ipl-logo

The Role Of Justice In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

977 Words4 Pages

John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men (1937) is an intensely-focused novella that deals with friendship, trust, the relationship between good and evil and the role of justice. It is the second book in Steinbeck’s trilogy about agricultural labour, alongside with In Dubious Battle (1936) and The Grapes of Wrath (1939). The title, inspired by a line in the poem The Mouse (1875) by the Scottish poet Robert Burns (The best-laid schemes o' mice an ‘men / gang aft agley), encapsulates the spirit of the narration. The author explores a variety of themes telling the story of George and Lennie, two agricultural field workers who are bound to each other but diametrically opposite in character. Lennie is a simple-minded man who is not in control of his strength, …show more content…

Furthermore, one of the most interesting roles in the ensemble of characters is Curley’s wife: her name is never mentioned in the book, as a reminder that she feels completely anonymous and useless, since her role is not recognised by none of the other characters. Her self-obsession probably originates from her desperate and unfulfilled need of validation. Someone may argue that her character is designed only as a tool for the development of the story, but her strong personality goes beyond this function. The moment of her death is in fact the highest moment of the novella and the culmination of an ascendant climax that goes throughout the whole narration. “As happens sometimes, a moment settled and hovered and remained for much more than a moment. And sound stopped for much, much more than a moment.”, states the narrator of the story. The most interesting feature of this passage of the book, after Curley’s wife death, is that narration – alongside with time and sound – finally stops. Opposed to the fast pace of the book, this moment reflects through words what death is like: everything stops for an endless

Show More
Related
406 Words | 2 Pages

Chapter Five Constructed Response John Steinbeck’s novel “Of Mice and Men” was inspired by Robert Burn ’s poem “To a Mouse.” This means his novel has a similar meaning to Burn’s poem: animals have no dreams, but still experience melancholic feelings along with the human dreamers. The title “Of Mice and Men” is also a quote straight out of “To a Mouse.”

Read More
640 Words | 3 Pages

After this incident, their dream is never achieved. Curley's wife is not the most important character in this novel, but her interactions with Lennie affects the climax and resolution of the story. Curley’s wife’s death is the apex of the novel. For example, Curley’s wife keeps trying to talk to Lennie, even though he tells her ¨George says I ain’t to

Read More
386 Words | 2 Pages

Curley’s Wife is depicted as morally ambiguous because she uses her sexual appeal to lure men into her life, but in her point of view, she is trying to repel her loneliness. Curley’s Wife likes to use her physical appeal to get to know other men. To make her husband jealous, she is very seductive towards her husband's workers. This is

Read More
600 Words | 3 Pages

The novella Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck and the movie directed by Gary Senise displayed the themes of loneliness, dreams, and friendship. The characters in the book were lonely and they searched to fulfill the American dream. The two main characters are George Milton and Lennie Small. According to page 2, Lennie was described as “a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes.” Lennie’s companion was George.

Read More
635 Words | 3 Pages

The novella Of Mice and Men is a novel by John Steinbeck about two migrant farmers in Salinas,California working on a ranch during the Great Depression era. In the novel Steinbeck explores and conveys many themes such as loneliness and the idea of achieving the American dream. He does this through the use of allusion to further develop the meaning of the text in Of Mice and Men. By using these allusions Steinbeck is also able to enhance the characters and their actions in the novel. Steinbeck makes several allusions to the biblical stories Garden of Eden,The Story of Cain and Abel,and The Fall of Man to develop the meaning Of Mice and Men.

Read More
970 Words | 4 Pages

Examine how far George and Lennie are loyal to each other throughout 'Of mice and men' In the novella 'Of Mice and Men', by the well-known author, John Steinbeck, the reader is introduced to a varied range of different characters on the ranch; within this realm loyalty between George and Lennie plays a significant role in the lonely itinerant lifestyle. The characters in this short novel act in a world of their own, having no connections to any other type of society; through this Steinbeck can strongly depict the theme of loyalty and friendship in dire situations during this period of time. During the 1930's, at the ranch, a predominant role of intelligent white-males is seen to retain power over lesser groups of people, of which Lennie is portrayed to be this part as he is mentally disabled. Despite this George and Lennie strike up a friendship of loyalty: showing firm and constant support. ' Guys like us got no fambly...they ain't got nobody in the worl' that gives a hoot in hell about 'em' sums up the reason why their loyalty and companionship is so vital and special to each other.

