Introduction While the novel Of mice and men and the film What’s eating Gilbert Grape have different plots and settings, the themes of the two stories are very comparable. The stories depict how taking care of people with disabilities is very challenging and the problems they encounter in their day to day activities. Gilbert (What’s eating Gilbert Grape) has the task of taking care of Arnie his brother and George (Of mice and men) takes care of his childhood friend Lennie. Both of this characters Arnie and Lennie have mental disabilities and rely on their caregivers in life. The responsibility of taking care of Arnie and Lennie is frustrating but George and Gilbert still love them. This paper aims to compare and contrast the novel Of Mice …show more content…
George constantly reminds Lennie that he would not be struggling if he wasn’t taking care of him (STEINBECK, 1977). Similarly, in the film What's Eating Gilbert Grapes, Gilbert is a teenager struggling to provide for his family consisting of two sisters, a mentally handicapped brother and an obese mother. Gilbert is held up with responsibilities making him have no time for a social life (DEWIS, 2011). Gilbert gets upset with some of the things his brother does, at one point he ended up hitting Arnie but regrets doing it. He loves Arnie very much that he always spends time entertaining him and to make him not worry (DEWIS, 2011). George, on the other hand, gets frustrated and ends up says things that he doesn’t mean to his best friend. He makes sure Lennie does not hurt himself by taking care of him (STEINBECK, 1977). In the novel Of mice and men, George and Lennie find a new friend at the farm, who is also interested in their dream of owning their own land. They become happy knowing that their dream will one day come true (STEINBECK, 1977). Similarly a scene in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Gilbert becomes romantically interested in Becky, she becomes a source of inspiration for him when she tells him to focus on his own happiness and think about what he wants (DEWIS,
In the film "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" directed by Lasse Hallstrom in 1993, one of the main ideas is that of struggle and hardship. This idea is significant to the film because it relates to each character in a different way, making the storyline more interesting. Three different techniques used by Lasse Hallstrom to illustrate the idea of struggle and hardship include Gilberts voice over, the extra close-ups of Bonnie as she climbs the stairs and the double up of dialogue, where Mrs Carver is talking to Gilbert, and Mr Carver is heard tying to entertain their children in background.
After watching the movie “What’s eating Gilbert Grape” it focuses more on Gilbert Grape than any other characters in the movie. Gilbert Grape is a young man who resides in a small community called Endora. Gilbert at the beginning of the movie states “Describing Endora is like dancing to no music”. Gilbert’s youngest brother Arnie is soon to be 18 years old and has a developmental disability that never was disclosed in the movie. Furthermore, Bonnie Gilbert’s mother has been locked in her own home since her husband committed suicide seven years ago. Moreover, Bonnie is at the stage of stagnation. She is over-weighted and doesn’t think of doing anything for herself or for any of her children. Therefore, leaving Gilbert with the full responsibility of caring for his family especially Arnie.
As the story continues on and the pair arrive at their job, the character chart begins to branch as we are introduced to Slim, another worker on the farm. After learning of the two’s past together, he openly expresses, “Ain’t many guys travel around together... I don’t know why. Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other” (Steinbeck 35). There is a unique value to George and Lennie’s relationship which the world lacks. Rather than combining their might, people would rather watch their own back with one set of eyes than having a second set to keep watch. There is mistrust between people and the idea of backstabbing and swindling is very present due to the economic decline and the loss of wealth for all social classes. Due to Lennie’s mental decline, however and the fact that if it were not for George, Lennie would not be alive, there is a strong bond apparent. To be separated from one another would mean becoming the rest of the world, sad and lonely. Neither of the two would like to bring sorrow to one another or let each other go through
“What you want of a dead mouse, anyways? I could pet it with my thumb while we walk along” (Steinbeck 6). George and Lennie are migrant workers and they travel around looking for new jobs after each season. Lennie has a disability that we don’t know about, George helps Lennie through his problems. They start to save their money to get a farm and some animals like rabbits. Throughout the story Lennie’s disability starts to affect him more and more in a bad way. The four ways of the central message of this story are George takes care of Lennie, Lennie’s memory affects his actions, Lennis disability misinterpreted by others, and Lennie’s disability affects his thinking.
