ipl-logo

How Does Steinbeck Present The Death In Of Mice And Men

959 Words4 Pages

Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men (1937), uses symbolism, characterization, and plot to represent the death of the American dream.

Steinbeck uses halter chains as a symbol of slavery and oppression that reminds readers that the American dream of freedom is not realized for all people. At the beginning and end of chapter 4, when Crooks is rejected by George and his life is threatened by Curley’s wife, the text says “the halter chains rattled” (Steinbeck 83). At the end of chapter 5, as Candy considers the tragic end that both Curley’s wife and Lennie will come to, the text says, “the horses shifted their feet and rattled the halter chains” (Steinbeck 98).

Steinbeck develops the characters of Crooks and Curley’s wife in a way that represents …show more content…

The story ends with a tragic moment in which George decides to kill his own best friend and fellow dreamer, Lennie. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 foreshadow this tragic conclusion by ending in the tragedies of Candy’s dog’s death, Lennie crushing Curley’s hand, and Curley’s wife …show more content…

Dreams are something you need to sacrifice for achieving what you want to achieve. Mice and men perfectly show that in the novel. They show us that sometimes dreams don’t always come true and people are just stuck in a job loop.

Men are trying to stay alive in this unfair very tough hurtful world so are mice. Mice and men have the same goal. You will always eventually have to let go of everything in life. Of Mice and Men, the novel showed what true life was like. Each character always represents something big.

For example, Crooks represents slavery and inequality back then. Every character has different behaviors to opinions. John Steinbeck wrote this book like it was real life. Characters had habits, personalities, dislikes, opinions, sadness, happiness, anger, etc. This is what makes this book so alive and truly something about life.

Stereotypes such as women not being important enough to learn their names. On the other hand, men assume Curly’s wife is a no-good money chaser. Also assuming she’s slept with multiple people being unloyal, non-trustworthy, and a “tart”. This shows how life isn’t fair to some people who try to just live their lives. The real true reality of what life was like back

Show More
Related

How Does Steinbeck Use Of Foreshadowing In Of Mice And Men

954 Words | 4 Pages

Of Mice and Men tells a story based in California during the 1930s; of two men who have very different characteristics, but share the same goal. The men, George and Lennie, are migrant workers. At their new job, they meet many individuals: Candy, who is very old and cleans the bunkhouse; Curley, who is the boss’s son; Curley's wife, Crooks, the stable hand; and Slim, who is known as the “prince of the ranch.” Though they recently started, their new job quickly goes downhill. John Steinbeck’s book is carefully written and often uses hints to foretell what will happen next.

Read More

How Does Steinbeck Use Foreshadowing In Of Mice And Men

666 Words | 3 Pages

The novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck is a gripping tale of two men and their lives during the Great Depression. George Milton and Lennie Small are two migrant workers who travel together finding work. They take on a new job “bucking barley” at a ranch in central California for the ranch owner and his son. While working at the ranch they encounter Curley the ranch owner’s son and his wife, a flirtatious woman. The story reaches a climax when Lennie unintentionally kills Curley’s wife and runs back to the Salinas River just as George instructed.

Read More

How Does Steinbeck Use Of Foreshadowing In Of Mice And Men

1151 Words | 5 Pages

No matter if a mouse or a man their dreams and whims can fail or go askew. John Steinbeck is a famous writer that wrote a book called, Of Mice and Men, and in this book it showed how people's dreams don't always go their way. In John Steinbeck's book, Of Mice and Men, he uses a lot of foreshadowing to allow the readers to predict what was going to happen next to the main characters Lennie and George. In the book Lennie was a mentally handicapped man and George was his friend that had to take Lennie after his aunt died. They live in California during the 1930’s which was the time of the Great Depression, while they are working on a ranch and struggling to remain with their jobs.

Read More

How Does Steinbeck Present Lennie's Death In Of Mice And Men

644 Words | 3 Pages

Many characters in the short story Of Mice and Men meet an untimely demise for reasons that were never expected. Characters in the story that met such a fate include Candy’s dog, Curley’s wife, Lennie’s puppy, and Lennie himself. These deaths and the events that lead up to them bear a certain resemblance to each other. Some of these deaths are not directly related to others, but instead use symbolism to convey the idea that many characters in the story have similar characteristics, so despite their obvious differences, the characters in the story often relate to one another in multiple ways. By using a metaphorical method of writing, John Steinbeck is able to show the reader that some characters, though physically opposite, can be very similar

Read More

How Does Steinbeck Present Death In Of Mice And Men

743 Words | 3 Pages

The death of Curley’s wife and the death of Lennie. The death of Candy’s dog was very long and exaggerated. The killing of the old dog was brought up by Carlson because Carlson thought the dog smelled terrible. Carlson said to Candy, “Well, I can’t stand him [Candy’s dog] in here.” (Steinbeck 44).

