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Power And Control In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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The novel Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, Steinbeck shows how power and control is used in the majority of the novel. Through the use of metaphor, simile, and diction, Steinbeck evaluates the theme of power and control. Steinbeck’s use for the strategies is to appeal to the reader’s sense of pathos. Pathos is shown through the use of diction and metaphors used in the book. The novel takes place in Southern California where George and Lennie try to find a way to make their dreams come true. Lennie a character who is strong and tall has a mental problem where he can’t think as fast as normal people, so his friend George is there to take care of him and tell him what to do when Lennie can’t make the choices. In Of Mice and Men by …show more content…

George yelled again, “I said get him”(Steinbeck 30-31). Lennie did everything George said so when George told him to fight back he started to fight back. When Lennie started to fight back Curley was about to punch him than, “The next minute Curley was flopping like a fish”(Steinbeck 31). Lennie’s overpowered strength crushed Curley’s hand and made him “flop like a fish.” After Lennie had defeated Curley he, “sat down on the floor, looking in wonder at his crushed hand”(Steinbeck 31). Curley was wondering how the fight switched from him winning to Lennie winning. Lennie’s strength had made Curley wonder how George was able to convince Lennie to fight. The end of the fight showed that power and control can make people do any action told.
In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Steinbeck uses metaphor, simile, and diction to create pathos to perpetuate the theme of power and control. In the novel George and Lennie have a friendship were George tells Lennie what to do and Lennie does it. Lennie’s mental states causes him to sometimes forget stuff, and can’t makes decisions as quick as everyone else. George has to take care of Lennie and he tells Lennie what to do. Steinbeck uses George and Lennie to show the theme of power and control. Lennie’s strength is used to show that having power was a big thing during the Great

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In the classic American novel Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, power is a recurring theme. Most of the characters have direct ties to power, whether it is physical, social, economic, or intellectual. But the author balances their powers with flaws. Lennie, a main character, has a lot of physical power. Yet due to his mental disability, he does not understand the consequences of his actions.

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Humans and animals are more alike than most people would think. They often act the same way, and do similar things. Animal behaviors are used to describe humans and their actions, especially in literature. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, he uses naturalism to get his point across. Steinbeck uses animal imagery to emphasize power, including how Lennie has physical power over other people, George has power over Lennie, and Curley and his wife are seen as weak and helpless.

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Power is more than having control of other. It’s also about respect for both oneself and for others. It must be earned and not just expected. Throughout the novella “Of Mice and Men,” by John Steinbeck, the main characters face hardships and adventures that may stand in the way of their ambition to own their own ranch house. This novella shows the all ‘American Dream,’ sacrifice, loneliness, and the struggle for them to find out their way through life.

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George is one of the most powerful people in Of Mice And Men. George life could be so much easier if he didn't have to look after Lennie, Lennie gives George power because he make George feel like he have a purpose. “Think I’d let you carry your own card.”

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Power is constantly dreamed of and strived for, but power causes corruption in society. The Great Depression was a time when only the richest of men had power and many times abused it. Throughout Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Steinbeck reveals the different ways social power affects and oppresses those around the powerful through imagery and important moments. In Of Mice and Men, Lennie, a physically powerful man with a much less powerful mind, and George, a sharp, independent man who has taken the role of caring for Lennie, arrive at a ranch in Soledad, California during the Great Depression to work on a farm. George and Lennie have a dream to live a life of independence and happiness, but the lack of power and weight of oppression they receive from Curley, the boss’s

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George would protect Lennie at all costs even from himself. After Lennie kills a young woman, George decides it is better for Lennie to be dead rather than to be tortured and kept in a cell or a mental asylum. The decision of killing Lennie hit George like a train, but he knew it was something that was in Lennie’s own good. Knowing he could have an easier life without Lennie, George still kept him around because he needed George and George needed Lennie. George tells Slim “Course Lennie’s a God damn nuisance most of the time, but you get used to goin’ around with a guy an’ you can’t get rid of him.”

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