In the novel, ¨Of Mice and Men,¨ the author, John Steinbeck, develops complex characters which opens the story up for interpretation. Steinbeck uses both direct and indirect characterization, which forces the reader to infer important traits about each characters. An example of a character is Crooks, a colored man working on a ranch during the Great Depression. Being the only black man on the ranch, Crooks is often looked down on as a stable bunk, and is not respected as the other men are. Because of this, Crooks is perceived as powerless.
The end of the “Vietnam War” left many tortured souls in search of heaven. Due to differences in views of governing and authority people began to flee out of fear of the new Communist Government. The book “I love Yous are for White People” by Lac Su is a memoir of the events he faced with his family trying to create anew life for of a psychologist with similar and his crushed “American Dream”. A child of second generation migrating into a new environment has difficulty adapting to the ways of society.
Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world (Harriet Tubman). Throughout the novella, Of Mice and Men, the author John Steinbeck displays that having a dream may impact one to make better choices. Steinbeck shows this through the motif of dreams, characterization, and imagery.
There are two major tragedies in Of Mice and Men. One is the death of Lennie, and the other is the death of George’s dream to own a ranch. Throughout the novel, George mentions, mostly when he loses his patience with Lennie, that he could have an easier life without him. George is actually wanting more freedom from having to take care of Lennie, but truly wishes him no harm. The reader is also aware that George really wants to own a ranch with Lennie.
Have you ever felt so powerless to where you can almost do nothing about it? “Of Mice and Men”, is a novel about friendship, care, and love. However the story has its bad parts such as Isolation, loneliness, and feeling powerless. In the short book, the author Joh Steinbeck does a wonderful job of portraying the theme Powerlessness. The main characters George Milton and Lennie Small have a dream about one day living alone on their own piece of property.
A dark like night filled room full of loud people. Lennie was looking around. George stood loudly as he talked to Jim a fat tall old man. “ Well we had a good ole’ time here but we’re disappointed you must go.” Jim drunkenly slurred ” just shut up i'm going to a better farm with better pay about 35 miles north of here.”
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a well known classic that depicts the life of migrant workers''' during the great depression. As this book may seem uninteresting, it actually has been shown immense respect in the literature world. It has stood the test of time and is a primary book being taught in schools today. The theme played a big role in making this happen. Without realization kids are able to relate to the reason that it depicts loneliness and betrayal.
We all may have had the feeling of loneliness and isolation, wanting companionship feeling abandonment. In John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, there are men living on a ranch having their own reasons for loneliness or being isolated. The three characters Crooks, George, and Lennie crusade dealing with own ways of loneliness and isolation. Crooks has no one that likes him because he’s black, Lennie struggles mentally and George struggles with always having to care for him. They all can’t decide whether it is that they want to be alone or not.
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.
Despair Among People During the Great Depression People who face great odds will hang on to hope, however, many will lose it to the cruel reality they live in. This is the story told in the novel, Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck. In this novel, Lennie and George are traveling bindle stiffs who experience the losses that come with the Great Depression, and the hope of others that is dashed by the death of one person. This theme of hope and loss is shown through Curley's wife, Candy, and George.
Loneliness and isolation is an ongoing theme throughout the novel Of Mice and Men, experienced by several characters to different degrees. Some characters are more isolated and lonely than others, yet every character in the story goes through this theme during one point in the story. There are various reasons why each character is lonely or isolated. In general, all the ranch workers feel some sort of loneliness because they move alone from ranch to ranch and do not have real connections with others, Curley’s wife experiences this theme because she is the only woman on the ranch and nobody wants to interact with her because Curley is very protective and hostile of her. Thirdly, Candy struggles through being lonely and isolated after Carlson shot his dog and because Candy does not work with the others since he is a swamper.
In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck employs the modernist concept of Social Darwinism in order to distinguish between characters who survive and characters who succumb to the abuses of society. Social Darwinism, in short, is the theory that the Darwinian laws of natural selection account for the social hierarchy of society. Just like how favorable characteristics allow animals to survive in the wild, favorable attributes allow an individual to thrive in society. Social Darwinism champions the phrase ‘survival of the fittest’, implying that only the strong will survive and thrive, and the weak will be left behind. In his novel, Steinbeck applies Social Darwinism in order to create a social hierarchy between the characters of his novel,
SETTING The book Of Mice and Men is set in two different places. It begins beside a stream, near to the Salinas River, which is a few miles south of Soledad, California. It then shifts over to a ranch, where the majority of the story is set. At the end of the novel, the setting comes back to where it began.
In the novel “Of Mice and Men” the theme of social injustice is presented by John Steinbeck through the characters of Lennie, Curley’s wife, and Crooks. By examining the theme of social injustice one can be taught that treating someone based on their mental capability, gender, or race is wrong. Rather treat them base on the person they are on the
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.