Read More

How Does Steinbeck Present Hope In Of Mice And Men

984 Words | 4 Pages

The novel Of Mice and Men shows the continuous hope within a dream that both Lennie and George Attain throughout the book, and how it affects decisions made

Read More

Of Mice And Men Rhetorical Analysis

937 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout Steinbeck’s naturalistic novel, Of Mice and Men, He portrays two distinctively different men struggling to persevere and survive in an otherwise cruel world. Two migrant workers, George and Lennie thrive off the company of one another and the impossible dream that one day, they will acquire land and make a contented life for themselves. Through their friendship and constant hope for a better life, George and Lennie learn how to survive and cling to aspiration during the harsh Depression era. Steinbeck uses symbolism, irony, and characterization in his classic novel to illustrate the undying hope found in a desperate situation. Steinbeck uses symbolism to portray how people find hope in the direst situations.

Read More

How Does Steinbeck Present Motivation In Of Mice And Men

716 Words | 3 Pages

Intro Hopes and dreams are essential so you can have things to look forward to and keep you motivated during difficult times. The novel, Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck takes place during the Great Depression George and Lennie, two main characters, have a dream of owning a ranch. They, later on, involve Candy in the dream which motivates them to stay out of trouble and to work hard. John Steinback portrays hopes and dreams for people to survive by showing how the dream calms Lennie, keeps Candy distracted from his dogs and motivates George, Candy, and Lennie during a difficult time. To begin, Steinbeck shows readers how throughout the Great Depression working and earning money was difficult, but having hopes and dreams motivated

Read More

Of Mice And Men Quote Analysis

1818 Words | 8 Pages

Of Mice and Men is an exciting book written by John Steinbeck, first published in 1937. The story is set during the Great Depression and follows two migrant workers, George and Lennie, as they travel through California in search of work. John Steinbeck utilizes symbolism, imagery, foreshadowing, and repetition to compare how Lennie and George are motivated by their dreams to show how powerful a dream can be even if the dream is unattainable. Steinbeck uses symbolism to show just how powerful having a goal can be in a character's life. Throughout the novel, Steinbeck utilizes Lennie and George’s dream of owning a farm to represent how a goal can impact a group of people.

Read More

Use Of Characterization In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

1067 Words | 5 Pages

John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is a short novel that packs a punch and really looks back at America’s past and mistakes. Steinbeck paints a picture of the late 1920s and early 1930s through two men, George and Lennie. George looks after the mentally challenged Lennie and must take action by soon ending Lennie’s life. The characters in the novel all struggle with heartbreaking conflicts but, no one else suffers more than Lennie and George. These conflicts are often supported imagery in the text.

Read More

Of Mice And Men Analytical Essay

936 Words | 4 Pages

First, large numbers of people have to deal with systemic issues that affect a great deal of people. John Steinbeck displays these systemic issues in Of Mice and Men through all of his characters and in their actions. His characters either caused

Read More

Human Condition In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

573 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More

Examples Of Sexism In Of Mice And Men

1644 Words | 7 Pages

Aforementioned, Curley 's wife represents discrimination towards women, she is constantly looked down upon and isn 't treated with respect. However, when she is talking to Crooks, “‘Well, you keep your place then, n*****. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain 't even funny,’”(OMAM 81). Crooks and Curley 's wife go through something similar. They are both discriminated based on a difference that the other men on the farm don’t have.

Read More

The Importance Of Dreams In Of Mice And Men

982 Words | 4 Pages

The importance of dreams in Of Mice and Men is to give the character purpose and hope. The novel takes place in the 1930’s during the Great Depression, and life was hard because of the tough economic conditions at this time. Dreams play an important role in the novel Of Mice and Men, because the characters need an escape from the loneliness and poverty that is their reality, and it gives them something to work towards. The characters use the idea of the American Dream to feed their desire to have a better life. The characters face many obstacles along their journey, and each obstacle will have a direct affect on shaping how the character develops as well as if they reach their dream.

Read More

Of Mice And Men And The American Dream Analysis

834 Words | 4 Pages

Everyone aspires to achieve the American Dream: an opportunity to be successful by working hard. Throughout the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the American Dream brings hope for a better life for those who hold onto it. George Milton and Lennie Smalls, traveling ranch workers called bindle stiffs, dream of owning their own piece of land where they create the rules. They are not the only characters with hopes and dreams. But Steinbeck shows the American Dream is, in fact, sometimes just a dream through the hopes and actions of Lennie, Candy, and Curley’s wife.

Read More

More about How Does Steinbeck Present The Death In Of Mice And Men

Related Topics

Open Document