Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a well known classic that depicts the life of migrant workers''' during the great depression. As this book may seem uninteresting, it actually has been shown immense respect in the literature world. It has stood the test of time and is a primary book being taught in schools today. The theme played a big role in making this happen. Without realization kids are able to relate to the reason that it depicts loneliness and betrayal. Throughout the story you not only recognize this in the main characters, George and Lennie, but also the minor characters as well. For Of Mice and Men to stand the test of time there theme of loneliness and betrayal has been relatable by people of all ages. Loneliness have been …show more content…
It ranged from small factors to large endings, making it prevalent. It kicks off right away in chapter one when the bus driver doesn’t drive George and Lennie to the ranch making them walk 10 miles. Curley’s wife is ready to cheat on him at any moment show betrayal in their matrimony. Or when all the workers decided to kill Candy’s dog because of its age. The book shows dishonesty in every chapter and played a major role in the migrant worker's lives. In order for them to keep their jobs and able to travel they become thick skinned in order to keep up with the deception around them. Soon they pick up on that behavior and do the same. Each little unfaithfulness leads to a bigger one. Lenny will kill one of the workers puppy’s, then leading up to Curley’s wife being murdered, and then the biggest treason. After all the events unfolded the workers turned their backs on Lenny and his mental disorder and decided to kill him. George found him first and shot him in the back of the head in order to keep that from happening again. That was the most massive betrayal to happen and by a George who was supposed to take care of him. Betrayal was a recurring action throughout the novel, adding on to the suspense and foreshadowing of what was to come. The concept happens to people often throughout their lives, maybe not on this scale, leaving marks that can change a
John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is the story of two migrant workers, George and Lennie, who are on a mission to live off the “fatta the lan’.” The story is based in 1930s Salinas Valley, California, and shows the troubles that George and Lennie meet while they work on a ranch to earn enough money to buy their own land. After a mishap leads to Lennie killing a rancher’s wife, George kills Lennie as an act of mercy for the safety of others and for Lennie himself. The differences and similarities between George and Lennie give light to what motivates their actions and how they function together.
John Steinbeck’s novel, ‘Of Mice and Men’ explores the life of itinerant workers during the Great Depression. The realistic plot represents the dreams of many workers during the depression and struggles they faced to achieve them. The text is supported with various literary techniques such as, foreshadowing, animal imagery, symbolism and the intertextual meaning of the title itself. The novel’s success relies heavily on the author’s ability to interweave literary and stylistic devices to stimulate the reader’s interest in the novel. Steinbeck’s writing style in the novel, ‘Of Mice and Men’ draws heavily on light and dark imagery as a literary device.
John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, explores the dynamic of human relationships. His main characters, George and Lennie, have a unique relationship that most migrant workers of the time do not have. Many of the other characters do not understand the workings of their friendship because the two have very different personalities. Throughout the novel, the reader sees their relationship grow and how their different characteristics work together and against each other. George and Lennie have very different personalities, however, they compliment each other.
In the book everyone does something at least once that makes them flawed. Curley beat up Lennie, Lennie killed a dog, a rabbit, and curley's wife, Carlson shot Candys dog, Curley's wife got herself killed because she didn’t know what she was doing and was flirting with everyone, George lied to the boss so Lennie could be able to work. “He got kicked in the head by a horse when he was a kid.” Everyone did something, just some are a lot worse than others. This relates to the great depression with how everyone was going crazy and the government made a lot of mistakes which makes them flawed.
John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice And Men, follows the lives of two migrant workers, George and Lennie, who experience hardships and difficulties due to their status. With the alternate text “The Harvest Gypsies” by John Steinbeck, parallels between the lives of George and Lennie, their peers, and migrant workers are revealed. In Of Mice and Men the two protagonists face challenges while trying to survive, revealing the similarities between real-life migrant workers. After facing many hardships, parallels are highlighted between real-life migrant workers and migrant workers in Of Mice and Men. The difficulties of isolation and the image they are perceived as ultimately reveal how one’s opinion truly affects others, resulting in the unfulfillment
The novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is another example of guilt in American Literature. This novel recalls of two men named George Milton and Lennie Smalls. George is the overseer of Lennie because of Lennie’s mental disability. The two travel together seeking work and continue working there until Lennie finds himself in trouble. One of the characters in the story is known as Candy.
In John Steinbeck’s book; Of Mice and Men, we follow the story of two migrant workers named George and Lennie looking for their next place of employment. In this paper the reader will be given a synopsis of the story, and in addition there will be a brief biography of John Steinbeck that will tie into the book Of Mice and Men. There will be reasons given to why the book was challenged and reasons why the book is still challenged presently. The reader will also learn about the timeline and players involved in the challenging Of Mice and Men. This paper will additionally have three examples from the text that contribute to the books controversy.
Everyone was out to get him and George is the only one looking out for him. This is one of the reasons Lennie never wants George to leave he
Many of the characters in Of Mice and Men portray the character trait of loneliness, which ultimately causes their downfall. Curley’s wife is someone who tries everything she can to find a companion to talk to, but she is unsuccessful. Crooks is alone in the fact that he is the only one of his ethnicity living on the farm. Although it may not be obvious, George and Lennie display the theme of solitude the most because they have no one that understands their situations. The theme of loneliness is universal; many have suffered from its
John Steinbeck's novella 'Of Mice and Men' contains various important themes. One of the significant themes of this novella is hope, friendship and loneliness, determination that empowers a man to endeavour with a feeling of self-esteem. In this novella, Loneliness is presented to be one of the dominant themes. The composer outlines the depression of ranch life in the mid 1930's and shows how individuals headed from town to town in an attempt to discover kinship keeping in mind the end goal was to escape from forlornness.
Throughout Steinbeck’s naturalistic novel, Of Mice and Men, He portrays two distinctively different men struggling to persevere and survive in an otherwise cruel world. Two migrant workers, George and Lennie thrive off the company of one another and the impossible dream that one day, they will acquire land and make a contented life for themselves. Through their friendship and constant hope for a better life, George and Lennie learn how to survive and cling to aspiration during the harsh Depression era. Steinbeck uses symbolism, irony, and characterization in his classic novel to illustrate the undying hope found in a desperate situation. Steinbeck uses symbolism to portray how people find hope in the direst situations.
He had been at the ranch for years. Nearly all the characters suffer from prejudice, but none of them attempt to interact or get to know one another. Steinbeck
In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the era of the Great Depression in the 1930’s is revealed through a simple story of ranch workers who hope to improve their lives. Migrant workers, George and Lennie, have a friendship that is based on trust and protection. The other workers lack the companionship and bond that these two men have. In the novel, the absence and presence of friendship is the motivation for the characters’ actions.
George’s decision to kill Lennie was ultimately for his benefit. “The hand shook violently, but his (George) face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger” (Steinbeck 106). The quote which states how Lennie dies also shows that George was nervous and hesitant in killing Lennie. Scarseth explains in the article, “Friendship.
From this, a new dream can be realized and the story can continue and start the cycle all over again. The central idea presented, man's unflinching commitment towards each other, is seen to be of thematic significance throughout John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men. In which Steinbeck uses migrant workers of The Great Depression to address loneliness, friendship and the importance of unity. The novel achieves this through the relationships between characters like Lennie,