Comparative Analysis Essay Many authors use similar styles and themes in their work and apply it to more than one piece of writing. The author, John Steinbeck used this method often to allow his readers to notice these connections. In the novel Of Mice and Men and the short story Tularecito, Steinbeck uses similar plots, themes, topics, and symbolism to give readers an opportunity to notice and compare these cohesive writings. Both these pieces by John Steinbeck have many facets in the personality of their main character. Tularecito is the underdog, the misunderstood child who is isolated from his family and school because of their inability to comprehend his differences. Lennie, the main character of Of Mice and Men, represents loneliness …show more content…
In Of Mice and Men, Lennie is repeatedly compared to a dog and a bear because of his obedience persona and tendency to become defensive when he, or someone/something he loves, is in danger. Lennie has an unsophisticated manner, like his immediate instinct to drink water from a river in a forest when he’s thirsty. Lennie is entertained by actions that a dog or small child would be entertained with, such as when he dips his hand, or as Steinbeck describes it in the novel, “paw” in a river and is consumed by the ripples that he creates himself. Tularecito is referred to as “Little Frog”, due to his physical attributes, throughout the story by his guardian. He is also called “Cayote”, for, “there is in this boy’s face that ancient wisdom one finds in the face of a coyote” (45). In the beginning of the story, his soon to be guardian finds him in a clearing, and when he looks at him closely, he sees animal, almost creature-like teeth in his mouth. When Tularecito’s school teacher tells his father about his son’s behavior in school and his violent reactions to situations in which he feels targeted, Tularecito’s father beats him in front of his teacher and Tularecito seems indomitable, not affected by his father’s beatings at all. “Why, he’s an animal,” she cried, “It was just like whipping a dog” …show more content…
Tularecito, George, and Lennie all live on a ranch with their guardian/companion(s). Steinbeck connected his childhood experiences in his novels and stories – he grew up on a ranch himself. He reflected off of the life that he lived in his early childhood and connect it to the characters he wrote about. Both works go into what life is when living on a ranch, and the deeds or misdeeds that can take place on one. The three of these characters are also different from the people on the ranch, and have qualities that set them apart. George and Lennie have each other and a dream that’s bigger than themselves, while Tularecito has a separate home with his gnomes, and does not feel accepted or belonging at the ranch. Both works are concluded with similar endings. Tularecito goes home to his gnomes, only to find that they’re nowhere to be seen and that he will continue to represent loneliness. The character does not find a revelation or resolution to his internal conflict. Lennie ruins his and George’s plan to move away from the ranch and pursue their dreams, because he kills Curley’s wife and can no longer get away with his mistakes. All three characters experience great disappointment at the end of these
Archetypes, which are characters symbolic of universal ideas, are things that John Steinbeck make present in the novella Of Mice and Men. Each character provides symbolism to the story but the one that sticks out is Lennie Small. What is his archetype? Well, Lennie is symbolic of innocence and immaturity and serves as the scapegoat of the story. He is not a bad character, just misunderstood.
Sydney Votino Mrs. Daquelente English 2 12 May 2023 Formal Outline: Cause-and-Effect Essay Thesis: Lennie, Curley’s Wife, and Crooks are characters from John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men who struggles with mental issues, being used, and racism leading to broken dreams that negatively impacted their lives. Body Topic A: To begin, Lennie’s experience with mental issues ruined his dream and drastically changed his hopes for the future. Direct Quote
f Mice and Men Essay - Essays and Analysis Critical Context and Evaluation print Print document PDF list Cite link Link Of Mice and Men is one of the most widely assigned modern novels in high schools because of both its form and the issues that it raises. John Steinbeck’s reliance on dialogue, as opposed to contextual description, makes the work accessible to young readers, as does his use of foreshadowing and recurrent images. Equally important is the way in which he intertwines the themes of loneliness and friendship and gives dignity to those characters, especially Lennie and Crooks, who are clearly different from their peers. By focusing on a group of lonely drifters, Steinbeck highlights the perceived isolation and sense of “otherness”
We have read two books this year: ´Of mice and men´ and ´The curious incident of the dog in the night-time’. The books differ a lot, however they also share some similarities. ´ Of mice and men´ is about two men, named Lennie and George, who live in the time of the Great depression. They are looking for a job, but this isn’t easy because Lennie is mentally disabled so George needs to look after him the whole time.
