Of Mice and Men Of Mice and Men follows a twosome of migrant workers, George Milton and Lennie Small, as the two field workers migrate from California and their move southward to work on a ranch. Of Mice and Men captures the realism of the men wanting the American Dream, and the obstacles the journey entails. Lennie, who garners a massive stature and means well, has a very restricted mental capacity. George, the more able-minded friend assists Lennie through much of the novel. Their search for the American Dream seems nearly impossible. John Steinbeck does a good job of showing how unattainable this dream appears to be for the two field workers, despite their tenacity and efforts. The idea of companionship is central thorough this work. The …show more content…
seemingly unbreakable bond captured between George and Lennie ends in tragedy. In this short novel, Of Mice and Men, it has varies symbols, including people, setting, and some of the animals. Each character in the story is symbolic to something or someone in a way. In this novel Lennie is mentally challenged but is still able to disclose the best and the worst of others. Lennie is very blunt and honest when it comes to a lot of things, he is the one who will share an honest opinion when others will not. On the other hand, there is George who would be considered “the everyman” the typical man that you might find anywhere. George’s feelings and actions are neither unique nor appalling. Curley is inferior and he overreacts, his wife would be known as Eve, the female who in the Biblical story, brings sin and death to the world. The two, Curley and his wife symbolize evil. The author John Steinbeck uses symbolism to reveal the adversities that people had to deal with in the course of the Depression. In this title of this novel it gives a good indication that mice are important even though the first mice that we come across is dead. The dead mice is the mice that Lennie is carrying around in his pocket and keeps it there to pet. This lets us know that Lennie is more concerned with comfort and does not care much about death. Mice are the representation of false hope or as a comfort for Lennie. Mice make it clear to us that Lennie is use to hurting what he loves and he suffers from that problem. In connection to Lennie, mice usually suffer because they are small and their physical smallness leaves them defenseless, while Lennie’s mental smallness does the same for him. In the article “Symbols in Of Mice and Men” Peter Lisca discuss the symbolism of the river which is where the story begins and ends.
This article talks a lot about the different symbols that Steinbeck uses throughout the novel. As stated above, it is also stated in the article about the symbolism of the mouse which Lennie is carrying around in his pocket. Although I did not mention any symbolism with the rabbit, the article mentioned, “…through Lennie’s love for the rabbits Steinbeck is able not only to dramatize Lennie’s desire for the “safe place,” but to define the basis of that desire on a very low level of consciousness—the attraction to soft, warm fur, which is for Lennie the most important aspect of their plans” (p. 70). This shows how the rabbit is symbolic and the life of it will too end because of the strength that Lennie has. Lennie does not realize how much strength he has so he is killing the animals, but not doing it purposefully. The rabbits could too symbolize the innocence. Lisca believes that, “creating a pattern has been acknowledged, criticism has been divided as to the effect of this achievement” (p. 71). With this novel, there could be two sides, it could be the side that creates a sence of contrivance and the other side would be that which creates a pattern that gives a meaningful design to the story. Of Mice and Men has a good deal of things that are symbolic and this article really helps relate to the novel because it discusses the many different things and places in which are symbolic in the
story. Personal Analysis Of Mice and Men In Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men all characters are very diverse and symbolize a cross section of society during the American Depression. The setting of this novel is in Steinbeck’s birthplace of Salinas Valley, California, and it is at the ranch where he grew up and met most of his characters. This novel has three different, but specific locations in which most of the story unfolds, these are: the banks of the Salinas River, the bunkhouse and the barn. As I mentioned earlier in the paper, there are varies symbols that represent varies people and things. In Of Mice and Men one symbol is the puppy. The puppy is a symbol because it displays how Lennie and the puppy are similar. They are similar in a way that both are innocent and weak and they need someone strong to care for them. "An' why? Because...because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why" (Steinbeck p., 15). This quote is indicating that George is the strong individual that is taking care of Lennie. But to the puppy, Lennie is strong enough to care for him. Another use of symbol is Candy’s dog, which is a symbol of weakness. This dog has outlived its purpose and Carlson promises to kill the dog humanely because of that. "Carl's right, Candy. That dog ain't no good to himself. I wisht somebody'd shoot me if I got old an' a cripple" (Steinbeck, p., 45). The dog, too, symbolizes that Candy fears that one day soon, he, too, will no longer be needed on the ranch. The bunkhouse is also a symbol in Of Mice and Men that represent the cruel world of reality. Although Lennie, who is mentally handicap, can feel that the bunkhouse is not a good place to be. After meeting