War. What starts a war? The misuse of power. In the realistic fiction novella Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, there are many different ways to show power. The men encounter many minor conflicts because of issues with power. In John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men, he explores some of the different types of power through power in strength, wealth/social class, and knowledge. The novella starts with the setting, on the bank of a river in the Salinas Valley. It is about two men, George and Lennie, whom are migrant workers in Soledad, California during the Great Depression. They are the protagonists, and are working with other men who’ve been there a little while, the antagonists. They all have different characteristics, with some of them …show more content…
He used the boss’ son, Curley, to show this power. “Curley stared levelly at him ‘Well nex’ time you answer when you’re spoke to.’ He turned toward the door and walked out, and his elbows bent out a little.” (26, ch. 2) This shows that Curley thinks he is superior to the workers because he is in a higher social class and has more money than them. He shows this, by the way he talks to them, and by sticking his elbows out. By sticking his elbows out he is making his appearance bigger, to show that he has more power than them(in wealth/social class). Using Curley, Steinbeck portrays power in wealth/social …show more content…
He does this through Crooks, the colored stable buck. “The boss gives him hell when he’s mad. But the stable buck don’t give a damn about that. He reads a lot. Got books in his room.” (20, ch. 2) This shows that Crooks knows better than to react when people get riled up. It also shows that he has a way to get more knowledge that the other workers might not have access to. He said “He reads a lot.” Which makes it seem like it’s not common to do, so it shows that Crooks’ variety of knowledge may be different than that of other migrant workers. Therefore, Crooks has power over the others because he has more, or a different variety, of knowledge. In this way, Steinbeck portrays power in knowledge through
Steinbeck uses dialogue and conflict to project his belief that dreams
Steinbeck uses Curley in this story because so they can show not to pick on people that u dont
Steinbeck aims to demonstrate the advantages of
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.
In the Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck is saying that power has a direct effect on how people live their lives. Throughout the character’s actions and the symbolism in the intercalary chapters, Steinbeck shows us that the wrong kind of power will cause a negative affect how people live. An example of how Steinbeck’s writings talks about the negative effect of power would be the mentioning of banks throughout the story. In a quote he says “The Bank—or the Company— needs—wants—insists—must have—as though the Bank or the Company were a monster, with thought and feeling, which had ensnared them.
The novella ‘of Mice and Men’ was written by John Steinbeck in the 1930s. It is set in a difficult period of time when America was sunk in deep depression. However, themes of loyalty shine brightly throughout the novella. He shows that even though Americas economy is in tatters, loyalty can still be as prominent. There were also distinct themes of disloyalty, mainly between characters.
The spirit of unity emerges as the one unfailing source of strength in Steinbeck’s novel. He tries and accomplishes in conveying it to the reader, through imagery. On multiple accounts,
Of mice and men John Steinbeck novella was written in 1930s which is just year after the “wall street crash” this explains the financial condition of people was really bad and they had to travel around to find a work and most of the people could only find work in farm in California where all the farms are. John Steinbeck who was anti racism and nature lover hence we see many hints that highlight nature and racism issues; this is to raise issues and aware people about the problems face by the different sex and race like black people of that time. In this we will explore some of the ways Steinbeck presents aspects of power in Of Mice and Men The characters I am going to concentrate are Curley’s wife and Crooks; the reason behind my choice of
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
In the novel “Of Mice and Men” John Steinbeck portrays the theme of social injustice throughout the story in the lives of several characters that include Lennie, Curley’s Wife, and the stable buck, Crooks. All of these characters are mistreated in some way, shape or form. The hardships that these characters faced help guide us to see the social injustice that is prevalent in the story. Lennie is a victim of social injustice due to the fact that he is mentally disabled. He is not treated fairly when he was accused of rape.
Therefore, he is powerful for the very reason that he is “untouchable.” He does not use the power for kindness but uses it to show who is best and in a bullying matter. Curley is not a kind fellow and not a lot of people are his friend in the book. He is described as a “thin young man with a brown face and a head of tightly curled hair.”
Another dominant precedent of John Steinbeck’s use of influential language is the rhetorical question. Throughout the story John Steinbeck is questioning the morals and right doings of the congress. Steinbeck uses the rhetorical question to again question congress, “Surely Congress has the right to ask me anything on any subject. The question is: Should Congress take advantage of that right?” (ll. 14-15).
In Of Mice and Men violence is extremely prevalent and also a major theme. Each character is so accustomed to their misfortune and failure, which results in them becoming agitated and more frustrated with each other. Violence and bullying are used as outlets for their stress and misery. An example of a character that suffers from this violence is Crooks. He decides to torment Lennie by touching on the idea about George’s safety being in danger, however crooks intentions came from the discrimination and isolation he felt unlike some of the other workers, Crooks wasn't just passing by.
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.
In the book,”Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck the theme power and powerlessness can drive people to do desperate and sometimes cruel things is portrayed throughout the book. More explicitly seen with George. The text reveals George being powerless by stating, “And George raised the gun and steadied it... He pulled the trigger.” This is a strong example of powerlessness because Lennie’s Childlike demeanor and behavior has caused many problems in a brief period of time and now George must pull the trigger before somebody else does.