Examples Of Human Presence In Of Mice And Men

The author, Steinbeck, uses his own personal experience to “serve as an inspiration…” (Johnson 1) when writing this particular story. His past experiences also helped him for the future. Lennie, of all characters, is the least dynamic. He undergoes a significant amount of change and develops throughout the story. He has been isolated with George throughout his life. His sole purpose in life is to make George happy and to own a farm with George and take care of the soft rabbits. Lennie is the most innocent and defenseless. He also is the largest and strongest, which does not help in certain situations. Lennie is the protagonist in the story. He gains the readers sympathy by his intellectual disability and helplessness. Lennie murders things by accident such as the mouse in his pocket, the puppy and Curley’s wife. He enjoys the touch of and somehow uses those murders and experiences to scare him from doing it again. George’s opinion means the most to him.

Loneliness is one of the primary themes in Of Mice and Men. Throughout the novel, John Steinbeck shows the enormous effect that loneliness has on the characters. Steinbeck most clearly illustrates this theme through Crooks, Candy, and Curley 's wife. Ranch hands are ideal types of people to portray as being lonely, because their constant travel leaves them without someone to talk to or share things with. Steinbeck also shows how important it is for every human being to have a companion. Companionship is necessary in order for someone to live an enjoyable life. Although loneliness affects each one of the characters in Of Mice and Men differently, they all experience negative feelings from their lack of

A Bear’s paw? A Horse’s snout? Sure, those are both great attributes of animals, but what if they were used to describe a human? And what does that have to do with the progression of the story? Well, in the book of Mice and Men, one of the characters Lennie is characterized using personification. In the novel of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses the personification of a main character, Lennie, to illustrate one of the themes, “The land provides all you’d ever need.”

Curley’s wife is treated with very little respect because of the small amount of power she has, which depicts Steinbeck’s lesson that people with less power are treated differently and then go on to treat others unequally, as well. Curley’s wife has a flirty reputation and often goes to talk to the men on the ranch even though she knows she shouldn't be. Shortly after Lennie and George are first introduced to Curley’s wife, George remarks, “Gosh, she was purty.” George is shocked and fiercely tells Lennie, “Don't you even take a look at that bitch. I don't care what she says and what she does. I seen ‘em poison before, but I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her. You leave her be”(Steinbeck 32). Lennie’s initial reaction of Curley’s wife is not uncommon for the lack of intelligence he has. George’s fierce attitude toward Curley’s wife when he calls her

First, Curley’s wife, the beautiful and flirtatious spouse of the boss’s son, is treated unequally because she is the only female on the ranch. For example, after George first meets Curley’s wife, he says “Jesus, what a tramp… So that’s what Curley picks for a wife” (52). This not only shows George strongly judging Curley’s wife after just one encounter, but also expresses how she is looked at as a possession. She is never given a name, and George even says that Curley picked her, as if she is an item to be claimed by a man. Because she is labeled as a tramp and a tart, most of the men on the ranch try to stay away from her for fear of getting into trouble with Curley. This causes Curley’s wife to become very lonely and eager for attention since no one will talk to her. This makes her try harder to flirt with the men and get noticed, which just makes them shut her out even more. Even though she seems very confident with herself and strong-willed, she is definitely very alone and unhappy.

Lennie is rejected by everyone at the ranch, except George, because of his mental disability (“Of Mice and Men” 248). People with a mental disability are often looked down upon in society. Lennie is a very large, strong man, however, people on the ranch don't believe he is a good worker because of his disability. Although Lennie has a mental disability, he has the strength to do a lot of the ranch work and is a very good worker. The men on the ranch do not realize the strength that Lennie has until he breaks Curley’s hand and ends up killing Curley’s wife. Having a disability does not imply that the individuals aren’t skilled in different areas. Handicapped by his lack of adult intelligence, Lennie is doomed in the world of a migrant worker (“Of Mice and Men” 246). He is not able to think as highly as an average adult and often times does not make the best decisions. In the novel, we are able to see the strength that Lennie has and how he is not able to control it when Steinbeck talks about how Lennie killed the mouse, the puppy, Curley’s wife and crushed Curley’s hand. Curley is a small man who tends to pick fights with the bigger men to show his strength. Curley knows about Lennie's lack of intelligence and decides to start hitting him. Lennie doesn’t do anything back until George tells him to fight back. The next punch Curley threw, Lennie caught it and squeezed Curley's hand

Emotions are a huge part of being a human being. They are what influence our actions, decisions, and overall performance in life. For example, if a sixteen year old boy comes home from school feeling extremely agitated and angry, he will undoubtedly treat his parents differently than if he returned home feeling energized and uplifted. The emotions that we as personages come accustomed to are reflected in our lifestyles and the overall personal characterizations that we possess. Many people feel certain emotions based on things that have taken place in their lifetime or how they were raised throughout their childhood. In John Steinbeck’s Mice and Men, he portrays the feelings of isolation and loneliness in three different characters.

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.

