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Analysis Of ' Of Mice And Men '

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In both of the novels, prejudice, in all its forms, is a key theme throughout; especially in the relation to the destruction of the innocent. In Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, the innocent characters (or ‘mockingbirds’) are generally characters who are misunderstood by the harsh society in 1930s America. This ranges from a lack of understanding or knowledge about mental illness in the case of Boo Radley, to pure racism in the case of Tom Robinson. In Of Mice And Men, there is a bigger focus on sexism, but again the lack of understanding towards people with mental illnesses is repeated, this time, in the case of Lennie. These themes of prejudice set up both novels from the very beginning and run throughout until the inevitable destruction of all who are discriminated against.

Both novels open in a natural, almost idealistic environment. To Kill A Mockingbird is begun in the town of Maycomb, where the citizens are described as being in ‘no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy, and no money to buy it with.’ This would have been typical of the time the novel is set in, as during the great depression there was indeed, no money. The fact that the people are in no hurry could imply that they have nothing interesting going on, so no reason to hurry in any way, which could, in turn, become foreshadowing, as though later in the novel they may have a reason to. This could then represent them as being innocent, as they seem to be naive as to their surroundings and

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