Communism In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

1249 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Lennie character of mice and men

John Steinbeck’s ‘Of mice and men’ is a classic written in 1939, transcending time and in its exploration of the Marxist ideologies of the nature of humanity and their socio-economic struggles dealing with the disenfranchisement of the working class. Steinbeck’s characterization of his central figures, George and Lennie, serves to be a dramatization of the brutal capitalist system that disenfranchises its subjects of an identity and deprives them from accomplishing the American dream. In this sense, the novel communicates the notion that capitalism does not merely regulate one’s economic and political stance, rather it dictates one’s position, either alienated or contrastingly well established within the social network. Steinbeck devises his …show more content…

Upon approaching her, the responder can come to the realisation of the symbolic significance of the scene where Lennie is exposed to a force whose present mirrors his future. Steinbeck, in dominating his scene with emotional panic, frames this notion, “Lennie began to cry with fright”, coupled with her constant screaming fills the reader with a sense of unease. It is the accidental death of the wife that leads to the critical point of the novel. Drawing on Marxist ideologies, Steinbeck presents the notion that there are only two outcomes for men: the fulfilment of the American Dream or dramatically, death. This is highlighted in the tragedy of Lennie’s death. Curley’s representation of capitalism would have exacted some kind of payment. George killing him had acted as an act of mercy in a jarring and discordant world; ‘George raised the gun and steadied it…..the hand shook violently….he pulled the trigger...The crash of the shot rolled up the hills. George shivered…’ It is at the point before the final death that Lennie comes into the realisation that the dream has failed; ‘“I tried, Aunt Clara, ma’am, I tried and tried. I couldn’t help it.”’ In a world of disenfranchisement, their journey, which awakens George to the impossibility of this dream, sadly proves that ‘such paradises of freedom, contentment, and safety are not to be found in this

Show More
Related

  • Themes in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men

    1108 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Foreshadowing in Steinbeck´s of Mice and Men

    747 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...l Lennie painlessly. Ultimately, George witnesses the end of their dream. George had finally understands the truth that dreaming in this world is only still a dream ultimately as Crooks’ said.

    Read More

  • Lennie's Disability In Of Mice And Men

    600 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the late 1920’s, the stock market dropped, leaving thousands of Americans jobless. Many men left their homes and families in search of employment. Two farm workers in California, Lennie Small and George Milton, travel from ranch to ranch searching for work to get them by. In John Steinbeck’s story Of Mice And Men, George and Lennie go through the journey of finding a new job to “get the jack together” and “live off the fatta the lan’.” In with this journey comes obstacles that they may or may not be able to pass through. In Of Mice And Men Steinbeck uses characterization, conflict, and dramatic irony to show how Lennie and George learn to cope with obstacles caused by Lennie’s disability.

    Read More

  • Systemic Oppression In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    1385 Words  | 3 Pages

    John Steinbeck’s creative and carefully planned writing expressed the difficulties of oppression in this Era. Of Mice and Men explored the effects of systemic oppression on women,

    Read More

  • The Power Of Power In Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    1095 Words  | 3 Pages

    The men showed their respect in almost unnoticeable ways, “Carlson stepped back to let Slim precede him.” (Steinbeck, 36) It was such a small act, but powerful when one considered Carlson: a big, overbearing man, powerful in his own right, stepped aside for a greater power to take the lead. Even Curley respected him in his own way; he knew the power Slim wielded was greater than his own, and what was worse, his wife knew it as well “ ‘Thinks Slim’s with his wife, don’t he’” (Steinbeck, 54). He thought Slim would try to steal his wife, a subconscious assumption, as Curley probably would have done the same if any of the men under him had a wife. He thought that was what powerful men did, so he assumed that was what Slim would do. However, the best example of subconscious respect was when George pleaded for Lennie’s life: “ ‘Couldn’ we maybe bring him in an’ they’ll lock him up? He’s nuts, Slim. He never done this to be mean’” (Steinbeck, 97). Slim was the first man George looked to for help, not Curley. The very fact that he didn’t even try with Curley until Slim turned him down showed he trusted Slim to do what was right, and he hoped that was to help Lennie. Hope, that was what Slim offered, hope and wisdom, what did Curley have to offer? These almost unnoticeable actions actually speak louder than when Slim’s power was proclaimed outright, his respect

    Read More

  • Analysis Of John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    2021 Words  | 5 Pages

    Although George is angry with Lennie, he reassures Lennie all is well and retells him the story of their farm. George relinquishes the American dream of owning a farm and the chance of a better life with Lennie. He is now fully aware that all of his plans and dreams amount to nothing. George also realizes he is just a lowly migrant worker with no future; he will never own a little piece of land to call home sweet home. Lennie gives George a sense of meaning and purpose in life. The death of Lennie gives way to the death of their American dream

    Read More

  • Social Stereotypes In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    777 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck walks us through the journey of best friends named George and Lennie, who work on a ranch during the Great Depression in California’s Salinas Valley to achieve their goals. Throughout the book, Steinbeck suggest that social hierarchy and classification can lead toward a treatment to lower class workers, different genders and race, and the mentally disabled, when compared to white men workers.

