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Theme of mice and men by john steinbeck
Theme of mice and men by john steinbeck
Of mice and men john steinbeck theme analysis
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Valuable points and statements have all been said throughout the whole Socratic seminar discussion which indeed influenced some of my understandings of the book, “Of Mice and Men” and “The Harvest Gypsies.” Before the Seminar discussion took place, I believed that George was always a tough guy who did not express his own emotions based on an image that he has placed on himself throughout his life. When my classmates discussed the question, “Did George really believe that one day they will have their ranch, or did he just say that for Lennie's sake?” (asked by Marielle.) I heard circumstances where I changed my opinion of George and his emotions toward expressing his feelings to others. His companion, Lennie Small, was able to get through the softness of George’s emotions. Everyone who contributed to the …show more content…
He is a tough guy who portrayed the image of having vexation to some, nevertheless for those he loves, George can be caring and wonderful towards them. The same motive applies towards the article, “The Harvest Gypsies.” I knew before reading the article that harvesting and growing crops is a needed business for everyone causing it to be a necessary stable job. Although, after reading that article, according to paragraph 11, “Mexicans and Filipinos, are being deported and repatriated, while on the other hand, the river of dust bowl refugees increases all the time.” These refugees are hard workers who are needed to accomplish the grand works of cropping and harvesting especially in the proper seasons needed to do so. By being repatriated without the choice the choice to do so, it is unfair to their families who are in need of gathering a food supply or else they will be in a
A friendship is not all they have together, Lennie and George have dreams. Lennie and George have worked up the idea of owning their own piece of land together. Lennie wants to tend the rabbits (Steinbeck 11) and George just wants to be his own boss (Steinbeck 14). The only problem with their dream is that it is unrealistic. They cannot buy land to tend and just go days without tending it because they do not want to. Like many traveling farm hands during the 1930s, George and Lennie think they could work up enough money to buy their own place and not give a “hoot” about anyone but their selves. Although their dream is unattaina...
The affection the narrator displays for the mouse in Burns’ poem mirrors the affection George displays for his friend Lennie in Of Mice and Men. The narrator starts by convincing the mouse that he is not an enemy, and that he will do the mouse no harm. “Wee, sleekit, cow'rin', tim'rous beastie, O what a panic's in thy breastie! Thou need na start awa sae hasty…I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee” (lines 1-5). In this portion of the poem, the narrator attempts to establish a rapport between himself and the mouse. By the same token, in Of Mice and Men, G...
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, portrays the hard–done-by life of two California labours, who form an unlikely bond and cling together in the face of alienation. The Novel exhibits the idea of the thirst for companionship when cast into the abyss of loneliness, while unveiling the horrors and strife that the labours of the south endured during the 1930’s. Throughout the plot, one of the protagonist, George, continuously carries through with several decisions that define him as a character and subsequently, as a human being. For example, at the beginning of the story, Geo...
As Mark Twain once stated, “The more I know about people, the better I like my dog.” This sentiment is often echoed by general society; people seem to have lost faith in humanity. However, John Steinbeck illustrates his more optimistic opinion about “the perfectibility of man” by suggesting how man can improve. In his novel, Of Mice and Men, two tenants called George and Lennie go through many hardships all while chasing their dream of possessing their own farm. While they work at a farm, they meet an old swamper called Candy who offers to help them achieve their dream; he does so to ensure that he will have a future after he is fired for being too old. On page 60, Candy discusses the recent death of his dog and asks to join in on George and Lennie’s dream. Through this passage, Steinbeck proves that humans have an animalistic tendency of eliminating those who are weaker than them. This is depicted through the details connecting Candy to his dog as well as Candy’s diction when describing his potential future life. Steinbeck’s negative attitude towards man’s predatory nature implies that society needs to improve and prevent such oppressive behavior from occurring.
George and Lennie seemingly contrast each other throughout most of the story, constantly arguing about Lennie’s actions. After the two fight about Lennie needing ketchup for his beans, the author writes, "But I wouldn't eat none, George. I'd leave it all for you. You could cover your beans with it and I wouldn't touch none of it" (12). Lennie’s innocent offer to give up ketchup for his friend, resolving their argument, also establishes that extending acts of friendship is an astounding way to overcome differences. Certainly one must not only be kind in order to gain acceptance, but persistent in attempts to establish friendship. Lennie is another perfect example of this when he befriends Crooks: “Lennie’s disarming smile defeated him. ‘Come on in and set a while,’ Crooks said. ‘ ‘Long as you won’t get out and leave me alone, you might as well set down.’ His tone was a little more friendly” (69). Analogous to Lennie’s tenacious attempts to win Crooks’ trust, one must be resolute in order to accept those with differences. Constant acts of friendship show compassion and clear purpose in actions, ridding any stereotypes or misunderstandings in a
Loneliness and Companionship are one of the many themes that are conveyed in the novel Of Mice and Men, By John Steinbeck. Many of the characters admit to suffering from loneliness within the texts. George sets the tone for these confessions early in the novel when he reminds Lennie that the life of living on a ranch is among the loneliest of lives. However Lennie, who is mentally disabled holds the idea that living on a farm very high. "Tending the rabbits" is what Lennie calls it. Often when Lennie is seaking encouragement he askes George to tell him how its going to be. Men like George who migrate from farm to farm rarely have anyone to look to for companionship and protection. George obviously cares a lot for lennie, but is too stubborn to admit to it. The feeling of being shipped from place to place leaves George feeling alone and abandoned.
