There are many themes in the book “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, including the theme that comes from the poem “To a Mouse” written by Robert Burns. Near the end of the poem Burns writes “The best laid schemes of mice and men oft go awry” which is said to have been the inspiration of Steinbeck when writing his book. That quote is saying, that all plans between mice and men often get messed in some sort of way, shape or form. To help understand how “Of Mice and Men” relates to Burn’s quote think of The character Lennie from Steinbeck's book as the mouse. Lennie, has a mental disorder, and that makes him not as educated as some of the other characters, sort of like how a mouse is very uneducated compared to a human. One thing that makes him different is that he doesn’t know he was doing something bad until after he did it. Like on page 92, Lennie says “I shouldn’t of did that.George’ll be mad.” In a way, Lennie has the mental capability of a small child, despite his size. Whenever he has something good going for him, he often messes it up. Back when him and George worked in Weed, he scared The Girl In The Red Dress, so they had to leave the job site.Then when they found work again he ended up messing it up once more by accidentally killing Curley’s …show more content…
Whenever George and Lennie finally get close to achieving their “American Dream” something has gone wrong every single time. Often like how Humans kill mice, George had to kill Lennie. Curley says on page 98 “I’m gonna shoot the guts out of the big bastard myself, even if i only got one hand. I’m gonna get ‘im.” so lennie had to shoot Lennie or things would have gotten worse. This shows that just like the quote “ The Best laid Schemes of mice and men oft go awry” from Robert Burns Poem, is the theme of “Of Mice and Men” because just like the poem was saying all plans between mice and men, get messed
Many characters have hopes and dreams which they wish to accomplish. Of Mice and Men has two main characters that go through obstacles to get what they want. In the beginning it is George and Lennie running away trying to get a job. Once both George and Lennie have a job they try to accomplish their dreams. Unfortunately they both can't get their dreams to come true since lennie does the worst and George has to shoot Lennie. Steinbeck uses characterization, foreshadowing, and symbol as rhetorical strategies to make George's actions justified.
"O.K. Someday—we're gonna get the jack together and we're gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an' a cow and some pigs an' live off the fatta the lan" (Steinbeck 14). Of Mice and Men was written by John Steinbeck. This novel follows the journey of two men, George and Lennie, and their dream of owning a farm. Steinbeck’s theme in Of Mice and Men is that dreams don’t always come true, even how hard you think it through.
John Steinbeck, an American novelist, is well-known for his familiar themes of depression and loneliness. He uses these themes throughout a majority of his novels. These themes come from his childhood and growing up during the stock market crash. A reader can see his depiction of his childhood era. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck shows the prominent themes of loneliness, the need for relationships, and the loss of dreams in the 1930s through the novels’ character.
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.
Both “To a Mouse” and Of Mice and Men are very interesting and intriguing well-developed works by two distinctly different authors. The authors have different writing styles, as well as different ways of formatting their works. However, they share the same message. This message is that no matter what one does to prepare, they should always have a Plan B. Things can and often do go awry. By comparing both subjects, the reader can gain a better understanding of the similarities and differences between the two. They also learn precisely why the inquisitive author Steinbeck found inspiration in Burns’ detailed and symbolic poem.
The quote that inspired John Steinbeck was the best laid schemes often go off track can be seen in the novel of Mice and Men. When Curley's wife met a man in her childhood that offered her to be an actress but the chance went away and she later died. Then Curley wanted to be a professional boxer but the dream never happened and he became a farmer then got his hand broken for trying to be tough. George and Lennie were going to buy a farm to live off the fat of the land then Lennie had to get in trouble and George had to give up the dream and kill Lennie for what he had done.
To paraphrase Robert Burns-"The best laid plans of mice and men go awry". This is a bleak statement and it is at the centre of the novel's action. George and Lennie have the dream of owning their own ranch and living a free independent life; they would be self-reliant and most of all they would be safe from a harsh and hostile world. Other characters in the book also try to buy into their dream ie, Candy and Crooks. Ultimately, the dream unravels and like a Greek Tragedy, the ending is terrible but also predictable.
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.
