In the novella “Of Mice and Men” written by John Steinbeck, the author expounds on the theme of the failure produced by the central characters throughout the novella making it clear that the individuals will not succeed. Throughout the novella, many of the characters make bad decisions and fail at the task which foreshadows that the men will not succeed. The quote from Robert Burns poem “To a Mouse” states, “The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry and leave us nought but grief and pain for promised joy.” This quote assembles a theme in the novella by stating that when people go awry, they get punished for making the mistake and leave everyone with not just grief and pain but a promised joy. Which is essential to the theme because …show more content…
Later in the story George describes, to Slim, what had happened in Weed with Lennie and the woman. What Lennie did affected their whole life, by making them move out of the town into someone else’s farm before they can make their way to their own farm where Lennie has the dream to tend the rabbits. “‘Well, he seen this girl in a red dress. Dumb bastard like he is, he wants to ever’thing he likes. Just wants to feel it. So he reaches out to this red dress an’ the girl lets out a squawk, and that gets Lennie all mixed up, and he holds on ‘cause that’s the only thing he can think to do. [...] by that time Lennie’s so scared all he can think to do is jus’ hold on. I socked him over the head with a fence picket to make him let go,’” (41). This quote also supports my thesis since he had made another mistake that affected their life’s majorly. Since Lennie had continued to fail it was quite obvious that he would have continued to make mistakes if he would not have been killed, since he altered their lives so much to …show more content…
Steinbeck describes the brutal fight between Lennie and Curley where Lennie has a hard time letting Curley go, which affects the outcome of the fight. “Curley’s fist was swinging when Lennie reached for it. The next minute Curley was flopping like a fish on a line, and his closed fist was lost in Lennie’s big hand. George ran down the room. ‘Leggo of him, Lennie. Let go.’ But Lennie watched in terror the flopping little man whom he held. Blood ran down Lennie’s face, one of his eyes was cut and closed. George slapped him in the face again and again, and still Lennie held on to the closed fist.” (63). This quote supports my thesis because although it was an accident, he still messed up by crushing Curley’s hand. He had messed with an important person on the ranch and reacted poorly by not letting go of him putting more damage. Luckily for Lennie, Curley kept his mouth shut because of Slim threatening him, otherwise he would have been canned by The
George and Lennie were lifelong friends and had varying personalities even from the start. Lennie thought about how his Aunt Clara said he should have been more like George. At the time when the story took place, the two men were travelling together, and had been for some time, working and then moving on to search for the next job they could find. They were like many other men in search for work, except it was rare for men to travel together. George felt a need to take care of Lennie because he was somewhat slow. George was an average man of the time. He was a good size, nice, but firm, and he had aspirations to be more than just a nomadic laborer. Lennie, on the other hand, had always been a little different. He was big, goofy, clumsy, but sweet. They were also both good workers. George was concerned with working and getting his money before they got into trouble and had to leave camp. Lennie was the one who normally started the trouble. He was a hard worker and lived to appease George, but he got distracted easily which angered George. George told about how they would own a house and a farm together and work for themselves. Lennie loved to hear the story and think about the possibilities, even though nobody knew if any of it was a possibility. George and Lennie's differences in part led to George's inclination to kill Lennie. Despite their dissimilarity, the two men needed each other probably more than they realized.
The authors John Steinbeck and Robert Burns approach their ideas in very different ways, while having the same themes the reader comprehends key concepts in a different light. Throughout the short story “Of Mice and Men” and the poem “To a Mouse” the theme of hope is a key concept, even though while in both stories their hope did not bring them their happiness, friendship brought them together. Correspondingly while having similar themes of friendship, loneliness, and hope, this all takes place in different settings with different characters.
That ain’t no good, George.’”(Steinbeck 97). Because Lennie killed Curley’s wife, he committed a felony. George wanted Lennie to be thrown in jail at first. He wanted Lennie to be arrested because he thought it was the best thing for Lennie but then Slim told him it would not be good for Lennie. It would be bad for Lennie because Lennie would not understand his rights because he’s mentally challenged and locking him up in a cage would just hurt Lennie. George then realized he needed to kill Lennie so nobody would mistreat him. George is protecting others from Lennie.”’Lennie-if you jus’ happen to get in trouble like you always done before…’”(Steinbeck 15). George has been with Lennie for many years and he knows how Lennie will never learn and he will keep committing bad stuff. George knew something was going to happen at the ranch because Lennie has always done something wrong. George tried to prevent something from going wrong but he couldn’t. As a result he had to put down Lennie so he would not hurt anyone ever again. George felt the hard choice of killing Lennie was the right decision for George because Curley wanted to get his revenge, Lennie would be mistreated in prison and he was
George really helps him through problems that keep happening during the book. Lennie is incapable to live because he does not know his strength and George has to play the role as a living assistant for Lennie. Lennie does not mean to harm but because of his condition he essentially harms people. In the book it explains the trouble in weed and George explains “Well he saw a girl in a red dress and a red dress and he just wanted to feel it and when he touched it the girl just starts yelling and all he can think to do is hold on” ( Steinbeck 41). The quote states or explains how Lennie can scare or harm people.
