There is a lot or irony in “Of Mice and Men”. One example would be when Lennie’s last name is Small. This is ironic because he is actually a huge, muscular man and he is last name in Small. Lennie is also a strong worker but does not use his strength to harm people on purpose. Another example would be when Carlson’s gun kills the old dog to let it out of its misery and it also does the same for Lennie. This is irony since you wouldn’t expect that the same gun would do the same thing for another living being. Some irony happened when everyone feels bad for Candy when he loses his old dog but everyone except Slim, does not feel that way for George when he loses Lennie. There is irony in this because everyone feels bad for Candy but not George,
For example, in the beginning of the story, the narrator starts by talking about Mrs. Freeman. “Besides the neutral expressions that she wore when she was alone, Mrs. Freeman had two others, forward and reverse, that she used for all her human dealings” (433). The irony in this first line is that she is a “Freeman,” yet only has three different expressions. Another example of an irony that is easily noticeable is when Mrs. Hopewell considered Manley Pointer as “good country people.” “He was just good country people, you know” (441). The irony in this line is that in the end, Manley Pointer, whom is supposedly is “good country people,” ends up being a thief who steals Hulga’s prosthetic leg and runs and not only steals, but admits that he is not a Christian, making the line, “good country people,” a dramatic irony. However, one of the most ironic characters in the story is Hulga herself as she understands little of herself, regardless of the high education she holds in philosophy. For example, Hulga imagines that Pointer is easily seduced. “During the night she had imagined that she seduced him” (442). Yet, when they kissed, she was the one who was seduced and having the “extra surge of adrenaline… that enables one to carry a packed trunk out of a burning house…”
One week after Lennie's death, George sits in the dark corner of a bar. The room is all but empty and dead silent. All the windows are shut, through the small openings come beams of dull light that barely illuminate the room. George stares at his glass with an expressionless face, but a heavy sadness in his eyes. The bartender comes towards him and asks if he would like something else to drink.
The harsh reality is one which hit everyone in America in the 1930. People found work hard to find and crime was on the uprise. This meant, unfortunately, that innocent people were the easy prey and, as we see in the Of Mice and Men, there were plenty of characters that were easy prey. Of Mice and Men characters have and do thing that make them vulnerable in way which do cause trouble. In this essay, that harsh reality and easy prey will be shown through to see which characters are the most vulnerable.
Many of the events in The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck do not result in the expected manner. Although the Joads seem to be traveling in hope, irony seems to conquer several situations. There are three types of irony: in dramatic irony, the reader sees the characters mistakes, but not the character. In verbal irony, the author means something rather than what is said. Irony of situation is when there is a paradox between the purpose of an action and its result. By observing several situations during the novel, such as the events of the Weedpatch Camp, the death of Casey, and Chapter 29, much irony can be distinguished.
At what point does innocent ignorance become an unsustainable danger? How many unchanged mistakes does it take before enough is finally enough? In the novella Of Mice and Men, best friends, George Milton and Lennie Smalls, travel together across the country finding work wherever it may be available. However, since Lennie has a mental disability in that he acts like a young child, it is hard for the two migrant workers to stay in one place and finish a job. Lennie is not aware of his own strength and after not having learned from his mistakes George decides to shoot and kill his best friend Lennie. Although Lennie is his best friend, George makes the terrifically hard decision to shoot him for the greater good. George makes the right decision
When you’re first introduced to a character you can depict their role within the story, but sometimes they can portray a much larger meaning. Many characters in numerous stories can be considered allegories due to author trying to show a bigger picture. Such as the story Of Mice and Men. This John Steinbeck novella can be viewed as an allegory due to the characters being able to embody certain groups in society. Three characters that symbolize a particular group are Curley’s wife, George, and Lennie.
“Ding”, the bell had just come alive with a mighty ring, ending the last day of school. I began shoveling the materials from my trainwreck of a locker into my bag when a close friend of mine approached me. She began bragging about the birthday party she was planning. Her arrogance annoyed me because she did not invite me, claiming that I wouldn’t know anybody. Honestly, she probably was scared of what I would do to her reputation. All she ever thought about was herself, with no regard for others. This wasn’t the first time it happened, and this pattern began to anger me, I deserved better. And that is when I decided I didn’t need her, I left her to live her own life. I felt as free as a bird but she was left alone like Scrooge. My friend
Conflict, by definition, is a back and forth struggle between two opposing forces. In the literary work, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, it is clear, the protagonist, George Milton, undergoes many conflicts that lead to the novel’s overall purpose. Steinbeck weaves together George’s conflicts with others, himself, and with society to illustrate what the true meaning of friendship is.
The best part of a book is being able to reread it and make connections there not obvious the first time. That’s what makes John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men such a compelling novel. Throughout the story, best friends George and Lennie go through a series of conflicts that foreshadows a tragic ending. Steinbeck's use of foreshadowing is a key factor in connecting the events of the story together. The ending might have been a surprise for many people, but the smoothly integrated foreshadowing throughout the novel allows for the reader to gain a better understanding of the ending.
One of the lines he has irony in is,“On one hand, I never have liked small dogs.” This was ironic because he is annoyed with his neighbors’ dogs.. This is ironic because if this was a case when giant fleas were attacking, you wouldn’t be very particular about who, or what, was being attacked. You would just want to stop the attacks. Another line that contains irony, “Of course, all of this will cost money, which fortunately is the very thing the government will continue to relieve you of in large amounts under the president’s revolutionary new tax plan.” This is a form of irony because in the beginning of the story, he says he doesn’t care what the president’s new tax plan will do to you. This is ironic because his giant flea story was, in a way, just a roundabout way of saying that the “revolutionary new tax plan” will just be a new way the government concocted to “relieve” you of your money. The author uses irony as a form of humor to deter the true meaning of his words until they get to a point in the story where is makes
1. Irony is a useful device for giving stories many unexpected twists and turns. In Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour," irony is used very effectively in her story. Situational irony is used to show the reader what is assumed to happen sometimes doesn't. Dramatic irony is used to hint to the reader something is happening to the characters in the story that they do not know about. Irony is used throughout Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" through the use of situational irony and the use of dramatic irony.
There are three different types of irony. There is dramatic irony, which is where the reader knows more the character actually does. For example horror films, when you the scary monster is under the bed but the character does not know. Verbal irony, which is when you say something and actions show otherwise. For example relationships, when your husband tells you he loves you and then has an affair with another women. Situational irony, which is where expecting something to happen in a certain situation and it, ends up being the complete opposite of what you thought would have happened. For examples cops, when cops get tickets for getting pulled over for speeding. Irony is a huge part of story telling. It’s the suspense that irony
One example of dramatic irony is when Oedipus is looking for the killer of the king Laius-his father. The irony here is that he is looking for himself because he is the murder of his father. Oedipus knows that he killed someone, but what he does not know is that it was Laius, the one he murder. Oedipus wants to punish the person who killed Laius, but we, the audience know that Oedipus was the one who killed Laius. Also Oedipus married Jocasta without knowing that she is his mother. We, the audience knew that he was Jocasta's son, but he was unaware of that.
Irony is a useful device for giving stories many unexpected twists and turns. In Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour," irony is used as an effective literary device. Situational irony is used to show the reader that what is expected to happen sometimes doesn't. Dramatic irony is used to clue the reader in on something that is happening that the characters in the story do not know about. Irony is used throughout Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" through the use of situational irony and the use of dramatic irony.
Another illustration of irony is the way Nora treats her children as if they were dolls. This is situational irony because Nora is treated like a doll by her husband, and by her father when he was alive. She says "I passed out of Daddy's hands into yours.