1.In the case with George and Lennie in Of Mice and Men, lead the hero ( Lennie) to his fall. “he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie's head. The hand shook violently,but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger.” (Steinbeck 53). Tragedy does not always have to be something negative. It can be something positive. Based on this definition the novel is not a tragedy. The conflict is finally resolved, because George gains his freedom that he always wanted and can move on without having to look after or take care of Lennie."I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn't have you on my tail. I could live so easy and maybe have a girl." (Steinbeck 4)
2. Crooks is excluded from the rest of the
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Lennie’s death was necessary and inevitable, because of Lennie's mental disability and violent tendencies they never found stability. Steinbeck invoke the dream in this scene when George and Lennie talks the farm dream to as proof to their friendship. "We gonna get a little place," George began. He reached in his side pocket and brought out Carlson's Luger..” (Steinbeck 52) Placing the dream directly prior to the shooting of Lennie shows that the dream of this farm only worked if Lennie would have been there. Steinbeck set the death of Lennie in the same location as the opening scene, because in the beginning Lennie and George left Weed cause of Lennie; and now again they are there again, because of Lennie. The setting represent george and Lennie, because it is where they talked about their dream. It is ironic, because the pond was peaceful place in the beginning , but at the end it was not calm. This suggests that society is mean to the weak. Lennie’s death could be considered symbolic, because it represent heaven to him and George’s dream farm. "Me an' you.”... "You... an' me. Ever'body gonna be nice to you. Ain't gonna be no more trouble. Nobody gonna hurt nobody nor steal from 'em." (Steinbeck 53). Lennie’s weakness dies. His value of …show more content…
Crooks is entrapped based on his color. " 'Cause I'm black. They play cards in there, but I can't play because I'm black. They say I stink.” ( Steinbeck 34) This shows that Crooks isn’t respected and that Black men weren’t respected in the 1930s. Crooks is considered a lower class and he can’t change that. The American dream for him is nonexistence. Curley’s Wife is as well entrapped based on her gender. “She put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward.” ( Steinbeck 15) When she is faced with the limitations imposed upon them by society she lives up to these stereotypes and assumptions. This also implies that the possibilities of the American Dreams for women were limited and
Steinbeck clearly shows that Crooks never has any say on the ranch. No one cares about him. He’s just a “negro stable buck” (66). In this novella, No one ever talks to him except for candy. Lennie finally finds himself going into his room. While in there they speak about racial profiling. Crooks tell lennie that he’s the only African Americans on the ranch. He tells Lennie how he’s “alone out here at night” (73). He has nobody to talk to all he does is read books and think. The people on the ranch care less about his needs and wants, all they want him to do is to continue his work...
As we journey through life, we must make difficult decisions, even when few options exist and the situation is grim. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the decision George faces after Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife is complicated, as none of his choices are good. The importance of his relationship with Lennie forces George to look at the big picture and act in Lennie’s best interests, even though the action he must finally take will result in a weight that he will carry forever.
That ain’t no good, George.’”(Steinbeck 97). Because Lennie killed Curley’s wife, he committed a felony. George wanted Lennie to be thrown in jail at first. He wanted Lennie to be arrested because he thought it was the best thing for Lennie but then Slim told him it would not be good for Lennie. It would be bad for Lennie because Lennie would not understand his rights because he’s mentally challenged and locking him up in a cage would just hurt Lennie. George then realized he needed to kill Lennie so nobody would mistreat him. George is protecting others from Lennie.”’Lennie-if you jus’ happen to get in trouble like you always done before…’”(Steinbeck 15). George has been with Lennie for many years and he knows how Lennie will never learn and he will keep committing bad stuff. George knew something was going to happen at the ranch because Lennie has always done something wrong. George tried to prevent something from going wrong but he couldn’t. As a result he had to put down Lennie so he would not hurt anyone ever again. George felt the hard choice of killing Lennie was the right decision for George because Curley wanted to get his revenge, Lennie would be mistreated in prison and he was
George realizes in the end of the book Lennie has done too much harm and needs to essentially go away. George then shoots Lennie in the back of the head because Lennie couldn't live on his own if he were to run away from Curly and the rest of the gang of workers coming after him. George did the right thing
