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Symbolism of mice and men
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Of Mice and Men
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A few months ago I read Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. This novella chronicles the journeys of two migrant workers, George and Lennie, who find jobs at a farm in California. They work to fulfill their dream of owning a ranch in the countryside. Their aspirations were put to an abrupt stop when George shot Lennie, a simple minded man and his best friend to spare him from a brutal lynching. George’s decision to save his best friend by killing him shocks me.
“Lennie turned his head and looked off cross the pool and up the darkening slopes of the Gabilans. ‘We gonna get a little place.’ George began. He reached in his side pocket and brought out Carlson’s Luger; he snapped off the safety and the hand and gun lay on the ground behind Lennie’s back” (Steinbeck)
This passage in the novella especially shocks me. In this passage, George and Lennie have conversation about life on their future ranch. While George is holding on to Lennie’s last words, he is pointing a gun to his back. I believe this powerful scene illustrates courage and strength in humanity. George knew in a matter of ...
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Of Mice and Men QQTT
717 Words | 2 PagesGeorge 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.
Of Mice And Men
369 Words | 1 PagesShould George have shot his friend Lennie? George probably did the right thing by shooting Lennie. How can we condemn George for sparing his friend Lennie the pain and fear of being killed by someone else? He did something society sees as wrong, but he did it for a good reason. Lennie didn’t deserve to die, but there was no other alternative. Curley wanted to kill Lennie, and since George cared for Lennie, he figured the best thing would be for him to put Lennie out of his misery.
Decisions In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
913 Words | 2 PagesAs we journey through life, we must make difficult decisions, even when few options exist and the situation is grim. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the decision George faces after Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife is complicated, as none of his choices are good. The importance of his relationship with Lennie forces George to look at the big picture and act in Lennie’s best interests, even though the action he must finally take will result in a weight that he will carry forever.
How Does Steinbeck Make Difficult Decisions In Of Mice And Men
600 Words | 2 PagesThat ain’t no good, George.’”(Steinbeck 97). Because Lennie killed Curley’s wife, he committed a felony. George wanted Lennie to be thrown in jail at first. He wanted Lennie to be arrested because he thought it was the best thing for Lennie but then Slim told him it would not be good for Lennie. It would be bad for Lennie because Lennie would not understand his rights because he’s mentally challenged and locking him up in a cage would just hurt Lennie. George then realized he needed to kill Lennie so nobody would mistreat him. George is protecting others from Lennie.”’Lennie-if you jus’ happen to get in trouble like you always done before…’”(Steinbeck 15). George has been with Lennie for many years and he knows how Lennie will never learn and he will keep committing bad stuff. George knew something was going to happen at the ranch because Lennie has always done something wrong. George tried to prevent something from going wrong but he couldn’t. As a result he had to put down Lennie so he would not hurt anyone ever again. George felt the hard choice of killing Lennie was the right decision for George because Curley wanted to get his revenge, Lennie would be mistreated in prison and he was
Why Is Lennie Wrong
690 Words | 2 PagesGeorge realizes in the end of the book Lennie has done too much harm and needs to essentially go away. George then shoots Lennie in the back of the head because Lennie couldn't live on his own if he were to run away from Curly and the rest of the gang of workers coming after him. George did the right thing
Of Mice And Men
904 Words | 2 PagesDisappointment is someone being sad or mad about something they have done or failed to do. Disappointment can be caused by other people’s actions. In the book “Of Mice And Men” by John Steinbeck, the characters of Crooks, Candy, and Curly’s wife all suffer from disappointment of life. Crooks suffer from disappointment from how nobody wants to play or talk to him just because he is black. Also Curly’s Wife suffers because women don’t have that much of rights so she gets treated badly. Candy gets also treated badly because he is old and only has one hand to use so he can’t do that much work. All of the people in the book get treated badly because the book “Of Mice and Men” is made during the time period that the great depression was so there wasn’t that much of rights towards women and black people.
Of Mice And Men
612 Words | 2 PagesIn 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.
Of Mice And Men
1098 Words | 3 PagesThe 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.
Of Mice and Men
1567 Words | 4 PagesI 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.
Of Mice of Men
492 Words | 1 PagesThe novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is about two ranch hands, George and Lennie. George is a small, smart-witted man, while Lennie is a large, mentally- handicapped man. They are trying to raise enough money to buy their own ranch, by working as ranch hands. During the setting of the story, they are at a ranch whose owner’s name is Curley. It is in this setting that the novel reveals that the main theme is death and loss.
Of Mice And Men
1578 Words | 4 Pagesimages he leaves the reader with is George and Slim walking off as Curly says “ Now
Of Mice And Men: Comparing The Movie And The Book
418 Words | 1 PagesThe movie of Of Mice and Men had many differences while still giving the same message that the book was portrayed to have. One of the major differences was that Candy never came into the room when Lennie and Crooks were talking to each other. This was major because Crooks never found out that the plan was true about the little house. In the book after he heard Candy talk about it he wanted to get in on the deal. Also the movie it never showed Lennie have his illusions of his Aunt Carla and the rabbits when he was waiting by the pond.
Relationship Between George And Lennie In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
528 Words | 2 PagesThe story ends when George shoots Lennie in the back of the head. Right before shooting him he has Lennie reminisce about their future farm with the rabbits. This happens after Lennie unintentionally breaks Curley’s wife’s neck leaving her in the farm dead. “And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck” (P.91) this was insinuating she has died, this was after Lennie shook her. After killing her Lennie attempts to hide her body then runs into the woods. The rest of the guys find out and find a shaken George “George shivered and looked at the gun, and then he threw it away from him”
Of Mice And Men Curley's Wife Symbol Analysis
880 Words | 2 PagesIn the beginning of the story, George and Lennie are talking about going to find a job. George symbolizes a sense of being a big brother or caretaker towards Lennie. The text says, “ O.K., said George. An’ you ain’t gonna do no bad things like you done in Weed, neither. … Like I done in Weed? Oh, so ya forgot that too, did ya? Well, I ain’t gonna remind ya, fear ya do it again” (Steinbeck 7). This quote is showing a big brother sense that is coming from George. George is telling Lennie this stuff to protect him and make sure that things will not go wrong while they are out looking for a job. This symbolization is important in the story because it shows you who George is as a person and how much he really does care about Lennie. George also symbolizes sympathy. In the end of the story, George is about to pursue an act that saves Lennie from the worse that was coming for him. The text says, “And George raised the gun and steadied it to, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head. The hand shook violently, … He pulled the trigger” (Steinbeck 106) This quote shows that George shot Lennie. George pursed this act because he knew that if he didn’t do it then Lennie would’ve had to suffer what was coming for him. He had sympathy for Lennie and didn’t wanna have to watch Lennie suffer. This is important in the story because you see the character George is even at the end of the story. To
Friendship, Dreams, and the Conflict in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men
1624 Words | 4 PagesLennie even knows that when he says “I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you (Steinbeck).” Lennie also tries to act like George sometimes because he looks up to George. In the book it says “He pulls his hat down more over his eyes the way George’s hat was (Steinbeck).” The relationship is shown to by Steinbeck as he shows the way George and Lennie work together. George tells Lennie “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They belong no place…they ain’t got nothing to look ahead to” (Steinbeck). Steinbeck tries to show ho...
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