Set a mood. The tools that can be used are detailed descriptions and accuracy in structuring sentences. The author who wrote Of Mice and Men (the story regarding George Milton, Lennie Small, their dreams of one day owning land, and what they do to try to achieve that dream) does just that. One of the book’s key features is the method in which the various settings are written and described. In his novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck sets a mood with each setting by the use of eloquent and vivid, or simple and plain descriptions, and different types of sentence structures. Steinbeck begins the story by creating a serene mood when describing the setting. He illustrates how the Salinas River looks, and stating that “the water is warm too, for it has slipped twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight before reaching the narrow pool. On one side of the river the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan mountains, but on the valley side the water is lined with trees—willows fresh and green with every spring, carrying in their lower leaf junctures the debris of the winter’s flooding; and sycamores with mottled, white, recumbent limbs and branches that arch over the pool” (1). Steinbeck’s word choice alone (“twinkling,” “golden,” and “fresh and green”) makes the setting appealing to the reader. The peaceful mood is created through the way he closely describes every detail; the images that the reader follows are animated and picturesque. He uses such a long sentence with semi-colons, commas, and dashes to make the passage flow smoothly, as opposed to choppy. The run-on like syntax he uses creates a comfortable feeling, showing that the Salinas River and everything surrounding it is an undisturbed area; the... ... middle of paper ... ...nt in the way Steinbeck structures the two sentences. When he writes the sentence for what is happening outside the barn, he writes a list (with no conjunction at the end); the sentence speeds up from the commas and lack of conjunction, showing that outside, the mood is active and energetic. When he writes the sentence for what is happening inside the barn, he writes a list (with “and” in between each word); the sentence slows down and becomes slack which follows along to the “quiet,” “humming,” “lazy,” and “warm” word choice. Steinbeck creates the serene, monotonous, and cozy feeling with his writing style; he uses a combination of elaborate descriptions and diverse syntax when describing a setting to create moods and feelings. The way that sentences are structured and the ways that things are described are the tools an author uses to create a mood or feeling.
Many characters have hopes and dreams which they wish to accomplish. Of Mice and Men has two main characters that go through obstacles to get what they want. In the beginning it is George and Lennie running away trying to get a job. Once both George and Lennie have a job they try to accomplish their dreams. Unfortunately they both can't get their dreams to come true since lennie does the worst and George has to shoot Lennie. Steinbeck uses characterization, foreshadowing, and symbol as rhetorical strategies to make George's actions justified.
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 was perhaps the best author of all time. He was the winner of a Nobel Prize, and among other accomplishments, Steinbeck published nineteen novels and made many movies during his lifetime. All of his experience and knowledge are shown through his novels. A reader can tell, just in reading a novel by Steinbeck, that he had been through a lot throughout his life. Also, Steinbeck worked very hard to accomplish everything that he did during his lifetime. Nothing came very easily to him, and he had to earn everything he owned. This helped him in his writing, because he was able to write about real people and real experiences. John Steinbeck got his inspiration from life experiences, people he knew, and places he had gone.
To convey his views, Steinbeck structures the sentences accordingly and uses a vast word choice and tone intertwined together. He opens with “Mrs. Trask was a pale, inside-herself woman” (St...
...the same position and because they know that they can depend on one another they realize the need of family and unity to get through hard times. Without interchapters that give Steinbeck's own commentary on the subjects, the novel would lack the social background that gives the reader insight into the lives of those affected by the Dust Bowl and would not allow the reader to feel sorrow for the migrants.
Early in the 1930's Steinbeck wrote, "The trees and the muscled mountains are the world-but not the world apart from man-the world and man-the one inseparable unit man and his environment. Why they should ever have been understood as being separate I do not know." Steinbeck strove to reconnect them, and it shows in his writing. Intermixed with the plot are corollary chapters. The purpose of the corollary chapters is to put the events of the story in perspective to the circumstances of the country, so everyone would be able to understand the context of the book. The corollary chapters tell little pieces of the "common story", the story held in common. They don't give specifics-they give generalities. The first chapter gives the background to all of the following events. Every-other chapter gives more background to the story. Whether a massive draught causes this migration of people from the Midwest, or all the families get told to get off of the land, or all the migrants are starving; the chapters tell how all of this happened.
The story is set in the early 20th century, immediately following the Depression and World War II. The characters live in Monterey, California amid the jumble of the sardine fisheries, the "Palace Flophouses", Lee Chong's grocery, Dora's whorehouse, and Doc's Biological Lab. Throughout the book, Steinbeck has the uncanny ability to combine his characters' everyday problems with the twist of a utopian style of living. The end result is a novel with a strange mixture of fantasy and reality, which insists that good fellowship and warm-heartedness are all that are needed to create a paradise anywhere on earth, even in the run-down Cannery Row.
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.
The daily struggle of the working class, fear of loneliness and the reality of putting all your energy into plans that fail are the different themes relating to John Steinbeck's novel, "Of Mice and Men". The characters depicted by the author are individuals who are constantly facing one obstacle after another. The book illustrates different conflicts such as man versus society, man versus man, man versus himself and idealism versus reality. The book's backdrop is set in the Salinas, California during the depression. The two main characters include two men, George and Lennie. Supportive characters include a few ranch hands, Candy, Crooks, Curly, Slim and Carlson.
The experiences that were most influential to Steinbeck were not at school, but instead came from his home and the countryside. He read his mother’s books, which included the titles
...ent most people, including him, were in. The Salinas Valley of California, with its fertile soil and beautiful landscapes, was the place that John Steinbeck called home. He developed a strong connection to nature, and in his books, describing the scene and nature was almost as important as the plot itself. John Steinbeck may have had inspiration from the people and the scenery around him during his adult years, but one of his key influences, in fact most people’s key influences, was his parents. His parents taught him a sense of community and involvement that rings in the background of all his novels. The things he experienced in his lifetime, from the nature of the Salinas Valley to the nurture his parents gave him, and the hardships faced by people around him during the Great Depression all contributed to the themes, motifs, characters, and settings of his novels.
The beginning of the novel reveals the Salinas River to be tranquil and peaceful. This becomes clearly evident when Steinbeck describes the "twinkling" water, hopping rabbits and the "deep and so crisp", recumbent leaves. By using this choice of vocabulary, Steinbeck is able to create a bright and joyful feel to the atmosphere. Furthermore, Steinbeck portrays the scene to be like the Garden of Eden but it seems to be too good to be true.
John Steinbeck’s use of figurative language and local color in Cannery Row, Sweet Thursday and Of Mice and Men show his growth as a writer and highlight the reoccurring theme of loneliness and ostracism. The time gap in between these books show that Steinbeck grows as he experiences more throughout his life. Steinbeck’s novels are always set in California due to his extensive knowledge of the area since he has lived in the area his entire life. In all of his works the characters use parts of speech and actions that are customary to that area.
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.
The first description gives the reader insight into Elisa’s life. Steinbeck describes the valley as being “closed off,” and a “pot.” scene This similar to the restrictions Elisa faces in her life. Elisa is closed off and sealed in by societal restrictions that stipulates what women can do and what they could not.