Of Mice and Men

I have been analysing the novella ‘Of Mice and men’ by John Steinbeck, which was published in 1937. Steinbeck wrote the novel based on his own experiences as a bindle stiff in the 1920’s, around the same time when the great Wall Street crash happened, causing an immense depression in America. Throughout the novel he uses a recurring theme of loneliness in his writing, which may have reflected his own experiences at this time. This is evident in his writing by the way he describes the characters, setting and language in the novel.

In the whole of the novella, Steinbeck uses a great deal of imagery in his writing, Therefore, helping us to understand the settings of the novel in much more detail. Within the first page of the book, Steinbeck uses a great deal of words and phrases that contribute to the recurring theme of loneliness. The name of the town in which he bases the entire novel is ‘Soledad’ which means ‘Lonely’ In Spanish. This is a key part of the novel, as it means the whole book’s surroundings, (no matter where it is), is based around that one meaning of ‘Loneliness’. Further on, in the first page Steinbeck describes to the reader the surroundings of the town, he uses a range of detailed vocabulary to emphasise the towns’ Isolation and Loneliness.

‘The shade climbed up the hills toward the top.

On the sand banks the rabbis sat as quietly as little grey sculptured stones.’

This phrase is an excellent example of the how Steinbeck creates a deserted and desolate atmosphere within his language. Due to the fact that The line ‘Quietly as little grey sculptures stones’ suggests this as it is describing the rabbits as sitting still, abandoned from the rest of the environment. Also the use of the word ‘Quietly’ also emphas...

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‘Tha’s three hundred and I got fifty more comin’ the end of the month.

Tell you what …. He leaned forward eagerly.

Suppose I went in with you guys. Tha’s three hundred and fifty bucks I’d put in. I aint much good but I could cook and tend the chickens.

How’d that be?’

This is the piece of speech, when Candy is trying to persuade George to let him in on the ranch their going to get. The language Steinbeck uses here, makes Candy seem overly eager to get in with George and Lennie. Mainly because, he’s dog dies so now he doesn’t have anybody, and he feels he might get canned. So as soon as he hears the opportunity to break away from being lonely, he jumps at it. I feel extremely sorry for Candy because he has nobody to turn to. He really does try to find friendship in people, but sometimes tries to hard.

In the whole of the novel