Analysis of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck's novel, "Of Mice And Men", is a skilfully structured novel that uses parallels, contrasts, foreshadowing, motifs and symbols to emphasise the numerous themes the novel is based on. The story is set during the American depression and focuses on two migrant American labourers. George looks after his immensely strong but stupid friend, Lennie. The two men both dream that one-day they will own their own land and work only for themselves, but Lennie's lack of understanding of his own strength and the cruel world in which he lives brings him unwanted trouble. Steinbeck is a master of using parallels and foreshadowing. At the beginning of the book the reader is introduced to an incident in Weed, in which Lennie, not understanding that he was doing wrong, grabbed a woman's dress. As a result of this Lennie and George are chased out of Weed. This foreshadows and is in parallel with Lennie accidentally killing Curley's wife. The incident in Weed as with the killing of Curley's wife was caused by Lennie's child-like love of soft materials. In Weed Lennie's refusal to let go of a woman's dress was caused by the woman panicking, which in turn caused him to panic. This event and Lennie accidentally killing his pup (this again was caused by Lennie not knowing his own strength) foreshadow and parallel Lennie killing Curley's wife. Lennie again killed accidentally, by breaking her neck when she panicked after he refused to let go of her hair. Parallels are used here to emphasise certain themes such as the predatory nature of human existence (a frequent strong theme throughout the boo... ... middle of paper ... ...obert Burn's poem - "To A Mouse" which is based on a similar theme to "Of Mice And Men" in that even the best laid plans will bring nothing but grief and pain: "But Mousie, thou art no thy lane, In proving foresight may be vain: The best-laid schemes o'mice an'men Gang aft agley, An' lea'e us nought but grief and pain, For promis'd joy." The death of Lennie at the end of the novel awakens George to this as well as the impossibility of the American dream a common motif, symbol and theme throughout the story. John Steinbeck's novel, "Of Mice And Men," is an ingenious piece of work in which his simple use of dialogue and skilful use of parallels, contrasts, motifs and symbols emphasise the numerous themes that can be related to real life so the reader can relate to and understand the story.
The quote that inspired John Steinbeck was the best laid schemes often go off track can be seen in the novel of Mice and Men. When Curley's wife met a man in her childhood that offered her to be an actress but the chance went away and she later died. Then Curley wanted to be a professional boxer but the dream never happened and he became a farmer then got his hand broken for trying to be tough. George and Lennie were going to buy a farm to live off the fat of the land then Lennie had to get in trouble and George had to give up the dream and kill Lennie for what he had done.
John Steinbeck, the author of the novel Of Mice and Men uses many stylistic devices and description in chapter one to give the reader a deeper understanding of what may occur throughout the novel. Firstly, the name of the city the two protagonists, Lennie and George, are heading to is called “Soledad,” which means loneliness in Spanish; this is symbolism and foreshadowing because it can mean that as they get closer to the city, their relationship as friends may deteriorate and they may end up alone towards the end. Furthermore, this could also mean that there can be major problems in further chapters because of Lennie’s unpredictable behaviour due to his mental disabilities. In relation to Robert Burns’s poem, “To a Mouse,” the author may be
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
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.
John Steinbeck, an American novelist, is well-known for his familiar themes of depression and loneliness. He uses these themes throughout a majority of his novels. These themes come from his childhood and growing up during the stock market crash. A reader can see his depiction of his childhood era. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck shows the prominent themes of loneliness, the need for relationships, and the loss of dreams in the 1930s through the novels’ character.
John Steinbeck's timeless novel Of Mice and Men is a somewhat controversial story of the hardships of life. To illustrate these hardships, Steinbeck takes the reader back to an era of bankruptcies, migrant workers, and drifters. Today, this time, the 1930's, is branded the Great Depression. The quest of George and Lennie, two migrant workers, is an example of the dilemma of thousands of homeless and unemployed men in America during the Great Depression era (Ito 39). The harsh circumstances presented by the Great Depression reveal a darker side of human nature. In order to survive, a man's priority had to be himself. Through his characters, Steinbeck exposes truths about people and life in general.
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.
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.
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.
In conclusion, Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is a novel where all “American Dreams” are shattered. This in turn displays Steinbeck’s thought of how unachievable the “American Dream” actually is. The unrealistic nature of “American Dreams” is further supported by the fate of the 3 characters, Candy, Curley’s wife, and Crooks. All in all, the fact that circumstances, regretful actions, and unethical ideas of humanity as a whole, all provide in the impracticality of the American Dream, the dream for dreamers.
Lennie was mercifully killed by George in order to save him from a more terrifying and devastating fate. Though many people would see Lennie’s death as avoidable and unnecessary, there was too much in the way of events and consequences that could have saved Lennie from anything worse than death. If he had been caught, Lennie surely would have been lynched, caged like an animal, or shot by Curly. In order to save Lennie and himself, George decides to mercifully end his life. In doing so, George ultimately saves Lennie, makes a morally sound choice based on his environment, and is kinder to him than most men would be.
"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.
There is only one way an author can get their readers to cry, laugh, and love or just enjoy their master pieces. That one way is through the uses of literary devices such as similes, metaphors and personification. These are the small things that brings the author`s thoughts and ideas alive. The author`s ability to use literary devices through the book helps in direct characterization and lets readers get a better understanding of Lennie and George, the two main characters Of Mice and Men. It also helps in keeping readers thinking on their feet and constantly questioning George and Lennie`s next move while in Salinas, California. John Steinbeck, in his novel Of Mice and Men, makes use of similes and foreshadowing to keep readers in touch with the characters and at the edge of their seats throughout the story.
features." His name is George. He leads the two, so we feel like he is