Introduction While the novel Of mice and men and the film What’s eating Gilbert Grape have different plots and settings, the themes of the two stories are very comparable. The stories depict how taking care of people with disabilities is very challenging and the problems they encounter in their day to day activities. Gilbert (What’s eating Gilbert Grape) has the task of taking care of Arnie his brother and George (Of mice and men) takes care of his childhood friend Lennie. Both of this characters Arnie and Lennie have mental disabilities and rely on their caregivers in life. The responsibility of taking care of Arnie and Lennie is frustrating but George and Gilbert still love them. This paper aims to compare and contrast the novel Of Mice …show more content…
and Men with the film What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. Comparison and Contrast In the novel Of mice and men, George is held back in life by Lennie because he always causes trouble and gets them kicked out of their jobs and are always struggling to find a job.
George constantly reminds Lennie that he would not be struggling if he wasn’t taking care of him (STEINBECK, 1977). Similarly, in the film What's Eating Gilbert Grapes, Gilbert is a teenager struggling to provide for his family consisting of two sisters, a mentally handicapped brother and an obese mother. Gilbert is held up with responsibilities making him have no time for a social life (DEWIS, 2011). Gilbert gets upset with some of the things his brother does, at one point he ended up hitting Arnie but regrets doing it. He loves Arnie very much that he always spends time entertaining him and to make him not worry (DEWIS, 2011). George, on the other hand, gets frustrated and ends up says things that he doesn’t mean to his best friend. He makes sure Lennie does not hurt himself by taking care of him (STEINBECK, 1977). In the novel Of mice and men, George and Lennie find a new friend at the farm, who is also interested in their dream of owning their own land. They become happy knowing that their dream will one day come true (STEINBECK, 1977). Similarly a scene in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Gilbert becomes romantically interested in Becky, she becomes a source of inspiration for him when she tells him to focus on his own happiness and think about what he wants (DEWIS,
2011). The setting of the novel Of Mice of Men is in a rural area in close to a river bed of the Salinas River a few miles south of Soledad, California (STEINBECK, 1977), while the setting of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is in Endora, Iowa a flat and featureless town (DEWIS, 2011). In Of Mice and Men Novel, it ends tragically after Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife and runs away from the farm, when George catches up with him hiding in the river he shoots Lennie and pretends that Lennie was the one who had tried to kill him (STEINBECK, 1977). However, in the film What's Eating Gilbert Grape, it ends with Gilbert getting a job and Becky coming back to their life (DEWIS, 2011). Conclusion Both stories portray the difficulties caregivers of disabled people endure. They are frustrated in life because they spend most of their time taking care of them, having no chance of pursuing their dreams. Both of the characters exhibit persistent love towards the disabled individuals. Though the novel and the film have different settings and ending, they have common themes.
The book Of Mice and Men and Million Dollar Baby both show that though it is a hard and rough world it still brings the characters to shine. The men are tough, but the girls and even tougher, although the ranch life is not easy curley's wife still manages to talk a few times. Maggie has not given up trying to be trained by Frankie, and she will not stop until he trains her. One of the tough settings is the man's world setting. In the novelette curley's wife fights her urge to talk to other people besides curley and the boss. Which shows that it is a man's world through how the men talk and what they talk about and who they talk to. Although she tries to overcome it she can not, like Maggie in a way is an
Gilbert Grape is the eldest child. He takes on the role of being the head of the family by working a full-time job at the town’s mini-grocery store providing for his siblings, special care for his disabled brother Arnie and homebound mother. Amy Grape is the second eldest and takes on the motherly role in the household while becoming their
The classic novel, Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck was made into a Hollywood Blockbuster in 1992. Directed and acted by Gary Sinise and John Malkovich, Hollywood took a stab at trying to recreate this literary success. The novel, which takes place in the 1930’s, follows the lives of two men, George and Lennie, as they try to attain their dream of owning a farm. George is a smart man who always seems to have things figured out. Lennie is massive, but has the mind of a young child. George looks after him, but it is not easy since Lennie always seems to get himself in some kind of trouble. As they struggle towards their dreams, George and Lennie face obstacles that test their friendship. In the end, with Lennie dead, George finds out that dreams aren’t worth striving for, and eventually, loneliness overcomes everything. The movie, running almost two hours, stays very true to the book, although some things are removed or added. While the movie differs from the book in a few ways, it still gives its audience the same message.
Through the problem of supporting a dysfunctional family, Gilbert Grape struggles with finding his personal identity. The scene at the start of the film pans through all of his family members. While the camera focuses on each individual in the family, Gilbert narrates in a monotone voice and i...
George was a very smart and able man who had taken responsibility of a mentally-challenged man named Lennie. George could have found a good steady job for which he could have stayed at and made good money, but when he went to work with Lennie, Lennie made a mistake that got both of them in trouble. George was a very good person for taking care of Lennie. Lennie was very dumb, but he always remembered the dream he and George shared. The main dream that George possessed was to be happy, and he realized that even though taking care of Lennie was hard work at times, he was happiest with Lennie. George would repeat their dream to Lennie. The nicest thing George ever did for Lennie was giving him hope, and that’s what mentioning the dream farm did. Lennie always wanted to “live of the fatta land” (81), and “have rabbits, and puppies, go on George.” George saved a man’s life, and in return he got nothing. George’s d...
