To what extent is Of Mice and Men a novel of protest?
John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men conveys the impression, that it
is a novel of protest. The character Candy suffers from discrimination
because of his age and his disability. Steinbeck uses this character
to protest against ageism and the treatment of the disabled during the
Great Depression.
The repeated reference to Candy's hopelessness could be understood as
a protest against ageism. He says more than once that if he "can't
swamp out no bunkhouses, they'll put" him "in the county". His whole
life is based on one pillar, the kindness of the boss. He "wisht
somebody'd shoot" him, if he gets fired. He "won't have no place to
go" and is tied on the ranch. When Curley's wife says that Candy is "a
lousy ol' sheep", Candy "subsided". He suggests to tell the boss about
that dispute, but he knows that "nobody'd listen to" them. Steinbeck
uses these situations to protest against ageism.
The hopelessness is also used by John Steinbeck to protest against the
treatment of the disabled during the Great Depression. Candy knows
that he does not have a future. Crooks emphasises this fact, when he
says that Candy will be "a swamper till they take" him "out in a
box". Candy swamps out houses, because he is not able to do something
else. Although he hopes that their dream will work, he recognises that
it is unrealistic. It is unrealistic because of his disability.
Steinbeck's protest against the treatment of the disabled is evident
from the way he describes Candy's hopelessness.
Through his descriptions of Candy's primitive working and living
conditions, Steinbeck protests against ageism. Candy is an "old
swamper", who lives in a "bunkhouse". His possess...
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.... That is another parallel between Candy
and his dog. Both, Candy and his dog are handy-capped. Carlson
discriminates Candy as well, when he states that the dog "can't eat,
can't see" and "can't even walk without hurting". The dog would be "no
good to himself". Candy receives these statements as discriminations
against him. What about him, if his dog has to be shoot? Steinbeck's
protest against the discrimination of the disabled is evident from
these descriptions.
To some extent, John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men is a novel of
protest. When he wrote the novel, Steinbeck was sad because of the
horrible situation of the old and disabled during the Great
Depression. The themes of ageism and the treatment of the disabled are
protested through Candy. Candy does not play a very big role in the
story, but he plays a very big role in the background of the novel.
For example, Curley’s wife attempts to interact with Lennie. She convinces Lennie to stay and converse with her after reasoning “what kinda harm am I doin’?” (88). Curley’s wife enjoys talking with Lennie and even lets him pet her prized hair. Additionally, Crooks finds companionship with Lennie. “I thought I could jus’ come in an’ set” (68) Lennie exclaims to Crooks the night the other men were out. He kept him company and both ultimately bonded after having a good time with each other. Also, Candy introduces himself to Lennie and George when they first arrive at the ranch. They develop a trust between each other, leading to the planning of “fixing up an’ little old house an’ go living there” (60). Trusting George, Candy generously donates funds to their future property, as a token for George appreciating him and making him feel important. Throughout the book, failure to interact between other characters happens often. For example, the men on the ranch consistently reject Curley’s wife, even her own husband, Curley. The men yell at her and question “why she doesn’t stay in her home where she belongs?” (62). Lennie tries conversing with her, but it only results with breaking her neck from strangling. Furthermore, Crooks tries talking to the other men, but results in exclusion and bullying. The other men discriminate Crooks from their activities, thinking “cause he’s black, he stinks” (68). Finally, Candy speaks to Carlson in the beginning in his bunker. Unfortunately, the conversation only ends with convincing Candy to have Carlson shoot his sheep dog, “to put the old devil out of his misery” (47). The shooting upsets Candy because his sheep dog was a son to him, followed him everywhere, and kept him company on the ranch. Through trial and error, Curley's wife, Crooks, and Candy interacts with other characters, resulting in successful and
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.
Firstly, I am going to talk about Lennie who was known as a man with
Several characters in the novel Of Mice and Men are presented with additional obstacles throughout the book. Whether because of color, sex, or disabilities, John Steinbeck purposefully did this to illustrate oppression. Of Mice and Men explores the
When asked about John Steinbeck’s career, people often refer to Steinbeck as a playwright, journalist, and a well-known novelist. The book Of Mice and Men is a popular novel by John Steinbeck and a required read for most high school students. Most of Steinbeck 's novels have a central theme focusing on the relationship between man and his environment. The American dream for George and Lennie, two of the main characters in Of Mice and Men, is to have a place of their own, to be respected, and to work hard for everything they earn and deserve. In Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, the land and a hope of a better life becomes the talisman of an American dream for Lennie and George that is left unfulfilled.
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.
Curley's wife, comparable to most other characters in the novel, is a type of character with little discrepancy, moreover being the only woman in novel. Curley’s wife is demonstrated by her position and part. This part is however, being a possession of Curley or a wife. She is heavily insulted and looked upon as inferior: George and Candy call her "jailbait" and "tart", which supports the fact that he has no voice and as a matter of fact, no name – simply being referred to as Curley’s wife. Due to her lack of power, she attempts to gain it by leeching off those with power. This leeching is portrayed as her seducing the other men on the ranch who have large presence like Slim: “Hi Slim” supports a casual and somewhat flirtatious approach to the other men. She seduces other by wearing far too much makeup and dressing like a "whore" with “red fingernails” and red shoes with ostrich feathers.
Many critics consider the novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck, as one of the greatest short works of fiction. I think this was a great novel with amazing detail. It has certain qualities and themes such as these: the importance of relationships, responsibility to others, the nature of home, respect for old age, the difference between right and wrong, and the evil of oppression and abuse. We can learn from these themes and see how we use it in our lives. By using examples from the book as well we can see how this happens more clearly.
John Steinbeck was inspired by the line "The best schemes o' mice an' men [often go awry]" by Robert Burns in one of his poems. This line refers to ambitions that went off track during the process. There are multiple examples in the novel that refers to the line in the poem, that inspired John Steinbeck. Those examples are Curley's boxing career coming to an end, Curley's wife not becoming a actress, and Lennie's plans of tending the rabbits, but messed everything up.
The world is universally filled with injustice, therefore, humanity has dealt with the topic of discrimination. Injustice in our society occurs when it showcases several individuals disrespecting one another about their natural identity. In today’s world, discrimination can be categorized into many different groups, such as ageism, racism, and sexism. In our society every individual has been a victim or an oppressor at some point. Therefore, we should be prepared to face the challenges of injustice by standing up for individuals who are victims of discrimination. The novel Of Mice and Men deals with the types of discrimination that involve individuals like Candy who face injustice in different ways. Personally, I have also experienced discrimination. Additionally, a historical Canadian named Viola Desmond had faced discrimination and was determined to confront the issue of discrimination against her race. Therefore, we should be
According to the American Association John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men, is one of the top 10 most challenged books in school during the 1990's. The novel focuses on two migrant workers, George and Lennie, who work, dream, and endure the difficulties of being human. As the novel ends the hopes, dreams, and happiness of George and Lennie are crushed beyond the condition in defeat. This novel paints a horrific portrait of the human experience through profanity, inappropriate language, racism, sexism, adult content and murder. John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men, should be a banned book.
The 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.
After Candy enters Crooks’ room, Curley’s wife enters the room also and tries to hold a conversation with
excited one. He now has hope of doing something and it came from the "dream
Curley’s wife is given a reputation of causing trouble between other characters from different characters in the novel. There is no evidence of her living up to all of the reputation in the novel. Candy says “Well she got the eye” which could have many meanings and then he backs that up with “I seen her give Slim the eye” and finally he says “Well I think Curley’s married…a tart.” This explains his views on Curley’s wife. And when she dies he calls her a ...