“Ding”, the bell had just come alive with a mighty ring, ending the last day of school. I began shoveling the materials from my trainwreck of a locker into my bag when a close friend of mine approached me. She began bragging about the birthday party she was planning. Her arrogance annoyed me because she did not invite me, claiming that I wouldn’t know anybody. Honestly, she probably was scared of what I would do to her reputation. All she ever thought about was herself, with no regard for others. This wasn’t the first time it happened, and this pattern began to anger me, I deserved better. And that is when I decided I didn’t need her, I left her to live her own life. I felt as free as a bird but she was left alone like Scrooge. My friend …show more content…
Consider the following: “Arrogance is used by the weak, while kindness is used by the strong.” (Hans F. Hansen) Arrogance is used to make some people feel better about themselves but it makes others feel worse. People use arrogance to cover up their flaws, making them weak. Curley in Of Mice and Men is often arrogant, especially when he says, “ ‘Well, nex' time you answer when you're spoken to.’ ” (Steinbeck, 26) Curley is asserting his power and trying to let everyone know that he in charge. The stern connotation shows that Curley thinks he has more authority that the others which is arrogance. “Anger is the emotion we use to avoid less comfortable feelings- confusion, fear, sadness.” (Anonymous) People become angry when the things around them create uncomfortable feelings. This applies to the other people on the ranch, Curley’s arrogance made them sad which made them angry. With anger towards Curley, George yells, “ ‘Get him, Lennie.’ ” (Steinbeck, 63). Asking Lennie to punch Curley is a definite expression of anger. He is angry about the way Curley treats him and everybody else on the ranch. This is how Curley’s arrogance is causing others to become …show more content…
As George Lucas once wrote, “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to Hate. Hate leads to suffering.”. The suffering described is isolation because when people are angry because of one’s actions, they hate that person. When they hate him/her, they leave him/her and then he/she is isolated. After the fight in the barn, the other ranchers express that they don’t really care for Curley. With very little regard in his voice, Slim says, “ ‘ I think you got your han' caught in a machine.’ ” Slim has a condescending tone in his voice which indicates he doesn’t care for Curley. This shows how everyone isolates Curley and how he doesn’t have anyone to support him. Curley is not only isolated by the ranchers but his wife as well. They have only been married for two weeks and he is always asking “ ‘Any you guys seen my wife?’ ” (Steinbeck, 53). The fact that he can never find his wife is not a good sign because there is a reason that she can’t be found. Without her, Curley is all by himself and feels lonely which is why he goes around looking for his
The definition of power is the ability to influence the behaviors of others or to change the course of events. Power can be gained through hard work or power can be given to you In a book published in 1937, this problem couldn’t be more prevalent. This book is Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. The story tells of two migrant workers, who are incredibly close friends. They goes place to place looking for a job during The Great Depression era. They eventually find a ranch in Soledad, California. Where they will face characters and incidents that will decide the fate of their dream. Powerful people are not as powerful as they seem, but is given power due to societal hierarchy or physical traits.
As 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.
why Lennie and George Travel together and is not very understanding. Although you never find
Death With Dignity For several years you have been taking care of your grandma, who has been suffering in the hospital. You pray that she gets better. But day after day, you see the hurt in her eyes even though she tries to fight through it. You know that she won’t get better until you put her out of her misery and end her life.
“People are always going to stereotype others… it may be without conscious thought, but it still has the same negative effects.”- Author Unknown. In the book “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, he includes many stereotypes; for example, Lennie was mean and dumb and Curley had small man syndrome. Other characters were stereotyped as hot headed, a tart, and a leader.
