ipl-logo

Response To John Steinbeck's 'Of Mice And Men'

1044 Words5 Pages

Of Mice and Men - text response

The classic novella Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck during the time of the Great Depression, captivates audiences with its carefully chosen narrative techniques. The author uses techniques such as foreshadowing; which helps keep the readers engaged. Steinbeck's clever use of symbolism gives the readers a double meaning behind the original text by using symbolism and stylistic devices to help the readers discover the second meaning. This technique adds depth within the text. Steinbeck successfully uses imagery to help the readers understand the characters. These techniques effectively allow the readers to emphasise with the characters and their situations.

Throughout the novella Of Mice and Men, …show more content…

Animals represent Lennie because, like all animals, innocent. The first example of animal imagery describes Lennie as 'snorting into the water like a horse' Pg3. The author describes the way Lennie is drinking from the River, it is a simile. Lennie is also like a horse because he is playful and childlike, which links to his mental illness which causes him to be as childish as he is. A lot Lennie's actions are bear like, such as down at the Salinas River, 'Lennie dabbled his big paw' Pg3 Next Lennie is described as a bear because of his big appearance and super strength. Thirdly, Steinbeck explains that Lennie is like a terrier because he likes to hold onto things; which links to why he couldn't let go of Curley's wife's hair. Steinbeck uses the quotation 'Slowly like a terrier who doesn't want to bring a ball to its master.' Pg10 To show that Lennie only let's go when told by his master, George even if he doesn't want to. This was proven first with the mouse at the River and again when Curley punched Lennie and George shouted 'get 'im Lennie!' Pg71 resulting in Lennie grabbing and consequently breaking Curley's hand. This proves Lennie is completely loyal to George just like a dog in this case a terrier is loyal to its master as shown in the first …show more content…

All of the techniques in the novella were cleverly written. Steinbeck has successfully engaged his readers and given them an insight to the life of an itinerant worker during the Great Depression. The way Steinbeck wrote Of Mice and Men; how the story unfolded, rather than being read of to the the audience is truly magical. The readers can feel like they are apart of Lennie and George's dream and knew what it was like to on the ranch. Of Mice and Men is a warning to today's readers that it impossible to try to change

Show More
Related

Of Mice And Men Foreshadowing Essay

447 Words | 2 Pages

The problem with this is that Lennie is always getting in trouble because he loves petting soft things, but he would always end up hurting what he was petting or possible killing it. Lennie ends up killing a puppy that one of the ranch workers was going to let him have and he is scared George will be mad at him, when Curley’s wife, who is the wife of the ranch owner’s son, tries to comfort

Read More

Sacrifice In The Lakota Way

1058 Words | 5 Pages

Sacrifice is demonstrated in the short story “2 B R 0 2 B” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and in Chapter 6 of the collection of stories The Lakota Way by Joseph M. Marshall III. These works demonstrate the importance of giving up for others without anything expected in return. In The Lakota Way, Red Shawl sacrifices her safety for her newborn baby while in “2 B R 0 2 B”, Edward Wehling kills himself and the two doctors so that his infant triplets and grandfather can survive. Red Shawl’s sacrifice for her newborn and Edward Wehling’s sacrifice for his triplets come from similar familial love, but differ in the way they exhibit their sacrifice. The most apparent similarity between the two sacrifices is that both characters sacrifice themselves for the lives of their newborn children.

Read More

How Does Steinbeck Use Foreshadowing In Of Mice And Men

757 Words | 4 Pages

The novella Of Mice and Men is a book by John Steinbeck on the lives of migrant farm workers working during the Great Depression, Lennie, who is developmentally delayed and George. The two have a dream of, what every farm worker has a dream of, land. A clearing is one of the prevalent settings.

Read More

Examples Of Foreshadowing In Of Mice And Men

771 Words | 4 Pages

In the novel Of Mice and Men, tragedy is heavily foreshadowed. Some examples include George and Lennie not getting the land they dream of, the death of Curley’s wife, and the death of Lennie himself. The novel involves different mood swings and shows the feelings and actions of the different characters in the novel. It makes us feel close to the characters and makes it so we can understand their feelings and emotions. It is a novel of ups and downs and has a big plot twist that will leave you speechless.

