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The Value Of Life In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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History is an essential factor within time, present and future, even today several have learned from events or works written in the past due to their constant lessons and messages being expressed. Within the United States specifically 1929-1941, one event that several learned from is the impact of the Great depression. Throughout the Great depression, as stock markets crashed it soon resulted in banks entering bankruptcy reluctantly closing down. ”Millions of families lost their savings as numerous banks collapsed in the early 1930’s unable to make mortgage or rent payments, many were deprived of their homes or were evicted from their apartments” [...] “In 1933, the average family income had dropped to 1,500, 40 percent less than the 1929 average family income of 2,300” (Bryson 1). …show more content…

Obviously this impacted several dreams of the people for instance, not many could become homeowners due to insufficient funds. Readers can clearly see an example of this within John Steinbeck's novella “Of Mice and Men” Throughout this powerful book, Steinbeck introduces a plentiful of strategies to clearly display the message of, the degeneration of life. Strategies employed throughout include the exposure of the common shattered dream, the distinct disadvantage of the lower class, and the impediment of companionship, all to express the central idea of the struggles in which the lower class

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Following the end of the First World War, the United States was initially prosperous. In 1929, that prosperous age about-faced into a downward spiral that enveloped the entire country. What was eventually called the Great Depression was essentially caused by four major events. At the start, the stock market was strong and thriving and the population was willing to invest in it. Americans were so confident in the market, in fact, that it was common for them to take out loans to fund their investments.

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Survival is often introduced as a concept of endurance, persistence and perseverance, a textbook idea about simply living or dying. At the inception of human life, merely surviving was imperative and existence was something that humans fought for on a daily basis. But, as we flourish independently, as societies and as a race, the concept of survival is warped, and growth as an individual, as well as coping with everyday hardships and not just traditional examples of adversity such as poverty and destitution are prime examples of survival. In John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, the reader is presented with the idea that survival is not synonymous to staying alive, and moreover, that cultural and societal struggles shape self in accordance with the way we face them. Survival of the fittest is the primordial notion that only the fit have the power and strength to live, and more importantly, thrive in their environment.

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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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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.

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“The negative side of the American Dream comes when people pursue success at any cost, which in turn destroys the vision and the dream.” ㅡ Azar Nafisi. Many Americans have tried to pursue their dream but have failed in doing so. Of Mice and Men is a book about two people, George and Lennie, trying to pursue their dream in Salinas, California. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the death of the American Dream is exemplified through George and Lennie’s obliviousness.

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In order to avoid losing readers, many authors make the endings of their books the happy predictable one. In John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, it is evident that Steinbeck did not conform to this popular practice, and instead, made his characters make the tough choices and did not please every reader with the drastic ending. Steinbeck portrays the cruel side of human nature in his novel through the use of tone, symbolism, and foreshadowing. To begin, Steinbeck’s use of a realistic tone shows the dark side of human nature.

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In 1929, the U.S. was hit with the worst economic crisis in the history of the country, the Great Depression. The Great Depression left millions of people unemployed and cost millions their life's savings. The Depression lasted for ten long years for the American people. Since the Great Depression ended, people have studied it, trying to figure out what happened that started it all. The problem was, in fact, the poor economic habits of the people at the time, such as speculation, income maldistribution, and overproduction.

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Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a Depression-era tragic tale that, although praised for its realism, is regularly found in the top one hundred of the banned book list published by the American Library Association (Nagelsen). There is a great amount of controversy over whether this book is appropriate for students to be reading in a school setting. John Steinbeck has been “hailed by the Nobel Prize judges in 1962 for his realism and sympathetic humor” that is incorporated into Of Mice and Men; however, he has also been criticized because of its discrimination towards specific members of society, the concept of euthanasia, and inappropriate language (Lea). Of Mice and Men should have its position on the shelves of school libraries all across the country removed. The most important reason that Of Mice and Men should not be allowed to be read in schools is because it directly discriminates against

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Itallo Luz English 10.5 Ms. Brown 5th Class ‘’Of Death and Hope’’ Drama, fear, love and discrimination are a few of the points that Steinbeck brings to his novella. Innocent murder and rape accusations are the main conflicts in the narrative. The author tries to detail the life of people in that period in the ambition of achieving one simple but far goal, the ‘’American Dream’’. Lennie is child-like, Mrs. Curley is a lonely and unloved wife and Candy is an old ``swamper`` in the bunkhouse, where a long part of the history takes place. In Of Mice and Men three characters make the point of the novella very clear: Lennie, Curley’s wife and Candy.

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Later on in life, Cal runs into the same problem, His priority in life is to be accepted by his father at any cost. When Adam begins to run low on money, Cal seizes this moment and decides to earn the money and give it to Adam as a present. When he approaches Adam telling him that he wants to give him a gift, Adam says, “ If you want to give me a present— give me a good life. That would be something I could value” (Steinbeck 544). Cal doesn't comprehend that, Adam wants his son to live a happy life not caring about about physical matter but the joy on his son’s faces.

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The Great Depression was a period of economic hardship for Americans, lasting from 1929 to the late 1930s. The stock market crash of 1929 set off a chain reaction of events that led to widespread unemployment, poverty, and social upset. The government's response to the crisis was inadequate, and millions of Americans struggled to make ends meet. The various problems faced by Americans during the Great Depression included unemployment, poverty, and the collapse of the banking system, as well as the impact that these problems had on the lives of ordinary people were why this was such a devastating event for the United States. Also, the way the government and society attempted to deal with these problems was part of the reason this event was

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At the end of John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men”, George shoots his best friend, Lenny, in the back of the head. He didn’t have very many other options. What he did, though, could be looked as evil. In the end of the book, Lennie, who is large and dumb, accidently kills the farmer’s son’s wife.

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The Great Depression of 1929 to 1933 was widely considered to be the worst economic recession in the history of the U.S. Some people may ask, what caused this terrible economic plummet? In response to this question, people usually point fingers at the Stock Market Crash that occurred during this time period. However, this particular stock market crash was not the sole cause of the Depression but merely a ploy for people to poke blame at the big banks and question the general health of our nation’s economy. The main cause of this Depression was there was no main cause but numerous causes that I will talk about and explain.

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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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