Factions are products of human nature, but the purpose of government and law are to control these often insatiable desires of self-interest. Detailed within James Madison’s address to the people of New York, “The Federalist No. 10”, are the destructive and counterintuitive ideas of factions to a democracy. Agreeing with that notion, factions are detrimental to the idea of a democracy due to the separation of people and ideas; and the subsequent establishment of tiers of power and status within both political and economic systems.
George was a very smart and able man who had taken responsibility of a mentally-challenged man named Lennie. George could have found a good steady job for which he could have stayed at and made good money, but when he went to work with Lennie, Lennie made a mistake that got both of them in trouble. George was a very good person for taking care of Lennie. Lennie was very dumb, but he always remembered the dream he and George shared. The main dream that George possessed was to be happy, and he realized that even though taking care of Lennie was hard work at times, he was happiest with Lennie. George would repeat their dream to Lennie. The nicest thing George ever did for Lennie was giving him hope, and that’s what mentioning the dream farm did. Lennie always wanted to “live of the fatta land” (81), and “have rabbits, and puppies, go on George.” George saved a man’s life, and in return he got nothing. George’s d...
In the great work, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck makes clear that George is faced with many struggles. Steinbeck writes of a character that has many internal and external conflicts. Yet, through those conflicts, the reader learns the purpose of the novel; what the true meaning of friendship
In the story Of Mice and Men, there are two main characters, names George and Lennie. On their journey, they encounter many different themes, such as the toughness of life and euthanasia. Friendship is also a very important theme, probably the most important, because these two people’s friendship grows and crumbles. The last theme is also very important; it is the question of fate.
... However, these three do show the literary freedom taken by Steinbeck as we follow his characters George and Lennie. Although George and Lennie didn't live the high life compared to most readers, they would have lived the high life compared to actual migrant farm workers. This supports the notion that Of Mice and Men does not accurately portray the lives of migrant farm workers. Steinbeck improved their lives so vastly that reading The Harvest Gypsies was a total shock and difficult to imagine that conditions were as bad as they were.
In the Salinas River Valley, after the Great Depression, there were a large number of unemployed workers seeking jobs. In the fiction novel "Of Mice and Men," by John Steinbeck, Lennie Small is among one of those men. Lennie and his friend George both have just received jobs on a ranch as farm workers. What brings the two together is their dream to someday own their own land. Lennie has a lot of character and personality traits that define him. One trait that he has is he is very forgetful. Another trait he has is he is very curious. A final trait he has is that he is very reliant. Although he might not be the intelligent person in the book, he has a very well developed personality. Lennie demonstrates his personality and character traits throughout the novel.
George and Lennie’s struggle for their tiny piece of the American Dream is best summed up by Crooks when he said that he’s “seen hundreds of men come by on the road an’ on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an’ that same damn thing in their hands. Hundreds of them. They come, an’ they quit an’ go on; an’ every damn one of ‘em’s got a little piece of land in his head.
Even from the very start of John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, the uniqueness of George, as a character, is already noticeable. He is described as “small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp strong features” and has an obvious dominance over the relationship between Lennie and himself. This lets the reader know from a very early stage in the book that George is different, and probably the essential character. George’s character seems to be used by Steinbeck to reflect the major themes of the novel: loneliness, prejudice, the importance of companionship, the danger of devoted companionships, and the harshness of Californian ranch life.
Over the course of this class I have pieced together many things about my own life that before went unnoticed. I am now able to see things in a bit of a different light. Now that I have been introduced to the realm of psychology I understand some of the reasons for behavior around me. I have learned that there is a reason for most everything and a lot of our behaviors and mental processes can be explained through psychology. Studies have been conducted for many years to try and pinpoint the source of our behavior and it is not something that most people think about every day. Having a better understanding of why we operate the way we do will help me to better understand myself and the others around me.