Read More

How Is Animal Imagery Used In Of Mice And Men

943 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More

How Does Steinbeck Use Ethos In Of Mice And Men

640 Words | 3 Pages

When world renowned author, John Steinbeck wrote Of Mice and Men, America went into an uproar, because he created a detailed and realistic account of the time period as he tells the tale of the main characters, George and Lennie. Readers are forced to contemplate their own past experiences and how those have affected the way they perceive their fantasies. He depicts the grit, dedication, and harshness of the reality it takes to reach our dreams. In his novel Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses symbolism, parallelism, and pathos to portray the American Dream through the lives and deaths of the characters. John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men portrays the American Dream through symbolic characters.

Read More

Of Mice And Men Rhetorical Analysis

913 Words | 4 Pages

An quotation from the novel that shows animal imagery is, “I want you to stay with me, Lennie. Jesus Christ, somebody’d shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself.” Coyotes are seen by pests by people, when George said this he indirectly called Lennie a pest. During the time that the text is set in people like Lennie, who are on the dumber side of things were looked down upon. The quotation also foreshadowed that an event will occur in which Lennie will get shot due

Read More

Essay On Foreshadowing In Of Mice And Men

675 Words | 3 Pages

In John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men there is an ample amount of foreshadowing that is used to foretell upcoming events. Instead of using people's thoughts and dreams as tools of foreshadowing, he uses actual events to foretell future events. Steinbeck uses smaller scale situations to predict the outcomes of much more complex predicaments. The unique way he includes this literary device in the novel causes you to overlook some of the foreshadowing while reading, and then recognize its significance many chapters later.

Read More

Of Mice And Men Analysis Essay

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”

Read More

Of Mice And Men Argumentative Essay

583 Words | 3 Pages

Although physically powerful, Lennie is not aware of his own strength, which causes him to harm others. This is seen in his crushing of Curley's hand during their fight, and eventually, in his killing of Curley's wife. Lennie's lack of understanding of social norms and his childlike nature also led to him unintentionally killing the puppies he was tending, even though he loved them so dearly. Despite his good intentions, Lennie's actions keep resulting in harm and

Read More

The Role Of The American Dream In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

610 Words | 3 Pages

Of mice and men is a prominent book read by most high school students for a long time. Of mice and men is a book written by John Steinbeck. In the book George and Lennie had to run out of weed, so they looked for a ranch to work on. Lennie had issues with liking soft things that lead to him killing Curley's’ Wife and a puppy. To express that the american dream is impossible to achieve Steinbeck uses conversations, conflicts, and events.

Read More

Narrative Techniques In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

895 Words | 4 Pages

It does this through an emphasis on dialogue rather than description, rapid changes of scenes and lack of transitions. To set the scene of 1930s life, Steinbeck uses the concept of social realism when he evokes the idea that the two protagonists are destined to crash from the very beginning. Steinbeck ensures that his characters are believable and are shown as is so that the reader can connect and relate with each protagonist. There is a much deeper meaning to the setting of mice and men; The Great Depression and poor men desperately looking for work. Steinbeck describes natural settings to create a mood and atmosphere for the reader, also emphasising themes such as loneliness and instability.

Read More

Of Mice And Men Literary Analysis Essay

737 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More

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

1067 Words | 5 Pages

Along with these elements, imagery supports characterization throughout the novel. These elements help to support the theme that chaos can occur in even the most peaceful places. In his novel, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses conflict, imagery, and characterization to strengthen the story, and develop the theme in the novel. Steinbeck’s development of George and Lennie’s conflicts and even Candy’s help to advance the plot and develop the theme in the novel. George’s internal and external struggle is clear at the beginning of the

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

More about Response To John Steinbeck's 'Of Mice And Men'

Related Topics

Open Document