Migrant Workers in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

715 Words2 Pages

Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, follows the story of two migrant workers named George and Lennie. George takes care of Lennie because he is a little slow and can't take care of himself. Although George gets irritated by all the stupid things Lennie does sometimes, he can't stay mad at him. Lennie is a lovable character because he'll blindly do anything George tells him to do, but he'll get into trouble sometimes by being forgetful. Despite Lennie's mental disabilities, he is an extremely muscular six foot giant. What he lacks in brains he makes up for in muscle. Not much is found out about Lennie's feelings or beliefs other than he loves to pet soft furry animals.

The impatient, grouchy George seems like he would be the wrong person to be taking care of Lennie with a harsh personality, but he is devoted to taking care of Lennie and protecting him. George is focused on reality, but he dreams of a place where he and Lennie can live freely and live off there own land not being accountable to another possessor. He talks about his dreams with Lennie frequently and talks about they will have a farm with pet rabbits and Lennie can pet the rabbits all day.

George and Lennie were on the run and in need of work. They had a job on a farm already, but Lennie got into trouble by grabbing a ladies dress. The lady accused Lennie of rape even though Lennie meant no harm. Fearing they would be lynched, George and Lennie ran westward looking for work. They found a job bucking barley at a farm far away from they previous one, and are hired because of Lennie's incredible strength and ability to buck barley quickly. They quickly met some other workers they would be living with. Candy, an old handyman who lost one of his hands. ...

... middle of paper ...

...andy is a old handyman who lost a hand). Candy owned an old sheepdog that was week and feeble. No one on the ranch liked the dog because it never clean and smelt terrible. Candy refused to put down the dog do to sentimental reasons, but the others pleaded just to let them take the dog out and put him down. One of the men convinces Candy that putting down the dog is humane, plus the dog isn't good for Candy's health anyway. Candy reluctantly complies and sits inside while the man takes the dog out to shoot it. Many similarities are observable with the death of Lennie and the death of Candy's dog.

Of Mice and Men was written because Steinbeck wanted to show the reality of the great depression. He wanted to show how people had to make tough decisions to survive in a cruel world. He does a great job of showing the future about life during the depression in his novel.

