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Survival Of The Fittest In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change” as Charles Darwin once said. In Of Mice and Men, a famous novel by John Steinbeck, is about two unlikely friends named George and Lennie, who travel together in search of jobs at a ranch farm. Taking place during the Great Depression, many hardships stood in the way of their American Dream of owning a ranch farm together. However, when George finally realizes the true nature of humans, nothing could withstand the power of dominance. Throughout the story, it was a constant battle between those who will and will not survive. By using different features of characters, Steinbeck develops the idea of how physical traits can be used against each other. Also, the presence of animal imagery provide a deeper connection to how humans are just like animals. John Steinbeck developed the theme of survival of the fittest in Of Mice and Men through the relationship of characters and animal symbolism. One way Steinbeck developed the theme survival of the fittest was through the development of his characters. The relationship between Curley and Lennie illustrates how physical …show more content…

Physical traits such as height, age, clothes, and race greatly influence how characters view one another. Consequently, the use of animal symbolism can illustrate the predatory nature that exists in humans. Nothing can change the fact that humans will always desire to have power in their life and will sacrifice anything to get it. Power is a sense of freedom from society because it allows them to be accepted and follow no expectations; a goal everyone tends to wish for in the novel. However, even though every character has faced many hardships making this goal seem impossible, they still strive with hope for a better place in this

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