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How is loneliness portrayed throughout of mice and men
How does Steinbeck develop friendship
How is loneliness portrayed throughout of mice and men
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Of Mice and Men According to meriam-webster.com the definition of lonely is “being without company.” This is the recurring theme of John Steinbecks amazing novella “Of Mice and Men.” It all begins with The Great Depression; the result of the Dust Bowl. George, is the feisty yet calm caretaker of his mentally challenged best friend, Lennie. They both left Weed to go to Salinas California with hope for a new beginning. When Lennie comes out with an obsession of soft things that’s when trouble begins. George is very strict and he tells Lennie to go back to the same old spot if anything bad happens. As the story progresses Lennie runs into trouble with by killing the soft pups and his friend Curleys wife. He killed Curleys wife when he snaps her neck after a soft hair incident. With Lennie having a mental disability, he listens to George and goes back to the same old spot just as he said. When George steals a gun and misdirects a search group he goes on his own to find Lennie and give him a clean death. In Steinbecks novella, he develops a critical theme that people are disrespecting each other based on their outward appearance. He is trying to let the reader know that the way we treat other people could make them feel lonely and uncertain about themselves. …show more content…
George never really taught Lennie how to handle anything. This lead to Lennie being unable to handle such a situation. Curley was very upset with Lennie and wanted him gone but George wasn’t so sure about that. Lennie was hoping that George would still let him tend the rabbits when they were living their American dream even though Lennie killed a pup. George told Lennie that wouldn’t happen if he did another bad thing. This was big for him especially with him having an obsession over soft objects. It is very unfortunate that Lennie was unable to contain himself. George was strict on Lennie which probably made him feel along all the
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...
George and Lennie were lifelong friends and had varying personalities even from the start. Lennie thought about how his Aunt Clara said he should have been more like George. At the time when the story took place, the two men were travelling together, and had been for some time, working and then moving on to search for the next job they could find. They were like many other men in search for work, except it was rare for men to travel together. George felt a need to take care of Lennie because he was somewhat slow. George was an average man of the time. He was a good size, nice, but firm, and he had aspirations to be more than just a nomadic laborer. Lennie, on the other hand, had always been a little different. He was big, goofy, clumsy, but sweet. They were also both good workers. George was concerned with working and getting his money before they got into trouble and had to leave camp. Lennie was the one who normally started the trouble. He was a hard worker and lived to appease George, but he got distracted easily which angered George. George told about how they would own a house and a farm together and work for themselves. Lennie loved to hear the story and think about the possibilities, even though nobody knew if any of it was a possibility. George and Lennie's differences in part led to George's inclination to kill Lennie. Despite their dissimilarity, the two men needed each other probably more than they realized.
Lennie's stupidity and carelessness constantly causes him to unintentionally harm people and animals. When he gets into sticky situations, George is there to help him get out of them. Ever since Lennie's Aunt Clara died, George has felt that he has a sense of duty
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
Although Lennie was unattractive and has the tendency of accidental violence, compassion was still something readers had for him. Steinbeck constantly reminded us that he has a mental disability which automatically makes someone feel pity for him. Additionally he was ignored and made fun of by other characters, “Blubberin’ like a baby! Jesus Christ! A big guy like you”(Steinbeck 10). Him getting in trouble was beyond his control because of his mental disability which is something else that makes a reader feel sympathetic for him. Also, the readers are solicitous towards Lennie because of how much he looks up to George. This is portrayed when Crooks asks Lennie what he would do if George never came back, “Well, s’pose, jus’ s’pose he don’t come back. What’ll you do then?”(Steinbeck 70). Because of his inability to comprehend information, he got extremely defensive and said, “George is careful. He won’t get hurt” (Steinbeck 70). This scene is crafted in such a way that it automatically
Curley's wife, an accident that seals his own fate and destroys not only his dreams but George's and Candy's as well. In the beginning Lennie used to pet mice that his Aunt Clara used to give him, he would always end up killing them because he didn't know his own strength. Lennie never killed any pet or person purposely; he pets too roughly and kills them accidentally. An example of his rough tendencies is in the first chapter (page7) when Lennie wants to keep a dead mouse and George wouldn't let him Lennie says" Uh-uh. Jus' a dead mouse, George.
