Of Mice And Men Rhetorical Analysis

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.

In Attell’s essay An Overview of Of Mice and Men it is said that Steinbeck’s purpose is to show how life was during the Great Depression and how it affected the people. Attell stated that Steinbeck saw a problem between the people and the work place. He also stated that Steinbeck used the worker’s way of life in the Great Depression for George and Lennie. Finally Attell said that Steinbeck used Curley’s wife and crooks to show other problems during the Great Depression. This essay is about whether Attell’s points about Steinbeck’s purpose are right or wrong.

This short novel ‘of mice and men’ was first published in 1937, the author who wrote this book about the American dream was John Steinbeck. Steinbeck used different types of techniques to send a message, which includes foreshadowing to give us the readers an idea of what’s going to happen. He also uses motifs, dialogue and characterization to get the message out. The message that Steinbeck is sending is that without a friend or someone special in your life, you wont be happy and that companionship is an important part of life but also an important part of the American dream. Steinbeck beliefs about ‘the dream’ is that the dream gives us faith, and a purpose and he believes that is the dream is not achievable then the faith is misplaced, and then our purpose is pointless, the dream can also be difficult to achieve because not everyone’s dreams come true.

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.

In 'Of Mice and Men' the resolution of the plot is a very unfortunate. Steinbeck wanted to emphasize the complication with the 1930’s. Lennie's mental handicap, due to the lack of knowledge led to many predicaments in George and Lennie's lives. These complications eventually led to George having to shoot in order to protect him from Curley and the others. George, being Lennie's only friend and vice-versa, was heartbroken over what he had to do. However, it was what was ultimately best for the both of them. The ending, no matter how sad, was in fact a parallel to what might have actually happened it that situation were to have happened in real life.

During the Great Depression, it was not uncommon to become morosely secluded while working. Men would go far away from their families in search of any jobs they could get, with only themselves to confide in; colleagues only filling in the void of friends and family partially. Naturally, John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, written during this period, would reflect this fact as a major aspect of the story. Loneliness would become the sinew of Of Mice and Men, manifested in some of the story’s main characters: Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife. These allusions to loneliness are found throughout the book, mimicking the rampant disease of isolation at the time.

The View of American Society in the Depression Years in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

The opuscule, “Of Mice and Men”, written by John Steinbeck, depicts the life of a lower-class laborer during the Great Depression through the relationship of rancher duo George Milton and Lennie Small. (Insert Mini Summary essentials) George stays with Lennie because he feels obligated to and because he needs Lennie’s companionship in what feels like a lonely world. By showing readers the value and purity in George and Lennie’s strained relationship, Steinbeck communicates the importance and value of camaraderie.

The Great Depression was a vicious time in the 1930’s and this affected millions of people who started having little to no income. During this time poverty and unemployment were at an all time high which lead to many people becoming migrant workers. John Steinbeck aims towards the hardships that people like George and Lennie went through during these times. In the book, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck focuses on the loneliness these men face. Steinbeck also shows how friendship is one of the most important things to have because without friendship is when you become lonely therefore creating the loneliness described throughout the book.

This essay is about how John Steinbeck represents human nature and the nice and unfavourable qualities people had during the American depression in the 1930s where the story ‘Of Mice and Men’ took place. The story shows the way different people will react diversely to various situations. In this case, living with the trouble of having to travel to faraway places to search for jobs. It shows how some people can behave overly difficult while others can be calm, friendly and easy to live with. The many characters in the story represent the many different combinations of worthy and unworthy qualities but this essay shall concentrate on three characters Slim, Curley and Crooks.

In John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men, the theme of the American Dream’s destruction resonates throughout the novel within the 1930s Great Depression Era of the United States setting. The idea of the futility of the American Dream is put into heavy focus as the author explores the theme through the character Lennie Small and his contribution to the figurative fall of man’s ambitions. Steinbeck utilizes Lennie’s flaws to illustrate the ultimate flaws of the American Dream. The character is innocent yet destructive, two failings on which the premise of the American Dream is suggested to be built upon due to its fragile nature deriving from its unharmonious components. The novella focuses upon the construction and the development

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.

Historical Context: The novel “Of Mice and Men” was written during the Great Depression. The book was written in 1937, which was when the growing economy reached a decline worse than the one before. “Brightening economic prospects were dashed in 1937 by a deep recession…The new downturn rolled back gains in industrial production and employment, prolonged the Depression…” (Taylor, The Great Depression: A Short History of the Great Depression). The Depression left many people broke, unemployed, and homeless. “By 1932 the unemployment rate soared past 20 percent… businesses had failed. Millions were homeless.” (Taylor, The Great Depression: A Short History of the Great Depression). It was due to the increased industrial productions, for the war effort, that finally ended the Depression. “… it was the humming factories that supplied the American war effort that finally brought the Depression to a close.” (Taylor, The Great Depression: A Short History of the Great Depression).

The novel of “Of Mice and Mice”, written at the time of the Great Depression, conveys how the human spirit can survive desolate situations, despite challenging circumstances. The author John Steinbeck, exemplifies how people, with the help of friends, hope and dreams can overcome, in the face of adversity, be it unemployment, isolation or even death.

Inspired by the Great Depression, Steinbeck explores themes of isolation and loneliness through “Of Mice And Men”. Throughout the novella, Steinbeck reflects suffering of millions of Americans who lost everything. One quarter of the workforce became unemployed in 1929 as the stock market crashed. Becoming voracious for any kind of jobs, desperate citizens traveled across the continent to start agriculture for food and shelter. Being a victim of the economic collapse, the writer vividly enunciates his personal experiences through usage of distinct book characters and wide ranges of language techniques to display the themes.