Believe it or not, a lot of characters suffer in this novel, but there are some that a lot of people missed. In John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men, the three most innocent characters Lennie, Candy and Crooks suffer the most in the novel. Like I said earlier a lot of innocent people suffer in this novel but one a lot of people missed was candy. When candy’s dog died he was torn apart from it. He knew that dog for the last 14 years it was like losing a family member to him. “For a moment he continued to stare at the ceiling. Then he rolled slowly over and faced the wall and lay silent.” This quote shows that Candy is one of the innocent characters that suffers the most because he didn’t do anything wrong and they killed his dog. Another
person who suffers in this novel is Lennie. Lennie suffers a lot in this story because he has never meant any harm and he never knew he was causing trouble, but he did cause trouble and George always scolds him and in the end he shoots him. “I didn’t wanta,” Lennie cried. “I didn’t wanta hurt him.” This quote show that Lennie suffers in this novel, Lennie was crying because he had hurt curley and didn’t want to, this show that Lennie is mad at himself for hurting someone and therefore he is suffering. Lastly but surely not least another character who suffers in this novel is Crooks. He suffers a lot because he is a different color/race than all of the other man on the stable, and just because he is black the other men don’t care about him and they make him do all the work. he doesn’t have any friends on the stable. “Being lonely will drive a man crazy.” said crooks. This quote shows that crooks is very lonely and he wishes he could hang out with the other white men on the stable. This type of suffering is the worst type of suffering because crooks can’t do anything but work and read books. In conclusion, the three most innocent characters Candy, Lennie and Crooks suffer the most in this novel. Some may say that Curly’s wife is more innocent and she suffers the most, but, she is not innocent she was always snooping around looking to cause trouble with the other men and eventually it led to her death.
Emotionally and Physically Crippled Characters in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men Works Cited Missing "Of Mice and Men is a novel in which the majority of the characters are crippled, whether physically, socially or emotionally" is a very astute statement. Many of the characters in the novel suffer due to the time period the novel was set in. The 1930's were a terribly lonely time for the itinerant, ranch workers, ranch wives and Afro-Americans. Their lonely lives left them emotionally crippled, for they didn't have much company. This was because they had been alone for so long that they had chose to live isolated from other people.
John Steinbeck, an American novelist, is well-known for his familiar themes of depression and loneliness. He uses these themes throughout a majority of his novels. These themes come from his childhood and growing up during the stock market crash. A reader can see his depiction of his childhood era. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck shows the prominent themes of loneliness, the need for relationships, and the loss of dreams in the 1930s through the novels’ character.
The harsh reality is one which hit everyone in America in the 1930. People found work hard to find and crime was on the uprise. This meant, unfortunately, that innocent people were the easy prey and, as we see in the Of Mice and Men, there were plenty of characters that were easy prey. Of Mice and Men characters have and do thing that make them vulnerable in way which do cause trouble. In this essay, that harsh reality and easy prey will be shown through to see which characters are the most vulnerable.
Difficult decisions are made by everyone, in fact, they are a factor of life. Within John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men one of the characters, George, was pressured to quickly decide on a life changing event. That decision being too kill his friend Lennie or, as a result, let him die at the hands of somebody else, someone who wanted to harm him. As George knew, Lennie’s requisite death was needed in order to protect him. George’s decision was the appropriate decision considering that Lennie was a danger to himself and others; furthermore, George acted out of love.Therefore, by killing his friend George protected his companion as well as numerous others.
novel because it is in the middle of no-where so that it is hard to
Several characters in the novel Of Mice and Men are presented with additional obstacles throughout the book. Whether because of color, sex, or disabilities, John Steinbeck purposefully did this to illustrate oppression. Of Mice and Men explores the
Compassion might not seem like a big deal but it’s something that everyone one wants and needs. When Curley's wife repeatedly tells Lennie it's ok for him to talk to her. This shows that because Curley doesn’t talk to his wife very much, so shew wanted someone to talk to. Curley is the boss’s son so everyone is afraid to converse with his wife. Another example would be Candy is heartbroken about his dog being killed. It shows that dog's or pets can show love and compassion, just as a relationship with a human. While everyone is in the bunk room Candy says " I ought to shoot that dog myself, George. I shouldn't ought to let no stranger shoot my dog (Steinbeck 58). The quote shows Candy had sympathy and compassion for his dog. Now the quote
John Steinbeck explores human experience in the novella ‘Of Mice and Men’ in friendship, loneliness and marginalisation. He does this through the characters as explained thought the paragraphs below.
than strict justice.”In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, George decides to shoot Lennie instead of having Curley mercilessly torture and kill him. George makes the right choice by deciding to kill Lennie, if he didn’t, Curley would torture him and ultimately kill him because of his anger and hatred.
