John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck's “Of mice and men”

Of Mice and Men is set along the Salinas River a few miles south of

Soledad in the fallen world of the Salinas Valley, which Steinbeck

places "east of Eden" the Promised Land is only a painful and illusory

dream. This land is populated by "sons of Cain", men doomed to walk

alone. One of the major themes that comes from this is loneliness, or

fear of apartness. One of the themes of Of Mice and Men is that men

fear loneliness, that they need someone to be with and to talk to who

will offer understanding and companionship.

Soledad is a Spanish word and translates into English as solitude or

loneliness. This country is one of such loneliness that George and

Lennie stand out sharply because they have one another or, as George

says, "We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us.

The dream of the farm symbolizes their commitment to each other.

George and Lennie's dream represents a desire to challenge the curse

of Cain and fallen man they want to break the pattern of wandering and

loneliness and return to the perfect garden. In the real world George

and Lennie achieve as much of their dream as possible.

The influence of George and Lennie's commitment to each other and to

their dream has for just a moment made Slim, Candy, and Crooks, men

who worked at the ranch, broken the grip of loneliness and solitude in

which they exist. Lennie's longing for the rabbits and all soft,

living things symbolizes the longing all men have for warm, living

contact.

In the novel is the little spot by the river where the story begins

and ends. It is here we first see George and Lennie enter from the

highway to an outside world. Coming to a cave or thicket by the river

symbolizes ...

... middle of paper ...

..." The key word "directly" is used by Steinbeck to place heavy

emphasis on Slim's act. As Of Mice and Men ends, you see George and

Slim walking off to have a drink. Steinbeck is placing emphasis on the

new friendship between George and Slim.

This novel began with two men, George and Lennie, climbing down to the

river from the highway and it ends with two men, George and Slim,

climbing back up from the river to the highway. The fact that George

is not left alone has great significance. In the fallen world of the

valley, where man's commitment to each other is the only

understandable and obtainable dream, the fact that in the end of the

story as well as in the beginning, two men walking together causes

this book to end on a strong note of hope-the central theme of this

story, man's commitment to man (George's commitment to Lennie), did

not die with Lennie.