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?
Scarseth argues that “Readers may object to the book’s presentation of low class characters, vulgar language, scenes suggestive of improper sexual conduct, and an implied criticism of the social system. . . Furthermore, these features are necessary in the book.” Scarseth continues to argue that they are “accurate, precise reporting,” because they represented the time, place and environment of the era in which the novella was penned. Written in 1937, Of Mice and Men is the story of two migrant workers who came to California to fulfill their dreams. While the intentions of these two men seemed noble, they were unable to achieve the goal of purchasing land for a myriad of reasons. The first and most difficult challenge they faced was the effect of The Great Depression. Like many of...
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...e most powerful force in human society. The friendship between George and Lennie gave them the hope to persevere through the most depressing circumstances. Steinbeck’s Idea that society and the injustice of life, specifically in America, is against the working man is extremely pessimistic. This is repeated throughout many his works, from his novella, The Pearl to The Grapes of Wrath. The idea is stated more succinctly by Scarseth, “We all deserve better than we get.” While much of Scarseth’s analysis of Of Mice and Men, accurately examined the Steinbeck’s themes of friendship and the fallen character and nature of man, Scarseth’s and Steinbeck’s view of the injustice of life is simply wrong. “We all deserve better than we get” screams of the Marxist, socialist view that somehow we “deserve” more. The statement begs this question, what better do we all deserve?
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes john adolf steinbeck jr.'s of mice and men, which follows the lives of downtrodden farmhands, george and lennie. professor scarseth wrote a critical analysis of the novella.
- Analyzes how scarseth argues that readers may object to the book's presentation of low class characters, vulgar language, scenes suggestive of improper sexual conduct, and an implied criticism of the social system.
- Analyzes how steinbeck develops the powerful theme of strong friendships in of mice and men.
- Analyzes how scarseth and steinbeck agree on the views expressed in of mice and men.
- Analyzes how scarseth's assessment of the injustice of life in of mice and men is correct, but the overall premise that "we all deserve better than what we get" is pessimistic.
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- Of Mice And Menanalytical essayThe 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.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how john steinbeck's "of mice and men" depicts the daily struggle of the working class, fear of loneliness, and the reality of putting all your energy into plans that fail.
- Analyzes how emphasis is placed on the daily struggles endured on a daily basis by the middle-class. george and lennie worry about having enough money to survive, for shelter, and for clothing.
- Analyzes how the middle-class illustrates the problems they face when dreams of a better life are short-lived due to the reality of circumstances encountered and the depression.
- Explains that was born in salinas, california, during the great depression. the story begins in weed, a mining town.
- Narrates the plot of the novel, which begins with george and lennie getting off the bus from weed and making the rest of their journey by foot to the ranch where they will begin work.
- Narrates how the three men make a pact not to let anybody else know about the incident.
- Opines that the novel should be recommended for those who enjoy reading about the pursuit of dreams and the obstacles that must be overcome to make those dreams reality.
1098 wordsRead More - Censorship of Booksanalytical essayOf Mice and Men is considered one of the most renowned masterpieces of John Steinbeck. This novella depicts a complicated yet powerful fraternity between George Milton and Lennie Small by unfolding a tragic consequence of their untouchable dream. As the story progresses, Steinbeck tries to convey his notions about the harsh realities of migrant laborers by disclosing his haunting themes of human nature. Thus, Of Mice and Men paints John Steinbeck’s view of a lonely and arduous world, reflecting the author’s biographical aspects and the historical events that occurred during his period.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that many great works of literature were censored due to specific reasons regarding the highly sensible issues of the society.
- Explains that of mice and men is considered one of the most renowned masterpieces of john steinbeck. the novella depicts a complicated yet powerful fraternity between george milton and lennie small.
- Analyzes how john steinbeck's of mice and men is considered a literary document of history.
- Analyzes how mark twain's the adventures of huckleberry finn is about a coming of age of the protagonist, huck finn.
- Opines that mark twain's novel is one of the best educational novels in american literature.
- Explains that the use of the "n"-word arose many controversial opinions among the educators. they decided to either ban this book or take out all those offensive words from the books.
- Analyzes how huckleberry finn's vivid and crude portrayal of society is criticized, while of mice and men is refuted for its profanity. george kills lennie to lessen his sufferings.
