Death, and the reasons for, leave the people left behind with different perceptions of the events that have occurred, and the events yet to come. This is the same with novels, as authors portray deaths with different themes that often connect to each other. The novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, is a story about Lennie and George, two migrant workers in the Salinas Valley, California. These friends stick together through the troubles of the Great Depression and survival in a world where differentiating qualities threaten these two workers’ hopes and dreams. There are three main deaths in this work, whether real or metaphorical, that are portrayed with primary themes. The novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, is about Ponyboy Curtis, a lower class teenager living in 1960’s Oklahoma. Ponyboy faces the obstacles that regard economic-social class and the struggles that are associated with stereotypes. This novel also regards the death of three characters that, similarly to Of Mice and Men, provide major themes. The deaths and murders in The Outsiders and Of Mice and Men relate to each other in the themes of protection, prevention and ignorance. Protection is a theme that is found in the deaths of both Johnny Cade and Lennie Small. Johnny, a 16 year old abused by his parents, is the pet of the “greaser” gang in The Outsiders. He surprises everyone when he kills a rich west side kid named Bob. Bob and some other “Socs” were jumping Johnny and his best friend
”Wha’s the matter with me?’ she cried. ‘Ain’t I got a right to talk to nobody? Whatta they think I am, anyways?” (Steinbeck 87) In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Curley’s wife is discriminated against because she is a woman living in the 1930s when few females could live economically independent of men. By choosing not to name her, Steinbeck reinforces her insignificance on the ranch and her dependence on Curley. While a misfortunate victim of isolation, Curley’s wife exerts unexpected power attempting to mask her pain.
Besides the American Dream, the theme of death plays a major role and is recurring in both texts. From the novel ‘Of mice and men’, both Lennie and Curley’s Wife die. From this we can deduce that they both got killed due to their differences and society looking at them in a different way. Both texts also foreshadow the future deaths from the beginning to the end of the texts, there is hints everywhere. The moment that Curley’s Wife was introduced, an ill feeling overcame the atmosphere indicating that Lennie will be getting into a mess with her. At the beginning, George clearly states that Lennie always gets George into trouble. Steinbeck states ‘You do bad things and I got to get you out’. Previously, before George and Lennie arrived at the ranch, Lennie got into trouble by supposedly attacking the only woman in Weed. This also suggests that there will be trouble between Curley’s Wife, who is the only woman on the ranch and Lennie. Connecting ends with ends, this shows that the only two women are insecure. Later on, there was an intimation that she is going to be killed by Lennie as Lennie kills the soft things he likes to ‘pet’ such as the puppy and the mouse. In the novel Curley’s Wife lets him touch her dress, which is soft therefore leading to an inevitable death.
Loneliness is an emotion of isolation and no hope or dreams in life, which is what John Steinbeck achieves by portraying this through the characters in his novella Of Mice and Men. The main characters are affected by loneliness in their own different way throughout the novella. rf
Barbara Sher once said, “‘Isolation is a dream killer’” (qtd. in Wishcraft). In his novella, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck scrutinizes the effects that alienation can have on society. Many characters experience loneliness throughout the novel. He illustrates the results of individuals becoming isolated from their peers. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck portrays characters alienated from society in order to illustrate the harmful effects of loneliness caused by discrimination.
“I want you to stay with me Lennie. Jesus Christ, somebody’d shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself.” The novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck shows the relationship between two migrant workers in the 1930s, George and Lennie, along with the other members on the new ranch that they began working on. Georgie and Lennie dreamed of following the American Dream and owning their own patch of land and the novel revolves around the dream and the obstacles that stand in their way. Lennie, a strong but mentally ill person, who accompanies George, eventually makes George think about how much easier the dream could be achieved without Lennie, eventually leading to the downfall of their friendship. The novel shows what it means to be human
“Everyone always says that anything is possible, but some things in life just can’t be reached. Sometimes your dreams just can’t be achieved.” (Carl Johnson) All humans living in America have dreams. These could all easily be described as the American Dream. The American Dream can frequently change from time to time due to the time period. It can also change due to the age of the person at hand. Children grow up having these dreams, but who knows how long these dreams will last. Some elderly people develop new dreams or are still chasing to fulfill the dreams they’ve had since they were much younger. These dreams are all things that people want and desire to have. Some of these dreams are unrealistic and could never happen.
The Great Depression affected many Americans throughout the 1930s. Many people had no source of income and had no other choice but to travel and find new jobs. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, George Milton and Lennie Small wander through California in search of a new job that would help them make enough money to live their American dream on “the fatta the lan’”(Steinbeck 14). George and Lennie’s hard work and determination is not enough for them to live their dream. Lennie has a mental disability that slows the two friends down from living their dream; they have to run from job to job because of Lennie’s unintentional actions.
