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Of mice and men literary analysis conclusion
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Society has continuously shown prejudice towards those who suffer through mental disabilities. Especially in times when there was no knowledge of mental disabilities like the Great Depression,which is the time period of John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men. In the novella,Steinbeck shows a childlike innocence in Lennie because of his disability,but is treated wrongly because of it.Steinbeck depicts Lennie as a sympathetic character by highlighting his childlike innocence with his inability of controlling his strength,his lack of comprehending abstract concepts,which conveys that innocence is disregarded in society and has a fatal end.
Throughout the novella Lennie has endured moments of violence,and in those many times he was unable to
John Steinbeck, the author of the novel Of Mice and Men uses many stylistic devices and description in chapter one to give the reader a deeper understanding of what may occur throughout the novel. Firstly, the name of the city the two protagonists, Lennie and George, are heading to is called “Soledad,” which means loneliness in Spanish; this is symbolism and foreshadowing because it can mean that as they get closer to the city, their relationship as friends may deteriorate and they may end up alone towards the end. Furthermore, this could also mean that there can be major problems in further chapters because of Lennie’s unpredictable behaviour due to his mental disabilities. In relation to Robert Burns’s poem, “To a Mouse,” the author may be
Imagery is shown through two hallucinations that Lennie has before the end of the book. He has just escaped the ranch because of the accidentally killing of Curley's wife. Lennie also realizes that George will not let him tend rabbits on a farm, which was the desire that he wanted the most. After all George said, "But you ain't gonna get in no trouble, because if you do, I won't let you tend the rabbits" (65). Constantly throughout the book, Lennie pesters George about taking care of rabbits on a farm of their own; tending rabbits was Lennie's dream. As he hides near the river where he and George stayed the night before going to the ranch, Lennie begins seeing his Aunt Clara. But Aunt Clara was speaking in Lennie's voice. She begins to blame
Due to child like qualities, Lennie is a person which would be easy prey and a vulnerable person. Lennie is a vulnerable person who is quite dumb. His has an obsession for touching soft thing and this will often lead him in to trouble. But poor Lennie is an innocent person who means no harm to anybody. When he and Curley get into a fight Lennie is too shocked to do any thing. He tries to be innocent but, when told to by George grabs Curley’s fist and crushes it. George is Lennie’s best friend and Lennie does every thing he tells him to do as demonstrated in the fight with “But you tol...
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a great example of 1900’s literature, and a great reflection of the great depression with a tragic end. A lot of themes were displayed in this short story, and developed the plot as the story moved on. Characters in the book are developed mainly through these themes. Arguably the most crucial theme is Nature Vs Nurture, as it drove the climax of the story, and lead to the tragic ending of the book. Lennie Smalls in the story was born with a mental disability, in the times of the great depression, leading to Lennie’s ultimatum, and the theme of Nature vs Nurture.
An excellent example of this view of the mentally handicapped can be found in John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, with the character Lennie. The other characters in this novel such as George and Curley treat Lennie as if he were a child all throughout the novel. George never lets him do any of the talking when t...
Allegedly, those in the game of life, all have a chance to win. For a man like Lennie Smalls, in John Steinbeck’s novella in “Of Mice and Men”, has less of a chance as everyone else. Lennie is a mentally handicapped man who wishes to pursue a life as normal as others. In the novella, John Steinbeck provides no chance for his dehumanized character, Lennie Smalls, to obtain the American Dream because he is mentally handicapped.
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.
In the story Of Mice and Men there were many handicaps that Steinbeck decided to speak upon. One was the fact that Crooks was a crippled stable man, Lennie who was mentally disabled, and Candy who lost his hand in an accident and is always worried about keeping his job (Attel). All three of these characters were left behind for reasons. All three had handicaps that prevented them from getting along normally in society. All three of these characters had handicaps, b...
This is a novella written by John Steinbeck in 1937, about two men that lived during the depression. They were migrant workers, who wanted to buy a farm. ()
One of John Steinbeck’s most famous works tells the tale of the continuing troubles of George and Lennie, two opposite personalities who form an unexpected relationship. The book takes place on a southern farm in the 1930’s where the two friends plan to save enough money to buy their dream—a piece of land for themselves. In the story, there are several characters with “disabilities,” both physical and figurative in the meaning of the word. Lennie is an ignorant, overweight gentleman, Crooks is black in a predominately white environment, Candy is crippled due to an accident on the farm, and Curly’s wife is accused of being overly provocative. Curly, the boss’ son, often quarantines his wife in their home because he wants to keep her his own; she is a very attractive young female on a farm with mostly male workers. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the characters in Chapter 4 are brought together in Crook’s room by the fact that they are all outcasts, but instead of taking the opportunity to become friends, they begin to take advantage of each other’s handicaps and hurl insults at one another.
Throughout the novel Of Mice and Men, Crooks, Curley’s wife, and Lennie could not reach their potential because of the discrimination against them. In the Depression era, people discriminated against African-American people by using derogatory terms, physically assaulting them and limiting their socialization. They discriminated against women by calling names and making offensive assumptions. Mentally disabled people are targets of brutal actions, stereotypes, and betrayals. Steinbeck warned people not to discriminate against others by showing various conflicts and tragic endings that are caused by discrimination.
Man needs companionship and has difficulty maintaining it because no humans think the exact same or have the exact same beliefs. To maintain a companion you must have things in common, you must be able to disagree with a sort of respectful understanding, and finally you must care legitimately about that person. These three requirements to preserve a companionship are at times arduous to keep true. Some people do not have the time, concern, or the ability to sustain a veritable friendship with a companion or companions.
Lennie's incredible need often causes him to be "a man [who] kills the thing he loves." Recurrently, the reader is reminded of the way in which Lennie inadvertently kills animals and frightens people. For example, at the pool George and Lennie reveal in their conversation the reason that they are traveling. Lennie got himself into trouble in the last town for petting a woman's dress "like it was a mouse." This obvious innocence foreshadows the inevitable end to Lennie's carelessness. Trouble follows the two men because Lennie cannot realize what he is doing wrong. George can only call him "a crazy son-of-a-bitch" and pretend that he does not want the responsibility of the childish man. However, the powerful simpleton never means harm to his victims or comprehends the complications to George that come from the things he does. His thoughtless manner in which he lives represents those who continue to hurt their loves because they cannot think beyond their own needs.
He clearly calls for women and the disabled to be treated and cared for better, as well as to be understood for their differences. He demonstrates through Curley’s bitterness that the selfishness of the elite is disadvantageous to the elite themselves. He also sends a clear message that pain inflicted onto one person or group of people can make them want to inflict pain back, a clear warning to the perpetrators of this pain onto minorities and the poor during this era. This is evident when Crooks jealousy says to Lennie, “I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse, and you ain 't wanted in my room” (Steinbeck, 68). Lennie’s response of confusion emphasises that hatred and bitterness is not pure, since Lennie in many ways has the mind of a pure child. In the time since The Great Depression, African Americans, women, and the disabled have all gained greater rights and, in most cases, the general public has learned to accept these people as the equals they truly
When one thinks of innocence people often think of harmless, adorable, cuddly small things however innocence is not as simple or straightforward as it would seem. In Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men he uses the innocence of Lennie to show how people in general don’t mean to cause problems but often do.