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How Does Steinbeck Create Identity In Of Mice And Men

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John Steinbeck's ‘Of Mice and Men’ is a novella that discovers the ideas of what makes us human and the desire all have for dignity. It also discusses chasing the impossible dream and the consequences of doing so. These characters are timeless with each having a unique identity. This text was set during the Great Depression and discusses the economic/employment crisis as well as the casual racism of this period. This dehumanises the quality of life of those who don’t fit the status quo of wealth or land. The essence ‘Of mice and men’ is dreaming, in the case of this novella it is a small farm. It is such a central ideal for this piece it is mentioned in five out of the six chapters. For George this dream is independence and being ‘somebody’. For …show more content…

All the ranch hands in ‘Of Mice and Men’ dream of life and happiness, but none ever gets it. Crooks response to Lennie’s dream farm “...Just like heaven. Ever'body wants a little piece of lan'. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land.” Chapter four creates a sense of comradery between three of the men, all outcasts in their own way. When Lennie forgets this farm is a secret and tells Crooks, he laughs it off as crazy, due to his life of systematic oppression causing him not to believe in dreams. Crook is desperately alone and takes about his life in california and how his skin colour makes him even lonelier. Like a mirage, the farm leads George, Lennie, and other ranchers like Candy and Crooks, to survive off this idea, of living "off the fatta the lan.” George's elaborate description of the farm's abundant plants and animals also makes it seem like a symbol of paradise. The consequences of chasing or even believing in this dream, is death. Lennie who wanted to be trusted with the bunnies, kills Curley’s wife for accidently getting in the way of his childish, futile

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In the Salina’s Valley, just south of Soledad, California, there is a ranch. A ranch with skinners, barley buckers, stable bucks, swampers, and one boss with a highly unlikeable son. George Milton and Lennie Small, having gotten into a bit of trouble at another ranch have moved to work on this one. In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, readers follow George and Lennie’s time at this ranch, their good times and their hardships. Throughout the story, the reader meets many people, including the main characters George Milton, Lennie Small, Slim, Carlson, Curley and his wife, Crooks, and Candy.

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Their dream of owning a small farm, a place they call their own "little piece of land," transcends the bleak realities of their current existence. This dream fuels their perseverance through backbreaking labor and constant displacement. George, the pragmatist, articulates the details – "live off the fatta the lan'" [Chapter 1] – providing

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Of Mice and Men is a novella by John Steinbeck. The book is about two farmers named George Milton and Lennie Small, who hope to gather enough money to buy an acre of land and work for themselves instead of working for someone on a farm. Lennie hopes that he will be able to own rabbits to pet. However, Lennie will end up killing someone’s wife, this will lead to his death as he is eventually found and killed by George. Steinbeck uses Lennie’s dreams and relationships to show different themes involving the American Dream and the nature of humans in a modern society.

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In chapter one, George and Lennie are camped out in a forest clearing. They’re sitting around a campfire, cooking beans and Lennie requests George speak about the duo’s grand goal. “‘O.K. Someday-we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs and-’... An’ live off the fatta lan’,’ Lennie shouted. ‘An’ have rabbits.

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George is forced to let go of his aspirations to navigate the world and its harsh realities, no longer does he have Lennie or the dream to motivate him. Without either, he is left nothing more than a husk, wanting nothing more than to make his earnings and spend it on liquor and at brothels, showing how his dream was both his driving force and now his ruin. In John Steinbeck's Mice and Men, the tantalizing allure of the American Dream both ignites hope and sparks devastation among the characters. As they navigate through dusty ranches and broken dreams, George and Lennie cling to the promise of a brighter future, like a moth drawn to a flickering flame in the darkness. The pursuit of this elusive dream assesses the limits of friendship and resilience, leading to a bittersweet realization that sometimes, the dream itself is the ultimate illusion of false promises wrapped in unattainable desires.

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Discrimination In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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In John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men, he puts forth the theme of discrimination and the idea that people who were of lower intelligence were treated poorly. The idea presented by Steinbeck is depicted through the use of the language features, dialogue and colloquial language. This book was set in the time of The Great Depression in the 1930s, where Steinbeck explores the struggles of two aspiring men, George and Lennie, trying to find a stable job in a world of trouble and prejudice. Lennie had a child-like mind and George felt that it was his moral duty to put him under his wing to guide and protect him from those who would cause trouble.

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