- Opines that every author has a right to include the truthful account. nobody can prevent s from publishing their arts just because their books portray and touch some of those sensible and forbidden topics of history.
730 wordsRead More - Themes of Loyalty and Devotion in “Of Mice and Men”analytical essay“Of Mice and Men” is a 1930’s novella written by the American, John Steinbeck. It is a tale not only of isolation and loneliness, violence, dreams, and the competitive urge to dominate others, but also a tale of the journey of true companionship. True companionship is emphasized by indescribable loyalty and extreme devotion between two men, George and Lennie, during the hardships of the Great Depression. The story takes place south of Soledad, California during the 1930s and is told from the perspective of a third-person omniscient narrator. The story’s genre is fiction and tragedy; a tragedy so well crafted by John Steinbeck, that the conclusion leaves the reader questioning the inherent contradictions in both loyalty and devotion. George shows extreme devotion and loyalty to Lennie, serving as Lennie’s “guardian angel” – sticking up for him and staying with him in difficult situations, which eventually leads to heartbreaking sacrifices.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how "of mice and men" is a 1930's novella written by john steinbeck. true companionship is highlighted by indescribable loyalty and extreme devotion between george and lennie during the hardships of the great depression.
- Analyzes how george shows extreme devotion and loyalty to lennie by serving as his "guardian angel".
- Analyzes how george shows extreme devotion and loyalty to lennie by sticking up for him and staying with him throughout the dilemmas.
- Analyzes how george shows extreme devotion and loyalty to lennie which eventually leads to heartbreaking sacrifices.
- Analyzes how george chooses to sacrifice his dream of a farm in order to save lennie from the mob.
- Analyzes how steinbeck's "of mice and men" shows the devotion of lennie towards george, and the loyalty of george towards him.
807 wordsRead More - Of Mice and Menanalytical essayOf 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.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes john steinbeck's of mice and men, which is set in california during the great depression.
- Analyzes how steinbeck's novel, "to a mouse," shows comparisons to robert burn’s poem. the mouse has no control over what could happen to it based on its condition.
- Explains that steinbeck's "something that happened" was originally intended to be a children’s book. however, it was complex and adult themed.
- Analyzes robert burn's poem about how the plans and ideas of man can and do often go astray. this inspired the theme and title of steinbeck’s book.
- Explains that steinbeck got the inspiration to write this book in the summer of 1922 through his experience at spreckels sugar company ranch.
- Analyzes how steinbeck rearranged the situation and innocence to fit the story to create a different thought and impact on readers.
- Explains that steinbeck was originally against turning his book into any other form of entertainment. he eventually gave in and allowed a play to be made which turned into quite an success.
- Analyzes the differences between the book and the play. the play showed curley's wife to be a much more interesting character with which the audience would sympathize.
- Analyzes how of mice and men blends social criticism with an ill fate that will inevitably cause a downfall.
- Analyzes how scarseth's book is tame because of its accurate depiction of the time period. it shows that not all people are bad, and no one person is all good.
- Analyzes how steinbeck originally wrote the book with the dialogue of the characters to be the pure content, but after this failed, he added the narration.
- Analyzes how scarseth's writing style is clear and uses simple words to describe the characters' emotions, views, and statements.
- Analyzes how the dialogue of a side character, "now what the hell ya suppose is eatin' them two guys?" is false. while slim can heal george's pain, it won't last.
- Analyzes how steinbeck's novel, and reality, was during the great depression. george and lennie lived with the bare essentials.
- Analyzes how george and lennie share a dream of living off the fat of the land. they plan on having their own farm and running it together, saving all of their money and hoping for the opportunity to use it.
- Analyzes how the dreams and aspirations in the book, play, and movie emphasize the dream that george and lennie have. they care and love for each other as brothers would.
- Analyzes how george and lennie share their dream with each other based on the fact that they consider themselves to be family.
- Opines that it is not evident whether john steinbeck consciously included fate in his book. the best example is when george is forced to kill lennie, along with their dream.
- Compares george and lennie's dream of creating their own utopian paradise on earth with the american dream, which keeps them alive by giving them something to live for.