Themes in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men
1108 Words | 3 Pages
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.
Read More
Symbiosis between George and Lennie in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men
589 Words | 2 Pages
George and Lennie need each other to achieve their dream of their own farm with rabbits to tend. Lennie could not take care of his rabbits or even survive without George.
Read More
Theme Of Murder In Of Mice And Men
2516 Words | 6 Pages
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck is of two men who care for each other very deeply. They have their financial struggles and one partner with mental disabilities. They battle their hardships together, but when Lennie, the mentally disabled, makes a mistake and kills someone, it forces George to have to take away Lennie’s life. Critics believe George Milton committed cold-blooded murder when he killed his close companion, Lennie Small; I disagree and believe George’s heroic journey instead lead him to the mercy killing of Lennie.
Read More
Of Mice and Men Exposes the Lives of Migrant Workers in 1930s America
1543 Words | 4 Pages
The story is set on a ranch, where the two men eventually find work at
Read More
Essay On The American Dream In Of Mice And Men
1402 Words | 3 Pages
To begin, Lennie has this big dream of George and him living on their own land, being their own bosses, and tending to his own rabbits. Lennie’s major obstacle in achieving his dream is that he is slower than most people for his age. Lennie acts like a child making George the responsible adult. Lennie also listens to whatever George says because Lennie looks up to George almost like he is his brother. Lennie also has a tendency to forget what he is told:
Read More
Migrant Workers In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
299 Words | 1 Pages
In Of Mice and Men, George and Lenny are migrant workers in an area where they aren’t taken seriously. This is because other migrant workers that came around the farm wasted their monthly pay on drinking and gambling. George and Lenny have different plans though, they want a permanent home to live on, instead of traveling around to find work and leaving once Lenny screws up. They are treated like the drinking and gambling migrant workers throughout the book, because that’s exactly what those other workers had on their minds. During the Great Depression, this was what many had on their minds, but they could never get it because they couldn’t find work, or the work they found didn’t pay well enough. Perhaps, in the book, some migrant workers
Read More
Of Mice And Men
612 Words | 2 Pages
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.
Read More
Compare And Contrast George And Lennie In Of Mice And Men
1246 Words | 3 Pages
“Of Mice and Men”, by John Steinbeck is a novel about the hardships of life and the importance of having other people around. The story is of two men trying to survive with one another in a world full of loneliness; their relationship is quite rare and strange. Lennie, a large bear, has a mental disability which causes him to be in a childlike state. George, a much smaller and more competent man takes care of both of them. Although they work for others on ranches, their dream is to get by on their own and live off the land. However, Lennie’s state causes conflict as they travel from job to job. Steinbeck uses clever ways in his novel to develop his theme and characters as the story progresses; both of these elements also help create a large
Read More
Litearry Analysis
722 Words | 2 Pages
The classic novel Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck has resonated with readers for generations. Steinbeck’s poignant use of literary elements highlight the negative aspects of the human condition. His use of foreshadowing, imagery, and symbolism assist in outlining these issues.
Read More
Lennie's Struggles In Of Mice And Men
343 Words | 1 Pages
John Steinbeck wrote a story about two men that only had each to depend on. Many of George and Lennie's struggles come from things they cannot control such as Lennie's mental issues. George and Lennie are very poor and they work on farms together, but they have to move a lot because Lennie always does something stupid. The greatest tragedy in Mice and Men was when Lennie was left alone with Curley's wife. She was the reason why Lennie ended up being killed. She knew of to manipulate others to get her way and that is what she relies on most of the time.
Read More
Of Mice and Men
2756 Words | 6 Pages
Of Mice and Men is a novel written by John Steinbeck. It is set in California during the great depression. The story follows two ranch hands who travel together and are very poor. Throughout the novel we witness many different philosophical references. Many different types of characters from this novel are reused in today’s society. Steinbeck also writes eloquently about the many different emotions, aspirations, and dreams of man.
Read More
John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men
1096 Words | 3 Pages
Ever since Lennie’s Aunt Clara died, George had to look after him because Lennie cannot look after himself (Steinbeck). Lennie accidentally scared a girl and he and George had to leave Weed, and they had to go get new jobs (Attell). George gets angry at Lennie for accidentally getting them in trouble and says he should leave and how easier his life would be without Lennie (Hart). He then tells Lennie that he did not mean what he said and would not leave him (Hart).
Read More
Of Mice And Men - The Importance Of George
1823 Words | 4 Pages
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.
Read More
The Character of Lennie in Of Mice and Men
664 Words | 2 Pages
In my opinion, Lennie Small is the most interesting character in Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck does a very good job describing and characterizing Lennie's personality. Lennie's character is, indeed, quite unique. A large man with enormous strength, yet kind and childlike, he seems to find joy in simple life pleasures like petting a furry animal and making the water ripple. Lennie's greatest difficulty seems to be remembering; and it is the lack of the ability to remember that ultimately leads to his tragedy at the end of the book. In the novel, Steinbeck seems to reinforce Lennie's characteristics of strength, kindness, childlike manner, and somewhat animal-like personality. In this paper, I will focus on these characteristics.
Read More
Of Mice And Men Book Report
1506 Words | 4 Pages
1.) George- A small man who travels with, and takes care of, Lennie. He frequently talks about how much better his life would be without having Lennie to take care of. George's behavior is motivated by the desire to protect Lennie and, eventually, he wants to lead them both to the farm of their dreams.
Read More

Open Document

Wait a second!

Migrant Workers in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Themes in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men

Symbiosis between George and Lennie in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

Theme Of Murder In Of Mice And Men

Of Mice and Men Exposes the Lives of Migrant Workers in 1930s America

Essay On The American Dream In Of Mice And Men

Migrant Workers In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Of Mice And Men

Compare And Contrast George And Lennie In Of Mice And Men

Litearry Analysis

Lennie's Struggles In Of Mice And Men

Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

Of Mice And Men - The Importance Of George

The Character of Lennie in Of Mice and Men

Of Mice And Men Book Report

More about Migrant Workers in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck