Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men tells the story of two friends who were doing their best to survive in an economically challenged world. From dealing with mental issues to monetary issues, main characters George and Lennie find themselves in the midst of hopes and far away dreams as they travel to find work and meaning. We first meet George and Lennie in the Western part of the United States, leaving the reader with the impression that this story will consist of cowboy tales and American dreams but, while some Western themes can be spotted in this book, I do not suppose that Steinbeck’s reasoning for writing this book was to tell the story of Westerns dealing with the repercussions of the Great Depression but rather to raise moral questions and …show more content…
Though we are never given a true background on how George and Lennie met other than George telling Slim, “He and me was both born in Auburn. I knowed his Aunt Clara… When his Aunt Clara died, Lennie just come along with me out workin’. Got kinda used to each other after a little while,” we do see that both Lennie and George care for each other immensely. As one reads through the book, one sees Lennie’s dependence and trust in George and George’s loyalty to Lennie. At the end of the story, we learn why Lennie is the way he is while he is shown hallucinating his Aunt Clara and a rabbit speaking to him, while George seems surprised when he sees Lennie talking into thin air, he is one of the few, if not the only one who knows that something is seriously wrong with Lennie. George consistently stayed by his side and though it may seem wrong to some, put Lennie out of his misery because he knew that the others would torture him. The message that Steinbeck was trying to send appeared to be that of unconditional devotion to another. Moreover, I think Steinbeck was attempting to raise moral questions and pin point the flaw of the lack of concern for mental illness and how when gone untreated, it can hurt more than just the person affected. As a reader, this book made me question whether modern day ideas such as euthanasia is acceptable in an attempt to help an individual and others and
The fictional novel Of Mice And Men, by John Steinbeck depicts a tragic time during The Great Depression of two migrant ranch workers. George Milton and Lennie Small are the main characters, who have known each other since they were younger, and because of special circumstances George vowed to look after Lennie. The novel takes place near the Salinas River in California resulting in their shared dream of having a ranch of their own. As the two approach a ranch, they realize that it would be a felicitous place to stay in, as long as their plans go as planned. Despite the troubles they endure Lennie and George manage to stick by each others side.
George explains their history when he confides in Slim, saying, “Him and me was both born in Auburn. I knowed his Aunt Clara. George always knew what Lennie was capable of doing being so strong and having mental illness but he could always help him by covering for him with getting jobs and when he would get himself in trouble.
The story of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck is about two farmers named George and Lennie. Although this story may display many different themes; this story is mostly about hopes and dreams. George and Lennie are two farmers who share a strong friendship. Both of them have a dream of owning their own vegetable farm with a rabbit hutch one day. The story takes place when the great depression was happening and life was difficult at that time, but both George and Lennie found a way to work together and help each other out.
One of John Steinbeck most notable works, Of Mice and Men, a novella based on American life in the 1910s, tells the story of George and Lennie. Two ranch workers based in California who travel around the state trying to find work during the Great Depression. As George and Lennie are hired at a new farm, concepts such as friendship and violence appear in the novella. Steinbeck develops these ideas using elements such as imagery, syntax, and details. Towards the end of chapter one, Lennie and George had gotten into an argument, an argument bad enough for Lennie to suggest that he leaves.
George who portrays himself as Lennie's family throughout the book tries his best
John Steinbeck’s novels The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men enable readers to capture a glimpse of the time of the Great Depression in the United States. In The Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family of Oklahoma, accompanied by thousands of other farming families, travels across America to chase a dream that lies in California. Their dream is to attain jobs and prosper off of their own land once again. However, they find only disappointments in California, with all of the work already taken and the poverty just as severe as it was in Oklahoma. In Of Mice and Men, the two main characters, George and Lennie, build a powerful friendship as they migrate to California for work.
Throughout Steinbeck’s naturalistic novel, Of Mice and Men, He portrays two distinctively different men struggling to persevere and survive in an otherwise cruel world. Two migrant workers, George and Lennie thrive off the company of one another and the impossible dream that one day, they will acquire land and make a contented life for themselves. Through their friendship and constant hope for a better life, George and Lennie learn how to survive and cling to aspiration during the harsh Depression era. Steinbeck uses symbolism, irony, and characterization in his classic novel to illustrate the undying hope found in a desperate situation. Steinbeck uses symbolism to portray how people find hope in the direst situations.
"From the dusty fields of the Great Depression emerges a tale of friendship, shattered dreams, and the cruel reality of the American Dream - welcome to the world of Of Mice and Men.” Of Mice and Men is a classic novel by John Steinbeck, first published in 1937, Set during the Great Depression. The story follows the companionship of two migrant workers, George and Lennie, as they travel through California searching for work. The novel explores many traits of loneliness, friendship, and the downfall of the American Dream. Highlighting the harsh reality of life for those at the end of their social life.
To better understand the novella Of Mice and Men, the background of the story must be elaborated. The setting of the story takes place in the Salinas Valley, California during the The Great Depression in the 1930s. John Steinbeck, the author, tells about the protagonist, George, and the antagonist, Lennie, and their journey of constantly finding new work to pursue George’s dream to own his farm and “live off the fatta the
George began watching over Lennie after his Aunt Clara, his primary caretaker, passed away. Even though Lennie has cost him many jobs and opportunities, George does not leave him behind. George reassures Lennie, “‘I want you to stay with me, Lennie... No, you stay with me. Your Aunt Clara wouldn’t like you running off by yourself…’”
Therese Pivarunas November 1, 2017 Literature 2 Honors Period 4 Banned Book Essay A deep friendship between two people has always been valued in society. The novella Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, should not be banned from libraries and schools, rather, it should be taught to students and remain accessible to the public. This book takes place in the middle of the Great Depression, and follows the journey of two workers looking for jobs in California. Lennie and George, the two workers, support each other through their companionship and hope to make enough money to start a new life. This story contains relatable characters who try to achieve their goals in life, a compelling story of hardship, and features a strong bond between two
George and Lennie, prominent characters in the story Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, are migrant workers—men who move from place to place to do seasonal work— who end up in California and are faced with numerous problems. Set in the era of the great depression, the story of Lennie and George, two very different men who have formed a family-like union, takes place on a farm where Lennie struggles to stay out of trouble. Having committed an unintentional, harmful act, Lennie is faces severe consequences; and George must decide to make a necessary decision which changes the mood of the entire novel. By the comparison and contrast of George and Lennie, unique characters who are very different from each other, the reader can better acquaint himself
The novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck is a gripping tale of two men and their lives during the Great Depression. George Milton and Lennie Small are two migrant workers who travel together finding work. They take on a new job “bucking barley” at a ranch in central California for the ranch owner and his son. While working at the ranch they encounter Curley the ranch owner’s son and his wife, a flirtatious woman. The story reaches a climax when Lennie unintentionally kills Curley’s wife and runs back to the Salinas River just as George instructed.
In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the era of the Great Depression in the 1930’s is revealed through a simple story of ranch workers who hope to improve their lives. Migrant workers, George and Lennie, have a friendship that is based on trust and protection. The other workers lack the companionship and bond that these two men have. In the novel, the absence and presence of friendship is the motivation for the characters’ actions.
John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is a short novel that packs a punch and really looks back at America’s past and mistakes. Steinbeck paints a picture of the late 1920s and early 1930s through two men, George and Lennie. George looks after the mentally challenged Lennie and must take action by soon ending Lennie’s life. The characters in the novel all struggle with heartbreaking conflicts but, no one else suffers more than Lennie and George. These conflicts are often supported imagery in the text.