At what point does innocent ignorance become an unsustainable danger? How many unchanged mistakes does it take before enough is finally enough? In the novella Of Mice and Men, best friends, George Milton and Lennie Smalls, travel together across the country finding work wherever it may be available. However, since Lennie has a mental disability in that he acts like a young child, it is hard for the two migrant workers to stay in one place and finish a job. Lennie is not aware of his own strength and after not having learned from his mistakes George decides to shoot and kill his best friend Lennie. Although Lennie is his best friend, George makes the terrifically hard decision to shoot him for the greater good. George makes the right decision
“Then Curley’s rage exploded.Come on ya big bastard . Get up on your feet. No big son-of-a-bitch is gonna laugh at me I’ll show ya who’s yella”.(62)Lennie was smiling and thinking about the ranch that George talked to him about and how they would make a living out of the farm. Also, he was thinking about how there would be bunnies that he could pet and feed.He was daydreaming in the worst moment. Curley thought that Lennie was smiling and laughing at him for having a “Glove fulla Vaseline”. This part of the dialogue also tells us that Curley gets frustrated or mad easily. THey say his rage exploded, he made a tiny situation into a major attention drawer. “Curley’s like a lot of little guys. He hates big guys.He’s alla time picking scraps with big guys.”(26) The author describes Curley as a hatred person.He gets the wrong intention.Curley according to the passage liked to pick on others and knowing that Lennie was a sensitive fella he took advantage of that. He had fun doing this but Lennie did not get any positive output of this only negative outcomes. Curley wanted to start a fight just because he thought Lennie was laughing at him when he
The men showed their respect in almost unnoticeable ways, “Carlson stepped back to let Slim precede him.” (Steinbeck, 36) It was such a small act, but powerful when one considered Carlson: a big, overbearing man, powerful in his own right, stepped aside for a greater power to take the lead. Even Curley respected him in his own way; he knew the power Slim wielded was greater than his own, and what was worse, his wife knew it as well “ ‘Thinks Slim’s with his wife, don’t he’” (Steinbeck, 54). He thought Slim would try to steal his wife, a subconscious assumption, as Curley probably would have done the same if any of the men under him had a wife. He thought that was what powerful men did, so he assumed that was what Slim would do. However, the best example of subconscious respect was when George pleaded for Lennie’s life: “ ‘Couldn’ we maybe bring him in an’ they’ll lock him up? He’s nuts, Slim. He never done this to be mean’” (Steinbeck, 97). Slim was the first man George looked to for help, not Curley. The very fact that he didn’t even try with Curley until Slim turned him down showed he trusted Slim to do what was right, and he hoped that was to help Lennie. Hope, that was what Slim offered, hope and wisdom, what did Curley have to offer? These almost unnoticeable actions actually speak louder than when Slim’s power was proclaimed outright, his respect
How Steinbeck Uses Two of His Characters to Explore the Role of Power in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
In the novella Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck, one of the most important themes is how the lack of self-control can have unfortunate consequences. George and Lennie, two best friends, are striding to salvage enough money to buy themselves a farm in the middle of nowhere with rabbits, dogs, and chickens. George, a man who was burdened with taking care of a man-child, is Lennie 's brother but in a way his primary caretaker. He has to stop Lennie from doing simpleminded actions for Lennie does not know the power of his own strength. Every Time they get a job and try to settle down, Lennie messes up, and they have to move on to the next town. Lennie has no self control whatsoever. He
There is a lot or irony in “Of Mice and Men”. One example would be when Lennie’s last name is Small. This is ironic because he is actually a huge, muscular man and he is last name in Small. Lennie is also a strong worker but does not use his strength to harm people on purpose. Another example would be when Carlson’s gun kills the old dog to let it out of its misery and it also does the same for Lennie. This is irony since you wouldn’t expect that the same gun would do the same thing for another living being. Some irony happened when everyone feels bad for Candy when he loses his old dog but everyone except Slim, does not feel that way for George when he loses Lennie. There is irony in this because everyone feels bad for Candy but not George,
When you’re in a position of high authority, it comes with a great sum of power. Having a great deal of control can corrupt and can lead to the abuse of it. Abuse of power is using their power for their own benefit even if it may harm others. In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the effects of the abuse shown by Curley and Curley’s wife to the other characters will ultimately lead to a tragic end.
John Steinbeck, the author of the novel Of Mice and Men uses many stylistic devices and description in chapter one to give the reader a deeper understanding of what may occur throughout the novel. Firstly, the name of the city the two protagonists, Lennie and George, are heading to is called “Soledad,” which means loneliness in Spanish; this is symbolism and foreshadowing because it can mean that as they get closer to the city, their relationship as friends may deteriorate and they may end up alone towards the end. Furthermore, this could also mean that there can be major problems in further chapters because of Lennie’s unpredictable behaviour due to his mental disabilities. In relation to Robert Burns’s poem, “To a Mouse,” the author may be
John Steinbeck wanted his readers to realize that people who act or have different traits than that of the majority shouldn't treated inequitably. That if the verbal abuse continues they will eventually lose sight of themselves and humanity. He proved this to his readers by using various symbols of imagery to display the lifelong damage of ridicule and persecution.
...ars for the fidelity of his wife as he believes there is a chance that Slim could be with her, despite his good nature. This makes the audience believe that Curley knows his wife is capable of anything, and that he would rather have her under his control. However, the poignant side to Curley’s Wife’s victimisation is when she is victimised due to the stereotypical image of women, either mother or prostitute. This adds a dark shadow over her complicated character, because the way she dresses, and the shoes she wears, especially at the ranch of all places, is unnatural. Also, her manipulative ways ironically cost her life, as she was probably toying with Lennie being mentally handicapped. Overall, I believe that the way that Curley’s Wife has cast her impression upon everyone, has eventually made her a victim of society, the ranch workers, and most importantly, herself.