Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
Literary critique of mice and men
John steinbeck writing features
Of mice and men literary elements
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Literary critique of mice and men
John steinbeck writing features
Of mice and men literary elements
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Of Mice and Men “listen, nigger,” she said. “you know what I can do to you if you open your trap?” (pg.80). This shows how the word “nigger” is used to control a black person. In the book of Mice and Men the word “nigger” is used quite often but towards crooks, since he is the only black person in the book.
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 beginning of the novel, we can tell that Lennie is a vulnerable character because we suspect there is some sort of mental disability going on with him. We see this in the first section where he wouldn't let go of the dead mouse because he wanted to pet it. Back in the 1930’s, people were not very understanding of mental illness. Because of this, Lennie was called dumb and child like. This put lennie at a disadvantage because people thought less of him and his capabilities.
In Of Mice and Men, the author, John Steinbeck suggests that power has a negative and corrupting affect on humans. After Lennie’s Aunt Clara dies, George and Lennie go out to find work together, and George is very mean to Lennie, taking advantage of Lennie’s mental disability. When George and Lennie start traveling together, George has “a hell of a lot of fun with ‘im [….] play[s] jokes on ‘im ‘cause he [is] too dumb” (40) and the jokes “make [him] seem God damn smart alongside him” (40). The usage of the word “fun” to describe George’s tormenting of Lennie indicates that his jokes were meant for his own pleasure. Even the usage of the word fun in this context makes the joking seem almost sadistic and cruel.
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.
In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck the theme of power is prevailed and developed throughout the book by certain character traits that are shown throughout the development of each character. John Steinbeck uses the trait of weakness for some characters to make others show dominance, this creates a sense of power between characters. There are characters that show weakness in some situations but power in others. Within each character there is power and there is weakness.
He aint, but I say he a god damn good worker, he can put up to four hundred pound bale.” Clearly the only thing Lennie has going for him is his strength, he's strong, but he feels powerless when it comes to solving a problem. He can also get distracted very easily, so the women questions herself if she really wants to hire a man, and pay a man, with a disability. Another example of where the author shows powerlessness is when
Of Mice and Men It is all quiet in the bunk house. Carlson is continuing to plead with Candy to let him to kill his dog. Candy does not want to allow it but, he does not feel he can deny Carlson.
The first display of Slim portraying his power occurs inside the barn when Lennie crushes Curley’s hand and cautions Curley by saying, “You jus’ tell an’ try to get this guy canned an’ then you get the laugh”(Steinbeck 64). Curly responds to Slim's authority and replies, “I won’t tell”(64). As soon as Curly backs down to Slim, it is prevalent that Slim has the most power on the ranch based on the fact that he has shut down the boss's son. The importance of Slim positively affecting George and Lennie, shows that he doesn’t abuse his power. These selfless qualities that Slim holds, is what allows him to gain and maintain his powerful position within the ranch.
In 1937 in the midst of The Great Depression, John Steinback published ‘Of Mice and Men’. This story introduced two characters by the name of George and Lennie. The two friends travel across California looking for work. In the book, the author portrays Lennie a huge, strong, and slow learning man. With the authors indirect characterization about Lennie, some critics infer that Lennie is forgetful and never intends to hurt anyone.
Does power affect your relationships? If so, is it healthy? In the realistic fiction novella Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck writes about about itinerant workers in the Great Depression in the Salinas Valley in California. There are relationships in the novella that reflect the theme power, and he writes how power plays a role in these relationships. The theme power, shown in competence, gender, and race, affects relationships.
“The unavoidable truth is, however, that Lennie, be he innocent “natural,” uncontrollable id, or simply a huge child, is above all dangerous.” (Owens) Children are known for having tempers. They have trouble expressing their feelings in words. Lennie is a lot like this and with his enormous strength, it is difficult to control him. Of Mice and Men shows many thematic ideas that relate to the world today even though it is set in the 1930’s.
Lennie, clearly, is not fit to live in society as it exists in Of Mice and Men. His intellectual weakness parallels Candy's physical weakness. When, in the end, he is
In the novel “Of Mice and Men” John Steinbeck portrays the theme of social injustice throughout the story in the lives of several characters that include Lennie, Curley’s Wife, and the stable buck, Crooks. All of these characters are mistreated in some way, shape or form. The hardships that these characters faced help guide us to see the social injustice that is prevalent in the story. Lennie is a victim of social injustice due to the fact that he is mentally disabled. He is not treated fairly when he was accused of rape.
This relates back to naturalism, because Lennie gets himself into a situation that he cannot control. He does not understand that he has to be very careful with the puppy because it is so small, and he does not know his own strength. “What is clear is that Lennie’s body wins out over his mind repeatedly,- in the end with tragic consequences”(Keener 1215). Lennie is very kind- hearted, and never wants to hurt anyone. This quote explains that Lennie’s strength wins over his intentions.