Curley, Lennie cried out to George saying, “I don’t like this place, George. This ain’t a good place. I wanna get outta here” (Steinbeck p., 32). It is when Curley’s wife comes alone to the bunkhouse that George knows precisely where the trouble will activate. George makes sure to warn Lennie not to talk to Curley’s wife and to stay away from Curley. In the first paragraph of the first chapter of the novel Of Mice and Men, a pool is described as a place of sanctuary. This pool is located away from the world and the people of the world, “…the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green. The water is warm too, for it has slipped twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight before reaching the narrow pool” (Steinbeck, p. 3). This was a place where George and Lennie could enjoy one last night before going into the ranch. In this dwelling place of a Sanctuary, there were no things to frighten nor were there voices that would scare Lennie. This is also a place where Lennie’s dreams will come to an end, but it will do end with peace in Lennie’s mind. George tells Lennie, “You…an’ me. Ever’body gonna be nice to you. Ain’t gonna be no more trouble. Nobody gonna hurt nobody nor steal from ‘em” (Steinbeck, p. 103). This is a very important quote because during George and Lennie’s relationship, they shared a dreams, and this was the dream that they always shared, and this was what George used to put Lennie in his happy place before killing him. The most important symbol of all is the farm that George is always describing to Lennie. The farm represents the dream that both George and Lennie has of owning a farm. The farm could be described as their heaven on earth, their safe place. George says, “Someday – we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs and----” then Lennie shouts and says, “An’ live off the fatta the lan’ an’ have rabbits” (Steinbeck p. 15). Their dream is of ownership and identity in a place of hope. George and Lennie wants to have a place where they are able to feel secure socially and where they are comfortable, without any apprehension and struggle. Layers of Complexities: Reality, Symbol, and Myth In the article written by Charlotte Cook Hadella, based on the opinions of Twayne, it states, “A central metaphor I Steinbeck’s work is that of America as an imperfect world, a Garden of Eden; with this motif in mind” (p. 34). This statement is known to be true because, like in the Garden of Eden even though everything seemed calm, peaceful, and perfect. There arose a time where disappointment and devastation took place. In this same article, Hadella also states, “George’s decision to keep Lennie with him instead of allowing him to be institutionalized reflects a similar penchant for martyrdom” (p.35). This statement is known to be true because, most people in the world today only take care of mental patients for the admiration and sympathy after the patient is deceased. Also, Hadella states, “Similarly, George controls Lennie’s dreams by teaching him to recite the dream-farm litany” (p.36). This statement should be proven as false because, Lennie can always act and speak for himself. Although Lennie is mentally handicapped and have problems functioning, he is still able to control his own thoughts and speak when he wants because he is human and has the right to the freedom of speech just like everyone else. A mental illness cannot allow someone else to control your actions nor thoughts. Furthermore, the article explains that, “George’s motives for killing Lennie and what he gains by Lennie’s death cannot be explained as easily since the narrator offers no introspective clues on the subject” (p.39). This statement can be proven because, as time goes on Lennie becomes a burden on George. George sees Lennie’s death as Lennie being able to be free and George not having to care for Lennie, which means George can live is own life. Lennie’s death could symbolize freedom for George because he is now able to do what he wants without having to car for anyone else other than himself. Significance of George and Lennie’s Dream In the article written by Louis Owens on “The Significance of George and Lennie’s Dream”, Owens talks about the relationship between Lennie and George. Owens states in the article, “The influence of George and Lennie’s mutal commitment, and their dream, has for an instant made these crippled sons of Cain their brother’s keepers…” (p.85). The statement is agreed upon because it is like the story in the bible of Cain and Able and how each was their brother’s keeper. George was Lennie’s keeper and he cared for him because he could not fully care for himself. George was a big help for Lennie and he made sure that Also in this article Owens states that, “The unavoidable truth is, however, that Lennie, be he innocent “natural,” uncontrollable id, or simply a huge child, is above all dangerous” (p.86). This statement is seen agreed upon because individuals with mental illness are usually seen to be innocent because people usually are not familiar with what they can and cannot do. Most times people with a mental illness are capable of doing things that others may feel they shouldn’t be able to do. Individuals who have a mental illness usually are very strong and have a lot of strength and force behind them when they are doing things, so most times they are not realizing how strong they are. Both the article by Owens and the article by Hadella relate to one another. In both articles they discuss the relationship between Lennie and George. They are similar because both mentions how George wanted freedom from Lennie which led him to kill Lennie. Once George received the freedom by