In the film "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" directed by Lasse Hallstrom in 1993, one of the main ideas is that of struggle and hardship. This idea is significant to the film because it relates to each character in a different way, making the storyline more interesting. Three different techniques used by Lasse Hallstrom to illustrate the idea of struggle and hardship include Gilberts voice over, the extra close-ups of Bonnie as she climbs the stairs and the double up of dialogue, where Mrs Carver is talking to Gilbert, and Mr Carver is heard tying to entertain their children in background.
After watching the movie “What’s eating Gilbert Grape” it focuses more on Gilbert Grape than any other characters in the movie. Gilbert Grape is a young man who resides in a small community called Endora. Gilbert at the beginning of the movie states “Describing Endora is like dancing to no music”. Gilbert’s youngest brother Arnie is soon to be 18 years old and has a developmental disability that never was disclosed in the movie. Furthermore, Bonnie Gilbert’s mother has been locked in her own home since her husband committed suicide seven years ago. Moreover, Bonnie is at the stage of stagnation. She is over-weighted and doesn’t think of doing anything for herself or for any of her children. Therefore, leaving Gilbert with the full responsibility of caring for his family especially Arnie.
Within the beginning of the story, the dynamic of George and Lennie’s relationship is introduced, one that is uncommon and presents a fatherly vibe. The readers are thrown into the novel at the height of the great depression, an economic catastrophe that shook the world. Within these dark time, an unlikely friendship is in full blossom and we are meet by Lennie and George setting up camp for the night by a riverbed. After the duo’s personalities are expressed, they begin to set up the idea of a commonly shared dream which exists according to Lennie “Because... because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you” (Steinbeck 14). Lennie is seen as a quite simple minded and extremely dim-witted character from just the first
In the story Of Mice and Men there were many handicaps that Steinbeck decided to speak upon. One was the fact that Crooks was a crippled stable man, Lennie who was mentally disabled, and Candy who lost his hand in an accident and is always worried about keeping his job (Attel). All three of these characters were left behind for reasons. All three had handicaps that prevented them from getting along normally in society. All three of these characters had handicaps, b...
Ever since Lennie’s Aunt Clara died, George had to look after him because Lennie cannot look after himself (Steinbeck). Lennie accidentally scared a girl and he and George had to leave Weed, and they had to go get new jobs (Attell). George gets angry at Lennie for accidentally getting them in trouble and says he should leave and how easier his life would be without Lennie (Hart). He then tells Lennie that he did not mean what he said and would not leave him (Hart).
One of John Steinbeck’s most famous works tells the tale of the continuing troubles of George and Lennie, two opposite personalities who form an unexpected relationship. The book takes place on a southern farm in the 1930’s where the two friends plan to save enough money to buy their dream—a piece of land for themselves. In the story, there are several characters with “disabilities,” both physical and figurative in the meaning of the word. Lennie is an ignorant, overweight gentleman, Crooks is black in a predominately white environment, Candy is crippled due to an accident on the farm, and Curly’s wife is accused of being overly provocative. Curly, the boss’ son, often quarantines his wife in their home because he wants to keep her his own; she is a very attractive young female on a farm with mostly male workers. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the characters in Chapter 4 are brought together in Crook’s room by the fact that they are all outcasts, but instead of taking the opportunity to become friends, they begin to take advantage of each other’s handicaps and hurl insults at one another.
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.
“Of Mice and Men” is a 1930’s novella written by the American, John Steinbeck. It is a tale not only of isolation and loneliness, violence, dreams, and the competitive urge to dominate others, but also a tale of the journey of true companionship. True companionship is emphasized by indescribable loyalty and extreme devotion between two men, George and Lennie, during the hardships of the Great Depression. The story takes place south of Soledad, California during the 1930s and is told from the perspective of a third-person omniscient narrator. The story’s genre is fiction and tragedy; a tragedy so well crafted by John Steinbeck, that the conclusion leaves the reader questioning the inherent contradictions in both loyalty and devotion. George shows extreme devotion and loyalty to Lennie, serving as Lennie’s “guardian angel” – sticking up for him and staying with him in difficult situations, which eventually leads to heartbreaking sacrifices.
The characters within the novella ‘Of Mice and Men’, written by John Steinbeck, and the film ‘The Green Mile’, directed by Frank Darabont, share a similar fate of loneliness throughout their journeys of life. A number of characters are connected by the harsh sentiments of isolation. Due to the fear of being alone, both Candy and Del seek friendships within beloved animal pets. There is also a comparable destiny involved in George and Paul’s outcome from the tragedies that involved losing their companions. As well as the fortune of the cruel characters Curley and Percy face punishments for their actions. These obvious similarities connect the different characters
Throughout the novel, George and Lennie have a strong relationship which is quite unique. George takes care of Lennie through thick and thin but, sometimes George sees Lennie as just a burden until he realizes that he is incapable to take of himself when Lennie tells George “Well, I could go off in the hills there. Some place I’d find a cave” (Steinbeck, John 12) George responds to very broth...