Death is inevitable. However, death arrives to people at different stages of their lives. Death is one thing that all people have in common; even books are connected because of the different deaths occurring in them. In S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, there are three major deaths occurring in the novel: Bob, Johnny, and Dally. Similarly, in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, there are also three major deaths: Candy’s dog, Curley’s wife, and Lennie. The Outsiders is a story depicting the life of Ponyboy Curtis, who is struggling to find his place in the world while battling the rival group, the Socs. Of Mice and Men is a story of two migrant workers, George and Lennie, who are bound together and share the dream of
Having lived at difficult times, John Steinbeck meets human nature and its flaws, which he successfully encompasses in his novel, Of Mice and Men. Throughout his career, Steinbeck has managed to craftily expose the entrails of humankind in an effort to reflect on its rather capricious psyche. In his novel, for instance, he portrays two wandering men—mentally impaired Lennie, and George—who seem to often get in trouble due to Lennie’s naivety. As the characters develop, it becomes clear that they establish the strongest of bonds, yet George numerous times proves humankind’s capricious psyche by demonstrating hate toward the unavoidable circumstances which mental disorders such as Lennie’s carry. In the final chapter, George hesitantly resorts to executing Lennie, thus conveying a universal message: one is not entirely depraved nor solely good, but a combination of both and therefore no act of killing is morally justifiable. Furthermore, George is not morally justified for having killed Lennie, since his feelings often shift between love, disgust, and selfishness. This may be seen when Lennie and he talk about the incident in weed, when Lennie and Curley have an incident, and when Lennie unintentionally breaks Curley’s wife’s neck.
How much trust would you put in a mentally challenged man? In the novella, written by John Steinbeck, Lennie faces many challenges with his guardian, George. Of Mice and Men is set in Soledad, California during the 1930’s. Times were extremely tough during the Great Depression, especially during the severe drought in the Great Plains. Lennie is a mentally handicapped man, who just tries to live an ordinary life. Lennie’s committed serious and normally inexcusable actions, however due to his current mental state he cannot receive all of the blame. The average man, represented by George and Lennie, faced extreme difficulties in finding work. George and Lennie are farmers who become migrant workers due to the instability in most ordinary jobs, which are even less stable for Lennie. Lennie commits some questionable acts, however he should not be held accountable for these actions because he is not fully aware of the nature of the crimes or the situations.
Loneliness is a powerful yet important emotion we experience in our human nature. Without having the need to commit a single action, being on our own reveals our deepest desire to love and to also be loved but whilst the feeling is universality known, not even the strongest of humans can completely avoid which can often bring the feelings of shame and weakness when an individual does admit they are feeling alone and that is what Of Mice and Men showcases as it explores various characters and their paths to adjust to insurmountable loneliness that was faced during The Great Depression. Written by American author, John Steinbeck and inspired by the economic recession during the early 1930’s, Of Mice and Men tells the story two migrant
In the 1930s, a variety of different events has transpired, including a detrimental downfall in the American economy known as The Great Depression. During this time, many people suffered the wrath of poverty and unemployment, which ravaged through this epoch. Furthermore, American citizens were forced to be parsimonious, pitching every penny that came their way. While the value of the stock market plummeted, the American perspective on life swelled, creating what many saw as “The American Dream.” The dream that Americans, no matter the position, heritage, or gender, has an equal opportunity for a better life. In John Steinbeck 's “Of Mice and Men,” two migrant workers have a dream of, one day, achieving prosperity through obtaining a ranch of their own. Throughout their endeavor, however, it is shown that their ambitions are torn down, never to be accomplished. As discerned throughout this novella, it is probable that through George, Lennie, and even Curley’s wife that Steinbeck is trying to send the reader a message about the actuality of the American Dream.” Steinbeck exemplifies through this message that the American Dream is conceptual, yet unattainable because of the grim face of reality.
Of Mice and Men, that title can mean so much more than just what the words are, and mean. If you look into what John Steinbeck the author of the book was trying to convey to the readers of this book about the title was: no matter how well-planned something is like a dream it’s not always going to work out as you planned. Most of the characters in this book had some type of dream one way or another, most unrealized, George and Lennie’s which was the most prominent of all was the most achievable, but unattainable in their circumstances.
Explore the ways that Steinbeck creates dislike and sympathy for Curley’s wife in Of Mice and Men.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck has a very entertaining hook. The first paragraph had a really engaging tone, I could easily image the setting. I definitely wanted to keep reading. Right off the bat, I could tell the subject of the book would be about the two men traveling to find work during a tough time. They are going through the hardships of eating one can of beans for dinner, trying to get along with each other, and mainly keeping the peace. The two main characters are George and Linney. They are two adult men, George is the dominant, level headed one, very small and limpy; then there is Linney who is childlike and big in stature.