ipl-logo

The Theme Of Failure In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

1071 Words5 Pages

John Steinbeck wrote a novel called of Mice and Men 3 characters (George, Curleys wife and Crooks)are involved to prove
The theme of failure of the american dream.They all have something they want to achieve by either escaping from something or doing something but they all fail to do so. First John Steinbeck uses George, George came from a small town called Weed with his mentally impaired friend Lennie who is large and massive and looks like a normal person but has the mind of a child,so George looks out for Lennie since he can 't do it on his own. They ran away from Weed to get away from the trouble that was caused by Lennie when he “accidentally” scared a woman by grabbing and feeling on her soft red dress. Lennie has an obsession with soft things.George is tiny compared to Lennie but is really smart he has a dream that their gonna own their own ranch and live happily ever after and have some cows, chickens, and rabbits to tend Lennie is very excited about the rabbits .”we 're gonna have a little place( John Steinbeck 105) George promises Lennie.

Sadly that doesn 't happen because Lennie got into some more trouble by killing the bosses sons wife just by not understanding his strength, when the workers find her body lying in the hay inside of the barn …show more content…

Lennie sees a light in his room so he goes in their Crooks ask why is he in his room and what does he want? Lennie tells him he thought he could just come in because he say the

Show More
Related
447 Words | 2 Pages

The problem with this is that Lennie is always getting in trouble because he loves petting soft things, but he would always end up hurting what he was petting or possible killing it. Lennie ends up killing a puppy that one of the ranch workers was going to let him have and he is scared George will be mad at him, when Curley’s wife, who is the wife of the ranch owner’s son, tries to comfort

Read More
1001 Words | 5 Pages

This also shows the overpowering control George has over Lennie’s conscience, and the consequence that Lennie can’t remember his own actions, only the stories George repeats. He is never truly angry with Lennie for his petty mistakes, he is simply thinking of the limitations of their dreams because of Lennie’s unpredictable actions. It seems George can only control Lennie by threatening him with the thing he cares about most which is the farm, “But you ain’t gonna get in no trouble, because if you do, I won’t let you tend the rabbits” he threatens, trying to make Lennie remember the importance of his actions (36). George is constantly complaining that he could have a better life and even have a farm without Lennie to look after, but he also wants a companion. Lennie is often simple minded and easily influenced, but intuitive enough to manipulate George’s loneliness, “If you don’t want me George I can go up in that cave over there and leave,” George quickly denies this saying “No, look I was just foolin’ Lennie, ‘cause I want you to stay with me” (20).

Read More
775 Words | 4 Pages

Lennie on the other hand is Large, strong, but is mentally slow and cannot seem to fully comprehend all situations. Lennie loves to pet and hold soft things, whether it is a dead mouse, a nice dress, or even a puppy. Lennie also does not know his own strength, and these two characteristics that Lennie possesses makes him a somewhat dangerous man. George and Lennie head to a ranch so they can acquire enough money for their dream job of owning their own ranch, where Lennie can tend to the rabbits, and where no one is the in charge of them. At the farm they met many characters.

Read More
320 Words | 2 Pages

Michael Oher faces adversity throughout the whole movie making him have to overcome it to be the best he can be. It when Michael meets Leigh Ann Touhy and her family on the sidewalk in the pouring rain that he believes like he belongs to the world and that he just just got past the first step of overcoming adversity. Lennie has no family apart from George who he annoys constantly and being disabled and slow, his capabilities are limited as he would not be able to survive on his own. The only 'Family' Lennie has is George Milton, his friend who stays by his side to make sure he is safe. This is due to George promising Lennie's aunt that he would take care of him.

Read More
1000 Words | 4 Pages

“I want you to stay with me, Lennie. Jesus Christ, somebody’d shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself” (Steinbeck 13). George views his dream of being super practical for the kind of life he lives. Living on his own ranch with Lennie will let him have less of a worry about Lennie making decisions that will put the both of them in jeopardy. Living secluded on their own property will only make life easier.

