Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Steinbecks novel, Of Mice and Men portrays the idea of the "ordinary peoples" hard lives at this time and their struggle to survive in their mundain lives for fear of getting "canned". His perseption of the migrant workers living and working during this period is very accurate and he illustrates this through each individual character and their priorities and views on life. Steinbeck was born and raised within Salinas itself and chose to base and set his novel in this area due to his sheer cultural knowledge and strong feelings towards the place. Salinas is situated in California which was undergoing a lot of pressure from the great depression at this point in time. Due to the wall street crash of 1929, the whole of America's ecconomy crashed leaving thousands of people pennyless and with a vast struggle upon them. Many were left in debt, unable to stay in their homes and desperate for jobs. The unemployment rate was extautionately high leading to mass competition for work and the migrant workers were forced to travel miles just in the chance that a job working on the land may become available. John Steinbeck aims to depict people from a variety of different backgrounds and personalities having to share the life of a migrant worker with one another. He represents the white, black, handicapped, crippled and general so called "normal people" as well as the misfits... ... middle of paper ... ...the way through the novel and emphasised the other migrant workers loneliness more evidently. The wide variety of misfits featured in the novel could appear to be at an apposing amount and perhaps too many were added as the reader could be left with a miss understanding of the life of a normal, usual worker at this time. However every character is very representative of the different problems that people faced in society at this time, whether they be black, white, crippled, dumb, male or female, they all have a story to tell and share a struggle upon them to fight the loneliness and typical life of a migrant worker. Without characters like these the novel would be very limited and unable to explore the problems within society during the 1930's and the way that it affected the whole of America and it's people!
Lisca, Peter. "Of Mice and Men." The Wide World of John Steinbeck. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 1958. 130-143. Rpt. in Children's Literature Review. Ed. Jelena Krstovic. Vol. 172. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 13 Jan. 2014.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a fiction novel. This novel is about two best friends who work as farm hands. Both men dream of owning a farm together one day. On the way to that dream the men face some struggles and that is what most of the novel is about. The novel goes into detail about how they overcome their struggle.
By then there was no more land to be claimed and America had built up
In the novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, the feminist lens is represented in many different ways throughout the novel, including actions and comments different characters make. Most of these events are surrounded by the character Curley’s Wife. Curley’s wife is a character who is known for her not being trusted by any of the workers on the ranch, and for fooling around with other men besides her husband, Curley. For instance, when Curley’s Wife is talking to another character, Slim. “…’Hi Slim,’ she said. Slim’s voice came through the door. ‘Hi, good-looking.”(Steinbeck, 31) Curley’s Wife is not allowed to flirt or even communicate with other men at the ranch, but she likes to break the rules and have a conversation with other people because she feels that she has never had any freedom since she married Curley. Curley’s Wife is mistreated at the ranch because everyone is afraid to trust and contact her.
dream; that one day they may buy a farm, and Lennie will be able to
Steinbeck, John E. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin Group, 1993. 72. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.
The daily struggle of the working class, fear of loneliness and the reality of putting all your energy into plans that fail are the different themes relating to John Steinbeck's novel, "Of Mice and Men". The characters depicted by the author are individuals who are constantly facing one obstacle after another. The book illustrates different conflicts such as man versus society, man versus man, man versus himself and idealism versus reality. The book's backdrop is set in the Salinas, California during the depression. The two main characters include two men, George and Lennie. Supportive characters include a few ranch hands, Candy, Crooks, Curly, Slim and Carlson.
"If an author does not have at least one great popular success, he or she may well be ignored by the media, but if he or she is constantly popular, then the critics become suspicious of the writer's serious intentions" (Benson Introduction). What do critics from the literary world have to say about Steinbeck's writings? Critics have much to say, both positive and negative. What link exists between Steinbeck and his writings? Perhaps the most noteworthy biographical link between Steinbeck and his writings is that he was born and came to maturity in the Salinas Valley. In this area of California, bounded on the north and south by the Pajaro and Jolon valleys on the west and east by the Pacific Ocean and the Gabilan Mountains, Steinbeck found the materials for his fiction (Tedlock 3). John Steinbeck's agricultural upbringing in the California area vibrantly shines through in the settings and story lines of the majority of his works.
has the mental age of a child and does not see the reason why George
.The novel Of Mice and Men was written by John Steinbeck. In Soledad, California during the Great Depression in the 1930's two men of the one named George and the other named Lennie were men who travel around working at ranches. George is the small, quick-witted one, and Lennie is the big, slow, dumb and extremely strong one. They have a dream, to have a little place all to themselves, without anyone bothering them. Their dreams are shattered though, when Lennie, who doesn't know his own strength, gets in trouble. In the pursuit of love, happiness and the American dream, man becomes a victim of his own circumstances and discovers that the good life becomes impossible for humanity to obtain and contains many flaws. Lennie and George represents Cain and Able a biblical story who were two brothers searching for their elusive dream. In the story of Cane and Abel ,Cane was to take care of Able .Both brothers were to prepare and offering to God to receive His blessing. When God came to look upon that offering God asked Cane were is Abel .In curiosity and furiousness Cane asked God" Am I my brothers keeper?" Just like in the story of Cane and Abel ,George is Lennies keeper ,George is consistently watching over Lennie no matter where they go .In the story of Cane and Abel,Cane was furious with God because God had asked of his brother .Cane prepared his offering just for the fact of the knowledge that he was to receive blessings in return.Those who are more able should take care of those who are not able to complete tasks in life.But in order in being capabable of doing that one must have patience and faith in that matters and struggles that a person has to go throught with one other.In similarity Geor...
one day want their own plot so they can 'live off the fatta the lan'
Many tell us to keep dreaming. To chase our dreams until they come true, and that the unattainable can always be achieved with enough pursuance. Is this saying really true? In the novella Of Mice and Men, the story follows the life of two immigrants, George and Lennie. Lennie a gigantic man with a mental infirmity travels with a man named George, they dream of owning a farm, and living off of the land and thus only working for themselves. With Lennie’s disability, he repeatedly gets into trouble. As result, both Lennie and George flee from their old town, Weed, to find new jobs in the hopes to collect enough money to buy a piece of land. They find employment as barley buckers on a ranch and meet the other workers, Candy, and old swamper who’s hand is missing, Crooks, a black man with a bad back, and the only woman on the ranch, who is Curley, the boss’s son’s wife. Not long after does Lennie get into trouble once again. He breaks the neck Curley’s wife and runs to the stream where George told him to go if he were to get in any trouble. George then shoots Lennie in the back of his head to end him of his misery. They could not live by constantly running. Throughout the novel, a motif of unachievable American dreams is presented. American dreams are always a thirst, and although they are highly sought out, several unfortunately never make it to reality.
Man needs companionship and has difficulty maintaining it because no humans think the exact same or have the exact same beliefs. To maintain a companion you must have things in common, you must be able to disagree with a sort of respectful understanding, and finally you must care legitimately about that person. These three requirements to preserve a companionship are at times arduous to keep true. Some people do not have the time, concern, or the ability to sustain a veritable friendship with a companion or companions.
”And this I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes undirected. And this I must fight against: any idea, religion, or government which limits or destroys the individual. This is what I am and what I am about.” This quote was stated by John Steinbeck. He explains that having the freedom to explore you own mind is so valuable. Yet, directs his audience of how it can be conformed by one’s own conscience or society. The quote previously mentioned, embodies the novel, Of Mice of Men. It presents how the character allows there minds to wander towards dreams, but subsequently is ruined by one’s actions
where the Great Depression years occurred and had a huge impact of many lives in