The 1930s caused America’s economy to plummet even faster than it had risen in the 1920s. Migrant farmers who traveled in search of work, no matter how menial, were characteristic of this era. These men were often alone in their searches, emphasizing the uniqueness of George and Lennie’s friendship in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. George and Lennie, two friends with opposing physical features and personalities, arrive as migrant farmers to yet another job where they meet a host of interesting people, all while aiming for their dream to maintain a farm of their own. Using symbolism, dialogue, and plot arrangement, Steinbeck demonstrates that humans are often falsely hopeful, deluding themselves into believing they will eventually fulfill their desires.
The American Dream was a key motivator for men and women during the Great Depression. John Steinbeck portrays this through all of his characters in Of Mice and Men. The theme of dreams is carried throughout the book in many different ways. For example, Bo Grimes states, “He portrays it by letting the dream come within the men’s grasp and then it gets destroyed” (3). John Steinbeck has a specific type of character he depicts in his writing.
To sum up, the author in “Of Mice and Men” uses symbolism through animals, characters and places to make readers understand the exploration of different themes such as dreams, innocence, discrimination, and friendship, among others. Moreover, Steinbeck by using these key symbols transports us into the context, which is during the Great Depression, giving a deeper meaning to the novel. In the end, what the author wants to express is that people should always be realistic; it is a fact that they would not always get or achieve what they want. This is not because people gave up on their dreams, but because no one can know or control the situations and things that may happen as the world is not only roses but has cruelty in it. In the 1930s, during the Great Depression that was exactly what happened, people do not trust each other as men were trapped in this tense environment.
Chen Guangcheng, a prominent blind civil rights activist, said, “How a society treats its disabled is the true measure of a civilization.” The topic of disabilities is touched upon many times in the novella Of Mice and Men. John Steinbeck writes masterfully, driving character development forward employing societal paradigms on which to model his alternate world. Because the story is less plot driven as some others, it relies heavily on the presence of literary elements coupled with the exploration of civic themes. The undertones of political commentary in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men attempt to convey the mistreatment of people with disabilities in that they are isolated from society and treated vehemently, in order to connect us to characters’s social experiences in relation to the norms of the time period. John Steinbeck continually makes the assertion that
It is our choice whether we allow them to help us or harm us. People look to dreams and goals for a drive; hope. These dreams can bring people together or tear them apart. John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, illustrates the story of two migrant farm workers striving to reach their dream of owning a farm. Similarly, Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem, “Sympathy” depicts a speaker who longs for freedom and change.
Steinbeck´s Of Mice and Men uses motifs and characterization to show that companionship is beneficial to individuals. Steinbeck uses motifs of animals as archetypes and to show that people crave companionship and are meant to be around others. Lennie´s character is often compared to animals who often live with other animals instead of by themselves.¨Slowly, like a terrier
The discrimination of people can affect a person's well-being. In Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, two men are searching for jobs, during the Great Depression. The catalyst for the story is discrimination. When the main characters are searching for work, Lennie, one of the men, gets into an accident, which forces Lennie and his friend George to leave work and the town. Throughout the story, Steinbeck creates vivid scenes which depict the quotidian lives of two very typical men and the consequences of ordinary actions.
The idea of friendship in Of Mice and Men, is portrayed by the author, John Steinbeck, through foreshadowing and the art of using the comparisons of small vs big and man vs animal friendships. An example of foreshadowing in the book was when Carlson killed Candy’s dog with his luger, a German pistol; this event foreshadows George killing Lennie at the end of the story. The comparison of friendship through small vs big is Lennie being a very tall mentally challenged strong man, and George being a small very intelligent man and they are the main characters and the strongest
Desmond Tutu, a South - African social activist and retired Anglican priest once said “ Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness”. Of Mice and Men is a novel which revolves around the lives of struggling farmers and how they still maintain hope despite their hardships. The symbolic representation of light embodies the hopes and the American Dream, whereas the dark epitomizes the harsh realities and truths of their lives. Steinbeck uses light and dark to foreshadow the upcoming events in the forlorn lives of the migrant workers. He also combines aspects such as the setting and characters with light and dark to paint a vivid picture in the reader’s mind as to how the world of the migrant workers looks like.
Lennie's isolation from the real world in Of Mice and Men inhibits him to perceive and comprehend his actions. Winston Smith's ability to fight and rebel against the oppression of Big Brother and tyranny makes him an outstanding character. Despite Of Mice and Men's and 1984's difference in time period, they will always be relevant in today's