Judgement Clouds Perspectives Judging people without truly knowing them is human nature; therefore, not knowing a person’s background leads people to misunderstandings. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, two migrant farmers named Lennie and George travel around from farm to farm in California looking for work during the Great Depression. While at a new farm, they meet new people, and they hear defining characteristics about other people around the farm. None of the other workers truly know other people’s past, and don’t know why some people on the farm act the way they do. Through the characters of Curley’s wife and Crooks, Steinbeck illustrates that misperceptions about people affect the way society treats them. Curley’s wife …show more content…
Furthermore, when Lennie and Crooks are in Crooks’ room, Candy was in the doorway and Crooks states, “Come on in. If everybody’s coming in, you might just as well.’ It was difficult for Crooks to conceal his pleasure with anger” (73). From the words “come on in,” Steinbeck illustrates that Crooks is unsure of letting people into his room, but since he craves companship, he invites them in anyways. “Conceal his pleasure with anger,” conveys that Crooks was trying to act furiated that people were coming into his room, but in reality Crooks has never had this closure and, he enjoys it. Additionally, after Candy first came into Crooks’ room while Lennie is in there, he says, “‘I been here a long time’, he said. ‘An’ Crooks been here a long time. This’s the first time I ever been in his room’” (75). Candy, one of the people who have worked longest on the farm, has never been in Crooks’ room, which illustrates that people keep their distance from Crooks. Even though nobody expect Slim has ever been inside of Crooks’ room, people believe that Crooks doesn’t want people around, but all he has ever craved is companionship. Crooks is alienated and mistreated, but he is overcome with joy when people are around
As we journey through life, we must make difficult decisions, even when few options exist and the situation is grim. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the decision George faces after Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife is complicated, as none of his choices are good. The importance of his relationship with Lennie forces George to look at the big picture and act in Lennie’s best interests, even though the action he must finally take will result in a weight that he will carry forever.
Steinbeck upon creating the novel in the 1930’s seen and was experiencing some of the things he wrote on. In the beginning he introduced to us a friendship between two opposite men. One man, George Wilson, is a little man compared to his companion. His friend, on the other hand, was a giant who was naïve as a new born baby. His name was Lennie Smalls. Lennie Smalls was a character that Steinbeck used to allow his audience to see that although he had a good heart and was seemingly helpless, that one day his strength would be the cause of his downfall. Questions on whether or not Steinbeck’s readers should believe in the image in which it is given or primarily based it on the novel being written in a bad environment from the first of the novel. Steinbeck knew upon writing that readers tend to cling and fall for the caring, loving, and misunderstood bad guy trying to prove his innocence against all evil brought to him. So Steinbeck created Lennie to try and portray this character to his audience. Steinbeck had to be sure that all elements presented in the novel were able flow good and complete the recipe (Krutch 29-30).
John Steinbeck explores human experience in the novella ‘Of Mice and Men’ in friendship, loneliness and marginalisation. He does this through the characters as explained thought the paragraphs below.
Crooks, the black stable buck, is isolated from the community of migrant workers because of his racial status. When Lennie goes into the barn to see his puppy, he and Crooks have a conversation. “'Why ain't you wanted?' Lennie asked. 'Cause I'm black. They play cards in there, but I can't play because I'm black'” (68). Lennie is too kind-hearted and intellectually slow to visualize the apparent racial boundary that sets Crooks aside from Lennie and the rest of the workers. Crooks is so isolated from the rest of the workers that he says he “can't” play cards, not that he isn't allowed to, which means that the racial boundary is like a wall Crooks cannot cross. Because he is black, Crooks believes that he cannot play cards with the white men. He can't get over the racial boundary, and believes he will be forever separated from the white men. In the beginning of chapter 4, Steinbeck describes Crooks' living space. “Crooks, the Negro stable buck, had his bunk in the harness room; a little shed that leaned off the...
In today’s society people are constantly judged, and a lot of the time this judgment is completely wrong. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, Curley’s wife is called a flirt and a “tart” (Steinbeck 28), but she is more than that. She is lonely and just wants someone to talk to, but that gets portrayed as something it is not. Curley’s wife is a woman who has been misjudged by everyone on the ranch. Through misunderstandings she is given a bad reputation, but this perception of her is completely wrong.
