...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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...Written by John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men is an American literature book set in the era of the Great Depression. Mainly revolving around the characters George and Lennie, it explores themes such as the American Dream. On the other hand, it expresses this theme through the loneliest of characters. According to Paul Tillich, “loneliness expresses the pain of being alone and solitude expresses the glory of being alone.” Everyone has experienced the feeling of being lonely in life, yet who is the loneliest character in Of Mice and Men? Out of all the characters, Crooks is the loneliest because he is constantly discriminated against, forcefully isolated, and not respected. To begin with, Crooks is the loneliest character in Of Mice and Men because...
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...Throughout the book Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses characters to foreshadowing his characters. Steinbeck uses theme to show the reality in his character. Like a character Lenny. Steinbeck shows us how people will work hard for their dreams, but no matter what something/ someone will try/will to take that dream from you. In Of Mice and Men, were Lenny would talk to George about how he will tend the rabbits and on a farm. Steinbeck says in his book, “Lennie kills the puppy and is afraid that George wasn’t going to let him tend the rabbits”(Steinbeck 44). What Steinbeck is saying in this quote is you have a person like Lennie who has’s a dream of living on a farm with a lot of rabbits and soft thing. But everything goes downhill when he...
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...In the novella "Of Mice and Men" isolation is a very important theme because all the characters undergo many different types and forms of isolation. Each character is set apart with their own struggles against isolation as a whole. Namely, Lennie is seen to be the most troubled character due to his disabilities. In addition, Crooks has to deal with isolation due to the color of his skin. Finally, Curly's wife struggles with not being able to talk to others because of Curly's obsessiveness. Indeed, isolation as a whole plays a large part in each characters life placing a weight of disabilities, racism, and detachment from socializing on their shoulders. Throughout the book, there are many things that set Lennie apart from the others on the ranch. Mental disabilities hinder someone's chances of getting and or keeping a job. In Lenny's case, he lost his life due to his mental disorder. It led him to be isolated from everyone else and ultimately led to his own demise. Curly's wife showed discomfort with being around Lenny because she thought he "was nuts" and soon after she was killed by him (90). His disabilities led him to kill and injure many living things which in turn led to his death. He was seen as a wild...
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...Losing Your Only Friend: Conformations of Loneliness In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck displays a grim but honest truth about life. Steinbeck’s novel tells of two men: George Milton, a small and quick man; Lennie Small, an enormous man with incredible strength while behaving and thinking as a young child. The two men have been traveling together as laborers and have formed a unique father-and-son like bond. After getting jobs on a ranch in the Salinas Valley , George and Lennie have aspirations to accumulate enough money to fulfill their dreams of “ living off the fatta the lan” but encounter an unfortunate circumstance which prevents them from doing so. Throughout their journey, the main character, George developed from taking Lennie’s presence for granted to truly understanding the pain of loneliness proving friendship is only a temporary distraction from inevitable loneliness. Although subtle, George changed his tone from the beginning of the book to the end, from having been relaxed confining into a friend to being...
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...What do you think about “judging a book by its cover”,in the novela “mice and men” this is exactly what happens.With sayings like those different themes show up through the story. Many themes exist in the novela “mice and men” with unique ones in different parts of the story.The two themes that protrude the most in the novella “Of Mice and Men” are “the importance of fraternity and bonds between men”and “the destructive imbalance of social power structures in American Society” through the example of Lennie’s disability, the bond between George and Lennie, and the conflicts that George and Lennie experience. With Lennie's disability he can not do as much as someone like George can. He has problems remembering,listening,and knowing what...
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...Most of the characters in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men at one point admit to dreaming of a different life. One of the most important themes in the story is The American Dream is difficult to achieve. There are several examples of this theme, including George and Lennie, Curley's wife, Candy, and Crooks. One of the first examples of this theme can be seen in the chapter that is focused on Crooks the stable buck. In this chapter Crooks was at first shooting down Lennie’s idea that he and George were going to own land. “You're nuts. I seen hundreds of men come by on the road an’ on the ranches, with their bindles on their backs...an’ every damn one of ‘em’s got a little piece of land in his head. An’ never a God damn one of’ em gets it,” (72 ). Crooks starts off in denial, but after Lennie continues to talk about it and after Candy tells about how they already have the money he is convinced and even asks if he can join in on the plan. But Crooks' hope about finally being able to do something and not be ruled by anyone is short lived due to being belittled by Curley's wife. After he stands up to her she gets angry and reminds him that because he is black he doesn't have the power to do anything and she could easily get him hanged if she wanted to. Her words discourage Crooks and make him feel dumb for thinking he was actually going to be able to live on his own land and be free to do what he wants. Crooks re-realizes how...
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...One of the 3 themes in this novel was Buck’s first beatings with the club; Curly’s death. After Buck is kidnapped and tries to bite the man who took him he got beaten by a club. While he has no fight left in him he finds out Curly’s dies from a group of vicious sled dogs. They attacked Curly because she was friendly and went up to them and tried to be friends with the other dog but she just got killed because they're aren't much nice sled dogs. His enter into this new world was terrible and Buck was hating every minute of it. The second theme in this novel is when Buck kills Spitz. As they see rabbits they decided to chase and while Buck bites down on the back of the rabbits back Buck flies into Spitz as they are rolling around in the snow....
