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Ageism in of mice and men
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Ageism in of mice and men
Essays on age discrimination
Ehtical consequences of age discrimination
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Recommended: Ageism in of mice and men
John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men follows two migrant farmers and their experiences working towards their dream. The story takes place in the Salinas Valley during both the Dust Bowl and Great Depression, when jobs were few and far between. George and Lennie have a dream of owning land, which is inhibited by these conditions. On the farm they come to work on, they meet the sultry wife of the Curly, the boss’ son. She was deprived of achieving her dream or stardom, and is left constantly craving attention in any way she can get it.
The death of Curley’s wife is a very shocking event which is what triggers George’s decision to shoot Lennie. She does nothing wrong and without noticing Lennie kills her; just how he killed the mouse and the puppy killed the puppy. Curley’s wife’s death is a tragedy and symbolizes Lennie’s untroubled life coming to an end. Even though Lennie is not a bad person after the death of Curley’s wife, we can no longer think of him as an innocent child-like person. George and Lennie’s life was about survival, but centred on the innocent dream of the rabbits.
Candy standing up for Crooks supports the idea of the psychoanalytical lens being the most effective lens when it came to developing theme because previously in the chapter, the men bond over the dream of having their own land to work and live on, so when Curley's wife threatens Crooks, and by proxy, a piece of that dream, Candy feels sympathy for the man. Candy speaking out to Curley's wife demonstrates his courage, and also tells the reader that he does share a bond with Crooks, as Curley's wife is known to be manipulative, and could just as easily get Candy in almost as much trouble as she could get Crooks in, but knowing this doesn’t stop Candy from feeling compelled to call out Curley's wife. A second, pivotal moment from the novel that supports the thesis is George’s decision to kill Lennie. After discovering Curley’s wife died, Slim has a moment with George, telling him, “‘Curley’s gonna want to shoot ‘im. Curley’s still mad about his hand. An s'pose they lock him up an’ strap him down and put him in a cage.
Foreshadowing Steinbeck uses foreshadowing throughout the novel to predict what is going to happen to Curley's wife at the end of the novel. First, Lennie liked touching soft things. For example, he liked petting mice, getting angry at them, and then killing them. Second, Curley's wife and the color red. For example, she always had red clothes on which was a sign of danger.
(Steinbeck 61). This is a use of foreshadowing because George is the one that killed Lennie in the end, rather than having one of the men on the ranch do it. If Candy had not said that to George, many would not have known the reasoning behind George ending Lennie’s
Lennie and George find themselves becoming more hopeful after Candy successfully manages to turn a dream that was originally meant for two men into a dream for three. He tries to help George and Lennie attain their dream, and convince them that, “S’pose I went in with you guys. Tha’s three hundred an’ fifty bucks I’d put in. I ain’t much good, but I could cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some” (59). He also shows the two friends of the possibility towards failed outcomes- symbolized through Candy’s inability to kill his own dog.
Including the tone of panic in George’s voice depicts that George is afraid of Lennie leaving causing him to be alone much like many of the workers on the ranch. Furthermore, in the middle of the book the character Candy is introduced to George and Lennie’s dream plan that emcompasses the theory of being together. Candy clearly wants to be included into the plan, “I’d make a will an’ leave my share to you guys in case I kick off, ‘cause I ain’t got no relatives nor nothing.” (Page 59) If Candy is willing to offer his life savings so that he might have a chance at living the dream with George and Lennie, it represents Candy’s necessity of leaving the isolation for a close knit relationship.
Candy later on willingly let himself get involved in George and Lennie’s dream of having a piece of land somewhere else. Candy was so desperate that he was willing to pay most of the money and do most of the labor work. There loneliness has led them to become so lonely that they are desperate enough to do things they would normally think about before deciding not just do it because it’s a chance for them to be part of something. We all want to be included or be part of something so it is understand able when people do things because they have no other choice.
Mice and Men is a story of two guys who is trying to reach their american dream, and faces trouble on the way and the story is a funny, sad, and loving story. Curley’s wife is portrayed as a victim because she is the only female. she a victim because her husband doesn't love her anymore and is feeling like she doesn't have anyone to talk to her. Steinbeck describes the American dream as having success and having a good life, but for the wife her dream is to be equal and back in that day women was discriminated and they are not being treated like today. Steinbeck shows how was being treated, “If I can catch a man and he’s alone, I get get along fine”(Pg 85) that’s saying that if it’s just one man than she is ok, but if it’s more than she
Curley’s wife has many unrealized dreams. Before her death, Curley’s wife confesses her desire to become a movie star, “Coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes-all them nice clothes like they wear... An’ all them nice clothes like they wear. Because this guy says I was a natural.” p.89
Section five – GoodCurley’s wife (Can she be redeemed) Curley’s wife is the only one to blame for her actions; she is always taking her anger out on people, meanly Crooks. She never say’s sorry or asks for forgiveness, although she is the only female on the ranch Steinbeck wants us to feel sympathy for her as she cannot get along with known body and she’s a house wife that’s extremely isolated with no one to convert. This is in evidence when she say’s “I get awful lonely.”
At first George believed that he could accomplish his dream but later doubts it right after he discovered Lennie did another “bad thing”. “Before George answered, Candy dropped his head and looked down at the hay. He knew. ”(Steinbeck 99). After they discovered what Lennie did to Curley’s wife, Candy asks George if they can still buy their land but all their hopes dropped as they suddenly returned back to reality and realized what was and wasn’t possible.
Crooks then feels excited to believe, because George and Lennie actually tried to accomplish the dream together. Normally, when Crooks sees people dreaming, they never have a real plan to go with it; George, Lennie, and Candy do. Crooks was still leery about the idea until Lennie explained how close they were to accomplishing the dream. At first, this seems like the perfect idea, until Curley’s wife ruins the hope of poor Crooks. He now accepts his fate of being lonely and an outcast stuck on this ranch.
As candy wanted his companion to be with him at the end, as did george for lennie. Candy represents the old person who isn´t needed anymore, which is an inevitable outcome. As someday , you will grow incompetent of fulfilling demands, or needs, and will be let go. I determined this through his actions, quotes, symbolism, and foreshadowing. Candy is one of the most important characters to understand, as he is representative of
Candy then goes on about how he “…could of hoed in the garden and washed dishes for them guys” (96) In this scene, Steinbeck exposes that Curley’s wife actually possessed more power in death rather than in life. In other words, her death revoked the dreams of many characters , including herself. Now candy, Lennie, and George will never have their ideal piece of farm land and Curley’s wife will pursue her dreams of becoming an actress. Unfortunately, Curley’s wife