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How do writers in american literature portray the american dream
How do writers in american literature portray the american dream
How do writers in american literature portray the american dream
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Set in the farmlands of the Salinas Valley in California, "Of Mice And Men" is based on the 1930's Great Depression. This novel shows the struggle of two migrant workers, George Milton and Lennie Small in fulfilling the 'American dream'. The dream shared by many of owing "a little house and a couple of acres". From the onset of the novel, it becomes crystal clear that Lennie is heavily reliant on his companion, George. What's more, Steinbeck portrays the two by juxtaposing them to a father and son figure. In this assessment, I plan to clearly deconstruct and explore some of the ways Steinbeck leads up to George's final decision to shoot Lennie. 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. Through the first page, Steinbeck cleverly foreshadows the final chapter. Subsequently when the reader reaches the final chapter, they realise that the opening of chapter six repeats the onset of the novel. The image of the sun "climbing up to slopes of the Gabilan mountains" seems like the return to paradise. However, the reader soon realises that this paradise is lost. The snake that glides through the water without harm at the beginning, is "plucked " and "swallowed" by the "motionless heron" in chapter six. Via this event, Steinbeck foreshadows Lennie's upcoming death and symbolises the predatory nature of the world. In addition, by using the snake... ... middle of paper ... ...ing it himself. "I ought to have shot that dog myself". The regret of Candy makes George shoot his companion instead of leaving him to die in the hands of a stranger. The strangers being Curley or the other ranch workers. George repeats Carlson's way of shooting the dog. Right in the back of the head. The way in which "He won't even feel it". To conclude, throughout this assessment I have explored various ways in which Steinbeck leads up to George's final decision to shoot Lennie. Through techniques such as foreshadowing and symbolism, the author is able to reveal a variety of hints that lead up to George's inevitable decision. As the reader approaches the end of the journey, George's sorrow becomes clearly evident. However, ending the life of his companion was the only option left to allow Lennie to escape the death trap that laid ahead. "A guy got to sometimes".
There is a subtle undertone of the presence of destiny as well as hope and rebirth. Though the poem starts out almost eerie, by the end it seems as though the speaker has either grown into themselves or has begun a fresh start. Oliver uses many different metaphors in the poem such as comparing the speaker to a stick and making the swamp seem like a living thing. By using these metaphors combined with vivid imagery Oliver makes the swamp come to life and seem like something more than just a
Within four pages, Steinbeck greatly clarifies and expands upon his story by examining the different emotions and reactions of his general character groups. He takes two sides of an argument and applies them to a third body rather than pit them against each other. By mastering the use of the intercalary chapter, he is able enrich his story with deeper thought and explore it outside the boundaries of his main characters. In this manner, Steinbeck is able to write a four-page chapter which holds great meaning to a 581-page novel.
Steinbeck begins the chapter with the simple statement, "The spring is beautiful in California" (p. 346). The proceeding explanation of California’s springtime beauty evokes images of Eden and Paradise. Steinbeck describes the full green hills, fragrant valleys of fruit blossoms, the swelling tendrils of grapes, and mile-long rows of lettuce, cauliflower, and artichoke. The fertility of the land is explicitly conveyed by the sentence, "The full green hills are round and soft as breasts" (p. 346). "Round and soft" breasts bring to mind both the voluptuous figure of a fertility goddess, and the comfort and safety of a mother’s embrace. The images that Steinbeck puts down here portray California as an abundant Eden. Capable of providing for all of her children, just as a mother would.