Moreover, the men living on the ranch share mutual dreams: To George, this dream of having their own place means independence, security, working for themselves, and, above all, being "somebody." To Lennie, the dream resembles the delicate creatures he pets: It means to him security, the duty of keeping an eye on the rabbits, and a place where he won't need to be scared. To Candy, it means security for seniority and a home where he will fit in. For Crooks, where he
Whether dreams have a positive or negative effect on people, some pursue the dream until it has been achieved or has faded away. All dreams have the ability to affect people and those around them. In the novel Of Mice and Men two men are journeying to their new job on a ranch. When they get to the ranch, they meet many people and learn some of their dreams. The two men, George and Lennie, also have a dream to have their own ranch so that they do not have to worry about working.
After reading Of Mice and Men, I felt the need to research the author. After researching the author, I realized that he based this book off of his experiences. Steinbeck grew up in Salinas, California and that is where the book takes place. Due to John Steinbeck growing up and experiencing the Great Depression, I think his inspiration to write this book came from the social and economic issues that he had witnessed. He worked closely with migrants and itinerants and that deepened the empathy for workers as well as deepening his love for writing.
The work ethic that both George and Lennie have is enough for them to eventually achieve their dream of a little farm house with rabbits, but not all of the work they do is on the ranch. George and
In the novella Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck often employs animal imagery to dehumanize Lennie, in order to allow the reader to justify George putting him down at the end of the novella. As Steinbeck’s use of animal imagery progresses throughout the novel, Lennie is dehumanized by being compared to an animal that only hinders George’s pursuit of happiness. Starting with Lennie’s introduction, Steinbeck influences how the reader perceives Lennie. During the reader's first encounter with Lennie, he is described as walking “heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws," (Steinbeck 2). Steinbeck’s diction invokes animal imagery by comparing Lennie’s movements to that of a bear, which immediately dehumanizes Lennie to the reader.
In Soledad California, during the 1920’s we find George and Lennie, the two main characters. Two friends that have a very unique relationship. George is a short man with sharp features and quick wits, where as Lennie is a big man with a round face and is a just like a large child. They are lowly workers that bounce from ranch to ranch looking for work, in search of their unique american dream. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, George becomes more understanding and friendly towards Lennie through the beginning, middle and ending of the novella.
The book Of Mice and Men is full of puzzling examples of the human condition, from Lennie and his mental disability to Curley only caring about his social appearance. With characters like these two, the book exploits the human condition that concerns circumstances life has given you. John Steinbeck brings to life what being a laborer in the American depression meant to the men and one woman who had enough personality to stand out. Steinbeck shows the human condition of men while they survive in the American depression.
Steinbeck uses motifs of animals as archetypes and to show that people crave companionship and are meant to be around others. Lennie´s character is often compared to animals who often live with other animals instead of by themselves.¨Slowly, like a terrier
Of Mice and Men is about Lennie and George in which Lennie decided to feel a girls skirt because he liked the type of material. So George went with Lennie to escape and not get in trouble and decided to go to a bunkhouse where they work and are provided with food and a place to live. George and Lennie are best friends and so they went together. Lennie has the mind of a 6 year old and needs to be with George. When quit their jobs, George planned out a dreamland of how they will live when they get enough money to move to their own house.
A successful allegory takes a writer skilled enough to create a three dimensional character out of an idea. A symbol. A very common allegory topic is society. This is due to the fact that there are many different layers of society. There are the rich and the poor, the old and the young, even the mentally stable and the mentally disabled.
Of mice and men is a prominent book read by most high school students for a long time. Of mice and men is a book written by John Steinbeck. In the book George and Lennie had to run out of weed, so they looked for a ranch to work on. Lennie had issues with liking soft things that lead to him killing Curley's’ Wife and a puppy. To express that the american dream is impossible to achieve Steinbeck uses conversations, conflicts, and events.