- Analyzes how george and lennie stick together despite their differences and against all odds. they share a noble dream and try with all their might to keep it alive.
- Analyzes how of mice and men contains many upsetting and sad features of man-kind, but does not advocate them. it shows that even though we face hardships and troubled times in our lives it gives us something to overcome.
- Analyzes how the characters in cardullo's novel are realistic depictions of how humans can behave. george is small and uses his intelligence to achieve what he needs and wants, while lennie is unintelligent and physically dominant.
- Analyzes how steinbeck wanted readers to read the story and feel the importance of brotherhood.
- Analyzes how slim is a secondary character that is god-like throughout the book. he's portrayed as the cool guy who everyone respects and admires.
- Analyzes how curley is the bosses' son and the closest thing this book has to a villain.
- Analyzes how steinbeck put curley's wife in the book for the sole purpose of lennie’s demise. she is promiscuous, flirtatious, and has no attraction or sincere emotions for each other.
- Analyzes how candy is the only character in the book that would be considered a mental equal to lennie. he is unintelligent and unable to do much of the work on the ranch.
- Analyzes how steinbeck wanted the readers to see a human side to all of these characters in many ways throughout the book.
- Opines that john steinbeck's of mice and men is an amazing book that shows his philosophies and themes. the character analysis perfectly describes the emotion and human nature of all people.
- Explains that attell, kevin, and cliff lewis, "growth of the family in steinbeck's the grapes of wrath."
- Explains that cardullo, bert, "on the road to tragedy: mice, candy, and land" in american drama 16.1 (2007): 19+.
- Describes the literature resources from gale, including leaf, jonathan, and reith, duncan.
- Explains scarseth's book, "a teachable good book: of mice and men." censored books: critical viewpoints.
- Describes twayne's masterwork studies 147 and literature resources from gale.
2756 wordsRead More - Of Mice And Menanalytical essayIn 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.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how john steinbeck brings out the themes of lonliness and companionship through the actions, and quotes of the characters. irony and foreshadowing play a large roll on how the story ends.
- Analyzes how loneliness and companionship are one of the many themes conveyed in the novel of mice and men, by john steinbeck.
- Analyzes how steinbeck explores different types of strength and weakness throughout the novel.
- Analyzes how john steinbeck's of mice and men, by john stienbeck, is a novel full of motifs, themes, and irony. he sets up the entire novel from the beginning to foreshadow the end.
612 wordsRead More - Analysis of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Menanalytical essaySteinbeck's ‘Of Mice and Men’ is a novel about people, their dreams, relationships and disappointments. The characters are diverse and represent a cross section of society during the American Depression of the 1930's. The novel is set in Steinbeck's birthplace of Salinas Valley, California, and it is at the ranch where he grew up that we meet the majority of characters. There are three specific locations in the novel where most of the story unfolds, these are; the banks of the Salinas River, the bunkhouse and the barn. ‘Of Mice and Men’ has a number of central themes evident in the novel such as loneliness; hope and the American Dream, and the strength and importance of friendships. These themes are pivotal to the characters’ development and behaviour with each other in the novel.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that it is a glimmer of hope when he is at his lowest and most.
- Analyzes how candy’s dog is so damn old in candy's line.
- Explains how crooks received the name crookeds, as he has a crooky back.
- Opines that a lot of the novel is devoted to him.
- Explains that farm refers to her as a ‘tramp’, ‘tart,’ and ‘loo
- Analyzes how she tempts the men and is seen as a teasing act.
- Explains that she is seen by the men as a temptress, which turns them on the farm.
- Narrates how she talks to some of the workers on the farm.
- Opines that murders her you see her in a different light, as when she is in peace.
- Narrates how they got to talk to lennie and are no longer lonely, and her only escape was to escape.
- Opines that lennie is a misfit from the start of the novel.
- Analyzes the character of the child trapped in a man's body.
- Narrates how lennie felt he fit in better in nature.
- Describes fantasy as, ‘every damn one of ’em’s got a little piece of land in his.
- Analyzes how he saves him from a merciless death by killing him and saving him.
- Analyzes how steinbeck's 'of mice and men' is a novel about people, their dreams, relationships, and disappointments during the american depression of the 1930s.
- Explains candy is the oldest worker on the ranch and is dogged by the fear that he will lose his job, be ‘canned’, due to his age.
