The Inhumanity Caused by Weaknesses
The author Dean Koontz once said, “...the most identifying trait of humanity is our ability to be inhumane to one another.” Although there are many hopeful aspects in people, the inhumanity of people is inevitable. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Lennie Small and George Milton discover the hardships and the hope in life as migrant workers during the Depression era. Though their hope for a better life dwindles throughout their journey, Lennie and George’s dream of owning their own farm help to distract them from their harsh reality of despondency. Steinbeck reveals the bitter nature of mankind due to weakness and vulnerability through his use of symbolism, characterization, and imagery.
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Carlson complains to Slim about Candy’s dog and suggests, "Whyn't you get Candy to shoot his old dog and give him one of the pups to raise up? I can smell that dog a mile away. Got no teeth, damn near blind, can't eat. Candy feeds him milk. He can't chew nothing else" (Steinbeck 35). The indirect characterization of Carlson’s selfishness and oblivion to Candy’s feelings emphasizes Carlson’s harshness and apathy. Also, the characterization Steinbeck uses to describe Curley creates an ominous image of the savage and insecure nature of men. When George meets Curley, he is taken back by Curley’s brutish behavior towards Lennie. Candy assures George, “Curley’s like a lot of little guys. He hates big guys. He’s alla time picking scraps with big guys. Kind of like he’s mad at ‘em because he ain’t a big guy” (Steinbeck 26). Curley is prejudice towards all tall men only because he is insecure about his own height. By abusing his power to be cruel towards Lennie, who is innocent, he believes he is affirming his masculinity. Therefore, the characterization of Carlson and Curley illustrate that selfishness and lack of confidence lead to the cruelty of …show more content…
When Curley is first introduced to Lennie and George, “He glanced coldly at George and then at Lennie. His arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists. He stiffened and went into a slight crouch. His glance was at once calculating and pugnacious” (Steinbeck 25). Steinbeck develops this image because it portrays how Curley is intimidated by George and Lennie and, therefore, has menacing and bitter actions toward them without knowing them yet. To add on, Crooks finds it fun to make Lennie scared by asking him what if George does not come back from town. The narrator says, “Crooks pressed forward some kind of private victory… Crooks’ face lighted with pleasure in his torture” (Steinbeck 70). By continuing to frighten Lennie about losing George, his only friend, The image Steinbeck creates describes Crooks maliciousness by continuing to frighten Lennie about losing George, the only friend he has. Instead of stopping when he sees the terror he has brought to Lennie, Crooks finds joy in Lennie’s suffering. To summarize, the imagery implemented into the novel helps illustrate the wicked nature of Crooks and Curley.
Throughout the novel Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck’s use of symbolism, characterization, and imagery demonstrate the cruel instincts of mankind. Man’s cruelty to man is and will be prevalent in society, therefore Steinbeck’s
He shows his malevolence through his unnecessary need to provoke a fight with Lennie, even though the big man did not directly attack him in any way, but after first seeing Lennie, Curley is described: “His arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists. He stiffened and went into a slight crouch. His glance was at once calculating and
Steinbeck uses Curley in this story because so they can show not to pick on people that u dont
“Why can’t I talk to you” shows that Curley’s wife is characterized as someone manipulative by trying to talk to Lennie even though George told Lennie not to. On the other hand, it also characterizes Curley’s wife as someone who just longs for a companion and because no one talks to her, she becomes manipulative. Characterization of Curley’s wife is used to create sympathy for her and to lead her to Lennie which ends up badly when Lennie kills her forcing George to kill Lennie. George and Lennie’s friendship is ended because of the loneliness of Curley’s wife because it leads her to talk to Lennie. John Steinbeck creates sympathy for the manipulative Curley’s wife in chapter 6, however, the more known side to her is when she talks to Crooks.