The biggest dream throughout the story is for George and Lennie to have enough money to go and buy a farm of their own. But then Lennie does something that he can’t change back or hide from, and all hope is lost for him and George to have a farm when George does what he never thought he’d do. “And George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head. The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger… Lennie jarred, and then settled slowly forward to the sand, and he lay without quivering.” (page 106) This one final scene symbolized all of George’s aspirations, hopes, dreams, ambitions, anything he had, diminishing before his eyes. He made a point earlier in the book, “ I was feelin’ pretty smart. I turns to Lennie and says, ‘jump in.’... well I ain’t done nothin like that no more” (40). He promised himself he wouldn’t hurt Lennie again, he took it upon himself to keep Lennie safe. But George fired that last bullet and killed Lennie, stripping himself of all his hope and ambitions. The other main ambition that was crushed in this story has to do with Lennie and his rabbits. “We’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs… An’ have rabbits!...” (14) This is a recurring event throughout the book; they talk about their future dreams, and Lennie tells everyone he meets about the rabbits he's gonna have, but again that all changes when Lennie messes up badly and kills Curley’s wife. The story displays the reader the visual of, “She struggled violently under his hands… “Don’t you go yellin’,” he said, and he shook her; and her body flopped like a fish. And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck.” (91) This visual can help you see where Lennie’s dream of ever handling another living being again diminishes because if he can’t keep an
Although Lennie could not live like a normal adult, he still dreams of a better life filled with the things he desired. Lennie constantly badgers George about the story of the farm where they hope to eventually reside. Lennie sees a place where he faces no adversities, and Lennie dreams of tending the rabbits, stroking their fur and feeding them handfuls of alfalfa. “When they have their farm, as George tells him at the end, Lennie will not need to be scared of bad things any more, and he can tend the rabbits and pet them… Their farm is a place where they can live together, have animals and, in general, feel safe. Lennie has little memory, but the story of their dream is one he knows by heart” (Lennie). In a child- like vision, Lennie still sees the farm he and George often dream about and discuss. Lennie will never forget about the farm until they have achieved their goal. Lennie realizes the farm will be a place of leisure where he can simply tend the rabbits. Lennie always believes and chases after their nearly impossible American
Lennie jarred, and then settled slowly forward to the sand, and he lay without quivering” (106). Unlike Buddha’s saying, “No one saves us but ourselves.” No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path”, George saves Lennie when he kills him. He saves Lennie from being killed by strangers, such as Curley, and being put into jail and abused.
As George and Lennie have been travelling around together since the death of Lennie’s Aunt Clara the two have build a dream in which they discuss how they in-vision their lives once their done working. “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 and-” (Steinbeck 16). Both George and Lennie share a dream in which they will one day have saved up enough money to buy their own farm and live the rest of their days together so that when they work they will be working for themselves and to be able do whatever they want on their own terms. Even though George and Lennie have been working toward their dream for a long time it is still a challenge for them to achieve it with Lennie’s disabilities and him getting them run out of Weed. “God a'mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an' work, an' no trouble. No mess at all, and when the end of the month come I could take my fifty bucks and go into town and g...
A dream that had at one point been something of a fantasy bedtime story that he would tell Lennie to keep him happy had finally almost been turned into a reality. Him, Lennie and Candy all had finally gotten the money to turn their fantasy into a reality, but then circumstance took over and once again snatched someone’s dream right out of their hands much like it seems to so often happen. It very well demonstrates the real impossibility of the American dream back then. At one point George says, “-I think I knowed from the very first. I think I knowed we’d never do her. He usta like to hear about it so much I got to thinking maybe we would.” (Steinbeck 94). He knew that it was pointless to hope for something that was so unlikely to happen and yet he let himself do it anyways because it was so important to him to keep his best friend happy and full of hope, no matter how much of a pain he was at times. By getting in trouble again Lennie may have brought their dreams crumbling down, but George still never truly got mad at him. I honestly believe that George cared more about his friendship with Lennie than their dream of living off their own piece of land, and that George’s own dream had more to do with living happily with Lennie rather than going around working at all of those lonely ranches. their friendship can be demonstrated be this quote, “Lennie said, “I thought you was mad at me George.”... “No,” said George. “No, Lennie. I ain’t mad. I never been mad, an’ I ain’t now. That’s a thing I want ya to know.” (Steinbeck 106). George had everything going for him then had it all crushed by his circumstances. In the end George is forced to take his own friend’s life and is not only left with a crushed dream, but more grief and pain than any one person should have to
Lennie is stuck in a childhood state, and is the main reason the farm exists. “Now Candy spoke his greatest fear, ‘You a’me can go there an’ live nice, can’t we, george?’...George said softly, ‘-I think I know from the very first, I think I knowed we’d never do her. He usta like to hear about it so much I got to thinking maybe we would.’” They realize that without Lennie, there is no farm. As Lennie dies, so does the dream of a farm.
