Themes In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

The novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck was published in 1937 and is a novel that displays the hardships and the journeys of life. There are many different themes that Steinbeck shows us throughout the entire novel; one topic that is very important is the connection that Steinbeck draws between Lennie and Candy’s old sheepdog. Steinbeck shows the connection between them by showing us how they are dependent on another person, the way people treat them and the way they both die. Lennie and Old Candy’s sheepdog are very alike. In one way, they both need someone to depend on that helps them get through life; they are each other’s best friends. Lennie depends on George and Candy’s dog depends on Candy for guidance and support. An example of Lennie needing someone to protect him and guide him was when he says, “got you to look

People treat Lennie and the dog with little respect because of their disabilities. The other men in the novel are cruel and say horrible things about them. One example is when Carlson wants to shoot the dog and he says, “he aint no good to you” (Steinbeck 42). Carlson has no right to say that to Candy because Carlson barely knows anything about the dog except for the obvious ones. This shows Carlson opinion about the dog, but to Candy, the dog is “the best damn sheepdog” he has known and they have a special relationship. Even though the sheepdog is blind and can’t walk well, to Candy, it’s a man’s best friend. Another example of the men being cruel is when Curley shouts, “big bastard” (Steinbeck 59) to Lennie when Lennie did nothing wrong. Lennie is mentally retarded and doesn’t understand, as well as forgets things a lot. The men play jokes, talk badly about him, and Lennie never knows or understands what’s going on. Steinbeck is showing us that people are mean, life is cruel, but we have to keep on living through the pain and