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

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The Question of Usefulness What defines something as useful? The dictionary establishes that for something to be useful, it must be of service, serve some purpose, or be of good effect. It is also worth pointing out that some see usefulness as the ability to perform a desired function, and that singular function only. However, usefulness can also be defined as the ability to perform any given function, even if said function was not the original goal. Because of this, usefulness should be defined as the ability of an item, living or manufactured, to perform a function, regardless of intended goal. This viewpoint becomes incredibly apparent in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. The novel Of Mice and Men features two main characters, George
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373 Words | 2 Pages

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.

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Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck takes place in the state of California. The story tells about the journey of two migrant workers named George and Lennie. At the end of the story, George is faced with a very difficult decision. George ends up doing what he thinks is the correct choice, which leads to the death of his best friend, Lennie.

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In the novel Of Mice And Men by John Stienbeck, the hierarchy of the characters in Crooks’ room is Curley’s wife, Candy, Lennie, and Crooks. This is shown by the way each of these characters interact with each other. Crooks is shown to have the least power because he lost his battle with Lennie. Crooks tried to get into Lennie’s head, which worked, until Lennie became violent. Crooks, seeing that he couldn’t compete, backed off, showing that Lennie had power over him.

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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.

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In the world there are some people who have more advantages than others because of their spot in society. Such as people with no disability have more power than disabled people. Furthermore, that is why everyone is treated differently by the outside world. In the novel, Of Mice And Men, by John Steinbeck, the characters George, Lennie, and Curley all show the use of some sort of power.

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The author of one of the best selling novels including Of Mice and Men, the third child of Olive Hamilton and a hard working boy in the “Salad Bowl of the Nation”, John Steinbeck. Steinbeck was brought up in Salinas, California during the Great Depression. This might have influenced his setting for Of Mice and Men. As well as George and Lennie life as a farm worker, since Steinbeck also grew up in a farm setting. Born on February 27, 1902, this renowned author created Of Mice and Men from the edges of his childhood.

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Imagine being able to tell someone to do something and they did it, no matter how awful it was. In John Steinbeck's emotional novel, Of Mice and Men, a grown man named Lennie is mentally challenged has a hard time telling what is right and what is wrong. He has a caretaker named George who has a short temper, however he tries his best to be patient with him. When George loses his temper it often cause Lennie to want to run away. Through all this they share a dream home where they can leave and go to the circus whenever they want.

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As society has become an integral part of the world’s culture, the opinions and misconceptions of others have dominated the way people live. Throughout history, certain groups and ideas have been suppressed by the ones in charge. These actions have sprouted an almost universal indifference to those deemed less than ideal, and therefore created a divide in the way society sees race, age groups and even gender. Coupled with the Great Depression, these beliefs are the driving force for the majority of problems individuals experience in the text. In the novel Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses the device of conflict to portray the external struggles of characters living in the era of the Great Depression.

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For centuries, people have been afraid or feared of a person who has more power. While our society is not quite there yet, Mice and Men story allows readers to imagine how fear of someone who has power has been a problem with this society. It shows how a small and smart man called George and his disabled, big and huge friend Lennie and how they feared and suffered a lot with Lennies ́s disability to face other people and find a job to buy their own dream ranch. Steinbeck's message about power is that people react differently in positions of power because in Of Mice and Men readers see characters with little to no power, who responsibly use their power, and those who abuse their power.

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Of Blacks and Whites “It is not what an author says, but what he or she whispers, that is important.” -- Logan Pershall Smith (adapted) Authors have the power to influence readers not only with what they say but with what they imply. Authors can, and often will, use this power to bring light to darker times. John Steinbeck wields this power in his novella, Of Mice and Men to tell the public of the cruelty and prejudices that were directed towards minorities during the 1930s.

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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.

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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.

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809 Words | 4 Pages

Introduction The chosen ecosystem is a bush or forest environment with grasses, plants, trees and small mammals and insects. There is little human activity present in this area except for the occasional foot traffic through the area. The abiotic factors of the ecosystem present are soil, sunlight, temperature and a high humidity. The biotic factors of the ecosystem are plants, weed shrubs, insects and small mammals. Materials

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Ableism is a dynamic represented in Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men. Lennie a character in the book, is characterized by his mental limitations. Steinbeck writes, “ ‘Jus’ tell Lennie what to do an’ he’ll do it don't take no figuring. He can’t think of nothing to do himself, but he sure can take orders.’” This shows that Lennie has limited capacity to think for himself.

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573 Words | 3 Pages

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.

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