Throughout the early 1930’s, Steinbeck’s characters were in search of a better life. They believed that they would achieve freedom from their nomadic lifestyles in America. Unfortunately, after the Wall Street crash of 1929 many of them lost their dream once the Great Depression began. To make matters worse, the increased farming activity and the 7 year drought which began in 1931 created the Dust Bowl in the Great Plain States. During this time, many people traveled to California in search of jobs and an easier life. George and Lennie, one of the many migrant workers, had a dream of one day owning their own property, but with a turn of events they lose their chance at this dream and end up alone and devastated. However, George and Lennie’s compassion for each other manages to override the story’s dark mood. In his book Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck suggests that companionship is paramount to living a good life. Steinbeck chooses to reveal this theme through his characters Curley, Crooks, George and Lennie.
Lennie cannot always keep up with what is going on so when she changes the subject, his mind goes to another matter and he forgets George’s words. Her vision is so clouded by the thought of not expressing herself that she was not aware of the arising action. Once she pries Lennie’s attention from not being allowed to talk to her she focuses on herself and tells Lennie stories that she has never told anyone else. She barely has come in contact with Lennie prior to the situation at hand and already
Lennie doesn’t want to talk to her because it could get him in trouble but she uses her superior intellect to keep
In the book Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, he writes about two men one named Lennie and one named George having a dream, but is ruined through the troubles of Lennie 's doings. This book was written in the 1930’s talking about migrant workers and how they survived through that era. In that era all migrant workers preferably work alone, but with George and Lennie they stick together because Lennie is a more challenged person so he doesn 't know his wrong doings which causes lots of trouble for George. On page 94, one of the most significant passages is written on having a dialogue between George and Candy about how they were unable to get the farm because Lennie had ruined their chances of getting it. Steinbeck creates a motif of loneliness through the different characters he writes about, ties in different strands of the story to make one storyline, and foreshadows events to come.
OF MICE AND MEN ESSAY Loneliness is a tough, sad feeling for many people and can definitely have affects on how they act and/or feel. Within Of Mice and Men the constant topic loneliness is talked about. Of Mice and Men is a novel written by John Steinbeck and is a realistic fiction novel that takes place in California during the Dust Bowl Era. Just about every character talks about their loneliness, some more that others. All the characters say at one point that they feel lonely and it affects their acts.
f Mice and Men Essay - Essays and Analysis Critical Context and Evaluation print Print document PDF list Cite link Link Of Mice and Men is one of the most widely assigned modern novels in high schools because of both its form and the issues that it raises. John Steinbeck’s reliance on dialogue, as opposed to contextual description, makes the work accessible to young readers, as does his use of foreshadowing and recurrent images. Equally important is the way in which he intertwines the themes of loneliness and friendship and gives dignity to those characters, especially Lennie and Crooks, who are clearly different from their peers. By focusing on a group of lonely drifters, Steinbeck highlights the perceived isolation and sense of “otherness”
In Of Mice and Men, loneliness is a prominent theme that reveals itself in many instances throughout the book. It seems that nearly all the characters possess it in some way, shape, or form, but they do not all show it in the same manner. Being lonely can cause tragedies to occur similar to the death of Curley’s wife, or it can create a cloud over someone, causing his or her ultimate end. A couple of characters that seclusion is very noticeable in are Curley’s wife and Crooks. They go about life being secluded, but they show it in different ways. George and Lennie show loneliness, although it seems they do not since they accompany each other. There are many reasons that people become lonesome, including experiencing a lack of attention, having no one to talk to, or being the only one of their kind. These reasons and the situations of each character can be evaluated to figure out exactly why loneliness is a dominant part of his or her life.
Two weeks prior to George and Lennie’s arrival at the farm, Curley’s wife married Curley to escape her family and gain wealth after meeting him at the Riverside Dance Palace. Due to all the hardships she endures at the ranch, Curley’s wife is the loneliest and most alienated character in the novella. In fear of repercussions
When everyone finds Curley’s wife in the barn dead they send out a search party to find Lennie. George told the group that Lennie ran north, nut Lennie really ran south. George did this to buy Lennie a little bit of time. When George finds Lennie in the clearing he tells Lennie to take hi hat off and look into the pond in front of him, then George one last time Lennie asks George to tell him about the dream of having their own little farm. When George is finished he shoots Lennie in the back of the head and walks off with Slim to get a drink, thus ending the
In Steinbeck’s novel “Of Mice and Men the main theme is Loneliness and Isolation. Steinbeck really creates an image in your head of the life of the migrated ranch men. He hides the fact the characters are isolated in the language he uses. The town that the ranch is close to is called “Soledad” which means loneliness in spanish. In latin “Solitaire” (the card game the men play) means alone and isolated. Some of the characters in the book have been described as more isolated and lonely than the other character, with the ones in particular ; Crooks, Candy and Curley’s Wife. Crooks is lonely because he is black and has a crooked back which is physically isolating him, Candy is lonely because he is old and only has one hand, Curley’s Wife is lonely because she is the only woman on the ranch. All the people living on the ranch are lonely to some extent. This is proven when Steinbeck describes the bunkhouse where all the workers sleep. "Over each bunk there was nailed an apple box with the opening forward so that it made two shelves for personal belongings of the occupant of the bunk." (p38) The way Steinbeck describes the bunkhouse indicates their lonely lives. Also by only having two shelves for their personal belongings shows their lonely insecure lives. Crooks has a better facility than any of the other ranch workers since he has a desk. Crooks does not appreciate this because he is alone and isolated from the rest, like Curley’s wife and in some way Candy.
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.
A result of her flirtatiousness is that her husband becomes very jealous of the other men on the ranch. These insecurities then cause Curley’s wife to become even more estranged from her husband. When Curley’s wife gets too comfortable with one of the workers, Lennie, she is accidently killed. In this novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Curley’s wife is portrayed as a troublemaking, licentious, and desolate character. One example showing Curley’s wife being a troublemaker is when George first met her, he was very cautious.
Things start off well, but take a turn quickly. George and Lennie are the main characters, but some of the other characters can be deeply examined too, through different literary lenses. Curley’s wife is one of these characters, whom could be identified by many literary lenses. However, we will focus on one lens, the Gender lens.
People Affected by Loneliness Loneliness can make anyone affected by it very depressing and sad to see. It is seen in Of Mice and Men in many characters that are prominent in the story. The main ones are Crooks (the black stable hand), Candy (the old worker with his old dog), and Curley’s wife (who is ignored so that they do not get into trouble). Each of these characters have had lasting events that led them here.
Unit Two Essay Murderers can be heroes too. In John Steinbeck’s novel “Of Mice and Men” many of his characters are archetypes, including the outcasts. Three interesting pariahs have been deeply analyzed and compared to archetypal characters, settings, and objects. These characters are an unnamed woman labeled simply as “Curley’s wife,” a negro ranch worker named Crooks, and a “slow,” yet powerful “companion” called Lennie.