Dramatic Irony In Of Mice And Men By John Steinbeck

John Ernst Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men uses a lot of foreshadowing and clever settings effectively, which makes his novel a great book. The use of foreshadowing entices the reader and makes you want to read on. The well-described settings make a vivid image of what is actually going on and help us think what it really was like during the 1930’s.

appeals, as well as creating a deep connection between the characters and the reader. Steinbeck

In John Steinbeck's “Of Mice and Men” he portrays strength and weakness through his character Lennie by putting his mental disabilities on display. Some people tend to find other people with disabilities feeble, or delicate. They put a mentally stable person right by his side as well. Causing an audience to feel bad for Lennie, and feel proud of George for taking care of him.

It was 1937, and the Great Depression was almost over; unemployment was higher than ever. Many people were seeking jobs and in the novel, Of Mice and Men, Lennie Small was one of them. The author John Steinbeck’s portrayal of Lennie helps one understand what it is like to be mentally challenged. Steinbeck does this by highlighting Lennie’s strength, naiveness, and caring nature. Steinbeck succeeded in teaching the reader of the social aspect of being mentally challenged.

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

American journalist David Grann once said, “You want the story to be about something, have some deeper meaning, but there is also an emotional, almost instinctual element, which is, does this story seize some part of you and compel you to get to the bottom of it?” Every piece of text has a meaning that goes deeper than the page it is printed on. Of Mice and Men is an example of this. Of Mice and Men was written by John Steinbeck in 1937. The story takes place in California during the Great Depression, a time where it was laborious to be anything close to successful. Everyone believed that with a minimal amount of hard work and money saved up, the American Dream could be at their fingertips. The two main characters George and Lennie struggle to get land to call their own. Lennie is driven by his dream of tending rabbits, but he makes it challenging when he is the main reason of their setbacks and complications as they move from job to job. Fortunately, George is always there to clean up the mess. Of Mice and Men is studied as an allegory because the characters symbolize problems more substantial than the ones Steinbeck clearly writes about. John Steinbeck zooms in on other problems that America struggles with besides the enticing desire for just materialistic things. Steinbeck criticizes racism, the mistreatment of those who are disabled, and the disrespect of women.

John Steinbeck’s highly acclaimed Of Mice and Men is a classic American novella that paints a depressingly realistic portrait of America during the Great Depression in the 1930s. In this short read, Steinbeck tackles many issues that plagued the country during that time. His purpose in writing Of Mice and Men was to criticize some of those issues, such as sexism, the poor treatment of people with mental disabilities, and the facade of the American Dream.

Abraham Lincoln once said, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” Power can bring out the evil in anyone. At one point, most people have faced adversity through the social standings made by a society. But when someone who has faced adversity through social standings has the chance of power by using social standings they take it. Even if they have been on the other side before and hated it.

Steinbeck uses the character’s effect on others to show oppression. In a conversation with George and Lennie, George says, “‘Jesus, what a tramp,’ he said. ‘So that’s what Curley picks for a wife’” (Steinbeck 32). This conversation shows what affect Curley’s wife has on George. The impression that she is a “tramp” shows the kind of oppression that Curley’s wife faces. In another conversation between George and Lennie, George tells Lennie, “... You get in trouble. You do bad things and I got to get you out” (11). This displays Lennie’s affect on George and how it can be degrading to Lennie because he can’t help the fact that he has a mental disability. This can prove that Lennie is being oppressed by George. The effect on the other characters help the readers see the oppression that the characters face.

Although Steinbeck’s insistent foreshadowing of these characteristics makes Lennie a rather simple character, Lennie’s simplicity is essential to Steinbeck’s idea of the novel. Since the tragedy depends upon the outcome seeming to be expected, we as the reader must know from the start that Lennie is doomed, and must be

There are many different types of irony, but in Of Mice and Men, there are only a few. Some are so discrete that they are hardly recognized. Lennie’s life is bursting with irony. George and Lennie have been friends for a very long time, but their friendship takes a tragic turn that destroys their relationship. They are that Lennie does not know his own strength, George shoots Candy’s dog that he had since he was just a pup, and Lennie’s life comes to an end at the hands of who you least expected it would be.

‘Of Mice And Men' by John Steinbeck is a classic novel, tragedy, written in a social tone. The authorial attitude is idyllic, however, as the story develops it changes into skeptic. It is evident that Steinbeck knew the setting and places he is writing about.

Of Mice and Men is set in California during the Great Depression in the 1930’s. Steinbeck wrote a letter to George Albee ( a famous clinical psychologist) in 1933 about how he wanted to write a story about this “whole valley” which would have represented the economic and social hardships people went through while working on ranches and farms and said he wanted the valley to be “the valley of the world” as it would represent the majority of lower class people at the time. The novella is about two migrant workers, George and Lennie, who have been let off a bus far away from the ranch where they are soon to start work. Each chapter of the novella begins with a detailed description of the setting, this helps to create a certain atmosphere as well

John Steinbeck wrote ‘Of Mice and Men’ to show how hard life was for migrant ranch workers during the time of the Great Depression and how they were often exploited by their employers. In showing how George and Lennie’s dream of owning their own piece of land did not come true, Steinbeck explores a wider theme, criticising the idea of the American Dream. The American Dream tells people that there is ‘opportunity for each... regardless of the fortuitous circumstance of birth and position. Steinbeck criticises this as these ranch workers were given few opportunities. Settings play a very important part in the novel as they pinpoint clear times and places giving a sense of realism to the story, but they are also used to create atmosphere.