An Ethical Dilemma. People were terrified and disfranchised, John Steinbeck created Of Mice and Men, which set place during the dirty thirties (time of the Great Depression), a time where strength could not overcome aloneness and alienation. The child-like character Lennie was one of the most misunderstood characters, even with his best friend and caretaker George. In the beginning, they were uncanningly together in a society of loners during the time, having only each other, so close many assumed they were brothers. Throughout the story George had vowed to take care of Lennie, however under the circumstances he faced he chose to shoot his best friend.
When asked about John Steinbeck’s career, people often refer to Steinbeck as a playwright, journalist, and a well-known novelist. The book Of Mice and Men is a popular novel by John Steinbeck and a required read for most high school students. Most of Steinbeck 's novels have a central theme focusing on the relationship between man and his environment. The American dream for George and Lennie, two of the main characters in Of Mice and Men, is to have a place of their own, to be respected, and to work hard for everything they earn and deserve. In Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, the land and a hope of a better life becomes the talisman of an American dream for Lennie and George that is left unfulfilled.
Reading means to understand the information on paper and be able to understand its true meaning. Reading for explicit meaning is to look at the text and be able to know and understand the accurate definition. Reading for implicit meaning is to be able to find the implied or suggested, but not clearly stated meaning. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, an implicit reading of the text requires the understanding of suggested value. In this paper, I will examine implicit meanings in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men (Penguin Group 1993), paying particular attention to the implicit meanings derived from symbolism, paradox, and theme.
As Mark Twain once stated, “The more I know about people, the better I like my dog.” This sentiment is often echoed by general society; people seem to have lost faith in humanity. However, John Steinbeck illustrates his more optimistic opinion about “the perfectibility of man” by suggesting how man can improve. In his novel, Of Mice and Men, two tenants called George and Lennie go through many hardships all while chasing their dream of possessing their own farm. While they work at a farm, they meet an old swamper called Candy who offers to help them achieve their dream; he does so to ensure that he will have a future after he is fired for being too old. On page 60, Candy discusses the recent death of his dog and asks to join in on George and Lennie’s dream. Through this passage, Steinbeck proves that humans have an animalistic tendency of eliminating those who are weaker than them. This is depicted through the details connecting Candy to his dog as well as Candy’s diction when describing his potential future life. Steinbeck’s negative attitude towards man’s predatory nature implies that society needs to improve and prevent such oppressive behavior from occurring.
In Crooks’ case, he is isolated because of his race. When Crooks talks to Lennie about why he is excluded from the bunkhouse, he responds with, “Cause I'm black. They play cards in there, but I can't play because I'm black” (Steinbeck, 68). Crooks feels that the other men on the ranch exclude him. Another example of this is when Curley's wife says to Crooks, “Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain't even funny” (Steinbeck, 81). Curley's wife is being
During a time of hardship or of economic difficulties, each person draws back into their personal space and takes no notice of others. Ignorance often leads to misunderstandings. In John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men, two men went go a new farm in search of new opportunities and a chance to fulfill their dream. Of Mice and Men is also a heartbreaking story of how such misunderstandings can lead to unfortunate events. John Steinbeck uses a disapproving voice to criticize the mistreatment of social rejects and show that misunderstanding can lead to adverse outcomes.
over him. 1this entire incident shows how Crooks wants his loneliness to end. As Lennie entered Crooks room he
Novels that exhibit what the life is like for the people at ranch can help readers reflect on how they might react in comparable situation. George and Lennie who struggle to transcend the plight of inerrant farmworkers are followed by the novel Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck. Readers are positioned to respond to themes through Steinbeck’s use of conventions that are dispirit. Themes such as Freedom and confinement, loneliness, and racism are pivotal in the novel and draw out a range of responses from the readers.
All throughout Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck explores how isolation through sexism and racism can cause a person to crave attention. He helps the reader to understand this by depicting both Curley’s Wife and Crooks, who were minorities on the farm, as extremely needy for attention
Discrimination was one of the issues that caused conflict in the novel “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck. One example of discrimination in the novel comes in the form of racial discrimination against Crooks, as he is an African American. Another example of discrimination is gender discrimination against Curley’s wife. Finally, there is discrimination against mentally disabled people, which is evident in Lennie’s character. The ranch hands' actions and conversations demonstrated the racial discrimination against Crooks for his skin colour, gender discrimination against Curley’s wife for her gender, and prejudice against Lennie, who was a mentally disabled individual.