killing Lennie, he then gained new friends and it symbolized the freedom that George was wanting. Owens state, “…George remains his brother’s keeper without faltering even to the point of killing Lennie while Lennie sees visions of Eden” (p.87). This statement, too, is agreed upon because George is saving Lennie from the torture that is soon to come. George is putting an end to Lennie’s misery. In conclusion, this novel was a really good read and it was very enjoyable. It was a very familiar read being that it was assigned in high school which had given a lot of background knowledge on it, so, reading it for a second time made it much easier than the first. George was a help for Lennie, but also saw Lennie as a chance to look like a better person. George said, “Guys like us that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family…..With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us” (Steinbeck, p. 15). This statement is one that lets you know that George cares about Lennie and has Lennie’s best interest because he is willing to look after Lennie and Lennie is willing to look after him as much as he can even though he has a mental illness. As time went on George began to feel as if Lennie was doing more harm than good although Lennie could not control his strength and actions. As time pass and George kills Lennie who was like a brother to him, even though he is hurt, he never has time to grieve his loss. The relationship between George and Lennie shows how even though sometimes in life people want to do different things, but do not have the time to do them, life moves on without us in mind because time waits for no one.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a novel about loneliness and the American Dream. This book takes place during the Great Depression. It was very difficult for people to survive during this time period. A lot of people hardly survived let alone had the necessities they needed to keep relationships healthy. Of Mice of Men has a common theme of disappointment. All the characters struggle with their unaccomplished dreams. The migrant workers, stable buck, swamper, and the other men on the ranch had an unsettled disappointment of where they were at in their lives. George and Lennie, two newcomers to the ranch, aren’t like the other guys. They have each other and they are the not loneliest people in the world. Lennie has a dream though he wants to own a farm with plenty of crops and animals one day. The only problem is his blind curiosity of people and things around him. George wasn’t justified for killing Lennie because Lennie was innocent and never got the chance to find out what he did wrong.
They say that you can tell a great deal about a man by his handshake. In the novella Of Mice And Men, Steinbeck uses hands as a strong motif to help us to understand the essence of each of the characters. By the end of the story it all comes together and we are introduced to the ingenious symbol of hands and how it fits together.
John Steinbeck, the author of the novel Of Mice and Men uses many stylistic devices and description in chapter one to give the reader a deeper understanding of what may occur throughout the novel. Firstly, the name of the city the two protagonists, Lennie and George, are heading to is called “Soledad,” which means loneliness in Spanish; this is symbolism and foreshadowing because it can mean that as they get closer to the city, their relationship as friends may deteriorate and they may end up alone towards the end. Furthermore, this could also mean that there can be major problems in further chapters because of Lennie’s unpredictable behaviour due to his mental disabilities. In relation to Robert Burns’s poem, “To a Mouse,” the author may be
George's dream is to have a ranch of his own and Lennie's dream is to have, as mentioned earlier, a farm filled with rabbits. Lennie's hope for his dream is influenced whenever George starts describing his dream farm in explicit detail, such as how the fields are going to look, what animals they will own, what the daily routine will be etc. This farm symbolizes happiness and salvation, especially for Lennie, since he understands that the farm is his ticket to getting rabbits. In fact, the reason why he forgets George's orders is because he cannot stop thinking about his rabbits. A farm has basically become Lennie's version of heaven. This relates to how people always long for something to the point of where it becomes like heaven, a place where happiness lasts forever. Unfortunately, the rabbits symbolize false hope. For instance, Lennie holds a dead mouse and a dead puppy all for the same reason: he killed them. His love for petting soft creatures only causes trouble for himself. So if he owns a lot of rabbits, it is more than likely that they will all die because of Lennie. The rabbits, to Lennie, are things that seem like they will bring him true happiness, when they only create more sorrow. In other words, the rabbits symbolize sorrow disguised as salvation because in the end, Lennie goes suffers all because of his love for soft things. This is able to teach readers how dreams in the past
Novels that exhibit what the life is like for the people at ranch can help readers reflect on how they might react in comparable situation. George and Lennie who struggle to transcend the plight of inerrant farmworkers are followed by the novel Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck. Readers are positioned to respond to themes through Steinbeck’s use of conventions that are dispirit. Themes such as Freedom and confinement, loneliness, and racism are pivotal in the novel and draw out a range of responses from the readers.
