MOST, IF NOT ALL, OF THE CHARACTERS IN OF MICE AND MEN CAN BE SEEN AS
VICTIMS IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER DISCUSS.
It was a time of great hardship, a time of extreme poverty during
which people struggled to survive. They struggled to put food on the
table let alone get some enjoyment from life. They were trapped in a
time where little hope existed. Migrant workers had to travel great
distances to find work, often there was too little work for too many
people. People became victims of these hard times known as The Great
Depression.
The Great Depression caused a major economic slump in North America.
People lost their jobs, many farming and businesses were made
bankrupt. By 1933 millions of Americans were out of work. Bread
lines were a common sight in most cities. Hundreds of thousands
roamed the country in search of food, work and shelter. Many ended up
competing for seasonal work picking crops at very low wages and in
extremely poor living conditions. It is against this background that
‘Of Mice and Men’ is set, the characters being victims of a desperate
social and economic situation created out of a time of great
disruption to their lives.
The characters of ‘Of Mice and Men’ are all victims in ways that are
different but sometimes there are similarities. John Steinbeck, the
author, portrays the way each individual character is a victim.
George is a victim in various ways; he is a victim of a social
situation. He is trapped with looking after Lennie, who is, according
to Curley’s wife, ‘jus’ like a big baby’. George made a promise to
Lennie’s Aunt Clara to stick with him and look after him. Lennie is a
liability in that he makes various mistakes which result in both of
them losing jobs and having to leave the area. However, having Lennie
for a companion has a benefit for George as they are company for each
other. In those times many people were victims of isolation and
loneliness. As George and Lennie have each other they avoid this
situation as they are there for each other.
George is also seen as a victim of financial hardship as good,
well-paying jobs were hard to come by. It was a struggle for him to
get the bare necessities such as food as he lacked the money to make
purchases. George tells Candy: “We got ten bucks between us.” Living
like that can be very frustrating, especially when you have a grown
man beside you who is forever asking for things you cannot have such
as tomato sauce. Lennie says ‘I like ‘em with ketchup’.
Should George have shot his friend Lennie? George probably did the right thing by shooting Lennie. How can we condemn George for sparing his friend Lennie the pain and fear of being killed by someone else? He did something society sees as wrong, but he did it for a good reason. Lennie didn’t deserve to die, but there was no other alternative. Curley wanted to kill Lennie, and since George cared for Lennie, he figured the best thing would be for him to put Lennie out of his misery.
The novella Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinback, has many allegorical qualities. The majority of these qualities are based around the characters; however, some may be based around the items and places in the story. These qualities are very well thought out and are strung together perfectly, giving the novella much more meaning than perceived at first glance.
This passage comes from the fourth chapter in Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. George and the other workers are “gone into town” (69). Lennie, Crooks and Candy are the only men remaining on the ranch. This excerpt characterizes Crooks and promotes the themes of loneliness and dreams. In addition, this passage characterizes Lennie and reinforces the theme of companionship.
The harsh reality is one which hit everyone in America in the 1930. People found work hard to find and crime was on the uprise. This meant, unfortunately, that innocent people were the easy prey and, as we see in the Of Mice and Men, there were plenty of characters that were easy prey. Of Mice and Men characters have and do thing that make them vulnerable in way which do cause trouble. In this essay, that harsh reality and easy prey will be shown through to see which characters are the most vulnerable.
Most if not all the characters in Of Mice and Men can be seen as
Firstly, I am going to talk about Lennie who was known as a man with
The American Dream is a dream that everyone imagines to be picture perfect. The American Dream means having freedom, equality and opportunity’s to achieve the dream that you conceptualize to be right by you. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck did not want to just illustrate the American dream as being easy, but he wanted to point out the American Dream as being difficult too. Steinbeck made a work of art by composing a great novel to make the reader understand that life can be difficult and at times dreams are hard to achieve. Of Mice and Men was written and based on the settings of the Great Depression (Anderson). The Great Depression was a very dire time that left multiple of people despondent and the unavailing to move on with their lives. The Great Depression created a world where everyone had to seek and survive for themselves. In the novel Steinbeck wanted to explore and point out how powerless people where during the time of the Great Depression. Steinbeck purposely incorporated his characters to depict the life struggle of what people go through during grim times. In the novel, Steinbeck illustrated a great set of characters Lennie, George, Candy and Crooks. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck discusses handicaps, hardships, and friendships of the characters.
In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck brings out the themes of Lonliness and companionship, and strengths and weaknesses through the actions, and quotations of the characters. Irony and foreshadowing play a large roll on how the story ends. Lennie and his habit of killing things not on purpose, but he is a victim of his own strength. George trying to pretend that his feelings for Lennie mean nothing. The entire novel is repetitive in themes and expressed views.
The daily struggle of the working class, fear of loneliness and the reality of putting all your energy into plans that fail are the different themes relating to John Steinbeck's novel, "Of Mice and Men". The characters depicted by the author are individuals who are constantly facing one obstacle after another. The book illustrates different conflicts such as man versus society, man versus man, man versus himself and idealism versus reality. The book's backdrop is set in the Salinas, California during the depression. The two main characters include two men, George and Lennie. Supportive characters include a few ranch hands, Candy, Crooks, Curly, Slim and Carlson.
Every day people are looked down upon or thought less of due to things as simple as the color of their skin, something they can not even control. Moreover, race is not the only characteristic that carries unfair stereotypes. Although it is a big one, things such as gender, age, and aptitude can also affect how people negatively view others. In Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck, the author, is able to illustrate all of these disadvantages through archetypal characters. The ways in which they are stereotyped play a huge part in the book, creating conflicts on every page. Steinbeck does not directly tell the reader what each person represents, rather he uses specific devices to make the reader empathize with the characters . Through the use of imagery, symbolism, and foreshadowing, Steinbeck is able to make his audience reconsider how the handicapped, the
Scarseth argues that “Readers may object to the book’s presentation of low class characters, vulgar language, scenes suggestive of improper sexual conduct, and an implied criticism of the social system. . . Furthermore, these features are necessary in the book.” Scarseth continues to argue that they are “accurate, precise reporting,” because they represented the time, place and environment of the era in which the novella was penned. Written in 1937, Of Mice and Men is the story of two migrant workers who came to California to fulfill their dreams. While the intentions of these two men seemed noble, they were unable to achieve the goal of purchasing land for a myriad of reasons. The first and most difficult challenge they faced was the effect of The Great Depression. Like many of...
The characteristics of mice are simple and feebleminded. A mouse is helpless, timid and oblivious. Few characters in Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men possess such characteristics. Throughout the novel, Lennie exhibits the qualities associated with mice.
In the book Of Mice and Men, the author,John Steinbeck, uses stereotype characters to convey his message. He wants to empathize with his characters as human beings. He uses stereotype characters such as Lennie, George, Curly, Slim, Candy, Crooks, and Curly's wife. Steinbeck's goal is to inform people how life was like for a migrant worker in the 1920's to 1930's.
In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses stereotypes and discrimination to convey a message of how the characters feel. A lot of the stereotypes and clichés are just common beliefs of the times, but a few are situational. To quote a quite distinguished reader, "Characters are ‘trapped’- either by what others think of them, or by their situation." A lot of the character’s feelings about themselves and what others think of them will lead to loneliness.
“Of mice and men” is about people who are lonely, sad and in search of