In the story Of Mice and Men there were many handicaps that Steinbeck decided to speak upon. One was the fact that Crooks was a crippled stable man, Lennie who was mentally disabled, and Candy who lost his hand in an accident and is always worried about keeping his job (Attel). All three of these characters were left behind for reasons. All three had handicaps that prevented them from getting along normally in society. All three of these characters had handicaps, b...
One of John Steinbeck’s most famous works tells the tale of the continuing troubles of George and Lennie, two opposite personalities who form an unexpected relationship. The book takes place on a southern farm in the 1930’s where the two friends plan to save enough money to buy their dream—a piece of land for themselves. In the story, there are several characters with “disabilities,” both physical and figurative in the meaning of the word. Lennie is an ignorant, overweight gentleman, Crooks is black in a predominately white environment, Candy is crippled due to an accident on the farm, and Curly’s wife is accused of being overly provocative. Curly, the boss’ son, often quarantines his wife in their home because he wants to keep her his own; she is a very attractive young female on a farm with mostly male workers. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the characters in Chapter 4 are brought together in Crook’s room by the fact that they are all outcasts, but instead of taking the opportunity to become friends, they begin to take advantage of each other’s handicaps and hurl insults at one another.
In the book Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, two men travel together to escape their pasts. They arrive at a ranch in the Salinas Valley with hopes to achieve their ultimate dream; to buy a place to call their own. Lennie, who is a simple-minded man, and George, who is just a typical guy are brought together and make a lasting friendship out of the loneliness of each man. While spending time on the farm George and Lennie meet some friendly characters, but because of some accidental deaths their dreams drift away. Foreshadowing may create a literary theme.
“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.
Throughout the novel, George and Lennie have a strong relationship which is quite unique. George takes care of Lennie through thick and thin but, sometimes George sees Lennie as just a burden until he realizes that he is incapable to take of himself when Lennie tells George “Well, I could go off in the hills there. Some place I’d find a cave” (Steinbeck, John 12) George responds to very broth...
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).
Gilbert Grape or the protagonist in the movie, is a young man who works in a grocery store to provide for his family and attempts to be the main caretaker of his 17 years old handicapped brother Arnie. The movie begins with Gilbert, standing with his autistic brother Arnie, while they look at the people who are camping by their caravans in the town. One of the campers’ lorry breaks down and a girl named Becky is stuck in the town with her grandmother. Grape’s family consists of a mother, which suffers from depression, was one of the prettiest women in the town. But when her husband committed suicide, she lets herself go and turns into the most obese person. Gilbert has two sisters, Amy is the oldest girl who undertakes the motherly role in the family by cooking for the rest of the family and Ellen is the youngest girl who suffers from self-admiration.
The classic novel, Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck was made into a Hollywood Blockbuster in 1992. Directed and acted by Gary Sinise and John Malkovich, Hollywood took a stab at trying to recreate this literary success. The novel, which takes place in the 1930’s, follows the lives of two men, George and Lennie, as they try to attain their dream of owning a farm. George is a smart man who always seems to have things figured out. Lennie is massive, but has the mind of a young child. George looks after him, but it is not easy since Lennie always seems to get himself in some kind of trouble. As they struggle towards their dreams, George and Lennie face obstacles that test their friendship. In the end, with Lennie dead, George finds out that dreams aren’t worth striving for, and eventually, loneliness overcomes everything. The movie, running almost two hours, stays very true to the book, although some things are removed or added. While the movie differs from the book in a few ways, it still gives its audience the same message.
Through the problem of supporting a dysfunctional family, Gilbert Grape struggles with finding his personal identity. The scene at the start of the film pans through all of his family members. While the camera focuses on each individual in the family, Gilbert narrates in a monotone voice and i...
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.
The characters within the novella ‘Of Mice and Men’, written by John Steinbeck, and the film ‘The Green Mile’, directed by Frank Darabont, share a similar fate of loneliness throughout their journeys of life. A number of characters are connected by the harsh sentiments of isolation. Due to the fear of being alone, both Candy and Del seek friendships within beloved animal pets. There is also a comparable destiny involved in George and Paul’s outcome from the tragedies that involved losing their companions. As well as the fortune of the cruel characters Curley and Percy face punishments for their actions. These obvious similarities connect the different characters