Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

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Life Is Not A Bed of Roses

Life is not a bed of roses. People use this expression to stress the fact that there are and will be difficulties in life. John Steinbeck, in his novella Of Mice and Men, does not fall short of the same views. It takes place in the year 1937, a period associated with the Great Depression, and illustrates the hardships of the time, and more so those that laborers such as George and Lennie experience. Life proves to be full of disappointments for both men who are victims of harsh circumstances in more ways than one. The two have a dream to own a farm of their own but circumstance and fate robs them of their dream for a better life. This is a depiction of the lost American Dream during the Great Depression which lasts between 1929 up to the 1940s. The poem titled “This Is Not The Life” further depicts the hardships found in life. It clearly portrays the uncertainty and struggle associated with living during the Great Depression. Thus, both the novella and the poem explain that human dreams for a great future are subject to circumstance and fate, which most of the time collude against human success in life leaving only a trace of broken dreams, pain and misery.

Steinbeck inclines to unravel the plight of two migrant workers with a dream to purchase their own land in the future, where they plan to rear rabbits and keep livestock. As reality dawns on the two men, their lifestyle proves not to be as easy as they think. George states, “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place. They come to a ranch an’ work up a stake and then they go inta town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they’re poundin’ their tail on some oth...

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...rrows than joys in life. John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men validates this saying by following the lives of two migrant workers, Lennie and George, who toil on ranches for a living. They have nowhere else to go. “This Is Not The Life” helps exaggerate the point as well. Furthermore, they both explain that dreams and aspirations fall prey to circumstance and fate, which may strike at any point in one’s life. This will only leave humans drowning in misery, as their dreams have been shot down. Although discouraged, both the novella and the poem show signs of perseverance. This characteristic is also seen in the words of the poet Robert Frost: “In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.”

Works Cited

Shelton, Students. “This Is Not The Life.” CT: 2014.

Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin Books, 1993.

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Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Comparing 'Of Mice And Men And To A Mouse'

Of Mice And Men Rhetorical Analysis

The Unattainable American Dream

The Blindness on John Stienbeck´s Of Mice and Men

Themes in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men

False Hope In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men