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Comparing The Great Depression In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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The Great Depression had a major impact on the people who suffered through it. John Steinbeck portrays this is in the book, Of Mice and Men. This story is centered around two migrant farm workers named George Milton and Lennie Small. Lennie is a large and mentally disabled man. He enjoys touching soft things and is innocent and pure, but doesn’t know how damaging his strength can be. Lennie is incapable of making his own decisions and relies on George. George is a small, gaunt man who is the complete opposite of Lennie. He acts like a parent to Lennie because of his incapability to live on his own. They have a dream of owning a farm together and living off of it. When George and Lennie get a job on a ranch in Soledad, George warns Lennie that if he ever gets in trouble, he should come back to the river and hide in the brush. …show more content…

Candy is introduced as an old man who lost his hand in a ranch accident. He talks about Curley, the boss’s son, and his wife who he thinks is a “tart.” As they are talking, Curley comes into the bunkhouse and asks George and Lennie some questions about themselves. Curley is a short man who is insecure about his height. Because of this, he picks on big guys like Lennie. When Lennie gets intimidated by Curley, George tells him to stay out of Curley’s way due to his higher position. As time goes on, George and Lennie go through many adventures as they experience their life on the ranch. In the book Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck portrays how challenging life was during the Great Depression through the characters Crooks and

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