Of Mice and Men Alienation

Lennie is upset when he kills the puppy, which shows that he doesn’t want trouble and actually wants to get the dream ranch so that he can tend to the rabbits. When he kills the puppy, Lennie talks about George, “He’ll say, ‘You done it. Don’t try to put nothing over on me.’ An’ he’ll say, ‘Now jus’ for that you don’t get to tend no rabbits!’” (Chapter 5, p.85). Lennie then goes on to say, “Now I won’t get to tend the rabbits. Now he won’t let me.” (Chapter 5, p.85). Lennie also shows anger and remorse for killing the puppy, just because he won’t be able to tend to the animals at the dream ranch. Therefore, he does believe they can get the dream ranch, because of his behavior after killing the puppy.

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.

Lennie has his mind set on one thing. That is getting out of the barn and getting his own piece of land with George. This dream motivates Lennie to always listen and follow what George says. There he can finally tend the rabbits he has always wanted. Lennie loves petting things such as small animals and dresses which usually leads him to trouble.

George and Lennie believe they can achieve their American dream because “‘I [George] got you [Lennie] to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.’” (Steinbeck 14). They feel like they can rely on each other and their friendship and loyalty prevent them from isolating themselves. Their presence on that ranch even changed the people around them because they were accepting of the outcasts. Crooks, Candy, and Curley’s wife all open up to them about the isolation and loneliness they feel. Candy asks George if he can join them on their dream of owning their own property. George says he will consider it but eventually denies the offer when the body of Curley's wife is found, because he realizes the dream of owning a farm with Lennie is dead. As Peter Lisca states in his article, “On Of Mice and Men” from The American Dream, “The dream of the farm originates with Lennie and it is only through Lennie, who also makes the dream impossible, that the dream has any meaning for George.” While it is clear that Lennie needs George, George needs Lennie too. Without Lennie, George loses his sense of purpose and is likely to isolate himself like all the other ranchers. The strong bond between the two of them serve to contrast the economic and social conditions at the

George is one of people in the ranch that had big goals to achieve, but he couldn’t accomplish any of them because of Lennie. George taking care of Lennie affects his dreams in a big way because every time George gets closer to his dreams Lennie completely ruins it. In the story it states George saying “ dumb bastard likes to touch everything he likes”(steinbeck 41). This is very important because this shows how childish lennie acts. The most important thing to him was to have dreams to have a farm and his own place with Lennie. This quote “ we got a future “ (Pg . 14) shows that he had a dream worth living for. Another way George had gotten his dreams taken away was when Lennie killed their boss’s wife. I know that George was a very lonely person because in the story he talks about guys like him in the ranch . “ guys like us , that work on a ranch are the loneliest guys in the world” (Pg . 13). This is very important because it shows his feelings towards being lonely.

Owning a farm where you can “live offa the fatta the lan’” is George and Lennie’s dream (57). Where they can have crops,“a little house. . . a room to ourself[themselves]”,and of course animals especially rabbits (58). The farm for George will be a place he can be independent while still taking care of Lennie, he can be his own boss in a place of security and comfort. The farm for Lennie would be a sanctuary from a world that does not understand him. There would be a responsibility for him to tend the rabbits, the attribute of the farm that excites him most,while still being with George.

When Lennie reminds George of the “little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs…” on page 14, Lennie is reminding George of the distant dream and what they will achieve. Without Lennie, George would probably waste all of his money on alcohol and other fun things. Although this dream seems very far away, if Lennie wasn’t reminding George of that dream, then it would be nonexistent. The way Lennie talks about the dream is very encouraging and shows the innocence of him. Even though for most people in that time period achieving that dream would be very hard, he still reminds George and allows George to work towards that goal and save money. Lennie also contributes to that dream by being the main workforce of the pair and gains most of the money. George tries to make sure they keep the job and teaches Lennie how to function as a normal person. This dream is the main driving force of the pair and without it, they would be lost in

Their dream also sets George apart from the others because it means he and Lennie have a future and something to anticipate. Unlike Lennie, George does not see their dream in terms of rabbits; instead, he sees it in a practical way. Their farm will be one where they can be independent and safe and where he will not have to worry about keeping track of Lennie 's mistakes. They can be secure and in charge of their own lives. However, Lennie is the one who adds the enthusiasm because George never really believed they could swing this farm of their own. He mostly uses the story to give Lennie something to believe in for their future. Only when Candy offers

Have you ever had a goal and you would do anything to achieve it? Changing how we are and the things we do for people in life, is not as impossible as it seems. I have seen people do amazing things that have changed their lives forever. It is special to have that feeling that you just met your goal and it was the biggest goal you had out of all of the other goals. That is how goals shape us in life.

George is the second main character and one of the protagonist after Lennie in Of Mice and Men. When Lennie gets into trouble, He always helps him find a solution or get away, though Lennie’s size combined with his mental handicap caused problems frequently. He is also a planner, telling Lennie where he should go if there is trouble on the ranch. To make the dream which is owing a ten-acre farm becomes a reality, He’s competent to work hard. Unlike the other ranch hands that squander their money on women and drink, George refuses to spend a dime in vain, saving everything to make the dream happen. He wants to buy the farm so that he and Lennie can live there, free from problems and constraints

Lennie's dream was to live on a farm with George and attend his rabbits. Although, Steinbeck wrote how rabbits secretly equals freedom, so when George killed Lennie, he was trying to help him get his freedom from everything that happened during the Great Depression. On page 81 it says, “Now I won’t get to tend the rabbits.” Lennie says this when he gets into trouble because Lennie wants George to let him take care of the rabbits on the farm they want to own.

The author shows evidence of Lennie’s dream affecting George, by George bribing Lennie with their dream. George says in the text, “But you ain’t gonna get in no trouble, because if you do, I won’t let you tend the rabbits” (Steinbeck 16). This shows how with this dream of Lennie’s it will help out George in the long run. The dream will act as something that Lennie will follow, so he won’t get in trouble because he wants to tend the rabbits. The author also shows how Lennie’s dream keeps his friendship in tact.

Throughout the story, Curley’s wife is always wandering around, attempting to find Curley. On all of her stops, she initiates conversations with any man she finds. Knowing that Curley is a jealous man, in addition to being the boss’s son, the men refuse to associate with Curley’s wife for fear of a misunderstanding with grave consequences. Often, the men suspect her of desiring an affair due to her unhappy marriage. In all reality, it is Lennie’s discovery that she is truly a lonely woman, trapped in a tumultuous union, and surrounded by men.

He would yell at Lennie and tell him if he didnt have him he could go and do as he pleased. When in reality George did not want these things. He was greatful to have a friend in Lennie, so he would not have to be alone. With Lennie's simple mind, he could not comprehend what George was talking about most of the time. He believed that George got upset over simple things such as ketchup. He too was very thankful to have George to go along with. Although he did not understand the complexity of things sometimes, he knew that he had a true friend who he trusted wouldnt leave him.

Even after many years, themes in books can remain relevant with the time. The theme of alienation is one that will never cease to be found in literature. Whether the novel be a bug-man or two polar opposite friends, the theme of alienation is ongoing. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck are two books that prevail in displaying the theme of alienation. As stated by Loren Eiseley, to sum up, man has a longing for something that cannot be obtained and that man wants a mutual and acceptable relationship with his fellow creatures and both novels convey this through complex characters and the making behind the novels.