In the three books, Things Fall Apart, Antigone, and Of Mice and Men, the leading characters share characteristics with one another. Okonkwo from Things Fall Apart, Creon from Antigone, and George from Of Mice and Men are all looked at to be the “bad guy” in their individual stories. However, Okonkwo and George are found to be most alike through what they show on the outside to what they actually feel on the inside. The three books hold characters that share many characteristics, but the one that really stood out was that they are all feared.
The three characters all share the characteristic of being feared. Okonkwo, frightens his family daily by his temper that can easily be set off. For example, Nwoye had to experiment his curiosity for the christian religion in secrecy due to the fear of his father finding out. When Okonkwo did find out by the courtesy of his cousin, he frightened Nwoye so much that he was unable to answer his father's harsh questions which led to physical punishment. Creon is also feared of in the play, Antigone. An example of this is when Ismene wouldn't help Antigone honor their brother because she was too nervous that she would receive punishment from Creon if she had anything to do with disobeying the law. She decided to not help her closest family member out of fear of Creon. George was feared of by Lennie. One may think this is very silly since George is small and scrawny and Lennie is a big, bulky man. Surprisingly, that is not the case. Lennie has a great fear for George because George has the power to take away Lennie’s biggest dream, to tend the rabbit. Throughout the book, George continuously reminds Lennie that if he gets himself in trouble, he will not let him tend the rabbits, which to Lennie,...
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...ed Ikemefuna. As much as he wanted to protect him, he refused to show what he actually felt on the inside by covering it with violence. An example of when George hid his true feelings is when he kept telling Lennie about their dream farm house, but when deep down, he knew that it was only a possibility that Lennie would make it to tend the rabbits and help with the farm. At the end of the book, Lennie ended up not not making it to his dream farm house. Also, When George killed Lennie, he had to shield his heartache on the inside and cover it by doing something he knew was the wrong thing, but did it anyway.
“Things Fall Apart”, “Antigone”, and “Of Mice and Men” are all very different books, but the characters within the books resemble each other more than one may think. Okonkwo, Creon, and George all share characteristics that affected their own individuals books.
George 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.
The issue of loyalty is embodied in the character of George. He is an intelligent man who could make a successful living for himself on his own. He chooses to stay beside his friend Lennie. George can never get a steady job to fulfill his long-term goal of having his own farm. The first job that Lennie and George have together goes well for a while. Eventually Lennie ruins everything that is going good for them. Lennie sees a pretty dress that a girl is wearing. Without thinking about what he is doing, he goes up and grabs the dress to feel the nice fabric. This scares the girl and she tells the boss. Soon the whole town is after Lennie. This is the perfect time for George to start a new life, without Lennie. However, because of his loyalty to Lennie, he chooses to help Lennie escape from the town. Lennie needs George to survive. It is this that propels George to make the sacrifice that he does. After Lennie kills Curley’s wife, George knows that this is the end for Lennie. No matter what, someone will eventually kill Lennie. And if Lennie gets away this time, there will be another time, and eventually the inevitable will happen. He truly loves Lennie, so he shoots Lennie painlessly in the back of the head. Lennie dies with the happy thought of the dream of the farm they want to own some day.
George is an admirable character because he has the courage to kill Lennie himself instead of letting the other men find and kill him. George shows great concern about Lennie when Lennie asks him if he will give Lennie hell about accidentally breaking Curley’s wife’s neck. Instead, George simply replies, “You can’t remember nothing that happens, but you remember ever’ word I say”(Steinbeck,101). Due to Lennie’s mental disorder, he can not recall much from his past which is another reason why George regrets what he has said in the past. In reality, George
The novella Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck introduced the reader to the character George. George is faced with the difficult decision of whether or not to kill his best friend. His best friend, Lennie has a mental disability that resulted in his brain not fully developing. In the 1930’s no one respected people with a disability. George had to constantly run around trying to get Lennie out of trouble and he never had time to himself. Finally when Lennie was getting hunted down by a lynching party for the second time, George thought maybe it was best if Lennie wasn't around anymore. George was devastated that he would no longer have his companion by his side but he could no longer look after Lennie. His decision was tough but he killed Lennie out of love.
