economic chains that bind them. In Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, Lennie and George had a dream of owning a farm. These characters embarked on a journey to achieve their version of the American dream. “Well,” said George, “we’ll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens. And when it rains in the winter, we’ll just say the hell with goin’ to work, and we’ll build up a fire in the stove and set around it an’ listen to the rain comin’ down on the roof—Nuts!” Along the way, their personal, social and economic limitations put insurmountable hardships in their path. Throughout the story, each of the characters experience personal conflicts as they struggle with reality as it tears apart their hopes and ambitions. The masculine ideal was important to these men and where they found themselves lacking, they found the need to defend themselves by fighting. Slim, the jerkline skinner possessed the masculinity that the others respected, and the others looked up to him as a result. “When he finished combing his hair he moved into the room, and he moved with a majesty only achieved by royalty and master craftsmen. He was a jerkline skinner, the prince of the ranch… There was a gravity in his manner and a quiet so profound that all talk stopped when he spoke. His authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject, be it politics or love.” Curly, the ranch owner’s son, on the other hand, was focused on compensating for his small size by...
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...In this essay I will be discussing the point,” How does Steinbeck explore the use of dreams in Of Mice and Men”. I will review what each main character’s dreams are and how they attempted to fulfil or fulfilled their dreams, and how Steinbeck displays different emotions and sways how the reader feels about the novel. After this, I will compare how the irony of the title to how the book ends. The theme of the novel is set in the 1930’s, and the novel plays out over a period of around 3 days, with it starting with best friends George and Lennie out in the wild, with nothing. The first character I am going to review is George and what his original dreams are, and how far he has come to them by the end of the novel. He is the first character introduced and shows simple understanding of basic common sense (something which his partner-in-crime doesn’t have), “Lennie, for God’ sakes don’t drink so much”. Lennie at this point is drinking from a “green pool”, and George immediately realises the dangers and tells Lennie what to do, which is a sign of things to come. Georges dream is basically a carbon copy of the “the American dream”, and he realises that it is possible for himself and Lennie to achieve the dream – because he thinks (and perhaps more to the point hopes) that a combination of his brains, and Lennie’s brute force (which is plain to see throughout the novel) will lead them to where they want to be. Although at the end of the novel George has to kill Lennie, he decides to...
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...Of Mice and Men “The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” This quote from James Truslow Adams “The epic of America”, states one of the themes in the novella Of Mice and Men. John Steinbeck, the author of Of Mice and Men, deals with the topic of living through the great depression, as the readers follow the story of two migrants workers and their wish to fulfil their American Dream. Steinbeck’s inspiration for his novella can be linked back to his own life, as he was both born and raised in Salinas Valley, the most productive agricultural region in California. This essay will cover Of Mice and Men’s setting, the characterisation of major characters and the key themes identified within the novella. Two protagonists, Lennie and George, travel around together to obtain work. Within the novella, Steinbeck has presented two obvious settings, and focused on the contrast between them. Nearing the beginning of the book, the two men spend a night in a small, secluded glade near the river. The description of the nature area could be compared to heaven, just a beautiful place as described in this quote: “On one side of the river, the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Galiban mountains” (page 1, line 5), where the nature is described as majestic, strong and even golden. However a contrast is formed with the two men entering the setting...
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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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...1. 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. 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. ...
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...How Does Priestley Present Mr Birling Priestley presents the character of Mr Birling as a symbol of the capitalist ruling class and the need for socialist ideals. Priestley begins by presenting Mr Birling as a successful, albeit 'hard-headed businessman'. It is clear from the stage directions which describe 'The dining room... of a fairly large suburban house, belonging to a prosperous manufacturer' that Birling is rich and materialistically successful. In terms of capitalism, he is therefore a role model in the fact that he has reached the capitalist goals of making a financial profit. Once Birling's worldy success is established, Priestley undermines his character through presenting Mr Birling as ignorant. With the play being set before WW2, dramatic irony is used when Birling exclaims 'there isn't chance of war'. Here the audience know he is wrong, and therefore realise that Birling's confidence is misguided- he is an ignorant man. This is further proven when he claims that the soon to sail Titanic is 'absolutely unsinkable'.The audience may feel there is a contradiction in this character - worldly success and power coupled with stupidity and ignorance. However, Priestley has deliberately presented Birling in this way to criticise the capitalism for which Birling stands. Being a co-founder of the Socialist Commonwealth Party, Priestley felt that his political views on socialism were very important and the play 'An Inspector Calls' is his vehicle from which to promote these...
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...1937 OF MICE AND MEN by John Steinbeck Copyright John Steinbeck, 1937. Copyright renewed by John Steinbeck, 1965. Published by arrangement with Viking Penguin, a division of Penguin Books USA Inc. ONE A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green. The water is warm too, for it has slipped twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight before reaching the narrow pool. On one side of the river the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan Mountains, but on the valley side the water is lined with trees- willows fresh and green with every spring, carrying in their lower leaf junctures the debris of the winter's flooding; and sycamores with mottled, white, recumbent limbs and branches that arch over the pool. On the sandy bank under the trees the leaves lie deep and so crisp that a lizard makes a great skittering if he runs among them. Rabbits come out of the brush to sit on the sand in the evening, and the damp flats are covered with the night tracks of 'coons, and with the spread pads of dogs from the ranches, and with the split-wedge tracks of deer that come to drink in the dark. There is a path through the willows and among the sycamores, a path beaten hard by boys coming down from the ranches to swim in the deep pool, and beaten hard by tramps who come wearily down from the highway in the evening to jungle-up near water. In front of the low horizontal limb of a giant sycamore there is an ash...
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