Curley thinks that Lennie is making fun of him when he laughs so Curley throws punches as lennie tries to explain that he wasn't laughing at him. Eventually after a couple blows Lennie crushes Curley's hand in his own. Curley refuses to listen to Lennie and again immediately goes straight to violence and attacking Lennie. Had he listened he could have avoided a crushed hand, being embarrassed and shamed because he always bragged about being a great boxer.
Following the beginning, Lennie is seen as a bit on the softer side contrary to George who was a heavy-tempered individual. We later find out that Lennie has a mental illness implied by language, communication and actions towards George and others. Demonstration of his illness was implied by: "I’d pet ‘em, and pretty soon they bit my fingers and I pinched their heads a little and then they was dead—because they was so little. I wish’t we’d get the rabbits pretty soon, George. They ain’t so little." (Steinbeck 4). Lennie’s childish personality and mistakes in the novel somewhat foreshadowed future events. George told Slim about the incident in Weed: “Well he seen this girl in a red dress...he just wants to touch everything he likes” (Steinbeck 41). George harshly remarked that his mistakes could get him in serious trouble, which was a vital, empowering statement within the novel that hinted at a dark
In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck brings out the themes of Lonliness and companionship, and strengths and weaknesses through the actions, and quotations of the characters. Irony and foreshadowing play a large roll on how the story ends. Lennie and his habit of killing things not on purpose, but he is a victim of his own strength. George trying to pretend that his feelings for Lennie mean nothing. The entire novel is repetitive in themes and expressed views.
This is the main conflict. As the two men move throughout the novel, it is apparent they are clinging together in the face of loneliness and alienation. George and Lennie are insecure, with no permanent jobs, no real home, and separated from their families. Also, in the end, it was society which leads to George into killing Lennie. After Lennie gets into the debacle with Curley’s wife, he runs to the oasis described at the beginning of the book. George fears the men will tear Lennie apart and murder him. He also knew he would be institutionalized, or “caged” if he survived the attacks. He had the moral clarity that lets him see that killing Lennie is the what is best for him. When George kills Lennie, it’s a kind of mercy killing. It’s clear that killing Lennie is the right thing to do, and George is manning up by pulling the trigger. We know this because Steinbeck gives a contrasting example of Candy, who says that he "shouldn 't ought to of let no stranger shoot [his] dog" (39). Second, Slim says, "You hadda, George. I swear you hadda" (107), and Slim is the novel 's ideal man. His Struggles against society carry on even after Lennie’s death. He now faces living alone without friendship or hope. It is also the death of his dream; owning a shack on an acre of land that they can call their own.
In chapter one, George and Lennie are introduced onto the scene and you get to know them a little bit and you get to see how they are related/ their relationship. When I read this first part, I could tell that George was pretty much Lennie’s caretaker and it was his job to find Lennie a job and make sure he ate enough and stayed a live. He kind of resented having to drag Lennie around (pg 11~12: “Well we ain’t got any!” George exploded. “Whatever we ain’t got, you want. If I was alone I could live so easy… But wadda I got? I got you. You can’t keep a job and you loose me every job I get.”), because Lennie’s a bit slow and he messes up a lot. He tries really hard to be good and listen to what George tells him to do, but in the end of every situation, Lennie forgets what George told him beforehand and sometimes it creates a little trouble (pg 45~46: “Well, he seen this girl in this red dress. Dumb like he is, he likes to touch ever’thing he likes. Just wants to feel it. So he reaches out to feel this red dress an’ the girl lets out a squawk, and that gets Lennie all mixed up, and he holds on ‘cause that’s the only thing he can think to do. Well, this girl just squawks and squawks. I was jus’ a little bit off, and I heard all the yellin’, so I comes running, an’ by that time Lennie’s so scared all he can think to do is jus’ hold on. I socked him over the head with a fence picket to make him let go. He was so scairt he couldn’t let go of the dress. And he’s so strong, you know… Well, that girl rabbits in an’ tells the law she’s been raped. The guys in Weed start a party out to lynch Lennie. So we sit in an irrigation ditch under water all the rest of that day.”). But when you look at them, you can tell that George is...