    Read More

  • The Lives And Treatment Of Migrant Workers In The 1930s And John Steinbeck

    853 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck reflects the conception of the fleeting American dream in the characters of George, Lennie, and Crooks. Steinbeck depicts the harsh reality that migrant workers, most likely, would not achieve their dream through George and Lennie’s failure to gain

    Read More

  • Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck

    780 Words  | 2 Pages

    John Steinbeck’s portrayal of George and Lennie serve to describe and criticize the misjudgment and mistrust of the rejects of society. Understanding builds trust, a fundamental component of a harmonious society. In this global age, trusts and judgments are more important than ever. Steinbeck’s timeless message made Of Mice and Men a true classical novella.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Power In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    990 Words  | 2 Pages

    The definition of power is the ability to influence the behaviors of others or to change the course of events. Power can be gained through hard work or power can be given to you In a book published in 1937, this problem couldn’t be more prevalent. This book is Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. The story tells of two migrant workers, who are incredibly close friends. They goes place to place looking for a job during The Great Depression era. They eventually find a ranch in Soledad, California. Where they will face characters and incidents that will decide the fate of their dream. Powerful people are not as powerful as they seem, but is given power due to societal hierarchy or physical traits.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    559 Words  | 2 Pages

    The power of novels can allow readers to learn significant lessons about humanity and life experiences. Steinbeck’s novel “Of Mice and Men” set in Americas great depression of the 1930’s, explores the human need for company and the impact of loneliness. This is shown through the characters experiences of power and powerlessness on a barley ranch in California. Steinbeck shows his readers the need for compassion in times of cruelty, emphasised by the desperation of the era which the novel is set.

    Read More

  • Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck

    1271 Words  | 3 Pages

    To some extent, writers are the most powerful people in the world as they can use words to change people’s perceptions and ideas. Around the world, there are numerous writers who choose to convey their thoughts within their works, no matter fictions or poems. However, there are also some other representatives who prefer to be objective as a writer, and from my perspective, John Steinbeck should be one of them. Hence, I agree with the given quotation. In this essay, I will try to prove the quotation in three aspects. Firstly, I will discuss some characteristic of Of Mice and Men as well as John Steinbeck’s writing approach. Then, I will explore the fascinating and bewildering aspects of life in his fiction to demonstrate my statement. Finally, a conclusion will be given. During 1930s, the relationship between the suffered labors and the government is very tense as a type of remarkable social contradictions. Of Mice and Men, the book that Steinbeck wrote that period, is neither about the resistance of California’s newcomers nor their economic threat to the landed elite. (Shillinglaw, 1994) This book is about common people, their dreams, their ordinary life and their misfortune.

    Read More

  • Of Mice and Men

    1198 Words  | 3 Pages

    Written in 1937, Of Mice and Men, by John Adolf Steinbeck Jr., American author and Pulitzer Prize winner, follows the lives of downtrodden farmhands, George and Lennie. As with many of Steinbeck's books, the themes in Of Mice and Men include his favored themes of class warfare and oppression of the working class. Steinbeck also focuses his literature on the power of friendship and the corrupt nature of mankind. In 1993, Professor Thomas Scarseth wrote a critical analysis of the novella analyzing many aspects of Steinbeck’s work including the presentation, themes, and writing style. In his essay, Scarseth explains the key themes of the Novella. He noted that the corrupted nature of man, the injustice of life, and the power of friendship were three important themes of the book. Much of Scarseth’s analysis contained numerous thoughtful insights. Were his insights and opinions valid, or were his, and Steinbeck’s, perspectives on these issues flawed?

    Read More

  • Communism In John Steinbeck's Cannery Row

    1785 Words  | 4 Pages

    Subsequently, as nearly one of four workers were jobless and millions displaced at the height of the Depression, families like the Abbevilles struggled to survive. Black Tuesday saw the loss of over $14 billion on the New York Stock Exchange, throwing the America and the world into financial chaos. The GDP fell by 18%; and, “at its peak in 1933, unemployment stood at more than 12.6 million without jobs, although some estimates placed unemployment as high as 16 million” (“Great Depression”). During the economic collapse, in the traditional patriarchal family, the father often felt guilty for being unable to keep his children fed and clothed. For instance, in Cannery Row, Horace Abbeville approaches Lee Chong about his outstanding debt, which

    Read More

  • How Steinbeck Presents and Develops Power in ‘Of Mice And Men’

    753 Words  | 2 Pages

    The theme of power in prevalent in John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice And Men’ and is presented and developed in many different ways. Power is first established in the title, which introduces the recurring wrath of fate implying that men, like beast, are helplessly fated to live a disempowered and isolated life. Some however seek comfort in their powerful dreams, and companionship in their romanticised fraternal bonds, most notably that of Lennie and George, whose unconditional love for another leaves the reader with questions regarding their own morality. Steinbeck’s powerful prose, a strong single plot line over a short time span drives the tragic events forward, and his depiction of the foreshadowing natural world gives the novella a certain aspect of duality.

    Read More

More about Communism In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Open Document