- Analyzes how a man has hope for the future when he hears about the dream and at the end feels emptiness. he has no future to look forward to.
2016 wordsRead More - Analysis Of Of Mice And Menanalytical essayOf Mice and Men is a novel by John Steinbeck. This book is an analogy about what it means to be a human. George and Lennie share the ambition to own their own ranch, but they encounter obstacles that stand in the way. Ironically, Lennie will become the greatest obstacle in them achieving their dream. This novel was first published in 1937, which is one of the most important aspects of the book. The reason why it is one of the most important aspects of the book is because one result of the Great Depression was a lack of steady jobs, which increased the amount of nomadic workers. When Steinbeck wrote this novel, ranch hands were beginning to be replaced by machinery and their way of life was disappearing fast.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that of mice and men is an analogy about what it means to be a human. george and lennie share the ambition to own their own ranch, but encounter obstacles that stand in the way.
- Analyzes the four major settings of of mice and men: the clearing by the pond, the bunkhouse, crook's room, and the barn.
- Analyzes how the two main characters of the book, george and lennie, strive for a better life.
- Describes the important characters in of mice and men, including slim, candy, crooks, carlson, curley, and aunt clara.
- Analyzes how john steinbeck's "of mice and men" captured life during the great depression. george didn't want to kill lennie, but he did what was necessary.
700 wordsRead More - Historical Analysis Of John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Menanalytical essayOnce upon a time, not so long ago, our nation was going through very rough times; The Great Depression, Racial Segregation, Workers’ Rights, and The Dust Bowl. Now, imagine a worker, a negro worker, walking down the road. Then suddenly, a fight breaks out because no one wants to work with a black guy. Or imagine, America losing billions of dollars as the economy crashes. Another example is, all of the workers on the farm, except for Curley, work long days for little pay. Also, Crooks has to sleep in the barn due to the racial inequalities of that time. These historical events influences John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men by portraying it in the
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the great depression, racial segregation, workers’ rights, and the dust bowl influenced john steinbeck's novel of mice and men.
117 wordsRead More - All in all, through the use of the characters in Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck is able to highlight how isolation that is forced on individuals by society ultimately leads to one’s suffering. The overall message of the novel is that no single individual should be mistreated because of a mental issue, his or her race, his or her gender, or the fact that one may have a physical injury. It is everyone’s human right to be treated equally and respectfully. No one should ever feel alienated from his or her surroundings. Loneliness is something that no one can avoid. As the story comes to an end, the story brings to light different causes of isolation, particularly discrimination and preconceptions.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how john steinbeck's implementation of isolation within the lives of his characters in his novel of mice and men allows him to discuss the effect isolation has on an individual’s life.
- Analyzes how the novel is set during the great depression, in soledad, california. crooks, candy, and curley's wife, despite being lonely, respond differently to their loneliness.
- Analyzes how the characters' loneliness is evident by the fact that they have confessed their feelings to complete strangers. they are desperate for a friend to help them along the way.
- Analyzes how lennie, crooks, candy, and curley's wife are left behind when all the other ranch hands go to town.
- Analyzes how lennie, crooks, candy, and curley's wife are alike due to the fact that the four characters are viewed as outcasts.
901 wordsRead More - Conflict In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Menanalytical essayIn the great work, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck makes clear that George is faced with many struggles. Steinbeck writes of a character that has many internal and external conflicts. Yet, through those conflicts, the reader learns the purpose of the novel; what the true meaning of friendship
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how john steinbeck weaves together george's conflicts with others, himself, and with society to illustrate the true meaning of friendship.
- Analyzes how steinbeck lets the reader know that george has conflicting feelings about lennie. he believed that life would be better without his care taking responsibilities.
- Analyzes how lennie gets into conflict with others, which in the end, ultimately makes it george's problem. george stumbles upon conflict when he meets the boss’s son curley.
- Analyzes how george and lennie are clinging together in the face of loneliness and alienation. they are insecure, with no permanent jobs, no real home, and separated from their families.
- Analyzes how steinbeck makes clear that george is faced with many struggles, but through those conflicts, the reader learns the purpose of the novel; what the true meaning of friendship is
748 wordsRead More