More handpicked essays just for you.
Character traits of george and lennie in mice and men
Literary analysis of mice and men
Character traits of george and lennie in mice and men
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Published in 1937 Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck presents an excellent addition to American literature and the genre of historical fiction. It tells the story of George Milton and Lennie Small, a pair of Ranch hands who in light of the great depression travel about California in search of work. Although neither are educated men George is presented as the smarter of the two whilst Lennie is very strong but dumb and to some degree mentally retarded. They are continually on the run because Lennie’s fondness of touching soft things will inadvertently get them into serious trouble. In one such occasion Lennie is accused of rape because he attempted to stroke a woman’s velvet dress, prompting them to leave that town. The happenings of this story
In chapter one, George and Lennie are introduced onto the scene and you get to know them a little bit and you get to see how they are related/ their relationship. When I read this first part, I could tell that George was pretty much Lennie’s caretaker and it was his job to find Lennie a job and make sure he ate enough and stayed a live. He kind of resented having to drag Lennie around (pg 11~12: “Well we ain’t got any!” George exploded. “Whatever we ain’t got, you want. If I was alone I could live so easy… But wadda I got? I got you. You can’t keep a job and you loose me every job I get.”), because Lennie’s a bit slow and he messes up a lot. He tries really hard to be good and listen to what George tells him to do, but in the end of every situation, Lennie forgets what George told him beforehand and sometimes it creates a little trouble (pg 45~46: “Well, he seen this girl in this red dress. Dumb like he is, he likes to touch ever’thing he likes. Just wants to feel it. So he reaches out to feel this red dress an’ the girl lets out a squawk, and that gets Lennie all mixed up, and he holds on ‘cause that’s the only thing he can think to do. Well, this girl just squawks and squawks. I was jus’ a little bit off, and I heard all the yellin’, so I comes running, an’ by that time Lennie’s so scared all he can think to do is jus’ hold on. I socked him over the head with a fence picket to make him let go. He was so scairt he couldn’t let go of the dress. And he’s so strong, you know… Well, that girl rabbits in an’ tells the law she’s been raped. The guys in Weed start a party out to lynch Lennie. So we sit in an irrigation ditch under water all the rest of that day.”). But when you look at them, you can tell that George is...
is in the air. Animals begin to scatter. Two men have arrived on the scene,
How does John Steinbeck use the character George to illustrate aspects of 1930s American society?
In the novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbek, there are several characters that make the book as interesting as it is. For example, Slim and George are two characters who are alike in some ways, yet are different in many others. They both want to be leaders, but only one of them can. George and Slim have many characteristics, but there are reasons why Slim is considered a leader by his co-workers and George is not.
A coon dog and a tick, an oak tree with moss on the north side, a termite and its internal bacteria, and a shark with tiny fish that eat the extra meat chunks in between the teeth all have one thing in common: symbiosis. Defined as the interdependence of organisms, symbiosis is the basis of the relationship between George and Lennie in “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck. One type of symbiosis helps both parties while another type involves one organism being hurt by the exchange. The dog is hurt by the tick while the termites and the bacteria benefit from each other’s presence. These types of symbiosis can occur in humans and are evident in “Of Mice and Men.” Both types of symbiosis exist between George and Lennie in the novel.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is about the friendship between George Milton and Lennie Small, who travel together due to the fact that Lennie suffered a childlike mental illness and someone needed to take care of him. Lennie only listens to his friend George, no matter what George may say. This novel shows characteristics of their true friendship and George's compassion towards his companion. George shows acts of love and kindness out of sympathy for Lennie, yet he also seems to show an unconscious effort to make up for Lennie’s mental impairment.
In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck discusses Lennie, George, and Crooks. In this book Steinbeck wants the reader to understand how life was portrayed in American society back in the day. Steinbeck wants the reader to understand how people were treated differently because of their race and by their mental state. Steinbeck wants the reader to understand how the mindset of Lennie, George, and Crooks affects the story. Steinbeck wants the reader to understand why Lennie was always mistreated and why George was there to take care of him. Steinbeck wants the reader to understand why George answers for Lennie and why he tells Lennie what to do because Lennie could not do anything on his own without getting into trouble or messing something up. Steinbeck wanted to show the reader how African Americans were treated back then by putting Crooks into the mix. Steinbeck wants the reader to understand that Crooks was left out of activities and other things in the book because of his race and because of his crooked back.