Read More
937 Words | 4 Pages

George and Lennie share an unbreakable bond, despite their contrasting appearances and personalities with George being “small and quick”, while Lennie is “a huge man, shapeless of face, with large pale eyes and sloping shoulders” (Steinbeck 2). Even though they are so different, their personalities complement each other, and their undying friendship gives them hope and companionship in their desperate situations as migrant workers. Furthermore, throughout the novel, it is apparent that George takes care of Lennie through every obstacle he finds himself in, even though he is incapable of doing the same for George. Steinbeck also characterizes Lennie as innocent and animalistic to connect him to nature. He compares Lennie to animals in the barn describing the way he drinks water as, “snorting into the water like a horse”, and saying he “dabbled his big paw in the water” (Steinbeck 4-5).

Read More
264 Words | 2 Pages

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” says Abraham Lincoln. I personally agree with this idea, for many reasons which include the following. The first reason I agree with this idea, because it shows in Of Mice and Men, when Curley's wife knows she has power so, she presents her real character by using racism on Crooks, calling Candy old, and calling Lenny stupid. Without power she would be absent, fearful, and desperate, which would tuck away her real character. The second reason I agree with this belief, is that I have even experienced this with my siblings.

Read More
543 Words | 3 Pages

In Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, many of the characters faced times of great disappointment. They are disappointed because dreams or plans didn’t go as they wanted them to. George, Lennie and Curley’s wife are disappointed with their current place in life due to many of their plans going awry. George is one of the “main characters”, and faces times of hardship and disappointment.

Read More
1163 Words | 5 Pages

Survival is often introduced as a concept of endurance, persistence and perseverance, a textbook idea about simply living or dying. At the inception of human life, merely surviving was imperative and existence was something that humans fought for on a daily basis. But, as we flourish independently, as societies and as a race, the concept of survival is warped, and growth as an individual, as well as coping with everyday hardships and not just traditional examples of adversity such as poverty and destitution are prime examples of survival. In John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, the reader is presented with the idea that survival is not synonymous to staying alive, and moreover, that cultural and societal struggles shape self in accordance with the way we face them. Survival of the fittest is the primordial notion that only the fit have the power and strength to live, and more importantly, thrive in their environment.

Read More
880 Words | 4 Pages

”(72) he can’t believe that something like that would happen to George that will leave him alone. After George had scolded him had replies ”If you don 't want me I can go off an’ find a cave. I can go away any time”(13). He requests that it would better off for George and everyone else if he is alone, even though he wants someone to talk to and be with. None of the other people really like Lennie on the farm and especially when the climax of the story happened he was dreadfully hated.

Read More
605 Words | 3 Pages

Despair Among People During the Great Depression People who face great odds will hang on to hope, however, many will lose it to the cruel reality they live in. This is the story told in the novel, Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck. In this novel, Lennie and George are traveling bindle stiffs who experience the losses that come with the Great Depression, and the hope of others that is dashed by the death of one person. This theme of hope and loss is shown through Curley's wife, Candy, and George.

Read More
974 Words | 4 Pages

Go on, George! Tell about what we’re gonna have in the garden and about the rabbits in the cages and about the rain in the winter and the stove, and how thick the cream is on the milk like you can hardly cut it.” (Steinbeck 14) Lennie, who is a big man; that does not know his own strength, wants to be on a farm with his companion, George. He wants the farm to have different things such as a garden, pigs, cows and most of all rabbits. He likes rabbits because they are soft, so he can pet them, but big enough to not get hurt when he pets them.

Read More
1801 Words | 8 Pages

The initial paragraphs of John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men introduces Lennie and George, two men living on the road, in search of a job. Both men have dreams of their own and depend on each other in order to achieve them. George takes care of Lennie, who is mentally incapable, while Lennie provides company to George. These men wander around hoping to achieve the American Dream. They continue to go after it, without realizing that they will never be able to obtain it.

Read More
610 Words | 3 Pages

In conclusion, to express that the american dream is impossible Steinbeck used conversation, conflicts, and events. Throughout of mice and men George and Lennie got into many situations where they felt scared , worried, and angry. Together the plan was to get the money to live in a small place, tend to the rabbits and alpha so they are happy. But things happen such as George killing Lennie that make the american dream impossible to achieve.

Read More
313 Words | 2 Pages

Of Mice and Men Literary Analysis Essay 2017 The famous author, Harry Nilsson writes, “Dreams are nothing more than wishes and a wish is just a dream you wish to come true.” In John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men, he develops a story of people living through the Great Depression. During the Great Depression, a very heartbreaking event happened, which was the Dust Bowl. The Dust Bowl destroyed families and homes.

Read More

More about The Theme Of Failure In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Related Topics

Open Document