Steinbeck’s use of animal imagery emphasizes Lennie’s notable strength compared to others. The men mock Curley, and he tries to push his authority onto Lennie by fighting him, thinking he can re-establish his “boss” status with the men by showing the power he holds over others. He attacks Lennie for smiling as the men mock him, but Lennie was dreaming of his future, not mocking him, and at first Lennie just stands there. When Lennie finally fights back, he stops Curley just by crushing his hand in his fist, and “Curley [is] white and shrunken now, and his struggling [becomes] weak. He [stands] crying, his
"The meanness...and the ache for attention were [gone] from her face" (82). Furthermore, Curley's wife looks as though she were innocent. Steinbeck depicts her in this way because he wants sympathy to be felt toward her.
Observation of one's actions is a reliable way to study the inner workings of a mind. A deconstruction of John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men, specifically the protagonist George, will illustrate Steinbeck's use of characterization and symbolism in order to reveal George's motives. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck contends that moral dilemmas can be solved with an individual's acquired strengths and weaknesses, ultimately revealing their true nature. Having obligations to those around them, the tragic hero becomes a savior to those that need it while enduring moral and physical conflicts. Through trying times, conflict tends to unveil unsolicited grievances in today's society, contrasting the behavior of those in the 1900s, and is presented
When Curley first met George and Lennie, he was very intimidating, “His glance was at once calculating and pugnacious. Lennie squirmed under the look and shifted his feet
While Crooks, a victim of racial prejudice, expresses his isolation openly, he also socializes with other workers on the job and while playing horseshoes with them. Curley’s wife, on the other hand, cannot talk to anyone without suffering the consequences of a jealous husband: “ I get so lonely,’ she said. “you can talk to people , but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad. How’d you like not to talk to anybody?”
In the novel “Of Mice and Men” John Steinbeck portrays the theme of social injustice throughout the story in the lives of several characters that include Lennie, Curley’s Wife, and the stable buck, Crooks. All of these characters are mistreated in some way, shape or form. The hardships that these characters faced help guide us to see the social injustice that is prevalent in the story. Lennie is a victim of social injustice due to the fact that he is mentally disabled. He is not treated fairly when he was accused of rape.
When Curley’s wife is talking to Lennie, she initially judges him and claims, “I think you’re nuts” based off of the way he sounds and the things he talks about (Steinbeck 98). Curley’s wife misjudges Lennie because he talks and sounds different than her, so her initial judgment is that he is nuts. She uses a stereotypical reference to implicate the idea that he is a crazy person. However, after talking to him for a while now she realizes that he is “kinda a nice fella” and came to accept him (Steinbeck 99). Once she really got to talk to Lennie and really understand who he is, she could make the right judgment about him.
The novellas Of Mice and Men and The Pearl are both often noted as social criticisms. The author, John Steinbeck addresses real-life issues that society is facing. Whether through direct statements and comments, or through a fictional characters’ situation, Steinbeck criticizes just some of the problems of society. He shows the way people are discriminated against, and why. He shows the issues society faces.
The book Of Mice and Men is full of puzzling examples of the human condition, from Lennie and his mental disability to Curley only caring about his social appearance. With characters like these two, the book exploits the human condition that concerns circumstances life has given you. John Steinbeck brings to life what being a laborer in the American depression meant to the men and one woman who had enough personality to stand out. Steinbeck shows the human condition of men while they survive in the American depression.
However, Steinbeck also uses light and darkness to show the hidden sides of neglected characters such as Crooks. Crooks, the negro stable buck, is portrayed to have died from the inside and is living merely as a breathing corpse. Not because of the fact that he could not achieve the American Dream or live a lavish life. But, simply because of the fact that he is a negro who is surfeited of being ill treated and discriminated. “His eyes lay deep in his head, and because of their depth seemed to glitter with intensity.”, give the impression that inside Crooks is full of anger and indignation.
Maybe I ought’n to. I don’t like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella.” (Steinbeck, p.87). Curley’s wife shows that although she has a high status, she too is struggling like George.
John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men (1937) is an intensely-focused novella that deals with friendship, trust, the relationship between good and evil and the role of justice. It is the second book in Steinbeck’s trilogy about agricultural labour, alongside with In Dubious Battle (1936) and The Grapes of Wrath (1939). The title, inspired by a line in the poem The Mouse (1875) by the Scottish poet Robert Burns (The best-laid schemes o' mice an ‘men / gang aft agley), encapsulates the spirit of the narration.