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More handpicked essays just for you.
Identity in literature
Friends and their effect on our lives
Imporant character traits of mice and men
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Recommended: Identity in literature
“There is no greater loan than a sympathetic ear (Frank Tyger).” It’s always very important to have someone to confide in and vent to otherwise life just feels empty. You feel lonely without anyone. That’s what the characters in Of Mice and Men experienced. Loneliness. This book demonstrates what they viewed a friendship as. Most of them don’t even know what it’s like to have a friend. In this book Lennie, George, and Carlson deserve the most sympathy because each one of them has gone through some tough phases from being treated like crap to not having anyone who understands them and who sympathizes why the things they've been through reflect who they are as a person.
Lennie deserves sympathy because he’s been treated like crap most of his
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Although some might disagree.You might think how does he deserve sympathy if he wasn’t willing to show sympathy towards others? Well Carlson didn’t know how to and refused to because he’s never had anyone to count on. Whenever Candy’s dog appeared Carlson would always disrespect it for being old and smelly. “Why’n’t you shoot him, Candy (44).” Carlson mentioned this because he hates how the dog smells, but he didn’t take the time to understand Candy’s reason of keeping this old stinky dog around. For him it was pointless to keep an old dog so might as well kill it and get it out of its misery. Little does he know that by saying this proves how lonely he is and doesn’t know the meaning of friendship. Candy had this dog since it was a pup and they’ve been together so long therefore he couldn’t just shoot it like it meant nothing to him Carlson not caring says “He ain’t no good to you, Candy. An’ he ain’t no good himself (44).” It’s so hard for him to understand all he needs is someone to knock some sense into him. Especially at the very end of the book George shot Lennie, his best friend, the person who he was always there for. Slim knows that George made such a hard decision and they are both affected by it and all Carlson said while looking at them was “Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin’ them two guys (106).” This is such a frustrating part because how would Carlson feel if he had to shoot his best friend?
Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, is a book that can be analyzed and broken down into a vast majority of themes. One of the predominant themes found in this book is loneliness. Many characters in this book are affected by loneliness and they all demonstrate it in one way or another throughout the book. Examples of these characters are Curley’s Wife, Crooks, and Candy.
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
“Friends show their love in times of trouble, not in happiness.” The quote said by Euripides emphasizes how friends should be loyal to each other even when times are rough.. This need of friendship is present in Of Mice and Men through characters such as George Milton and Lennie Smalls. Lennie has a mental disability which makes him slow and childish. George and Lennie are both farmhand workers who are struggling achieve their dream together. Their dream is to buy some land with a house and buy a farm where Lennie can tend the rabbits. Due to Lennie’s mental disability and ignorant behaviors, he is accused for raping a woman in the town of Weed and causes George and Lennie to escape and look for a job on a ranch. The presence of friendship
In both the film and the book, Candy is often isolated from all the others. Because of an injury to his hand, he can 't work out in the fields, so much of his time is spent alone shuffling around the ranch doing small jobs. His one and only constant companion is his dog. It is a very old dog that he has had since he was a pup. Again, both the book and the film do a good job of showing the affection that the dog and Candy have for each other. However, the book does a much better job of conveying the importance of the dog to Candy after the dog is shot. In the film scene, Carlson broaches the subject of killing Candy 's dog to put him out of his misery. Candy looks anguished but gives in fairly quickly. Once Carlson takes the dog, he lies back on his bed and just waits for the sound of the gunshot. The men resume their card game. (DVD) Although it is obvious Candy is sad about the dog, it does not have the same emotional impact that the book does. In the book, Steinbeck better conveys Candy 's anguish and desperation to save the dog. He tries to put Carlson off by offering different arguments as to why not to shoot the dog. His arguments include that it might hurt the dog, that Carlson doesn 't have a gun, that tomorrow would be a better day and that he doesn 't mind taking care of him (44). He even pleads silently for help. "Candy looked about unhappily"(42). "Candy looked helplessly at him,
In terms of emotional stability, there is only one thing in life that is really needed and that is friends. Without friends, people would suffer from loneliness and solitude. Loneliness leads to low self-esteem and deprivation. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, the characters, Crooks, Candy, and Curley's wife all exhibit some form of loneliness. They are driven towards the curiosity of George and Lennie's friendship because they do not have that support in their life. Through his novel, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck demonstrates that often times, a victim of isolation will have a never-ending search to fulfill a friendship.
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.
