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Topics and themes of John Steinbeck's works
Themes john steinbeck wrote about
Common themes of john steinbeck books
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The definition of strong is to keep on going even when things are not working out. In the novel Ethan Frome by Edith wharton The character Zeena has unexpected strength and Mattie Silver is surprisingly lacking strength. Zeena has a lot of hidden acts of strength in the book. People always thought that she was sickly but in the end she showed great toughness.
In Of Mice And Men, by John Steinbeck, many people suffer, but George suffers the most, more than anybody. Even though Candy suffers because his dog died and he has no more friends or family, I believe that George suffered the most in of mice and men because he had to kill his best friend and he gets punished for whatever Lennie does wrong since they are tied at the hip. George suffers more than anybody in the story, even candy. Even though Candy had his best friend killed he was not there to see the dog die.
Of Mice and Men was an excellent novel about two migrant workers traveling in Southern California, trying to make enough money to fulfill their dream of attaining their own plot of land. They have trouble accomplishing this goal when Lennie, the big and clueless on of the two, consistently makes mistakes, some of them being vital. The author, John Steinbeck, uses great techniques and literary devices that build up to the climax and resolution. Throughout the story, he describes how several characters all have/had dreams or goals, but none of them truly achieved those dreams. All of these literary devices, techniques, and the entire plot lead up to my thesis statement.
Through the book Of Mice and Men we see through the lives of many men and women passing through the main characters Lennie and George's life. Many of the characters met through the story live on the farm with the main characters and through their experiences much can be learned about these characters social ranking and power. In the story one of the main characters George had a considerable amount of power over Lennie. Lennie is described as strong and dumb, George even confessed to Slim he had taken advantage of that.
Curley is one of the characters that has the most power in the story. He always gets what he wants and he likes to pick fights with guys who are bigger than him just to show them he is tough. Curley’s power comes from the fact that his dad is the boss. He could get any of the guys who work on the ranch fired if he wanted to. The men do not respect him, they are just afraid of what he could do and they try to avoid him to stay out of trouble.
Power is an important theme throughout the plotline of John Steinbeck’s book, Of Mice and Men. The book Of Mice and Men is placed in the time of the Great Depression. Throughout the story, friends, George and Lennie travel together to find work and make money; in which they eventually find a place where they can work. While there are many lessons that Steinbeck teaches, in the novella Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck suggests that some people aren’t aware of their power; which is shown in the scene where Lennie crushes Curley’s hand and when he kills Curley’s wife. First, Steinbeck suggests that some people aren’t aware of their power throughout the scene where Lennie crushes Curley’s hand.
In the novel of “Of Mice and Men” power and friendship is the very bases of the story. There are many people with power in the book but I specifically was interested in Curley’s power. Curley is the son of the Ranch’s boss and he is very spoiled. He does not listen to rules and usually gets away with any trouble he makes or gets into.
For example Lennie is physically strong and would therefore seem to represent someone of power, the only power Lennie possesses is physical. A quote in the book that represent this is "He ain't much of a talker, is he?" "No, he ain't, but he's sure a hell of a good worker. Strong as a bull." This represents powerlessness because Lennie has great physical power
Survival is often introduced as a concept of endurance, persistence and perseverance, a textbook idea about simply living or dying. At the inception of human life, merely surviving was imperative and existence was something that humans fought for on a daily basis. But, as we flourish independently, as societies and as a race, the concept of survival is warped, and growth as an individual, as well as coping with everyday hardships and not just traditional examples of adversity such as poverty and destitution are prime examples of survival. In John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, the reader is presented with the idea that survival is not synonymous to staying alive, and moreover, that cultural and societal struggles shape self in accordance with the way we face them. Survival of the fittest is the primordial notion that only the fit have the power and strength to live, and more importantly, thrive in their environment.
The definition of a sympathetic character is one whom the writer expects the reader to identify with and care about, though not necessarily admire. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, Curley’s wife, a main character in the book is blatantly portrayed as an unsympathetic character. This is because they only see her through the men's eyes, who only see her as a tiresome object, owned by her husband. Steinbeck’s portrayal of Curley’s wife is unfair and misogynistic because he only displays her as unintelligent and promiscuous, never has a character have a turning point where they realize she’s more than an object, and he never reveals her true name. The first reason that Steinbeck's portrayal of Curley’s wife is unfair is that he never gives Curley any redeeming personality traits, he only depicts her as unintelligent and promiscuous.
¨Pick on someone your own size ¨. This remark refers to the bigger picking on the weaker and smaller. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, author John Steinbeck illustrates multiple different ways that the weak are often at the mercy of the strong and powerful . He illustrates this topic through not only one but many characters in the novel such as Lennie, Curley's wife, and Crooks. He also shows that those who are not only physical weaker but mentally are also often at the mercy of the strong and powerful.
“Fake it until you become it” (Your body language shapes who you are), successful American social psychologist Amy Cuddy speaks about the importance of confidence in our everyday lives. Many people today struggle with lack of self confidence and the feeling that they are weaker than their peers. More still feel as though they do not belong. The most common reason is because they are not in a position of power. They feel weak or obstructed.
In John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men, Curley feels that because of his father’s position of leadership, he has all of his father’s power, which leads to the abuse of his own power, in turn leading to the emotional and physical abuse towards the men who work for his father. Curley believes that he can do anything to the workers, so he emotionally abuses them with his words and body language. Curley says to Lennie, “No big son-of-a-bitch is gonna laugh at me”(62). Curley insults Lennie without even knowing what Lennie was laughing about.
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.
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.
