In the book, Of Mice and Men there were plenty of conflicts in the book. There were two different conflicts external conflict and internal conflicts. One of the external conflicts was between Candy and Carlson because Carlson wanted to kill Candy’s dog. Carlson thinks the dog is useless, old, and it stinks that is why Carlson wants to kill the dog. After thinking about it in the book it says “a long time at Slim to try to find some reversal, (Steinbeck)” Candy finally came to his senses and told Carlson to go take the dog’s life. Another external conflict started with Curley creating a conflict with Lennie and George while they were confronting Curley. Curley was trying to find his wife at the time. "look after your own wife (Steinbeck)." Carlson tells Curley to stop letting his wife be near the bunkhouse. When Curley tells him to stay "outta this les' you wanta step outside (Steinbeck)" Candy joins in with the insults and Lennie laughs (Leaf). As Lennie steps back, Curley strikes Lennie with a left hook, and then dents in his nose with a right punch. Lennie does not strike back because he is petrified. When George tells him, "Get 'im, Lennie (Steinbeck)," Lennie grabs Curley's hand, and ends up crushing it (Leaf). The other type of conflict is an internal conflict and there are two of those. George has conflicting emotions with Lennie. While he has told Lennie's aunt to take care of Lennie. George has faced problems with Lennie getting them into trouble and end up losing their jobs. George about that he could have a better life without Lennie and George told him “If I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an' work, an' no trouble. No mess at all, and the end of the month come I could take my fifty bucks ... ... middle of paper ... ...inbeck) ." Curley stares down at Lennie, and then he glances back at George and says "right in the back of the head (Steinbeck)." Curley said quietly. Slim came straight to George and took a seat down beside him, sat close to him. "Never you mind, a guy got to sometimes (Steinbeck)." But Carlson asked "How’d you do it (Steinbeck)?” "I just done it (Steinbeck)" George said sadly. This event really screwed up his chance with dream of getting his own farm. Lennie messed up sometimes but, he was a part of George’s success. Works Cited Attell, Kevin. "An overview of Of Mice and Men." Literature Resource Center. Detroit: Gale, 2014. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. Leaf, Jonathan. "Of mice & melodrama." New Criterion 26.4 (2007): 84+. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin, 1993. Print.
As we journey through life, we must make difficult decisions, even when few options exist and the situation is grim. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the decision George faces after Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife is complicated, as none of his choices are good. The importance of his relationship with Lennie forces George to look at the big picture and act in Lennie’s best interests, even though the action he must finally take will result in a weight that he will carry forever.
Lennie dreams of living on a wide open ranch with George where he tends to the fluffy little rabbits he loves so much. Nevertheless, Lennie sadly never reaches his ultimate goal as his flaw finally becomes his fatal flaw. Lennie kills Curley 's wife by shaking her so hard that her neck breaks. He does not kill her on purpose but Lennie does not know his own strength. He is only shaking her like that because he wants her to stop yelling. Curley 's wife observes that Lennie is "jus ' like a big baby" (Steinbeck 99) and invites him to stroke her soft hair. Lennie begins to feel her hair and likes it very much indeed, which leads him to pet it too hard. When she started to complain, he panicked and started to try to silence her. He was afraid that George would not let him be part of the dream anymore if Curley 's wife got mad at what he did. So he 's shaking her to try to protect his part in the dream but he kills her and the dream too. Lennie observes that he has "done a bad thing" (Steinbeck 100) and covers her body with hay. Lennie is hiding in the brush where George had told him to hide when he got into trouble. George finally emerges to get Lennie while he is an emotional mess. He then tells Lennie to take off his hat as he continues to recount "how it will be" (Steinbeck 104) for them. He orders Lennie to kneel and pulls out Carlson 's Luger. As the voices of the other men in the search party near their location, George tells Lennie one more time "about the rabbits,"(Steinbeck 106) tells Lennie that they 're going to get the farm right away, and shoots his companion in the back of the
Lennie has always been told what to do by George. 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
The theme of conflict looms over the entire plot in Of Mice and Men, beginning in the first scene, and persisting until the end. The conflict ranges from the captivating way Steinbeck makes man fight with his inner animalistic behaviour to the ever imminent conflict between George and Lennie with their drastically different personalities, appearances and understanding of their ideal, the American Dream. The Great Depression forms the backbone of Steinbeck’s novella, with events such as the stock market crash to the recovery from the First World War, allowing him to keep the realism of the conflicting events but still leave room for the intriguing, deeper side to each of the characters. Steinbeck manages to mask conflict within the novella by not simply stating the conflict, but using language and literary techniques he subtly implies it.
The 3 themes in “Of Mice And Men” are loneliness, powerlessness, and dreams often fail.
