Archetypes In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men And La Strada

An orange fish is swimming in the ocean. You can tell it wants to go to the bottom, but it is can’t because it is orange, even though it is the same type of fish as all the others. That doesn't seem fair but that happens in our world today and in the book Of Mice and Men. In author John Steinbeck's book, Of Mice Of men, he promotes a message of how stereotypical behaviors and physical traits put everybody in a group when they are born. These groups are based on race, sex, time period, and abilities, which can result in good or bad judgment. These characteristics cannot be controlled, but will be how people look at you. If you do not fit into a perfect stereotype, then you might be restricted from what you can do because you are looked at as different. Everybody in this world today seems to judge someone as soon as they look at them. The same thing happens to all of us; when someone sees us, they judge us. Over the last few centuries, the stereotypes commonly conceived as “perfect” have not changed much, or even at all. The groups that have the most power and the least amount of restrictions in their daily lives have also stayed the same. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck explains the general stereotypes and how he believes certain groups can be judged and how they are treated differently.

“So you forgot that awready, did you? I gotta tell you again , do I ? Jesus christ, you're a crazy bastard!” George says (4-5). You can infer that the two characters have some issues with each other. In Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck shows the weaknesses that most of the characters have and the trials they face with those weaknesses. The characters such as Lennie, Crooks and Candy all have something that happens to them in the story that brings out their weaknesses. John Steinbeck portrays the effects that weak people reveal through the characters Lennie, Crooks and Candy.

In the story Of Mice and Men, it follows a disabled man and his crafty caretaker looking for work on a farm. The few characters that are shown in the book possess very diverse personalities that fit into different archetypes, many of them challenge the stereotypes that surrounded them during the early twentieth century. Archetypes are characteristics that are commonly seen in literature and real life. In the book Of Mice and Men there are seven distinct archetypes that all have different characteristics in them. One thing that all the characters have in common, though, is loneliness. Throughout the book the theme of loneliness is constantly there, and one of the loneliest characters is Crooks. Crooks fits the archetype of an outcast

Lennie Smalls is a very immature, simple, strong and caring guy. Since he has a mental disability he does not know his own strength. He can sometimes man handle animals or people because to him he does not see anything wrong with it. The archetype I am giving Lennie is innocent. Archetypes are characteristics of easy or well-known traits from children’s literature, pop culture, or even everyday life, they help the readers connect with the characters quickly and accurately. Lennie’s archetype is innocent because he is always so caring to others. He is also taken advantage of a lot. Lennie is always so positive even when the hardest situations are thrown at him. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men novel Lennie Smalls archetype is portrayed

The novel Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck is set in America in the 1930’s and it describes the lives of migrant farmers as they go from farm to farm looking for jobs. It also shows the loneliness of the characters and the hard work that they put in. The main characters of the book are Lennie, a man-child, and George, a small man but very powerful character that takes care of Lennie in their journey. Also when they get to the farm they meet the bosses wife who is very lonely and looks for company in the workers. Steinbeck uses characterization to bring his characters to life using various techniques.

First of all, Steinbeck uses characterization and symbolism to address ableism in society. Lennie’s characterization, in precise, addresses ableism. On page 40 Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck writes “‘ I used to have a hell of a lot of fun with ‘im. Used to play jokes on ‘im ‘cause

‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.’ That line is a really funny saying we have all heard. The truth is that words hurt. So, do stereotypes. The book, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, certainly explores characters that are different than what people make them out to be. In the time period, when this book is set, lots of racism, feminism, and not being that nice to people who were different, were very common in this time era. There are many character’s in the author’s book that were and are misjudged. Because, Lennie and Curley’s wife are not how others perceive them, John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men teaches readers not to judge a book by its cover.

“The problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.”- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. In the book, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck there is many examples of stereotyping and labeling. George and Lennie are the two main characters of the book and they both are stereotyped. George watches and takes care of lennie, so he is labeled as a parent figure. On the other hand, Lennie is dependant on George so he is labeled as immature. However, there's much more to the characters than what they are labeled as. Even though the other characters in the book will learn more about George and Lennie throughout the story, they will forever be known for their stereotypes. Steinbeck shows that with stereotyping people look at the world with more judgement.

Candy a character from Of Mice and Men is a misfit archetype. A misfit archetype is someone who does not fit in right with all the other characters. I chose to write about Candy as a misfit archetype because he gets treated differently than the other people in the story because he is missing a hand. I am invested in this topic because I believe that I am a misfit too. I do not fit in with a lot of the kids these days, therefore kind of making me like Candy only I have two hands. John Steinbeck the author of the novel Of Mice and Men created several interesting characters including Candy who is an example of a misfit archetype. Due to the connections made to the 21st century, time period, and comparing of different

For my book report I read Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Of Mice and Men is a fiction book told in the third person. The story is set most likely in the early to mid 1900’s, and most of the story takes place on a ranch in California. The story’s language was out-of-date for our younger generation, and it helped determine the time period. This was an excellent story and in the following paragraphs I’ll talk about the protagonist and antagonist, extra characters, and a summary of the book.

John Steinbeck, an American novelist, is well-known for his familiar themes of depression and loneliness. He uses these themes throughout a majority of his novels. These themes come from his childhood and growing up during the stock market crash. A reader can see his depiction of his childhood era. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck shows the prominent themes of loneliness, the need for relationships, and the loss of dreams in the 1930s through the novels’ character.

“We all use stereotypes,all the time, without knowing it. We have met the enemy of equality and the enemy is us”(Paul). In “Of Mice and Men” all of the characters have been stereotyped or have been the one stereotyping others. Some were stereotyped as dumb,crazy,tart, and not good enough. All of this has had a long term effect on how the characters act the rest of the book. A lot of them were being stereotyped from people who have never even met them and doesn’t know what their personality is like and how they react to different situations. If we do not know someone and know nothing about their personal background then you should not be saying anything towards them. Steinbeck shows how labeling and stereotyping influence how people look at the world by not having a positive outlook and know everything in their life is negative.

John Steinbeck’s 1949 novella entitled Of Mice and Men uses many significant symbols to convey meanings about the human condition. Such symbols include hands to represent labour, cards to signify chance and taking a risk, and finally, rabbits to suggest ideas about achieving one’s hopes and dreams. Symbols are a key central device in delivering meaning, as they consistently repeated throughout the narrative and are typically associated with the novella’s many characters.

John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men uses characterization to express the underlying meaning of the novella. In life, there are mice and there are men, and life is a burden for both of them.

In the first two paragraphs of Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck vividly describes the Salinas River, leaving the reader with a clear picture in their mind. As the reader progresses through the first chapter, we are introduced to Lennie and George, where Steinbeck uses diction again to describe the characters, or in more common terms, characterization. Although by appearances, it may seem that Lennie is the one in charge due to his bulky size, especially compared to George and his small, sharp features, we soon find out that George is truly in control. Even though Lennie may seem uneducated due to his forgetfulness and childlike behavior, we can see his intelligence shine through a select few words and actions; however, this doesn’t stop George from bossing him around. Through characterization, Steinbeck is able to thoroughly portray Lennie and George, as well as their brotherly relationship.