Set in Salinas and Soledad, California during the Great Depression, Of Mice and Men is a tragic story of two adult ranch workers, George and Lennie. George must care for Lennie, who has a mental disability. In the end, George must kill Lennie because he comitted murder. Slim, one of their fellow ranchers, recognizes the necessity and walks away with George. What truly bothers George and Slim is the fact that they will be the only ones who really know what happened to Lennie. Being responsible for the death of his best friend, George feels an unimaginable amount of guilt, but Slim is there to help him. First of all, one of Slim's remarkable characteristics is his perceptiveness. From when we are first introduced to him, to the end of the book, Slim demonstrates godlike and intelligent characteristics, being one of the few people George opens up to about Lennie. One instance of Slim's insight occurs at the end when, “Slim came directly to George and sat down beside him, sat very close to him. 'Never you mind,' said Slim. 'A guy got to sometimes'” (107). Here, Steinbeck uses the …show more content…
Throughout the book, we see many instances where Steinbeck has been preparing us for the ending. Lennie's trouble in weed, killing of the puppy, and petting of the dead mouse foreshadowed Curley's Wife's death. When Carlson's Lugar kills Candy's dog, we can see a foreshadow of Lennie's death. One of the most revealing quotes of all is when, “George said, 'I want you to stay with me, Lennie. Jesus Christ, somebody'd shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself'” (13). The quote has a lot of hidden meanings, as Lennie does end up getting shot like a dog; Candy's dog to be specific (right in the back of the head). Also, Lennie is killed when he is alone, explaining the “if you was by yourself” part. Lastly, someone was ready to hunt him when the shooting happened
This quote is very similar to how George felt about Lennie at the end of the chapter, it connects because George also had to shoot someone he loved for the greater good. Lennie killing his pup foreshadows the death of what is coming further in the story. It could mean that Lennie is as fragile
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.
We knew that Lennie would get into trouble from the beginning when George continuously warned Lennie to stay out of trouble. He also frequently told him to return to the brush if he ever did get into trouble. “Well, look, Lennie-if you jus’ happen to get in trouble like you always done before, I want you to come right her an’ hide in the brush” (Steinbeck 15). Stenbeck also foreshadowed Lennie’s death when Candy’s dog was shot on the farm because the men thought of him as useless and unpleasant. Following this scene, Candy went to George and told him, “I ought to of shot that dog myself, George…”
If Lennie got away with this murder, he would not be able to survive on his own. This would include earning a living and finding a place to live. Furthermore, George’s actions are defensible because of Lennie’s mental state. George did the right thing by shooting Lennie himself because he gave him a peaceful death, Lennie could not survive on his own, and he may hurt other innocent people. To begin with, George gave Lennie a happy death.
For example when Candy’s dog got shot by Carlson, that meant that sooner or later Lennie was gonna die. He writes, “A shot sounded in the distance. The men looked quickly at the old man. Every head turned towards him. For a moment he continued to stare at the ceiling.
Slim, an authoritative worker in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, proves through his actions time and time again that treating people with kindness and respect will earn you the same in return. On this lonesome ranch in California, Slim is one of many workers, however he is set apart by his attitude towards others. The first day he met George and Lennie, Slim made a good impression saying things like, “Hope you get on my team,” and is described speaking to them with the following quote, “His tone was friendly. It invited confidence without demanding it.” Here Slim is making an effort with George and Lennie even though he doesn’t know them.
Slim, one of the most respected and admirable characters in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, is a static character who is always present during the most crucial moments in the story. Slim is the ideal Western man, he is understanding, strong, and is remarkable at his job. In the ranch, Slim is described as having “a gravity in his manner and a quiet so profound manner that all talk stopped when he spoke. His authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject”(33). Because of his fairness in his decisions and ideals in equality, Slim is always held in great regard.
The story “Of Mice and Men” is written by John Steinbeck. It mainly focuses on Lennie and George. Lennie is a childlike migrant worker. Due to his mental illness, Lennie completely depends on George who is his friend and guardian. Their relationships with the people who surround them on the farm is the central conflict in the book.
Would you kill your best friend? Many people have mixed emotions about what the outcome of Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck could’ve or should’ve been, here are some main things that happened in the story. Lennie has a mental disability so he can’t think for himself, he snapped Curly’s Wife’s neck and ran away into the bushes where he was told by George to go if he got in trouble. Curly would’ve tortured and killed Lennie anyways. Yes, killing Lennie was George’s best option.
The novella Of Mice and Men is a book by John Steinbeck on the lives of migrant farm workers working during the Great Depression, Lennie, who is developmentally delayed and George. The two have a dream of, what every farm worker has a dream of, land. A clearing is one of the prevalent settings.
Another instance when Steinbeck uses dramatic irony in the novel is when George kills Lennie because of their friendship. He knows that if he does not do it himself, then Lennie will face a much worse death by the hand of someone who does not care how much pain he feels. Although, George only realizes how much Lennie means to him after he is dead, and Lennie’s death releases him of responsibility as he states, “If I was alone I could live so easy”, and “I could get a job an’ not have no mess” (Steinbeck 101). Although George is finally free, he is lonely, and the dream of the farm dies along with Lennie. It is the one thing that solidifies their friendship, but without the other, the dream loses its purpose.
Of Mice and Men is set in California during the Great Depression. Life is miserable during this time. People are poor and desperate for work. Many people wander around looking for jobs and a place to live. Most people are afraid for their futures; this breeds a heavy feeling of suspicion.
When George tells Lennie to meet him in the bushes if anything bad happens this is foreshadowing to the ending of the book when Lennie has to meet him there. Also, Candy telling George that he regretted not killing his dog himself leads to the end where George kills Lennie because he didn't want to live with the same regret as Candy. Lastly, all of the times that Lennie kills animals by petting them foreshadows to when Lennie kills Curley’s wife. The ending of John Steinbeck’s book would not make sense without him putting examples of foreshadowing in the
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.
Of Mice And Men Literary Essay Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, records the struggles and lives of migrant workers during the Great Depression. Although the two main characters—George and Lennie made up a huge part of the novella, the significance and role of minor characters add colours to the book, which makes it more interesting and rich in content. Steinbeck mainly uses minor characters to emphasize the major themes of the book and creates foreshadowing. Firstly, the character of Crooks illustrates the themes of dreams, barriers and the struggles of the powerless.