Of Mice and Men - 4th chapter Essay

George goes in town. Lennie is alone and has no one, he finds Crooks because his the only person he sees.

Unlike Crooks, Lennie and George share a bond and a life filled with optimism which Crooks is never able to hold with anyone else. George’s only chance to live differently than the other men is to have a relationship with Lennie which will set him apart from others. George and Lennie, though opposites in their physical description care very much about each other which comes off as a surprise for the ranchers they work with. It merely appears to be a surprise because Lennie, a retarded man, and George, a smart man, look after each other. Even Slim is perplexed that “one guy would take so much trouble for another guy” and believes Lennie is crazy. George, a devoted friend stands up for Lennie and protests against Slim’s beliefs to inform him that “[Lennie] is not cuckoo, he’s dumb as hell, but he ain’t crazy.” George stands up for Lennie when anybody says anything bad about him. George has always been the first to make sure that Lennie is not subjected to pain. George also gives Lennie advice and helps him when terrifying forces such as Curley scare

He yearns to be seen as an equal to everyone else, wishes to be self-sufficient, to have a companion, and to be able to live a life of his own choosing. This dream is significant to Crooks since it provides him with a feeling of confidence, self- dignity, and pride that was not so often appreciated during the time when he was feeling lonely. To be specific, in Chapter Four, when he is conversing with Lennie and Candy about the dream farm that Lennie frequently speaks about, Crooks promises to work for nothing as long as he can live his life out there without the fear of being put out (Steinbeck). Perhaps, with the help of Lennie and the others, it could have been a true reality to be free and successful. But, the undeniable circumstances, such as the discrimination Crooks faced, would not have gotten him very far as he would have liked to. To illustrate, Crooks is “put in his place” by Curley’s wife, when he voices out his feelings, causing him to lose his pride and hope to be seen as an equal to the other white men at the ranch. Due to the prejudice Crooks faces because of his race, the overpowering circumstance dooms his desires to be independent and equal. After all, he wishes to acquire the perfect American Dream. But, there is no security for anyone in a prejudiced world, least of all a black stable hand with a crooked back. Hence, the cruel and unequal circumstances Crooks encounters in Of Mice And Men restricts him from fulfilling his dreams and

Although Of Mice and Men definitely teaches young students about how the setting was set up back then, the themes of abuse and death included could be found highly inappropriate or offensive to young students today. These themes arise from the multiple abusive and gory deaths of characters throughout the novel. For example, the novel included a reoccurring scene of murder of innocent animals by Lennie including mice and puppies. Some readers are not able to handle such grimness, therefore finding it repugnant or simply unacceptable. Readers with their own pets may also feel a terrible sense of guilt and repulsiveness by simply reading the novel. Another example is portrayed when Lennie violently kills Curley’s wife by shaking her to death.

You can judge a society by its treatment of the old, the weak, the helpless and the needy. Through the narrative conventions of foreshadowing and characterisation, John Steinbeck, in his novel Of Mice And Men, published in 1937, is able to effectively reveal the imperfections of America’s capitalist

     Of Mice and Men was written during a period of racism. In the 1960's it was important for everyone to get along with eachother because not everyone was equal. George and Lennie showed a great part in friendship throught the whole book. At the ranch in Selinas mostly everyone showed friendship in some way. Friendship was a great factor when the book was published because of all the racism going on at the time.

Crooks was a colored man which made him set apart from the others at the ranch. Crooks came off as character who was ornery, and wanted to spend his time alone. But as we learn more about him we begin to realize that as much as he makes it seem like he wants to be alone he really doesn’t want to and this quote shows that. “ ‘Long as you won’t get out and leave me alone, you might as well set down.” (pg.69) Crooks was in some ways similar to Whit because Whit was someone who for a while Lennie and George didn’t even know about until Candy told them that he quit and he didn’t even for sure know why he was quitting, just assumed it was the food. It shows that some of the men at the ranch are kind of just left on their own and the other guys don’t really care to involve themselves in the other guy’s lives. So Crooks dream was to not be lonely that is why he finally agreed and casually says that he would come along so they would have an extra set of helping hands. Crooks says “ I aint so crippled I can’t work like a son-of-a-bitch if I want to.”(pg.76) This just goes to show that even if someone doesn’t say their exact thoughts that there aren’t more intentions behind

John Steinback’s Of Mice and Men is a book that describes the chase of the American Dream. Although achieving the American Dream is a great desire for all, seldom does it actually come true. George and Lennie, the two main characters in the book, have a goal of pursuing their version of the American Dream, as do many other characters. However, due to relationships and other conflicts, that dream is not achieved.

     Crooks is fascinated by the strength of the friendship of Lennie and George especially how close they are. Crooks said, "Well, s’pose, jus’ s’pose he don’t come back. What’ll you do then?" (Steinbeck, 79) Crooks asks these questions because he does not have any friends. He was curious about the friendship of Lennie and George. He wants the people to feel the way that he did when he was lonely, having nobody with them. He is striving to achieve sympathy and understanding from others. Crooks would work for

In the middle of the story, Crooks originally came off as rude and intimidating to Lennie, but through mood, we learn that he really is just lonely. This is found when Lennie wanders into Crooks’s room. Crooks doesn’t want Lennie in there, but Lennie stays anyway, and Crooks soon realizes that he really does need someone to talk to so that he isn’t so lonely. Crooks states, “‘You got no right to come in my room. This here’s my room. Nobody got any right in here but me,’” (Steinbeck, 68). This quote goes along with the theme because as you can see, Crooks comes off as very negative towards having a friend. He attempts to shut Lennie out, but Lennie insists on staying. Crooks yells at Lennie a second time, but Lennie doesn’t stop. Crooks states, “‘Well go get your pup, then. Don’t come to a place where you’re not wanted.’ Lennie lost his smile. He advanced into the room, then remembered and backed to the door again.” (Steinbeck, 69). By the way Crooks is talking and the mood he has set, it is obvious that he has been plagued by loneliness. Those who desperately need a friend are usually the ones who shut everyone out; and this is exactly what Crooks is doing to Lennie. Although it was probably unintentional due to Lennie's mental stability, Lennie finally “won the battle”, and Crooks allowed him into his room. Steinbeck writes, “Crooks scowled, but Lennie’s disarming smile defeated him.”

The obvious interpretation would be the connection it holds to the racism that existed at the time, but I perceived a deeper connection behind his response. Although Crooks is a diligent and hardworking stable buck, he experiences loneliness from unequal treatment by others. Thus, his impetuous response to Lennie came from the hardships he went through for being the only African American on the ranch. To some extent, people’s comments and actions reflect

Of Mice And Men The novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ reveal life in the 1930’s. A time very diverse to ours. Steinback, the author of this novel wrote about various issues such as lifestyle of the travelling ranchmen, loneliness, friendship, the American dream, racism and sexism. The book is about two migrant labourers, George Milton and Lennie Small in California.

Of Mice and Men is a novel set on a ranch in the Salinas Valley in California during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The title of the book is a reference to Robert Burns's poem To a Mouse. (1759 - 96):

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.

While Of Mice and Men may be an incredibly crappy novel, there is one thing that isn´t so bad, being that the reader can somewhat relate to the characters, or at least understand them. In the story, two friends, Lennie and George, decide to work on a ranch for some quick money. However, Lennie, being slow on the draw, accidently kills one of the people on the ranch. George decides to kill his friend before the others do. Lennie, George, and Crooks are the three characters come to mind in terms of affinity.