In the beginning, the farm and the bond between George and Lennie presented to us is so beautiful yet strong. Foreshadowing already appears constantly in the first section of the book and Steinbeck stresses the doom that awaits the pair. The rabbits ran for cover immediately after the footsteps, hinting their American dream is getting away from them. We learn about Lennie’s deadly desire to stroke for soft things, and the dead mouse explains to us that the weak, innocent will not survive. The innocent soft things from mice to Lennie’s puppy all dies because of Lennie’s incapability to control his immense strength, which he has completely no idea how to control which makes him no less helpless than the animals he kills. George recounts the reason why they had to flee from the previous weed and we are made aware that similar ending will fall upon the one and only woman in the ranch-Curley’s wife.
Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye follows the journey of a young boy, Holden Caulfield, from adolescence to adulthood. There are a number of symbols that Salinger uses to help to portray the various stages that Holden goes through as he matures into adulthood. The snowball incident, his sense of fulfillment when at the museum, and his run in with a pimp, are all representations of how Holden is deeply obsessed with innocence thoughts and how reluctant he is to give them up.
In the novel, Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck used George and Lennie's relationship and the theme of hope to point out the loneliness in the novel. The novel starts off and is set in Soledad which means lonely. At the beginning they get a job working on a farm together. Lennie is a little retarded and has great physical strength that isn't too controllable. As they work from ranch to ranch, Lennie relies on George for guidance and help. Rather than wasting their earnings, they try to save it in the hope of buying a place of their own. While working at one ranch they meet a worker named Candy who tries to help them financially. Before their dream can be fulfilled, Lennie kills the wife of the boss's son. As the novel concludes George must kill Lennie for his own benefit. Later Lennie goes into town and abandons his dream by spending his money.
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck is of two men who care for each other very deeply. They have their financial struggles and one partner with mental disabilities. They battle their hardships together, but when Lennie, the mentally disabled, makes a mistake and kills someone, it forces George to have to take away Lennie’s life. Critics believe George Milton committed cold-blooded murder when he killed his close companion, Lennie Small; I disagree and believe George’s heroic journey instead lead him to the mercy killing of Lennie.
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.
“Of Mice and Men”, by John Steinbeck is a novel about the hardships of life and the importance of having other people around. The story is of two men trying to survive with one another in a world full of loneliness; their relationship is quite rare and strange. Lennie, a large bear, has a mental disability which causes him to be in a childlike state. George, a much smaller and more competent man takes care of both of them. Although they work for others on ranches, their dream is to get by on their own and live off the land. However, Lennie’s state causes conflict as they travel from job to job. Steinbeck uses clever ways in his novel to develop his theme and characters as the story progresses; both of these elements also help create a large
The farm is a very important symbol in the novella it is important because it is repeated throughout the novella it is reminding the reader of the comforting dream that Lennie and George have created. It is a symbol of brotherly love. The dream in some ways is like the whole “Depression era” it reminds the reader of freedom and homely pleasure.
The novel, Of Mice and Men, is a story of two men by the names of George and Lennie. They are migrant workers new to the California area where they soon are to start work. They have a homogeneous relationship. George is described through the text as a small dark man that has strong features. He is strong-minded and the main character of this novel. Lennie on the on the other hand is described as shapeless. He possesses an incredible strength that George does not have. George is the brains of the operation while Lennie is perceived as the strength behind it all. He is devoted to George and t...
Peter Lisca’s analysis on “Motif and Pattern in Of Mice and Men” clarifies that Steinbeck’s misunderstood usage of symbols, actions, and language convey motifs and patterns that connects the beginning of the book to the end. Lisca implies that the first and primary usage of symbolism was the area near the river where the story initiated and ended. He insinuates that the cave that Lennie mentioned twice and the river George ordered Lennie to visit when in danger symbolizes as “a safe place” and innocence while becoming “translated into terms possible in the real world” (Lisca 1). In addition, Lisca also advocates that the rabbits serve as symbols to dramatize Lennie’s devotion for his safe place, but also to “define the basis of what desire on a very low level” (Lisca 2).
Of Mice and Men is a novel by John Steinbeck. This book is an analogy about what it means to be a human. George and Lennie share the ambition to own their own ranch, but they encounter obstacles that stand in the way. Ironically, Lennie will become the greatest obstacle in them achieving their dream. This novel was first published in 1937, which is one of the most important aspects of the book. The reason why it is one of the most important aspects of the book is because one result of the Great Depression was a lack of steady jobs, which increased the amount of nomadic workers. When Steinbeck wrote this novel, ranch hands were beginning to be replaced by machinery and their way of life was disappearing fast.