The First Chapter of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men
'Of Mice and men' was written by John Steinbeck, and was set during
the 1930's, in Salinas, California (The Golden State). Salinas is the
place where Steinbeck himself grew up, and he has focused the entire
novel on the landscape around Salinas.
In 1929, the Wall Street stock market crashed, and in 1932 it fell to
the lowest point in American history. This economic disaster, combined
with a severe drought in Middle America, and the commencement of World
War 2 precipitated the start of the Great Depression in America, which
lasted for over a decade, and affected everyone.
Steinbeck's choosing of the title 'Of Mice and Men' was derived from a
poem called 'To a Mouse' by the Scottish poet Robert Burns. Burn's
poem proposes that grief and pain, instead of elation, affect all
creatures in the natural world, not just humanity. At the core of the
poem is the notion that we are free to make our plans and lay our
schemes, but far less free or probable to accomplish them. This
concept is clearly illustrated through 'Of Mice and Men'; George and
Lennie's best-laid scheme for a little farm does go wrong, and leaves
misery and sorrow where there should have been happiness.
I also feel that Jean-Paul Sartre, a well known writer and philosopher
also may have inspired Steinbeck. Sartre's thoughts and ideas revolved
around the notion of humans having to accept responsibility for their
actions.
George and Lennie are examples of the 'itinerant' farm workers who
fuelled and made possible the intensive farming economy. These men
would trek huge distances, seeking work. They usually travelle...
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...ves the characters in his book idioms; their own personal
way of speaking, which is a combination of slang, regional and
colloquial words. This adds realism to the book.
I feel that fate and destiny play a large part of the novel. Lennie's
fate seems inevitable from the outset. Steinbeck hints towards
Lennie's fate. The hints include: Lennie's killing of mice, what
happened between Lennie and the girl in Weed, the killing of Curly's
dog, the fight with Curley, the killing of the puppy, the emphasis on
Lennie's strength, the girl's interest in Lennie, and George's
oft-repeated assertions that the girl will bring nothing but trouble.
Overall, I feel that the first chapter prepares the reader very well
for the rest of the novel. Steinbeck clearly gives the reader a
powerful impression of the setting, Lenny and George.
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.
he has. It is a dead mouse, which Lennie kept to pet with his thumb as
This is a novella written by John Steinbeck in 1937, about two men that lived during the depression. They were migrant workers, who wanted to buy a farm. ()
When asked about John Steinbeck’s career, people often refer to Steinbeck as a playwright, journalist, and a well-known novelist. The book Of Mice and Men is a popular novel by John Steinbeck and a required read for most high school students. Most of Steinbeck 's novels have a central theme focusing on the relationship between man and his environment. The American dream for George and Lennie, two of the main characters in Of Mice and Men, is to have a place of their own, to be respected, and to work hard for everything they earn and deserve. In Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, the land and a hope of a better life becomes the talisman of an American dream for Lennie and George that is left unfulfilled.
Man needs companionship and has difficulty maintaining it because no humans think the exact same or have the exact same beliefs. To maintain a companion you must have things in common, you must be able to disagree with a sort of respectful understanding, and finally you must care legitimately about that person. These three requirements to preserve a companionship are at times arduous to keep true. Some people do not have the time, concern, or the ability to sustain a veritable friendship with a companion or companions.
Through George, Steinbeck establishes two themes of the story early: loneliness and male companionship. Later in the story, it is shown how all of the workers on the ranch besides Lennie and George travel alone. Because of this, all of the characters in the story exhibit some sort of loneliness throughout the story, and it becomes a recurring theme. All of the other workers on the ranch feel jealous of the relationship that Lennie and George have and also want that type of male companionship.
John Steinbeck was inspired by the line "The best schemes o' mice an' men [often go awry]" by Robert Burns in one of his poems. This line refers to ambitions that went off track during the process. There are multiple examples in the novel that refers to the line in the poem, that inspired John Steinbeck. Those examples are Curley's boxing career coming to an end, Curley's wife not becoming a actress, and Lennie's plans of tending the rabbits, but messed everything up.
Candy’s physical appearance is used by Steinbeck as an insight into his character. On page 19-20, Candy is described as “a tall, stoop-shouldered old man”, which shows us that he used to be have power and respect as well as being a good worker however now he is ‘stoop-shouldered’ showing that he’s lost that everything including his dignity and confidence meaning he is now insecure. “He carried a big push-broom” indicate he is insecure about how others see him and he wants to look useful since he could be ‘canned’ at any time. This creates sympathy for Candy because being so insecure when before you were respected is a hard circumstance to be in.
"Of Mice and Men" is a play written by John Steinbeck that focuses on life during the mid 1930's. This play has many recurring themes, and one of these themes is that of loneliness. This loneliness is because of the intolerance of society on those who are different. The underlying, yet stunningly obvious, theme of loneliness can be found in many characters with many examples. This loneliness due to isolation and intolerance is found in the characters of Candy, because he is old and useless; Crooks, because he is black and crippled; and Curley's wife, because she is a beautiful woman and the only girl on and all guy ranch.
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.
Steinbeck incorporates the theme of the American Dream, an expression used to represent wanted success, throughout his story Of Mice and Men as he provides glimpses of the dreams of many characters. Towards the end of the novel, the fact is that each of the characters “American Dream” is just that, a dream, which is unattainable. In short, Steinbeck portrays his position of the unrealistic desires for untarnished happiness through the dreams of Candy, Curley’s Wife, and Crooks in Of Mice and Men.
In chapter 6 of mice and men George proves wrong because he was always tired of Lennie. Lennie and George were good friends but George always had a plan to escape. and that plan was to killed Lennie. When George shoot Lennie he was nervous and didn't know what to do. Everybody gonna to be nice to you Lennie. that's when George shot Lennie. George might of felt mad at his self because Slim made him do Everything. when Lennie turn away that's when George shot Lennie and then escape. And George never hurt someone that means something is going to do something wrong. Slim says lets go get a drink that means for he could forget everything that happen to Lennie death. George didn't wanted to do something like that to Lennie but Slim made him do it.
Of Mice and Men is written in third-person omniscient, in the past tense. There are no changes in point of view in the book. The reasons why the author uses third-person view is to describe each character's feelings of isolation, tragedy, and depression. Therefore, readers can understand the emotions that people face throughout their lives. For instance, Crooks is an African American stable man at a ranch, specifically a ranch where George and Lennie decide to work (the name of the ranch is not stated in the book). By using the third-person view, the author can describe how Crooks feels about not being allowed to sit with white people or be with white people. This is why he lives a wooden shed by himself and does not allow anyone to come in.
A story is a game of chess. In the game, various chess pieces cooperate to combat a battle, simultaneously, when story elements unite, they create a piece of literature. Pointedly, the element of character is the form of a queen in the game of chess. They are used to protect the king. Or, in terms of literature, they are utilized to add depth and back up the plot.
"In other periods of depression, it has always been possible to see some things which were solid and upon which you could base hope, but as I look about, I now see nothing to give ground to hope—nothing of man.” (Calvin Coolidge) The Great Depression was a period with high inflation and unemployment, where millions of families lost their savings and their livelihoods. During this time many men moved out west to become ranch hands, one of the few jobs available. Many of these ranch hands were fueled by a false dream, to one day own a piece of land, and start a family. Of Mice and Men is a story set in this historical era and tells the story of two unlikely companions, George and Lennie, who work from job to job to survive only to meet an unfortunate end. Using Symbolism as represented in nature, material objects, and character traits, Steinbeck explores the theme that despite the best efforts of man, sometimes the cruelty and overwhelming power of fate is too strong.