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Capitalism In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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The political commentary Of Mice and Men, written by the prominent American communist author Steinbeck in 1937, is used to allegorize his views on a capitalist society. Steinbeck’s work follows the protagonists George and Lennie on their challenging journey to make a living and achieve the “American dream” near the town of Soledad. The society Steinbeck has portrayed in his work expresses the futile nature of living in the Great Depression and the reoccurring hardships many characters, including the protagonists, must face. To achieve this, Steinbeck has utilised stylistic features to impart his views within the work. The political undertone that Capitalism is a corrupting force is represented throughout his work through the inclusion of subtle juxtaposition and symbolism, alongside the other prominent socialistic perception of idealizing camaraderie through the context of the setting intertwined with foreshadowing. Steinbeck has also parted his views on the Great Depression using imagery and symbolism throughout his work to further emphasise that in a capitalist society, life isn’t fair. Steinbeck’s socialistic undertones and critique of capitalism are a prominent feature throughout the novella, more specifically when he contrasts the natural world against that of one built by …show more content…

Steinbeck has also illustrated his idealism of camaraderie through his descriptions of the setting through characters alongside his idea that camaraderie is incompatible with capitalist systems. Finally, Steinbeck has also further illustrated that during the Great Depression, using animal imagery and symbolism, that life during these times under a capitalist regime simply isn’t

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