"Of Mice and Men" is a novel by John Steinbeck, written in the 1930s, a period known as the Great Depression. The novel, which takes place in Salinas, California, is about two workers, George and Lennie. The two men travel together and work on different ranches, with a dream of one day having their own farm. Steinbeck explores the themes of loneliness friendship, and hopes and dreams through the various characters and events. This extract takes place after George and Lennie arrives to a new ranch to work. John Steinbeck uses foreshadowing to prepare the reader for future events. This is done by the use of repetition, symbols, and metaphors. In this extract, the author foreshadows the events to come through the introduction of Curley's wife and through the reaction of George and Lennie. This extract is significant to the rest of the novel as it introduces the main antagonist, Curley's wife, and also influences what the reader thinks and feels about Curley's wife, as well as the danger the character poses.
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.
...et across to us. This novel emphasizes how perilously people long for a companion. John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, states the true meaning of friendship, the reality of the American Dream seen in the vision of the characters, and the awfulness of human nature. There are many differences between Crooks, Candy, and Curley’s wife, however all of these characters are linked together by their lust for a better life; a life where they can fulfill their dreams. These characters' hardship comes from the amount of hatred they have for solitude and idealized friendships. It's their hatred of loneliness that pushes them to confess their problems to other people about their difficulties. Even though Crooks, Candy, and Curley's wife may not find pure satisfaction, those occasions of finally conversing about their feelings, comfort their misery and give them a feeling of unity.
Throughout the novel, George and Lennie have a strong relationship which is quite unique. George takes care of Lennie through thick and thin but, sometimes George sees Lennie as just a burden until he realizes that he is incapable to take of himself when Lennie tells George “Well, I could go off in the hills there. Some place I’d find a cave” (Steinbeck, John 12) George responds to very broth...
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...
a better way of life - but something always seems to get in the way of
“Get ‘im Lennie!” Lennie took his hands away from his face and looked about for George, and Curley slashed at his eyes. The big face was covered with blood. George yelled again, “I said get him.” Curley’s fist was swinging when Lennie reached for it. The next minute, Curley was flopping like a fish. (Steinbeck 63)
One critic recognizes Steinbeck’s approach to the futile dream of achieving the happy medium by comparing George and Lennie’s relationship to the psychological components of the appetite and reason (Goldhurst 57). Hadella reinforces this idea, suggesting that as the appetite, Lennie acts without reason, thus explaining the violent outbursts and feats he performs throughout the novella (152) whereas George acts as Lennie’s guide and ensures the safety for the two of them. Through Lennie’s death, the author illustrates that the relationship between appetite and reason are not of equal standings and that, in the end, one eventually domineers over the other. The death of Lennie as the portrayal of man’s relations could also be seen as a continuation of the curse as Owens suggests (“Bloom’s Guides” 84). Companionship is essentially unattainable within the setting of the novella Of Mice and Men suggestively due to man’s desolate fate based on the story of Cain and Abel. Due to the impossible obtainment of a compromise between companionship and independence, fate conclusively takes its toll on Lennie, doubling as the
George’s relationship with Lennie has made him selfless; his conversations, with and with out Lennie, are generally revolving around Lennie, although in the case of their dream-ranch George seems to find fulfilment for himself as well. Due to these altruistic tendencies that he shows throughout the novel, a danger is bestowed upon George; he tends to care for Lennie far too much, and too little for himself. In occasional moments, he escapes his sympathy and compassion for Lennie, and realises the burden that he causes. This usually results in George taking his frustration out on Lennie, which can often harm his simple mind, leaving Lennie upset and forced to confess to his own uselessness, and George feeling guilty for what he has caused. We can learn very little about George through his actual conversations, which made it necessary for Steinbeck to focus the novel on him in particular, and let the reader gain an closer insight on him through his actions. Generally, he seems to be caring, intelligent and sensible, but is greatly worn by the constant attention Lennie requires. This illustrates a major theme in Of Mice and Men, the dangers that arise when one becomes involved in a dedicated relationship.
What is your definition of a true friend? Well, to me, a true friend is someone who understands you, accepts you for who you are, and is willing to do anything for you. While reading John Steinbeck’s classic, Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie maintain a true friendship despite all the ups and downs they encounter. After Lennie Small, a man as gigantic as a mammoth with a pea-sized brain is caught touching a girl’s dress in the town of Weed, he and his best friend, an average migrant worker, George Milton, travel a strenuous journey to the town of Soledad and start working on a ranch. The young men come to realize that they have a true, brotherly bond and nothing can separate them. Even though the book has its rough spots, Steinbeck portrays the true bond of friendship that even people as close as siblings have. Throughout the story, George