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.
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck is of two men who care for each other very deeply. They have their financial struggles and one partner with mental disabilities. They battle their hardships together, but when Lennie, the mentally disabled, makes a mistake and kills someone, it forces George to have to take away Lennie’s life. Critics believe George Milton committed cold-blooded murder when he killed his close companion, Lennie Small; I disagree and believe George’s heroic journey instead lead him to the mercy killing of Lennie.
The author makes use of naturalism and presents Lennie as a human beast. Lennie possesses the body of a bear, but his actions are similar to those of a dog. He is able bodied but feeble minded. The combination of the preceding traits and his fondness of petting make him responsible for many murders. He has a nebulous and robust physical description. He possesses the mind of a child who requires supervision. George, the security of petting soft things, and a dream farm represent the meat and potatoes of his life. Lennie faces the mechanism of natural selection like any other animal.
Of mice and men is a novella written by Steinbeck in the 1930’s at the time of the American great depression. Two migrant workers George and Lennie are the protagonists; through these characters Steinbeck highlights many themes. The themes presented in this novel can be compared with those in the ‘Moon on the Tides’ Anthology poems for example ‘Brothers’, ‘Farmer’s Bride’ and ‘In Paris with You’.
“Of Mice and Men”, by John Steinbeck is a novel about the hardships of life and the importance of having other people around. The story is of two men trying to survive with one another in a world full of loneliness; their relationship is quite rare and strange. Lennie, a large bear, has a mental disability which causes him to be in a childlike state. George, a much smaller and more competent man takes care of both of them. Although they work for others on ranches, their dream is to get by on their own and live off the land. However, Lennie’s state causes conflict as they travel from job to job. Steinbeck uses clever ways in his novel to develop his theme and characters as the story progresses; both of these elements also help create a large
Of Mice of Men by John Steinbeck is a world renowned book known for its realistic representation of the American dream during the Great Depression. Its hard truths and graphic scenes have made it not only a literary classic but also a widely banned book throughout schools. Written in 1937, the end of the age of modernism, Steinbeck focuses mainly on the journey of the characters rather than the time and place of the story. Steinbeck was influenced at this time by the ideas of racism and realism. Racism is widespread throughout the book. Of Mice and Men tells the story of two ranchers, Lennie and George, wandering the country in search of suitable jobs during the Great Depression. George and the somewhat mentally disabled giant Lennie struggled to reach the dream of owning a farm together, after accepting a job in California. Because of this book’s vivid descriptions of life during the Great Depression and universal themes, Of Mice and Men should be taught in Antonian’s English II honors course. From reading this book students get a sense of what it was like during this time period thus giving this book a student friendly as well as teacher friendly appeal.
The famed nurses study from Harvard found “Not having a close friend is as detrimental to your health as smoking.” Lennie and George’s friendship is necessary to keep the better for each other. Throughout the story, Lennie and George need each other and look out for one another no matter what. Lennie and George’s friendship and journey throughout the story symbolizes the struggles to achieve the American dream. Steinbeck, in the story Of Mice and Men, combines characterization and symbolism to prove friends do whats best for eachother.
Of Mice and Men is a novel by John Steinbeck. This book is an analogy about what it means to be a human. George and Lennie share the ambition to own their own ranch, but they encounter obstacles that stand in the way. Ironically, Lennie will become the greatest obstacle in them achieving their dream. This novel was first published in 1937, which is one of the most important aspects of the book. The reason why it is one of the most important aspects of the book is because one result of the Great Depression was a lack of steady jobs, which increased the amount of nomadic workers. When Steinbeck wrote this novel, ranch hands were beginning to be replaced by machinery and their way of life was disappearing fast.