Read More
132 Words | 1 Pages

There are many human rights in "Of Mice And Men." Some rights include right to economic opportunity. A right to a fair wage, and a right to medical assistance for those with special needs. I think the author's main message was the right to be treated equal even if mentally disabled. " A guys goes nuts if he ain't got nobody.

Read More
1630 Words | 7 Pages

The novella ‘of Mice and Men’ was written by John Steinbeck in the 1930s. It is set in a difficult period of time when America was sunk in deep depression. However, themes of loyalty shine brightly throughout the novella. He shows that even though Americas economy is in tatters, loyalty can still be as prominent. There were also distinct themes of disloyalty, mainly between characters.

Read More
487 Words | 2 Pages

Of Mice and Men is a short novel written by John Steinbeck in 1937. The book takes place in southern California during the time of the dust bowl, and focuses on 2 migrant workers, George and Lennie. Throughout the book, there is many belittling of others. Steinbeck uses various scenes involving the discrimination of minority people and character development to show people have an inherent need to make others feel powerless in order to feel more power themselves. One of the main ideas of the novel is the deprecation of others in order to feel more powerful.

Read More
747 Words | 3 Pages

Of Mice and men’ is novella written by the author John Steinbeck. The novella is incorporated with numerous narrative techniques to engage its audience. Some of these narrative techniques include – foreshadowing, dialogue, and animal imagery. In the novel, foreshadowing was used numerous times to hint future events throughout the story.

Read More
745 Words | 3 Pages

To better understand the novella Of Mice and Men, the background of the story must be elaborated. The setting of the story takes place in the Salinas Valley, California during the The Great Depression in the 1930s. John Steinbeck, the author, tells about the protagonist, George, and the antagonist, Lennie, and their journey of constantly finding new work to pursue George’s dream to own his farm and “live off the fatta the

Read More
1615 Words | 7 Pages

The phrase ‘our responsibility as a society’ means making an impact by changing the lives of others regardless of the obstacles, circumstances and consequences you have to overcome. Our responsibility as a society is to be willing to sacrifice our well-being or lifestyle for the needs of others. We can change people’s lives if we are involved in their life, by helping them with their needs. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, illustrates George’s responsibility (the main character), as a big part of Lennie’s life. As a result of George’s responsibility, he sacrifices his well-being by giving up his relationships with others to keep Lennie out of trouble.

Read More
1324 Words | 6 Pages

Of Mice and Men is a book both widely criticized and praised. Once hailed by the Nobel prize judges in 1962 for his realism and sympathetic humor, John Steinbeck is now under attack in the United States. Steinbeck’s story of the difficulties faced by the migrant fieldworkers is a fixture on high-school syllabi in the United States and beyond, but has also become one of America’s most frequently challenged books due to over 100 counts of profanities, morbid and depressing themes, and the authors alleged “anti-business attitude.” Others have called the book derogatory towards African Americans, women, and the developmentally disabled” (pbs.org). Although there are objections to content, Of Mice and Men should not be banned because despite profanity

Read More
513 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
605 Words | 3 Pages

George and Lennie, prominent characters in the story Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, are migrant workers—men who move from place to place to do seasonal work— who end up in California and are faced with numerous problems. Set in the era of the great depression, the story of Lennie and George, two very different men who have formed a family-like union, takes place on a farm where Lennie struggles to stay out of trouble. Having committed an unintentional, harmful act, Lennie is faces severe consequences; and George must decide to make a necessary decision which changes the mood of the entire novel. By the comparison and contrast of George and Lennie, unique characters who are very different from each other, the reader can better acquaint himself

Read More

More about The Role Of Justice In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Related Topics

Open Document