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...isolation. Result: loneliness, fear, anger. The extreme self-centered attitude is the source of suffering." (Dalai Lama). John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, prominently characterises loneliness. Steinbeck conveys that selfish intentions cause loneliness as seen through friendship and desire. For example, In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, George and Lennie's friendship is rooted in selfish purposes. Steinbeck promotes this concept when George speaks to Lennie, “ Cause I want you to stay with me.”(Steinbeck 13). Indicating to the reader that while George had a “want” for Lennie to be his companion, there was no need for Lennie to stay with George other than...
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...How is the theme of Broken Dreams And Hopelessness presented In Of Mice And Men and Death Of A Salesman? By: Sara The themes of broken dreams and hopelessness are explored in the novel Of Mice and Men published in 1934 by Steinbeck, and also in the play Death of The Salesman written in 1949 by Miller. The desire to achieve the American dream which is to own land and be self-sufficient by being one's own boss is made evident in both texts as the protagonists Willy, George and Lennie aim to elevate their status and be successful. However, they face many obstacles and difficulties along the way. Miller and Steinbeck both criticize the American value of commercialism, as the dream to be successful is just a delusion; if you cannot sell or earn money to provide for your family then you are seen as weak and incapable of success. In both texts men are, therefore, marginalized and don't know where they belong. The tragic endings in both texts show the hopelessness of characters not achieving their goals and desires. The essay will explore how the writers portray the theme of hopelessness and the desire to achieve a dream that is ultimately unachievable. One of the ways Steinbeck shows how eagerly the protagonists are trying to achieve their dream is when George and Lennie find it difficult to get a job. This is shown when George tells Lennie to stay away from "bad things" like he did in "Weed". Steinbeck also reveals how Lennie acts as a barrier for George, as he prevents him from...
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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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...Collin Ryan Block 8RH Of Mice and Men Essay Many people believe that the novella Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, is the most fantastic piece of short fiction ever written. Some people say this because of the many themes that are depicted in the literature. The statement can be proven true by the two concepts or themes: “the importance of relationships” and the “responsibility to others.” These themes are portrayed by his two main characters George and Lennie. “The importance of friendships” is one theme of many presented in the novella Of Mice and Men. The novella shows the relationship between the main characters George and Lennie, and how they try to reach their goal of owning their own land. It may seem a little odd to the other characters because at the time of the Great Depression it was normal to be alone by themselves. The reason why they were able to survive was only by their friendship that is emphasized by their dependence on each other. When Lennie said, “I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you,” was essentially the true dependence that both George and Lennie have for one another. Lennie also sees his friend George as a role model and sees him as guidance on how to live his life indicated when Steinbeck added the phrase, “he pulled his hat down more over his eyes the way George’s hat was.” George needs Lennie as much as Lennie needs George regardless of Lennie being the one who is mentally challenged and in need of constant directing...
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...At the time of the Great Depression the U.S created a repatriation program that deported people of mexican descent, 400,000 were repatriated, sometimes against their will. In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men, there are many overarching themes, these themes help the author show the hard times of the Great Depression. One such theme would be the prevalence of loneliness in many of the characters. Another theme would be the discrimination against a number of characters, in the different forms such as sexism and racism. Lastly, many dreams in the novel go unfulfilled leaving many characters with the weight of failure. Throughout the Great Depression human compassion was as rare as a job, this led to widespread loneliness, that, in turn, is apparent...
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...Picture writing a perfectly great essay on a computer/laptop, yet soon after it ran out of battery and it shuts off without it saving. The title is important because it hides a meaning in it in “Of Mice and Men.” This relates to the theme of the novel because of what went on. A specific quote supporting speaker’s role as a symbol in the novel. Of Mice and Men has its hidden meaning and similarities, but also supporting a speaker’s role in a quote. Of Mice and Men has it’s own title come from a poet’s poem and also a meaning. The poet is Robert Burns and his poem is called,”To a Mouse”. To a Mouse talks about being either a mouse or a man and how life is cruel. The mouse was the victim of the man who ruined the mouse’s nest, which the mice worked so hard on but the man plowed it down while he was plowing the field basically saying deal with it. Both mice and men are similar because they both suffer and die to the very end....
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...During the early and mid 1900’s, African Americans are endless victims of discrimination. They are seen as outcasts and are treated horribly. The events of discrimination are shown very well in the novels A Summer of Kings by Han Nolan and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Both of the books clearly show the themes of racism, segregation and gender inequality throughout the content of their storylines. Having these forms of discrimination in both of the novels, make the readers realize how much suffering these innocent people had to go through every single day of their lives because of the cruel societies around them. Both of the novels have events within them showing the segregation, racism and gender inequality that are associated with the theme of discrimination. The events that they endure every day are horrible and these events have made a mark on history. Every event that shows discrimination is embedded in history and in A Summer of Kings and Of Mice and Men, the authors have shown these events clearly and made the suffering real enough to clearly understand as the reader. In the book A Summer of Kings racism is a central issue. Han Nolan makes sure to inform the readers that the African-American people live in different cities than the white people do. King-Roy Johnston, who is a black man that has been accused of murdering a white man in Alabama. When he comes to live with her family, Esther’s neighbour Pip is not so happy about this when he says “You think...
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