Lennie, Crooks, and Candy are all sitting in Crooks’ room, when Curley’s wife comes in. She makes a rude comment about the group. Steinbeck writes, “her eyes traveled from one face to another. ‘They left all the weak ones here” (Steinbeck 77). Curley’s wife isn't wrong. All of the characters in the room have forms of powerlessness. The first character is Lennie. Due to his IQ disability, Lennie would probably be dead or in a horrible situation if he didn't have George looking after him. Sure, Lennie is physically strong, but his memory impairs him from doing basic things. He is powerless without George. Crooks is also powerless in many situations. Being african american, Crooks has no say in any of the decisions on the farm. This is evident when Curley’s wife threatens to get him fired. Crooks has to be respectful to everyone, and take orders from everyone, or he will get fired, or punished.Candy is the final character in the room that has multiple powerless moments. His old age deters him from from doing sustainable work, and his inability to defend his dog shows that he has a weak will. These factors put him lower in the social hierarchy, therefore making him powerless in many situations. Multiple characters have weakness in “Of Mice And Men” making it a major
When asked about John Steinbeck’s career, people often refer to Steinbeck as a playwright, journalist, and a well-known novelist. The book Of Mice and Men is a popular novel by John Steinbeck and a required read for most high school students. Most of Steinbeck 's novels have a central theme focusing on the relationship between man and his environment. The American dream for George and Lennie, two of the main characters in Of Mice and Men, is to have a place of their own, to be respected, and to work hard for everything they earn and deserve. In Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, the land and a hope of a better life becomes the talisman of an American dream for Lennie and George that is left unfulfilled.
One feels a drag of sympathy on the heart at the conclusion of the book, Of Mice and Men, when Lennie states, “‘We got each other, that's what, that gives a hoot in hell about us.’”(104). Sympathy is in high demand throughout this novel, set during one of the darkest times in America. Steinbeck incites more than just sympathy for many of his multidimensional characters, an emotional appeal that captivates audiences from all walks of life. Steinbeck’s classic novel, Of Mice and Men, incorporates various characters that create sympathy in the reader, such as Lennie, George, and Crooks. The most sympathetic character created throughout Steinbeck’s novel is Lennie Smalls, whose untapped mental strength is in direct conflict with his overdeveloped physical strength.
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.
In conclusion, both writers had a similar way of presenting the theme of ‘suffering’. John Steinbeck presented it through the setting of ‘The Great Depression’, whilst Robert Cormier presented it through the setting of ‘The World War’. Both writers also show suffering through their characters. They suffer because of loneliness, disability, mental disorder, deaths of loved ones and loss of good friends. Both writers show this concept of suffering by using different language techniques, structure and content in their writing to imply the theme of
George suffers in several different way. Since he promised Lennie's grandmother he would take of Lennie and watch over him always George is forced to put up with Lennie's stupidity, like the time when he grabbed a lady's velvet dress in Weed and caused George to lose his job on that ranch. Or the time when Lennie seized up and choked Curly's wife in a panic she would scream, causing her to die and causing George and him to lose that job as well. Lennie made some terrible mistakes and George suffered for each one of them, whether it be having to leave town, or frantically running for his life, George has suffered due to Lennie's bad decisions. If George didn't make a promise to Lennie's grandmother to watch over Lennie he would be able to do what he wants and be more care free due to the fact that he would have more money by himself rather than sharing it with Lennie, whether it'd be buying a prostitute or drinking himself blind, or doing them both at the same time, George would be able to do it if he didn't have to watch over Lennie.