A person you barely know, suddenly, bursts into uncontrollable tears, shocked, you turn to her and ask, “what’s wrong?” You may not know this person, or even like her, but empathy is a powerful thing. Empathy drives people to do things they don't necessarily have to do, these empathetic decisions define our character. The choice to say something and not just let another human cry, is driven by your character and how much empathy you have for others. John Steinbeck uses empathy all throughout his novel, Of Mice and Men mainly through characterization. Lennie and George, two buddies who travel together, are the main characters in Of Mice and Men. George is small, smart and fast, whereas, Lennie is large, slow and quite dumb. This combo may seem
In a world dominated by men, how will one woman fight the animosity of others just to find a friend? John Steinbeck's celebrated novel Of Mice and Men explores this theme of loneliness in the backdrop of the Great Depression, centering on the unrelenting friendship of two men, George Milton and Lennie Small. While the focus is on the duo's comradery, the reader sees glimpses of other characters who are equally as compelling. One of whom is Curley's Wife. Within this story, Steinbeck excellently crafts a tragic figure whose backstory reveal, search for companionship, and two-sided interactions with various characters - particularly Lennie - pave the way for a harrowing character arc that ends on a gruesome note.
I feel like Crooks deserves the reader’s sympathy the most. In the second chapter of the book Candy says to George “ya see the stable buck’s a nigger” starting us off without a name and the fact that he is black (20). The fact that he doesn’t even get a name till page 50 should show you how poorly he is treated. Steinbeck is trying to bring us back to a time where black people were nobodies, no one wanted to be near them. He wanted us to see how badly they were treated and he wanted us to feel in a way, what Crooks was feeling like. There is a moment in chapter 4 where Curley’s wife comes in and asks where her husband is and when no one responds, she threatens Crooks because she knows that no one will try and stop her. She directly said, “I
"Were born alone we live alone die alone. Only through love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that were not alone” Orson Welles. In this novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck focuses on the loneliness of California ranch life in the 1930’s. One of the most important things in the life is to have a friend, without friends people will suffer from loneliness like in this novel, not everyone in the novel has the same connection and special friendship like George and Lennie’s. Of Mice and Men is the story about lonely men who travel from ranch to ranch not really communicating with other ranch hands. Candy, Crooks and Curley’s wife all were lonely and dealt with their loneliness in different ways.
Lennie tugged hard, she screamed, Lennie tried to silence her, and she ended up dead. This not only impacted her and Lennie’s life, but Candy, George, and Curley’s life, too. Candy and George’s hopes were shattered, and Curley lost someone “close” to him. This makes others feel lonely by losing hope and loved ones. Steinbeck’s book Of Mice and Men Conveys loneliness throughout the story through the events like loss of hope, loved ones, and past events.
Yet what most fail to see is that Of Mice and Men portrays both aspects of human life through the mutual friendship of two uncommon men, George and Lennie, the dream they both share, and the sudden calamity that befalls them. Relationships are an important part of life. Humans need relationships because we are dependent on each other to survive. Babies need their mothers to feed and nurse them, and friends need each other to support, comfort, sympathize, and understand them. The friendship between George and Lennie outlined the core of Of Mice and Men, and although it’s sometimes idealized and exaggerated throughout the novel, there is no question of its sincerity.
and when he has the dreams of Aunt Clara and The Gigantic Rabbit. George shows
Loneliness and Companionship are one of the many themes that are conveyed in the novel Of Mice and Men, By John Steinbeck. Many of the characters admit to suffering from loneliness within the texts. George sets the tone for these confessions early in the novel when he reminds Lennie that the life of living on a ranch is among the loneliest of lives. However Lennie, who is mentally disabled holds the idea that living on a farm very high. "Tending the rabbits" is what Lennie calls it. Often when Lennie is seaking encouragement he askes George to tell him how its going to be. Men like George who migrate from farm to farm rarely have anyone to look to for companionship and protection. George obviously cares a lot for lennie, but is too stubborn to admit to it. The feeling of being shipped from place to place leaves George feeling alone and abandoned.
The famed nurses study from Harvard found “Not having a close friend is as detrimental to your health as smoking.” Lennie and George’s friendship is necessary to keep the better for each other. Throughout the story, Lennie and George need each other and look out for one another no matter what. Lennie and George’s friendship and journey throughout the story symbolizes the struggles to achieve the American dream. Steinbeck, in the story Of Mice and Men, combines characterization and symbolism to prove friends do whats best for eachother.