Perhaps the most significant of his struggles are those he faces in society. This is the main conflict. As the two men move throughout the novel, it is apparent they are clinging together in the face of loneliness and alienation. George and Lennie are insecure, with no permanent jobs, no real home, and separated from their families. Also, in the end, it was society which led George to kill Lennie.
Curley’s wife, the only woman on the ranch, dreams of becoming an actress in Hollywood. Therefore, she always looks for attention which certainly makes her feel as if “[she] was in the pitcher.” (pg.89) By asking for attention, it gives her a sense of being popular just like being a movie star. Since she is the only woman, the gender inequality hinders her from getting attention on the ranch as everyone seems to avoid Curley’s wife. This is evident when George warns Lennie to “keep away from [Curley’s wife]” because “she’s a rat-trap if ever seen one.” (pg.32); workers preconceive women as causes for trouble. For this reason, her desire of getting attention cannot be attained due to the existing prejudice of female. Crooks encounters social obstacles that make him a victim of racial discrimination. Crooks is called “the negro stable buck” (pg.66). This already illustrates inequality as he is being treated differently by his name. Furthermore, the discrimination becomes more evident through the lack of importance in his speech. Based on his experience, he realizes how “it don’t make no difference if he don’t hear or understand” (pg.71). Therefore, even if Crooks says something, it is “just a nigger talkin’ … So it don’t mean nothing.” (pg.71). As a
For example when george is about to shoot lennie he said "No, Lennie. Look down there acrost the river, like you can almost see the place." Lennie obeyed him. George looked down at the gun…."Go on, George. When we gonna do it?" "Gonna do it soon." George knows what he has to do, but just then realizes that he will not get his land and makes himself feel worse by telling Lennie lies. In this final scene the death of lennie shows that this story is about unfinished goals because with his death comes the realization that they will never get their land. In addition after learning of what Lennie had done Candy asks george about the land to which george replies with “its over”. George puts down the idea of getting land because it would remind him too much of Lennie and the dream that they never got to accomplish. Steinbeck put this into his book to show that one small mistake changed all of george's future intentions. When George is talking to Lennie in the final scene he tells him "You... and' me. Ever'body gonna be nice to you. Ain't gonna be no more trouble. Nobody gonna hurt nobody nor steal from 'em." When George is talking to lennie before he kills him he is trying to make Lennie's death as peaceful as possible by describing a perfect world to him. George and lennie aimed to have no problems, or trouble in their lives but the reality is that their
Lennie’s point of no return contributes to both of these themes. Dreams are a large part of the novel because Lennie and George’s dream of owning their own rabbit farm is fueling them to keep pressing on and working through terrible conditions. However, George realizes the realism of life and acknowledges the fact that their dream will never become a reality. Lennie, on the other hand, is less realistic and believes that one day he will be able to pet rabbits on his own farm. Before George kills Lennie, he paints Lennie their dream so he can picture it before he dies. George tells Lennie “"Look acrost the river, Lennie, an' I'll tell you so you can almost see it….We gonna get a little place...we'll have maybe a pig an' chickens…”(Steinbeck) in order to bring him hope. From an outside perspective, George killing Lennie looks like a selfish act and wrongdoing. However, George kills Lennie because he knows that it is a better death for his friend than being tortured and taunted by the mob of angry men. George kills Lennie parallel to killing his own dream out of love for his friend. The main themes of dreams and friendship are supported by George’s reaction to Lennie killing Curley’s
The connection between George and Lennie illustrates the adversity during their course towards achieving the American dream. Things Lennie did, either on accident or purpose, foreshadowed what was going to happen in the book and the way people acted impacted this. Like millions of other people, George and Lennie were affected during the great depression heavily, and dreamt of owning land of their own. They worked from place to place making barely any money, and didn’t have a real home. To add to this, Lennie got in trouble a lot and in the end George had to make the crucial decision to shoot Lennie so he wouldn’t have to deal with any more difficulty. George knew he had to do what was best for Lennie and himself.