Although Steinbeck parallels the characters to people in the Bible, he also has events that parallel, starting with their journey. During their long journey they are looking for their promised land, also known as California. This symbolizes the Israelites long journey into the promise land. Along their journey other bible related events happen as well. The Joads get to a cotton farm and the rain starts coming down very hard. It rains so much that the rain starts flooding the boxcar. Much like the biblical story of Noah and the Ark, the rain brings hope and new life. During this flood Rose of Sharon goes into labor. She soon has a baby that is supposed to change the world. The baby comes out stillborn. The Joad family asks Uncle John if he would bury the baby. Uncle John decides instead of burying the baby he will float it in a box down the river so the people can see what they are doing to human life and
William Faulkner overwhelms his audience with the visual perceptions that the characters experience, making the reader feel utterly attached to nature and using imagery how a human out of despair can make accusations. "If I jump off the porch I will be where the fish was, and it all cut up into a not-fish now. I can hear the bed and her face and them and I can...
The main one being that the novel has left the reader to make up their own mind. about the characters in their own time but the film has a limited amount of time to do this, introducing the characters quickly and. getting straight to the story. Also, the book was written by Steinbeck. but the film was not produced by him, therefore we are seeing two interpretations of the novel, he said.
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...
It is about mountains, river, trees, sun and animals and it is a nice place. In chapter two opening paragraph is about bunkhouse. It is about where the all workers slept on the ranch, where they kept their belongings and it is a dark, cold and horrible place. Steinbeck uses different colours to describe different places. In chapter one starting paragraph he uses nice colours to describe warm setting.
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...
Therefore, Oliver’s incorporation of imagery, setting, and mood to control the perspective of her own poem, as well as to further build the contrast she establishes through the speaker, serves a critical role in creating the lesson of the work. Oliver’s poem essentially gives the poet an ultimatum; either he can go to the “cave behind all that / jubilation” (10-11) produced by a waterfall to “drip with despair” (14) without disturbing the world with his misery, or, instead, he can mimic the thrush who sings its poetry from a “green branch” (15) on which the “passing foil of the water” (16) gently brushes its feathers. The contrast between these two images is quite pronounced, and the intention of such description is to persuade the audience by setting their mood towards the two poets to match that of the speaker. The most apparent difference between these two depictions is the gracelessness of the first versus the gracefulness of the second. Within the poem’s content, the setting has been skillfully intertwined with both imagery and mood to create an understanding of the two poets, whose surroundings characterize them. The poet stands alone in a cave “to cry aloud for [his] / mistakes” while the thrush shares its beautiful and lovely music with the world (1-2). As such, the overall function of these three elements within the poem is to portray the
Steinbeck wrote “He pulled the trigger. The crash of the shot rolled up the hills and rolled back down again.” (P.147) this scene is suggesting that Lennie’s death had a big impact but then there was silence as in the end, nothing has changed. However at the same time, we also feel sympathy for George because as he is now alone, the theme also help to make the ending so influential. In conclusion, the combination of these reasons made the ending so shocking and heart breaking. Leaving the readers a memorable and though-provoking
This shift in the tone provides for a great switch to a new device. Oliver uses personification to show the possibility the swamp offers, “a bough that still, after all these years could take root, sprout, branch out, bud – make of its life a breathing palace of leaves (lines 31-36).” Beforehand, Oliver talks about a stick given one more chance. She discusses the start of the stick as if the stick were a child going through the stages of life. The description and personification leaves the reader with a sense of hope when encountered by the chaotic nature of the
Written in 1937, Of Mice and Men, by John Adolf Steinbeck Jr., American author and Pulitzer Prize winner, follows the lives of downtrodden farmhands, George and Lennie. As with many of Steinbeck's books, the themes in Of Mice and Men include his favored themes of class warfare and oppression of the working class. Steinbeck also focuses his literature on the power of friendship and the corrupt nature of mankind. In 1993, Professor Thomas Scarseth wrote a critical analysis of the novella analyzing many aspects of Steinbeck’s work including the presentation, themes, and writing style. In his essay, Scarseth explains the key themes of the Novella. He noted that the corrupted nature of man, the injustice of life, and the power of friendship were three important themes of the book. Much of Scarseth’s analysis contained numerous thoughtful insights. Were his insights and opinions valid, or were his, and Steinbeck’s, perspectives on these issues flawed?
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.