Reese Kline Ms. Davis English 1C Block 10 February 2023 Essay In the novella, Steinbeck uses symbolism, characterization, and a circular plot to reveal that friendship is important. Many people found Lennie to blame for all of their problems and not themselves. Steinbeck uses this to show how ableism was a big issue during the 1930s and 40s. This made disabled people feel like outcasts and like they did not belong. This created divide between others, just because they did not look or think like others. “They did not fit in.” Steinbeck uses symbolism to show how there is a circular plot. Throughout the book, Lennie thinks of rabbits which makes him happy. George and Lennie are talking about the house that they are gonna have and Lennie
In John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men”, Lennie and George travel together to work. They discuss the trouble they experience with Lennie's touching things he shouldn't and how that forces them to run, hide, and constantly search for work. Throughout the book, Steinbeck gives just a small picture of all the trouble Lennie has caused and how George continues to guide him to get by. A problem with a girl leads us to chapter 1 and 6, and how they share in setting, but George and Lennie's interactions differ. The similarities and differences of chapter 1 and 6 show how Lennie and George's cohesive friendship with a bright future develops into a loving bond that had to end.
Steinbeck uses animal imagery to describe Lennie as a strong worker and a big guy. He gives us an idea or visual idea to the point he trying to get across. If Steinbeck just says Lennie is just a big guy people will just think of a guy that would be considered big for a normal human being. If he didn’t use imagery to describe how big he is we/I wouldn’t visualize his actual size. Imagery is the main reason that people see Lennie and george as different people.
In John Steinbeck’s 1930’s classic novella, Of Mice and Men, we are introduced to one of the main characters, Lennie Small. Lennie is developed as a mentally handicapped, who doesn’t know his strengths and weaknesses, who forgets everything, and who acts like a child. By this development, Steinbeck dehumanizes Lennie in order to show the mentally handicapped population has no chance of achieving the American Dream. Lennie doesn’t know his strengths and weakness, and how to control his strengths. At the end of chapter five, Curley’s wife comes into the barn, where Lennie is alone.
Together, they work to make the American Dream a reality. In his novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses Lennie and his disability, Curley’s wife and her sex, and Crooks and the color of his skin to prove there is institutionalized oppression in American society. To begin, Lennie and his disability prove there is institutionalized oppression in American society. Lennie is depicted as a large man, capable of doing manual labor, but not capable of thinking for himself. Thus, George, his closest companion,
In Of Mice And Men John Steinbeck creates sympathy for Lennie by writing him as a person with a disability, and a misunderstood character. Lennie is an easy character to sympathize with since he’s mentally challenged, and judged by others. Many times, in the book Steinbeck shows Lennie doesn’t know what he’s capable of, for instance when he kills Curly’s Wife. It is shown that Lennie lacks social skills since Steinbeck has George talk instead of Lennie in important situations. A final example of is how Lennie speaks; he speaks with improper grammar and his speech is underdeveloped.
As recognized, “One of the fundamental issues regarding the portrayal of Lennie in Of Mice and Men lies in the way that Steinbeck position the reader from the very beginning to identify with George” (Lawrence). Once readers have their views aligned with a different character, it is hard to create that empathy, especially if the main character doesn’t support disabilities themselves. However, when empathy is created it can completely alter the audience’s perception of the character and often the entire disability itself. This idea is supported in
Examine how far George and Lennie are loyal to each other throughout 'Of mice and men' In the novella 'Of Mice and Men', by the well-known author, John Steinbeck, the reader is introduced to a varied range of different characters on the ranch; within this realm loyalty between George and Lennie plays a significant role in the lonely itinerant lifestyle. The characters in this short novel act in a world of their own, having no connections to any other type of society; through this Steinbeck can strongly depict the theme of loyalty and friendship in dire situations during this period of time. During the 1930's, at the ranch, a predominant role of intelligent white-males is seen to retain power over lesser groups of people, of which Lennie is portrayed to be this part as he is mentally disabled. Despite this George and Lennie strike up a friendship of loyalty: showing firm and constant support. ' Guys like us got no fambly...they ain't got nobody in the worl' that gives a hoot in hell about 'em' sums up the reason why their loyalty and companionship is so vital and special to each other.
By giving Lennie these childish and animalistic qualities, Steinbeck is illustrating how his immaturity causes him to get into trouble and distances him from the other workers. Although, through all of Lennie’s mistakes, George stays with him because he needs his companionship as much as Lennie does as it brings them both hope and strength in their desperate situations as migrant workers during the
Natalia Katsiashvili Iris J. Crankfield Honors English 9 4A 23 January 2023 Of Mice And Men Critical Lens Essay Of Mice and Men, a novella by John Steinbeck uses disability as a catalyst so the readers can understand the importance of Ableism during the 1930s. George Milton and Lennie Small, two migrant workers who travel from place to place in California in hopes to find a new job to survive. It’s hard for them to find a job as Lennie is mentally disabled which causes some roadblocks in the process. This story was written during the Great Depression in the 1930's.
In the novella, John Steinbeck employs figurative language and symbolism throughout the story to compare Lennie to different animals, dehumanizing him. To begin with, Lennie was always an unusual human being. He would act abnormally compared to others when it came to activities. He would show
There are many examples of social injustice throughout Of Mice and Men, but Steinbeck included Lennie
He did not overcome this adversity, and it wasn’t very possible for him to do so because of the way people with mental disabilities were treated during that time. George emphasized, “You jus’ stand there and don’t say nothing. If he finds out what a crazy bastard you are, we won’t get no job…” (Steinbeck 6) This shows the prejudice that Lennie faced because even his own friend was talking to him as though he was not on his level just because he had a mental
Mental and physical disabilities are shown through how the different characters interact with their environment. Disabilities can create obstacles in a person's life but they also allow for other people to create an identity for them. Steinbeck shows that disabilities can create a political statement. They all had dreams to be something better than what they were but the tag that society gave them they were unable to pursue their thoughts and ideas. All these characters possed the same characteristic of being hopeless but in reality if they were given hope they may have been able to achieve their ambitions, prospects, and
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.
Through using the farm to represent the American Dream, Steinbeck brings forward issues from difficulties the mentally ill have to prejudices against African Americans. Lennie’s illness did not take away from his quality of work, but other men’s attitudes towards him made keeping a job more difficult, hindering his American Dream. Lennie and George’s previous job had been at Weed until Lennie had gotten into trouble.