...the poems in the ‘Moon on the Tides’ anthology be seen to provide a meaningful insight into George and Lennie’s relationship? During the Great Depression of the 1930s when America was plunged into financial crisis, following the Wall Street Crash of October 1929, levels of unemployment and poverty were at a record high. Through this period, life was a struggle and the mentality of society became survival of the fittest, every man for himself. Migrant workers toured the country in search of labour to provide money for food. These men led lonely and emotionless lives, which are reflected through Steinbeck’s portrayal of his characters in his famous, yet bleak, 1930s parable ‘Of Mice and Men.’ In the novel, George and Lennie’s relationship diversifies them from the other ranch workers for the reason that they rely on each other for support and companionship ‘I got you and you got me.’ In particular, the dream they share of owning their own land, reflects the American Dream of being the ringleader of your own life with a level of self- sufficiency. The dream is a significant aspect in their relationship and is portrayed in the poem ‘The Moment’. Apart from each other, the only other thing that George and Lennie have to keep them motivated is the dream. The poem opens with the line “The moment when, after many years of hard work and a long voyage”. This is a metaphor for the life that George and Lennie live as itinerant workers and how they move from ranch to ranch together to find...
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...WHAT DOES STEINBECK WANT HIS READERS TO LEARN ABOUT HUMAN NATURE FROM STUDYING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GEORGE AND LENNIE? In the novella ‘Of Mice and Men’ Steinbeck repeatedly explores the theme of loneliness which plagued many people during the hardship of 1930s America. George and Lennie shed a great amount of light onto the intricacies of human nature through the complex relationship they share and Steinbeck uses this to convey to the reader the importance of friendship, loyalty and trust. George and Lennie are designed by Steinbeck to function as two halves of the same person, they are both complementary and contrasting but when combined form an individual greater than either could be alone. The two men are direct opposites of one another; George is slight and ‘defined’ with ‘restless eyes’ which glow with intelligence and focus whilst Lennie is ‘shapeless’ and his ‘pale eyes’ are filled with a lethargic apathy. Steinbeck forms this unlikely pair to convey to the reader the fact that no one person is ever fully complete, George relies on the physical might of Lennie for protection whilst he guides the larger man with his wily intellect. It is the disparity between the two men which provides the basis for dynamic bond they possess. The two men remain firm friends despite their differences in character and the resulting friction which often leads to the pair being at odds with one another. Lennie’s limited mental capacity is a source of much frustration for George as...
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...This quote explains that society shapes the thoughts of what we see. We see society in a good and bad way around us. Euthanasia is unjustified because it brings death, pain, and suffering. The book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck took place during the Great Depression, which means it was a harsh life living during the 1930’s. The two main characters in the novel, Lennie and George, both try to accomplish their American Dream by having a field of rabbits, puppies, etc. George and Lennie are best friends and act like big brothers defending one another, but there was an incident where their friendship faded to black and white. Lennie was a person who was big and muscular, forgot everything important, and acted like a little kid. George was a unique person from Lennie’s point of view. George was tough, responsible, and strong. He looked after Lennie all the time. Lennie is innocent because he has likes touching soft things; he has a mind of a child, and only does the things that he is told to do. First of all, the two best friends’ friendship and their American Dream have faded away. The dream of Lennie and George begins to tangle up when Lennie was living in Weeds and touched a woman’s dress. He later ran away because he feared that someone would get him and beat him. He didn’t know the difference between right and wrong. If he knew the actions that he did in Weeds he would do it; Lennie is mentally disabled. Lennie’s actions and intentions made him act like a child and not...
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...upon the need for friendship and hope. John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men uses the setting of the Great Depression of America in 1929 to convey the importance of dreams to keep oneself from falling into despair. The novel embodies the notion of friendships and emphasizes the importance of developing and maintaining strong relationships as a barrier to the oppressive and hostile world. To do this, Steinbeck utilizes a range of symbolic characters and explores the flawed nature of the American dream. By reinstating the power of relationships, exploring key characters of society through revolving around contextual influence, Steinbeck conveys the value of friendship, importance of dreams and attitudes to freedom The importance of human relationships, dreams and freedom is epitomized in the opening chapter where Steinbeck constructs` a strongly idealistic atmosphere as a location to introduce his two key characters. The land is described with poetic imagery of “golden foothill slopes” where “sycamores with mottled, white, recumbent limbs and branches that arch over the pool”. This description lends contextual evidence of the Californian landscape and lives up to the naming of Soledad, which is a translation to loneliness, a large aspect during the Great Depression. The unspoilt scenery of purity and perfection is “beaten hard by tramps” when man decides to enter. This setting is particularly poignant as it foreshadows the events later in the novel. As George and Lennie are introduced...
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...migrant workers to continue to find jobs and later on fulfil their own dream and live a happier life. In the book ‘Of Mice and Men’ Steinbeck has made the ranch a micro representation of the society of the time because it contains all the elements of society. George and Lennie’s only hope was to move around the country to achieve their dream due to The Great Depression, the dream was a typical American dream where there is a large piece of land with a small house and many different farm animals, throughout their travel George would usually use the their dream to control Lennie’s actions and behaviour. ‘Say’s I can’t tend no rabbits if I talk to you or anything.’ Steinbeck is trying to represent how society controls the people in it by showing that George has greater control over Lennie. George threatens to take away Lennie’s ability to get his dream, if he gets into trouble. However, if Lennie works hard he will get his dream. This is what society teaches us, Steinbeck is showing how difficult it is to survive and continue following your dream in society. For modern readers this is shown in the importance of working hard in their jobs keeping them motivated, civilised, striving towards feeding their families. George and Lennie travelled and worked together becoming inseparable, this...
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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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