‘Of Mice and Men’ is a novel written by John Steinbeck. The novel is set in the 1930s, where the Great Depression years occurred and had a huge impact of many lives in California. California was struggling not only with the economic problems of the Great Depression but the severe labour strife too. ‘Of Mice and Men’ has an explicit context, because of the social and political events during the 1930s America. This also creates the climate of the novel. Hardship and homelessness ran through the country, creating many problems that ordinary people had to face. ‘Of Mice and Men’ also follows the careers of two men, George and Lennie, who dream of a better life on their own farm. Steinbeck wrote this novel because he had strong …show more content…
An outsider is a person who does not fit in well with everyone else in a particular environment or society. The outsiders I have chosen are George, Lennie and Crooks, purely because they are the only characters who are different from the rest. George is an outsider because he is like a father-figure to Lennie. He always looks after him, and this is significant throughout the novel. As evident, George keeps looking out for Lennie to ensure everything is okay and there are no problems with him or anyone else. George knows Lennie is big and strong, and after the incident in Weed, he takes more care into ensuring Lennie is not having any difficulties settling in with the other people in the ranch. Steinbeck included George in the novel to show how people similar to George had to live every day of their lives knowing that it was going to be tough. George tries his best at protecting Lennie and so orders Lennie to be careful in what route he chooses, and then gets mad at Lennie when he disobeys. This creates a sense of rebellion between both him and Lennie, who yells at George for being too mean. For example, in chapter 1, George is seen talking to Lennie aggressively using foul language, “You crazy son-of-a-bitch. You keep me in hot water all of the time”. These conflicts relate to Steinbeck’s portrayal of life in this period of time. A
He is used to heavy work and can do a lot more physical labour than the average man. George is a character that looks after Lennie as he is mentally weak. They have built up a love for each other that has made their friendship as tight as a box. Lennie looks at the same dream from a different prospective.
Lennie's only friend is George so Lennie does his best to not make him mad and get locked out by George.
Lennie never does anything without the consent from George. He knows he has to listen to George, If he doesn't he knows he will end up in trouble like he did while picking weeds. In all the trouble that Lennie gets in, he doesn't do it on purpose. Lennie has a good heart and never means to hurt anyone. His mental disability causes all his action.
Of Mice and Men follows George Milton and Lennie Small in an adventure to get their American Dream. It takes place in 1930’s Soledad, California. The novella, by John Steinbeck, focuses on topics of friendship, masculinity, the American Dream, poverty, loneliness, injustice, and mercy. George and Lennie's’ relationship, has a distinct mentor and protegee dynamic.
A good friendship is needed to survive through tough times. Lennie respects George because George gives him comfort. George cares for Lennie so much that he considers him to be part of his family: “George said, he’s my cousin. I told his old lady id take care of him. He got kicked in the head by a horse when he was a kid” (Steinbeck 22). Aside from comfort and advice, Lennie also needs George because when he gets in trouble, George always manages to find a way to help him get out of it. When Lennie had got in trouble in Weed, George stays by his side and gives him advice that helps remain safe and calm. George has many opportunities to leave Lennie and change his lifestyle, but he needs Lennie just as much in order to help him through his own hardships. Lennie looks
Lennie is mentally disabled and so always ‘does bad things’, because of this, he constantly depends on George to protect him and get him out of trouble. For example, in Weed, Lennie constantly ‘wants to touch
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.
George takes care of Lennie many ways. George has taken care of Lennie for a long time. George took him under his wing even though he didn’t need to. George genuinely cares for Lennie. He feeds him, makes sure he is safe, also he gives him hope. George is constantly watching Lennie. George is a good friend to Lennie; however, George gets annoyed with Lennie very easily. He does this to make sure he doesn’t get into trouble or lost. He never leaves him by himself. This is shown when Lennie offers to leave, but George tells him “I want you to stay with me Lennie”(Steinbeck 104). George really cares for Lennie.
I could also notice when I was reading through the first chapter that George has a sense of authority over Lennie, “you gonna get that wood”. This is like a parent telling a child to do his chores. On some occasions though George shows a bit of hatred towards Lennie, he thinks of what he could have if Lennie wasn’t around and contrasts that with George.
George took Lennie in after Lennie’s aunt died. George knew his aunt pretty well. Lennie had nowhere to go afterwards, so George let Lennie come along with him. George wasn’t always nice to Lennie in the beginning. George would tease him and trick him. Lennie didn’t know any better than to listen to George, even if it was a taunt. After an incident happened to Lennie, George stopped tormenting him. He felt bad for Lennie and how he treated him. From this moment on, George actually took into consideration of Lennie’s mindset. In the book, Steinbeck writes,
The most important dream in this novel is that of the two main characters Lennie and George. They
At this point in the novel, we have heard George mention twice that his life would be improved without Lennie. However, George still seems to feel a need to look out for Lennie. That said, he protects Lennie from conflict by explaining to everyone they meet that he is just a “big kid”.
The Great Depression is one of the most misunderstood events in not only American history but also Great Britain, France, Germany, and many other industrialized nations. It also has had important consequences and was an extremely devastating event in America. It was the longest and most severe depression ever experienced by the industrialized Western world. When the New York Stock Exchange crashed in October 1929, the United States dropped sharply into a major depression. The world was in wide demand for agricultural goods during World War I, but they had rapidly decreased after the war and rural America experienced a severe depression throughout most of the 1920's and even on into the 1930's.
<br>A reader can understand very vividly from his actions and attitudes that George is sensible and able to think quickly in a situation. He seems to have a very good understanding of the nature of others, especially of their attitudes towards Lennie, for example, that if the boss hears Lennie talk and realises his handicapped, then it is unlikely they will get work. He also knows, to make Lennie repeat things two or three times over to himself, to help him remember, for example when he slowly repeats, "Hide in the brush till I come for you, can you remember that?" to Lennie. He also knows that Lennie is likely to do things and attempt to hide them, such as when Lennie appears from his walk in the woods, and is immediately suspected of smuggling a dead
The story Of Mice and Men took place during the 1930’s. That time period was very different from today. Race and gender were very important characteristics that determined whether a person had the opportunity to make money. The 1930’s were also a time where people started questioning life and the American culture. Many people like John Steinbeck thought that life was very unfair and questioned whether if life was even worth living. In Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck demonstrates that mans dream is destined to be destroyed by a cruel reality.