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Lennie's Slaughter

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“The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men/ gang aft agley,” (Burns 38). This precise verse from the poem “To a Mouse” inspired John Steinbeck to compose the widely-known novel Of Mice and Men. This book depicts the story of a clever man named George and his faithful yet mentally disabled companion, Lennie, working on a Californian ranch during the Great Depression. The two have an American Dream of owning their own farm, but this is all shattered when Lennie unintentionally murders the boss’ daughter-in-law. In order to protect his closest friend from a most terrible and cruel death sentenced to him by society, George shoots Lennie humanely. This is captured by Steinbeck in the title. The title communicates that while both go through hardships, …show more content…

For example, Candy’s dog is killed painlessly with mercy to be spared of suffering, (45). This dog lived a happy life, even until the end of it, being that he was unknowing of his soon-to-come death. On the other hand, the one that does grieve and lament is none other than Candy, who was not spared from the news of his dog’s death. Oblivion prevented the pain and suffering that came along with the burden of knowing. Further along in the story, Lennie, who had just committed murder, starts dreaming about owning a farm with a firm belief in its possibility, (105). “The mouse” was able to move on from the grievous matter due to his disengagement to the past. Instead, blinded by a fabricated fantasy, Lennie was ignorant of the fact his own life was in very grave danger, therefore he was able to carry on happily. In the poem that inspired Steinbeck, the author presents the idea that mice are not burdened with knowledge of the past nor future, (Burns 36). The idea that “mice” live in a blissful ignorance rather than stressful reality is translated from “To a Mouse” to Of Mice and Men. The “mice” are able to live life happily with no regrets, unlike the men distressed by life and in George’s case, having to live with the memory of pulling the trigger to his companion’s death. It’s this awareness that differs mice from

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Steinbeck’s “mouse” can be represented by his character Lennie. Lennie is given animal-like traits. Some examples on page 3 are how Lennie is “like a horse,” and has “big paws.” George also says he’ll “put you [Lennie] in a cage” on page 11. Lennie is often forgetful of his past like how mice only focus on the present.

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Like, ‘If I di’n’t have you I’d take my fifty bucks—’” “Jesus Christ, Lennie! You can’t remember nothing that happens, but you remember ever’ word I say.” “Well, ain’t you gonna say it?” (Steinbeck 47). This changes what happened at death.

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He laughed delightedly” (14). In John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men the author develops two main characters by the names of George Milton and Lennie Small, these characters share an unbreakable bond. Of Mice and Men takes place in the Salinas Valley, during the Great Depression, George and Lennie are on quest for job opportunities. George and Lennie end up getting a job on a ranch, where they meet many crucial characters. Lennie struggles with mental disabilities, making him slow and clueless, Lennie causes many small issues on the ranch which eventually lead to his death.

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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.

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The novella ‘of Mice and Men’ was written by John Steinbeck in the 1930s. It is set in a difficult period of time when America was sunk in deep depression. However, themes of loyalty shine brightly throughout the novella. He shows that even though Americas economy is in tatters, loyalty can still be as prominent. There were also distinct themes of disloyalty, mainly between characters.

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The novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, tells the story of two migrant workers during the great depression. Lennie and George are like many other workers during the 30's, except Lennie is mentally handicapped, which causes many problems for the duo. When things turn for the worst, George killing Lennie was the best thing he could do. Lennie wasn't able to react to the situations he was in, he had incredible strength that he couldn't control which made him dangerous and George pulling the trigger was the only way to give him a painless death with no regret. Lennie's lack of self-control and reaction to his surroundings was one of the first things to get him in trouble.

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945 Words | 4 Pages

f Mice and Men Essay - Essays and Analysis Critical Context and Evaluation print Print document PDF list Cite link Link Of Mice and Men is one of the most widely assigned modern novels in high schools because of both its form and the issues that it raises. John Steinbeck’s reliance on dialogue, as opposed to contextual description, makes the work accessible to young readers, as does his use of foreshadowing and recurrent images. Equally important is the way in which he intertwines the themes of loneliness and friendship and gives dignity to those characters, especially Lennie and Crooks, who are clearly different from their peers. By focusing on a group of lonely drifters, Steinbeck highlights the perceived isolation and sense of “otherness”

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Throughout one’s lifetime, they have had to face many different struggles and hardships. The novella, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, gives insight into the different struggles and hardships faced by different characters and people. This novella was inspired by the poem “To a Mouse '' by Robert Burns and Stienbeck’s own experiences during this time. This novella takes place in the 1930s during the peak of the Great Depression, meaning it was very hard for people to trust and care for the needs of others. During this time it was also normalized to treat people who were mentally ill wrongfully.

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“Of Mice and Men” tells the story of two friends, Lennie and George, that, even though they are completely different, the two never abandon each other, no matter what. This classic book of the novella genre was written by John Steinbeck and originally published in 1937. “Of Mice and Men” has become, according to the American Library Association,one of the “most challenged books of the 21st century” and was banned in many school districts for allegedly containing “racial slurs”, “promoting euthanasia”, and containing vulgar language. This constant censoring, however, has not stopped the book from becoming successful and, during its original publishing in 1937, it received thousands of great reviews; even becoming the book with the greatest and most positive response of its time. Besides, the book is a required reading in many english-speaking schools around the world.

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Steinbeck’s novel reveals the importance of connections to others, having hopes and dreams, and the results of cruelty that some resort to out of frustration. Of Mice and Men tells the story of how people react to difficult events in theicr lives positively or negatively. When some people struggle they seek

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In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the era of the Great Depression in the 1930’s is revealed through a simple story of ranch workers who hope to improve their lives. Migrant workers, George and Lennie, have a friendship that is based on trust and protection. The other workers lack the companionship and bond that these two men have. In the novel, the absence and presence of friendship is the motivation for the characters’ actions.

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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.

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745 Words | 3 Pages

To better understand the novella Of Mice and Men, the background of the story must be elaborated. The setting of the story takes place in the Salinas Valley, California during the The Great Depression in the 1930s. John Steinbeck, the author, tells about the protagonist, George, and the antagonist, Lennie, and their journey of constantly finding new work to pursue George’s dream to own his farm and “live off the fatta the

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613 Words | 3 Pages

The novella Of Mice and Men contains a number of different themes throughout the literary work. Throughout the chapters, the reader learns the themes of friendship, dreams, loneliness, among others, the three of which will be analyzed in this essay. Of Mice and Men is a novella written by John Steinbeck that takes place during the 1930s in Soledad, California. In the story, two men named George and Lennie search for opportunities during the Great Depression. The experiences that they go through can be concluded as a theme of one or multiple.

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Of Mice and Men; A Literary Analysis “I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that 's why,” says George in the book Of Mice and Men. John Steinbeck wrote this book about two boys who took care of each other mentally and physically throughout. They endure many journeys together and are able to suffice over very little. They show the strength in friendships in many dissimilar ways and make diligent decisions that some may never be able to make. Of Mice and Men is not only about two friends and their journey together, but as well as giving one a deeper meaning of the book, such as showing the nature of their dreams, the characters as archetypes, and if the killing of Lennie is justified in the end.

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