In the exemplary classic Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie, two barley buckers, are looking for work during the Great Depression. Steinbeck weaves George and Lennie’s dream as an anchor through the stark loneliness of travelers, the unrealistic want for the perfect life, and the poverty that plagues this time period.
Before they had to flee the last town they were at because Lennie was accused of rapeing a woman in town, “They ran us outta Weed. he exploded triumphantly. “Run us out, hell,” George said disgustedly. We run. They was lookin for us, but they didn’t catch us” (7). The two fled the town and escaped. If they could escape an entire lynch mob, then George could have figured out a way to sneak Lennie out of the farm safely. George also sets up a safe hiding spot where he can meet Lennie in case anything went wrong. This allows them to get a game plan together to escape if either of them get into trouble. He tells Lennie to observe the area they are in, and that if they ever run into trouble to meet him there. George explains to Lennie, “Well look. Lennie - if you jus’ happen to get in trouble like you always done before, I want you to come right here an’ hide in the brush” (15). Only George and Lennie knew of this hiding spot. Although it would have been tricky to escape, with the help of George the two of them could have gotten away. Instead, George decided that helping Lennie was be a burden he could no longer carry. So he murdered him in that same part of the woods they had agreed was their safe hiding
What if staying true to your word wasn't as easy as it appears when it comes down to your personal happiness? In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, it teaches varieties of lessons on the significance of loyalty. When elucidating these lessons, the author adds in multiple forms of self argument, especially when it relates back to George Milton's personal confliction as he struggles with the hard decision on whether or not he should leave Lennie Small, a mentally ill adult alone to fend for himself. George would be gaining a life of freedom and less weight on his shoulders with abandoning Lennie, however he should not leave Lennie as he would not be able to survive by himself and George would be leaving the stability of having someone
He realized that the world, especially in the 1930’s as an agricultural migrant worker, truly is a rough and tough place. Foster states, “…as soon as something seems to always be true, some wise guy will come along and write something to prove it’s not,” and that is what George realizes, (6). George has a moment of dread and fear that follows saving Lennie from a crueler end. Steinbeck proves this feeling by saying, “George’s voice was almost a whisper. He looked steadily at his right hand that had held the gun,” (Steinbeck, 107). George was clearly having an eternal battle with himself over Lennie, and once his actions were completed, there was no returning to how they were before. Steinbeck made the entire scene very tense, where George performs commonly known actions that are a clear sign of nervousness, such as fidgeting and hesitation. George comes to realize that their dream of running their own farm, while seeming palpable, really was not. There were things holding them back, one was Lennie, but there was also the issue of economics and money, and getting workers, et cetera. After George sees that Lennie is holding him down, he starts to see all of the things holding him back, similar to Foster’s anecdote about how his mushroom-picking trips with his father. He’d have
Why people bring down others with them? People are known to drag people down to the ground when the person being victimized is trying to excel the person dragging. In the novella “Of Mice And Men” by John Steinbeck, George and Lennie enter a predatory arena on the ranch in Soledad. The ranch has people pulling down others trying to escape a miserable life. They are exhibiting the “crabs in a bucket” phenomenon. This phenomenon is where people are pulling down others whoa re trying to get out of the bucket. The bucket can be a better life, better job, or a change in your daily routine. In Soledad, the main change everybody wants is to lead a better life. Ranch hand Curley and his wife along with stable buck Crooks are the primary players in
Steinbeck first introduces the power of fate in the underlying motif of impending disaster exhibited in the title and opening chapter. The title may be seen as a potent warning of the tragedy that will follow, ‘the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry’ is an excerpt from Robbie Burn’s poem ‘To A Mouse’. Steinbeck uses this title to reveal a harsh reality to the reader, of the grim nature of human existence at the time of The Great Depression; the characters seek power over their destinies yet rarely obtain it, due to external forces beyond their control. The dead mouse in Lennie’s pocket, serves as an ominous reiteration of the end that awaits the weak and unsuspecting creatures at the hand of fate, after all despite Lennie’s great size and strength his mental incapability’s render him as helpless as a mouse. Steinbeck further develops the power of fate in his repeated use of animal imagery which sees Lennie comparable with a bear, horse and terrier. Animals in the novell...