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Character study of mice and men
Character study of mice and men
Character study of mice and men
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The novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck teaches readers many lessons, varying from power to violence. Steinbeck uses Lennie and Curley to show the reader any position of power holds advantages and disadvantages. Lennie isn't so quick, he's big and intimidating, he's targeted but knows he has no power over anyone. When Lennie and George arrive at the ranch he is immediately singled out, he is a big man and several comments were made about him. Curley the boss’ son is intimidated by bigger men because he doesn't hold the physical power. He will do things like, “He glanced coldly at George and then at Lennie. His arms bent and his hands closed into fists.” (Steinbeck 25) Curley instantly becomes defensive, he is in a high position
In John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, Curley’s insecure character is shown through what other characters say about him. One instance in which Curley’s insecure disposition is shown is when the other men are talking about him after he verbally attacks Lennie. When George demands to know why Curley disrespected Lennie, one of the other men responds saying Curley tends to pick fights with big guys like Lennie and furthermore explains, “Kind of like he’s mad at ‘em because he ain’t a big guy” (26). A great deal of Curley’s insecurity stems from his size. Despite superficial efforts to make himself appear bigger, Curley knows he will never amount to the size and strength of the other men on the ranch. To compensate for his size, he often times tries to prove himself through fighting.
Mr. Curley’s has a dream to be an important and to be a powerful factor on the ranch. Mr. Curley is greedy when it comes to possessing power over those who work on the ranch. An example of his arrogance would be when he tells Lennie, “Well, nex’ time you answer when you’re spoke too.” (Steinbeck 26). Mr. Curley talks condescendingly to the men on the ranch especially Lennie. Mr. Curley doesn’t feel like feeling in competition with other men when it comes to having power on the ranch. Curley might feel insecure about his size which is why “He hates big guys. He’s alla time picking scraps with big guys.” (Steinbeck 26), Curley almost feels intimidated by the bigger men working for him by demonstrating his power that he holds over them. He
Do you know of someone who has abused the power bestowed upon them? Some people change when they get power over other people. Steinbeck has really captrured this in the book Of Mice And Men. One of the themes of this book is ‘Individuals in positions of power are often cruel to those without them.’ This is shown by the way Curley acts to everyone because hes the bosses son.
How Steinbeck Uses Two of His Characters to Explore the Role of Power in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. John Steinbeck centennial ed. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.
Of Mice and Men, by Steinbeck, shows many different views on society. This book has a lot different messages you can take and apply to real life. All the people in the story can relate to someone today and also to some stuff that still happens all around the world. When reading this book you can really start to understand and connect with the characters and identify their weaknesses and their strengths. Some things you really start to notice is how powerful some people are and how they use that power in everyday living. Many characters had power, because of that it helped some get by, helped some take advantage and boss people around, but power also hurt them.
‘Of Mice and Men’ is a novel written by John Steinbeck about the Great Depression time period and was originally published in 1937. The novel consists of many techniques used by Steinbeck to engage and communicate with readers, such as dialogue, description, animal imagery and foreshadowing. These carefully considered four techniques allows Steinbeck to emphasise on the important aspects of the plot and convey vital messages as to engage the audience.
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.
Through George, Steinbeck establishes two themes of the story early: loneliness and male companionship. Later in the story, it is shown how all of the workers on the ranch besides Lennie and George travel alone. Because of this, all of the characters in the story exhibit some sort of loneliness throughout the story, and it becomes a recurring theme. All of the other workers on the ranch feel jealous of the relationship that Lennie and George have and also want that type of male companionship.
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” Was said by Abe Lincoln. Give a man power to see if he abuses it. Many things have changed now that it is 80 years later, but still there is stereotypical thought about these kinds of people. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, control of power in the 1930s was greatly different than it is now and was simply based on the color of skin, how much money a person had, and if a person had disabilities.
Social: So far in the story, Curley barely gets along with any characters, especially Lennie. As the Boss' son, he struts around the ranch and is very arrogant. Due to his social standing, George tells Lennie to avoid him at all cost because he doesn't want them to lose the job if he allows Lennie to fight back.
John Steinbeck is the author that published the book Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck paints a portrait of hard times in the 1930s. He sets a morose tone throughout most of the book. He reveals unacceptable, powerful, and resilient times in America. He describes a world where the American Dream is a land where life should be better, richer, and fuller for everyone. He also includes complex characters on the ranch as villains and victims in the novel. For instance, Curley’s wife is portrayed as a villain because she kept taunting Lennie, she threatened Crooks, and she flirted with men on the ranch while she was married.
Throughout Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck displays how isolation through sexism and racism causes one to crave attention, and he helps the reader to understand the problems in society about racism and sexism through portraying Curley’s Wife and Crooks both craving attention in their own ways and experiencing various setbacks.
Throughout the book we are introduced to many characters with traits and qualities that make them each memorable and unique. These characters have interactions among each other that shows the way that power affects them. While there are a few characters that do not abuse their power, most of the characters respond to power or a lack of power with acts to make themselves make themselves feel more powerful. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses the strengths and weaknesses of various characters to show how characters can prey on weaker characters in order to make themselves seem superior.
In John Steinbeck’s malign novella Of Mice and Men , unfolds the world where the forces of evil predominates the forces of good. As the story begins, the reader recognizes the feeling of both characters wanting to achieve their American dream, in their case owning a land. We can sense the world woven by the potency of greed as they have to endure while working in an environment of those who yearn for a better life. Nevertheless turns out to be their biggest obstacle they encounter and shatters our heart when a few individual’s dreams becomes a nightmare with their imminent death. By the end of the story, we see the perspective of other workers who suffer from being different. Given these points, the imbalanced scale of evil energy in the world can truly affect one deeply.