John Steinbeck wrote a story about two men that only had each to depend on. Many of George and Lennie's struggles come from things they cannot control such as Lennie's mental issues. George and Lennie are very poor and they work on farms together, but they have to move a lot because Lennie always does something stupid. The greatest tragedy in Mice and Men was when Lennie was left alone with Curley's wife. She was the reason why Lennie ended up being killed. She knew of to manipulate others to get her way and that is what she relies on most of the time.
This quote holds true for both works of Of Mice and Men and In Cold Blood. Of Mice and Men is novella written by American author John Steinbeck. Of Mice and Men is a tragic fiction that takes place in the 1930s in Soledad, California. The story follows two migrant workers George Milton and Lennie Smalls and their quest to make a living during the 1930’s Great Depression. The next novel In Cold Blood is a true crime novel written by Truman Capote. The novel tells of the murder of the four members of the Clutter family and the killers who did it. Capote reconstructs the murder, the capture, the trial, and the execution of the killers. Though both novels tell of tragedy and despair, Capote and Steinbeck still have an underlying message. Both novels speak of the faultiness of the American dream. Therefore, the literary works Of Mice and Men and In Cold Blood both argue the American dream is a dream that many hope to achieve and very few accomplish due to the enormous amount of inequality; however, John Steinbeck of Of Mice and Men does a more effective job of arguing this theme.
Don’t you think the title Of Mice and Men is a weird title for a book about two guys going and working on a ranch? Well, it is a weird title until you know why. The word Mice in the title Of Mice and Men represents the false hope of a safe place for Lennie. [a]The title hints that mice are going to be an important part in this novel, except the first mouse that is encountered is a dead one. Finding out that the mouse is dead actually gives us clues about the story. “I wasn’t doin’ nothing bad with it, George. Jus’ strokin’ it” (Steinbeck 9). This piece from the novel helps us get a better understanding of Lennie, because since he kept the mouse as a pet it helps us understand that Lennie doesn’t care much about death and is more concerned about comfort.
An important component of this passage involves its connection to the title. The words “of mice and men” come from a poem by Robert Burns, entitled “To A Mouse.” The actual verse, in modern English, reads “The best-laid plans of mice and men/ Often go awry.” Steinbeck uses the dream farm as the “plans” mentioned in the poem. Lennie's causing the accidental death of Curley's wife cause his and George's plans to go awry. An interesting thing to note is the use of the phrase “best-laid plans” in the original poem. The dream farm of Lennie and George wasn't so much a plan as a hope the two had. The fact that things don't come together despite the fervent wishes of Lennie and George, and later on Candy, and to a lesser extent, Crooks, shouldn't be surprising to anyone who had previous knowledge of the poem, or the old adage “if you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans.” However, there is also a double meaning in the title, highlighting the importance of mice in the lives of these men, Lennie and George. The mice act as a portent to the Lennie's deadly clumsiness, that becomes so very important later in the story.
There is only one way an author can get their readers to cry, laugh, and love or just enjoy their master pieces. That one way is through the uses of literary devices such as similes, metaphors and personification. These are the small things that brings the author`s thoughts and ideas alive. The author`s ability to use literary devices through the book helps in direct characterization and lets readers get a better understanding of Lennie and George, the two main characters Of Mice and Men. It also helps in keeping readers thinking on their feet and constantly questioning George and Lennie`s next move while in Salinas, California. John Steinbeck, in his novel Of Mice and Men, makes use of similes and foreshadowing to keep readers in touch with the characters and at the edge of their seats throughout the story.
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is a dramatic novel that depicts how different groups of people were treated and how hard life was during the Great Depression. Lennie and George were the main characters along with Curley and his wife, Candy, Slim, and Crooks. Lennie, a big guy and mentally slow, is George's friend and doesn't really change throughout the novel. George, on the other hand, is a small man and changes from a daydreamer to a more down-to-earth, logical person.
Of Mice and Men is a fictional book written by John Steinbeck. This story is told from the point of view of a third-person narrator. John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is a simple story about what it means to be human. This book is about two protagonists named George and Lennie trying to get a little house to live off “the fad of the land”. However, Lennie stupidness is a mental challenge for George.