Greek tragedies often teach readers several valuable lessons, one of which is the catastrophe caused by acting on emotions. Both Oedipus and Antigone experience this as a result of their rash behavior. Even Creon ends up miserable in Antigone due to the change in his behavior. By acting on their emotions, these characters all experience tragic downfalls, while others, such as Ismene and Creon during Oedipus Rex, remain safe due to their prudence and indications of wisdom.
In Things fall apart, Okonkwo would resemble Caesar most because they were both men of high titles with success in war and battle. Okonkwo was a well accomplished soldier known for the many heads that he had severed off enemies during tribal conflicts. Casesar was one of the greatest generals of all time bringing Rome to its peak height of power. Both men did not fear death but meet death abruptly. Even though they were very similar, Caesar was killed by an assassination, while Okonkwo commits suicide.
In Antigone, character foils help the play by creating well-rounded characters. Many traits of Antigone and Creon, the two main characters, would be impossible to notice without the contrast of their character foils. Ismene and Haemon act as foils to Antigone and Creon, respectively. By juxtaposing these pairs against each other, we gain more insight on the play’s plot, themes, characters, and character relationships.
The characters Antigone and Ismene differentiate what a woman is told to do to follow the law and what is morally right. Antigone chooses to position her life in danger for the good of the family, while Ismene follows the law, not to upset her uncle even though her brothers are dead. Sophocles’s play could have influenced Glaspell by the themes, motifs, and the conversing between characters that are used in Antigone; specifically how someone else tells the main character’s story. Also the men in her play are the authority figures of the women, which could represent Creon in Antigone. Overall, Glaspell writes based on Sophocles themes, pattern, and main points, she just changes the story. Glaspell and Sophocles's play represent civil disobedience to the laws and social structure of the era because they utilize motifs, symbolism, and thematic
There are many similarities and differences between Antigone by Sophocles and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The adults in both of the books have the difficult job of controlling the actions of the younger characters. Their decisions have a crucial effect on the outcome of the books, for the younger characters that they guide are the main figures in their stories. Antigone’s King Creon and Romeo and Juliet’s Prince Escalus and Lord Capulet share but also have unique strengths, weaknesses, leadership qualities, and crisis-managing techniques.
Creon and Antigone, main characters in the Greek tragedy Antigone by Sophocles share some of the same characteristics that make up a tragic hero, but to varying degrees. Antigone, daughter of her mother/grandmother, Jocasta, and father, Oedipus is head strong, proud, and stubborn. She had three siblings, Ismene her sister, and two brothers Eteocles and Polyneices who found there deaths at the end of each others sword in battle over which would become king of Thebes. Antigone's pride fullness and loyalty is revealed when Polyneices is denied proper burial by her uncle and king Creon. The two buttheads in the political for Creon and personal for Antigone situation and bring about the downfall of the royal family.
The characters in the play Antigone all suffer a downfall of some sort. The major characters suffer the most, though. In this short essay, I will document on how the two main characters, Creon and Antigone, both inevitably become tragic heroes.
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.
Sophocles' trilogy of Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone is a powerful, tragic tale that examines the nature of human guilt, fate and punishment. Creon, Oedipus' uncle and brother-in-law, is the story's most dynamic character. His character experiences a drastic metamorphosis through the span of the three dramas. Creon's vision of a monarch's proper role, his concept of and respect for justice, as well as his respect for the design evolve considerably by the trilogy's tragic conclusion.
In Antigone, unmoderated love is prevalent throughout the play, and it is best demonstrated in three main characters: Antigone, Creon, and Ismene. Antigone has a very strong love for her brother and the gods, Creon has an extreme love for power, and Ismene has a deep love for her sister, Antigone. Each of these characters suffers greatly because of this love, and as a result, they all suffer dire consequences.
In the novel Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo is portrayed as a respected and determined individual whose fatal flaw eventually works against him. Throughout the novel the readers are shown that Okonkwo has many of these Characteristics because he is obsessed with the idea of becoming just like his father. This becomes his flaw in the novel that puts him into exile and makes it hard for him to adjust to the changes that were made with in his village.