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Steinbeck's techniques of mice and men
Analysis of John Steinbeck
Critiques on steinbecks of mice and men pros and cons of the book
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"Of mice and men"
The novel, "Of mice and men" by John Steinbeck is a sensational story about two men by name of Lennie and George who work on the farmlands of California. The story begins by showing the reader how Lennie; a grown man with the strength of four men, suffers from a mental disability and how his childhood friend George, helps and teaches him while they try to build up for their ultimate dream.
Men in their situation work from farm to farm for months at a time and spend they checks as fast as they get them. George and Lennie were once like them until they both set out a plan for a better life. They were to get a piece of the America dream by getting their own little piece of land with their own little shack. Lennie would grow with delight when George would tell the story of their land. He knew the story by heart but loved when George would say it. George often grew tired and frustrated with Lennie and say mean things like "You crazy son-of-a-bitch. You keep me in hot water all the time." (p.11) that would hurt any mans feelings, but Lennie with the mind of a four-year-old would easy cry and suggest how he should just leave and live in the hills. George knew Lennie couldn't survive in the hills by his self and would try to calm him down with the story of their own land. He would begin the story and tell it like he already seen it and been there and can still see it in his memories. Lennie just loved when George would tell him about the rabbits.
In the story the author reveals the childhood of Lennie. When he was a kid his Aunt Clara would give him live mice and he would pet them and pet them until he snapped their neck and they died. He never might to snap their necks. He grew up to love soft things and loved to pet them. George saw how he killed mice to easy and decided that when they got their own land he would give Lennie his own rabbit farm. George thought that he couldn't kill a big rabbit as easy as he did with mice. Lennie was too strong for his own good, which led himself and George into some trouble.
Before the two men reached Curley's dad's farm, Lennie had gotten into some horrible trouble with a young lady.
George and Lennie were lifelong friends and had varying personalities even from the start. Lennie thought about how his Aunt Clara said he should have been more like George. At the time when the story took place, the two men were travelling together, and had been for some time, working and then moving on to search for the next job they could find. They were like many other men in search for work, except it was rare for men to travel together. George felt a need to take care of Lennie because he was somewhat slow. George was an average man of the time. He was a good size, nice, but firm, and he had aspirations to be more than just a nomadic laborer. Lennie, on the other hand, had always been a little different. He was big, goofy, clumsy, but sweet. They were also both good workers. George was concerned with working and getting his money before they got into trouble and had to leave camp. Lennie was the one who normally started the trouble. He was a hard worker and lived to appease George, but he got distracted easily which angered George. George told about how they would own a house and a farm together and work for themselves. Lennie loved to hear the story and think about the possibilities, even though nobody knew if any of it was a possibility. George and Lennie's differences in part led to George's inclination to kill Lennie. Despite their dissimilarity, the two men needed each other probably more than they realized.
A friendship is not all they have together, Lennie and George have dreams. Lennie and George have worked up the idea of owning their own piece of land together. Lennie wants to tend the rabbits (Steinbeck 11) and George just wants to be his own boss (Steinbeck 14). The only problem with their dream is that it is unrealistic. They cannot buy land to tend and just go days without tending it because they do not want to. Like many traveling farm hands during the 1930s, George and Lennie think they could work up enough money to buy their own place and not give a “hoot” about anyone but their selves. Although their dream is unattaina...
Lennie dreams of living on a wide open ranch with George where he tends to the fluffy little rabbits he loves so much. Nevertheless, Lennie sadly never reaches his ultimate goal as his flaw finally becomes his fatal flaw. Lennie kills Curley 's wife by shaking her so hard that her neck breaks. He does not kill her on purpose but Lennie does not know his own strength. He is only shaking her like that because he wants her to stop yelling.
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.
Loneliness and Companionship are one of the many themes that are conveyed in the novel Of Mice and Men, By John Steinbeck. Many of the characters admit to suffering from loneliness within the texts. George sets the tone for these confessions early in the novel when he reminds Lennie that the life of living on a ranch is among the loneliest of lives. However Lennie, who is mentally disabled holds the idea that living on a farm very high. "Tending the rabbits" is what Lennie calls it. Often when Lennie is seaking encouragement he askes George to tell him how its going to be. Men like George who migrate from farm to farm rarely have anyone to look to for companionship and protection. George obviously cares a lot for lennie, but is too stubborn to admit to it. The feeling of being shipped from place to place leaves George feeling alone and abandoned.
“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
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.
I have been analysing the novella ‘Of Mice and men’ by John Steinbeck, which was published in 1937. Steinbeck wrote the novel based on his own experiences as a bindle stiff in the 1920’s, around the same time when the great Wall Street crash happened, causing an immense depression in America. Throughout the novel he uses a recurring theme of loneliness in his writing, which may have reflected his own experiences at this time. This is evident in his writing by the way he describes the characters, setting and language in the novel.
Lennie accidentally killing all of his pets establishes that the theme of this novel is death and loss. These pets consist of mice, dogs, kittens, etc. Lennie loves to feel and pet animals, but he does not know his own strength. He kills them without really noticing what he has done, until George tells him that he did something wrong. After being scolded, Lennie is very remorseful about what he did. Once, after being yelled at Lennie says, “I pinched their heads a little and then they was dead- because they were so little (13).” Lennie’s remorse is probably more for upsetting George than it is for actually killing the animal.
images he leaves the reader with is George and Slim walking off as Curly says “ Now
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.
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?
Set in the early 1920s in california George and Lennie are the main characters in the novel Of Mice Of Men. George is a small independent man who has a dream of owning his own ranch. Lennie is a big guy who doesn't know what he's doing without George by his side. Lennie realize on George for survival but George is independent and can survive on his own. But in the end George is forced to kill Lennie . In the novel Of Mice Of Men George does the right thing by killing His best friend Lennie.
Finding money or a job to earn a living was not easy. People have to work really hard. In the story, George is a part of that tough time, and he is frustrated with Lennie because, as George complains, “You can’t keep a job and you lose me eve’ job I get. Jus’ keep me shovin’ all over the country all the time” (11). A child would not understand the importance of working, and since Lennie does not understand, that makes him as naïve as a child is. People that time had to work so hard to make just enough money for them to live. “… Tomorra’ we’re gonna go to work,” George announced, “I seen thrasin’ machines on the way down. That means we’ll be bucking grain bags, bustin’ a gut” (8). It was not easy and doing field work in a barn under the hot blazing sun was a common occupation. People had to adapt to the circumstances. They could not pretend like they are living in their own happy little
Already having a bigger frame than the average man, Lennie does most things to the extreme, and attempting to further and protect his dream is no exception. Lennie dreams of comfort and his interpretations of comfort are rabbits. He aims to tend rabbits on a farm he and his friend George will own. Lennie is a very passionate man that is willing to do anything to secure his dreams. Readers are first introduced to this idea when Lennie says “you just let ‘em try to get the rabbits, I break their God damn necks I’ll…… I’ll smash ‘em with a stick “ (Steinbeck 57). In his own words, Lennie states what he is capable of and even willing to do to anything that stands between him and his dream. In that moment Lennie is acknowledging the fact that he might have to hurt people in order to protect his rabbits, intern his dream. Not only will Lennie go to extreme lengths in the name of his dreams but he even knows