Steinbeck leads the reader into a false sense of understanding by directing the reader’s sympathy towards Lennie and the destruction of his dream as well as his naïve innocence. At first it seems as though Curley’s Wife plays the catalyst however, as the plot develops and our understanding of her does, we realise behind the hard exterior she is rather a victim of solitude and prejudice within the ranch. Curley’s Wife is used to highlight a variety of ideologies and motifs within the novella. She is also used to emphasise the theme of the impossibility of the American Dream. She is used as a metaphorical device to

In a scientific study, it was found that people are the best version of themselves when they are around other people. However, during the Great Depression, the idea of human companionship was drowned out by the lonely road that many men walked in search of jobs. This period showed the true impacts of the loneliness of man and also asked very important questions: are we responsible for the welfare of others? Or is it better to just be alone? In John Steinheck’s novel Of Mice and Men, one of the protagonists, George Milton, struggles with this very concept. Stuck with his disabled best friend, Lennie Small, he feels a sense of responsibility towards Lennie, but also acknowledges how much easier his life would be without Lennie. Although

She is constantly looking for her husband Curley, while Curley is constantly looking for her and both can never seem to find each other. Curley’s wife is considered Curley’s property, and if constantly referred to as nothing more than a ‘tart.’ Once all of the men are situated in the bunk house, George and Lennie encounter Curley’s wife who is supposedly looking for her husband. After she leaves, Lennie is utterly amazed because of her good looks, and George unhappily replies, “Don’t you even take a look at that bitch. I don’t care what she says and what she does. I seen ‘em before, but I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her. You leave her be” (Steinbeck 35-36). George uses derogatory terms and assumptions to try to prove that she is like any other woman he has met, and feels that since she comes across as a tease, she will certainly get the men in trouble. All Curley’s wife wants is someone to spill her confessions and feelings to because she is so lonely; she is expected to stay at home and tend the housework. In this certain time period, men depicted women to be pieces apart of their game of life, and only used them as decorative objects. Next, George suggests that Curley’s wife could not have the will to cope on a ranch full of men, and should stay in her place cleaning and being a perfect housewife. George states, “Ranch with a bunch of guys on it ain’t no place for a girl, specially like her” (Steinbeck 57). This quote shows gender inequality to Curley’s wife, because the men on the ranch stereotype women to be superficial and housewives, where the work at home should be done and one should be the perfect human being to their husband. In the 1930’s, men felt that they were the superior figures in the relationship, and strongly believed that women should stay where they belong; in a house baking cookies, and dressed appropriately. Curley’s wife tries

Candy's explanation, "‘[Curley is] alla time picking scraps with big guys. Kind of like he's mad at ‘em because he ain't a big guy'" (26), reveals that humans have a tendency to bias and judge others based on outward appearances out of insecurity and cowardice. Steinbeck demonstrates the unfairness of judging by conveying that Lennie was an excellent worker despite his incompetence and adolescent mind. Likewise, Crooks epitomizes people who are discriminated for their color. Crooks was mistreated and isolated by the white men on the ranch. For instance, he was not able to live in the same bunk house as them, nor was he allowed to play cards or horseshoe with them. The fact that he lived in a place where animals lived in conveys that he is looked down upon as low as the animals. Although racism is not as prevalent as back in 1930s, it still exists today: some are misjudged by stereotypes or killed for their color. Last but not least, Steinbeck's main theme of loneliness emphasizes the power of companionship. Different from the other solitary characters in the book, Lennie and George work and travel together. This happiness of companionship is what lets

Many of the characters do suffer from loneliness in the novel Of Mice and Men. George lets everybody know early on in the novel that he is lonely. When George reminds Lennie that "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world” (Steinbeck Section 1). Men like George who travel from farm to farm usually never have anyone to look to for companionship and protection. As the story goes on, Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife all state their deep loneliness. Crooks says, “A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. Don't make no difference who the guy is, long's he's with you. I tell ya, I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick" (80). In a world with no friends to confide in, random people will have to do. Each of the characters search for a friend, someone to confide in and be able to talk to on an everyday basis, as Crooks says. In the end, however, companionship of Curley’s kind seems impossible to find. For George, when Lennie dies, George’s dreams and hopes of finding a companion disappears.

‘Of mice and men’ is a tale of loneliness and hardship felt by the people living in America during the 1930 's. Written by John Steinbeck and published in 1937, it tells the heartbreaking story of two ranch workers during the depression; George Milton and Lennie Small. At the time America was very poor, with a shortage of jobs so people had to travel in search of new jobs. As many people were constantly moving, lasting friendships or relationships were hard to come across. People became scared to have friendships, scared of each other making them lonely and isolated. Most of the characters lived by ‘every man for himself’; only having to care for themselves, not having to worry about others and therefore

Of Mice and Men teaches a grim lesson about the nature of human existence. Nearly all of the characters, including George, Lennie, Candy, Crooks, and Curley's wife, admit, at one time or another, to having a profound sense of loneliness and isolation.