Due to child like qualities, Lennie is a person which would be easy prey and a vulnerable person. Lennie is a vulnerable person who is quite dumb. His has an obsession for touching soft thing and this will often lead him in to trouble. But poor Lennie is an innocent person who means no harm to anybody. When he and Curley get into a fight Lennie is too shocked to do any thing. He tries to be innocent but, when told to by George grabs Curley’s fist and crushes it. George is Lennie’s best friend and Lennie does every thing he tells him to do as demonstrated in the fight with “But you tol...
Lennie was not very smart and couldn't do much by himself. He had to be told what to do or he wouldn't do anything at all. He fits all the profiles for a retarded person. He doesn't have any self-control. When he starts to panic he gets out of control and even kills Curly's wife because she starts to scream. Lennie loves animals and can't stop talking about them. He always says that when they get their own place that he wants lots of rabbits, his favorite animal. To him George is like his father figure, since Lennie never really had any parents. He is easily amused and panics quickly.
George’s relationship with Lennie has made him selfless; his conversations, with and with out Lennie, are generally revolving around Lennie, although in the case of their dream-ranch George seems to find fulfilment for himself as well. Due to these altruistic tendencies that he shows throughout the novel, a danger is bestowed upon George; he tends to care for Lennie far too much, and too little for himself. In occasional moments, he escapes his sympathy and compassion for Lennie, and realises the burden that he causes. This usually results in George taking his frustration out on Lennie, which can often harm his simple mind, leaving Lennie upset and forced to confess to his own uselessness, and George feeling guilty for what he has caused. We can learn very little about George through his actual conversations, which made it necessary for Steinbeck to focus the novel on him in particular, and let the reader gain an closer insight on him through his actions. Generally, he seems to be caring, intelligent and sensible, but is greatly worn by the constant attention Lennie requires. This illustrates a major theme in Of Mice and Men, the dangers that arise when one becomes involved in a dedicated relationship.
... to share a farm with George and be allowed to tend the rabbits, and he does not seem to understand why people stand against him. Lennie?s failure to recognize his own strength unfortunately leads him to harm many living things, eventually Curly?s wife, which leads to his death by the hand of George, who only did what he thought was best.
Lennie gets a small pup, but as soon as George finds out he had been hiding it under his coat, he scolds at him and tells him that he should bring it back to its mother because he might kill it like every other pet he had owned. The next day, Lennie is alone in the barn, crying while stroking the dead body of his puppy. He worries that if George finds out, he might not be able to take care of the rabbits he will have in their farm in the future. Curley’s wife enters
First of all, Lennie’s inability to know his own strength constantly get him in trouble, and he shows that he doesn’t know his strength when he kills the mice, gets in a fight with Curley, kills the puppy, and kills Curley’s wife. When Lennie kills Curley’s wife George realizes that Lennie is a danger to himself and others, and Lennie will continue to cause trouble. Also, Lennie doesn’t understand why he shouldn’t talk to Curley’s wife. George instantly has a very strong opinion on her, which he shows when he says, “I don’t care what she says and what she does ... I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her.
The theme of “Of Mice and Men” written by John Steinbeck is that humans suffer from loneliness. Loneliness cannot be avoided in this novel, and it’s displayed evidently in each of the important characters. Each character in this novel exhibits the feeling of solitude in some way. For example, Lennie is cast out of real society for being mentally handicapped, Candy is isolated for being old and disabled, Crooks for his black skin tone, Curley's wife for being a woman, and George for taking on the responsibility to care for Lennie.
So many people are lonely in Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, because; unfortunately, that is a part of the society we live and it was a part of the society in Steinbeck’s book. So many people shut themselves out and become so self-absorbed they don’t even notice those around them. For example, Candy is a lonely old man who has been working on that ranch, and many others most of his life. Now he doesn’t have anything to call his own, he has the clothes on his back and his dog, but that is about it.
However, the true meaning behind being lonely does not apply in any way to whether or not you are accompanied by a physical presence. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck demonstrates relationships between people, how important or unimportant certain factors are in life. In addition, the novel includes an complex way of conveying which characters are the loneliest and why the main characters are different from the rest of them and why it is important, but it does not give it out bluntly. The novel is revolved around George Milton and Lennie Small, two friends who have stuck with each other through thick and thin. When Lennie, a man with some mental deficiency, encounters mishaps, George, his best friend, helps him through his problems.