Of Mice and Men In Comparison To The 1930s
John Steinbeck’s life influenced the context in his novel Of Mice and Men. In fact, he was knowledgeable towards the issues of women’s rights and mental disabilities, and even worked on a ranch as a migrant worker himself. Likewise, these same ideas and actions took place during the Great Depression and are vividly displayed within the characters and the plot of Steinbeck’s book. Women’s rights, mental disabilities, as well as ranch work during this time period are depicted through Curley’s wife, Lennie, and the setting of the ranch. In the early and mid 1900s, the roles of women in a society were clearly portrayed when they fought for their liberties. Similarly, Curley’s wife does not have a significant
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Comparably, John Steinbeck had similar experiences when he too worked on a ranch as a migrant worker, taking up a big part of his life. He showed his own experiences through George and Lennie, as well as the other characters who were migrant workers in his book. Most migrant workers had very poor working conditions and living environments and the larger ranches provided their workers with housing. This relates to the bunk house where there are two make-shift shelves per person, and each person each has a very little belongings (“Farmers”). They work long hours out on the fields in the hopes of making a sufficient wage. Laborers typically made anywhere from $2.50 to $3.00 for each working day. In his earlier years, John Steinbeck lived through these experiences himself. By working at company-owned ranches in Salinas during the summer, he learned of these conditions. Moreover, he came upon the conclusion that most migrant workers were typically single men that were recruited during the seasons of harvest to work on the ranches, all of which is included in the story (“Of Mice and Men” 240-62). The other laborers on George and Lennie’s ranch all meet these criteria, with the exception of Curley. The readers are able to see that Steinbeck’s personal experiences played a huge role in his characterizations of his protagonists, George and
During the 1930’s thousands of Dust Bowl migrant workers made their way from the central plain into California seeking work. In their search for work and some form of income many of the migrants and their families ended up in Hoovervilles, which were makeshift roadside camps that were greatly impoverished. Steinbeck was able to travel through the labor camps and recorded the horrible living conditions of the migrant workers. The collection of these recordings was published as Harvest Gypsies. During the tours of the labor camps he saw the oppression of the workers first hand in addition to workers being demoralized by wealthy land owners.
After reading the novel and watching the movie “Of Mice and Men”, I have learned about the lifestyle of migrant workers in California during the 1930s, which I did not know about before studying the novel. California back in the 1930s is very different from what I pictured it to be as the conditions of life weren’t that good. This is also the first novel that I have read in my years as a student that contains so much foreshadowing. Never before had I read a book where the author produced so much foreshadowing in such a short book. Steinbeck uses Lennie as a source of motivation and hope in achieving the dream farm that George, Candy, Crooks and Lennie himself desire.
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.
George and Lennie discuss their dream of owning their own ranch with rabbits,chickens and other animals. The two men eat their beans and while they eat George tells Lennie to hide at this spot if anything goes wrong at the new job. George and Lennie sleep by the pool. Chapter two begins with George and Lennie getting settled in the ranch bunkhouse. An old man shows them their beds and gives them information about the different ranch-workers.
Of Mice and Men tells a story based in California during the 1930s; of two men who have very different characteristics, but share the same goal. The men, George and Lennie, are migrant workers. At their new job, they meet many individuals: Candy, who is very old and cleans the bunkhouse; Curley, who is the boss’s son; Curley's wife, Crooks, the stable hand; and Slim, who is known as the “prince of the ranch.” Though they recently started, their new job quickly goes downhill. John Steinbeck’s book is carefully written and often uses hints to foretell what will happen next.
As the story begins, Steinbeck highlights the beauty that revolves around the Salinas river as a setting for the introduction of the two characters, George Milton and Lennie Smalls. I believe that with this introduction of the setting, the foundation to the theme of a peaceful and serene environment is established. However, with this first taste of freedom, Steinbeck later shows that this theme of peace will unable to be sustained as the story evolves and more characters are introduced. George and Lennie are soon introduced into the story after the setting is described.
Comparative Analysis Essay Many authors use similar styles and themes in their work and apply it to more than one piece of writing. The author, John Steinbeck used this method often to allow his readers to notice these connections. In the novel Of Mice and Men and the short story Tularecito, Steinbeck uses similar plots, themes, topics, and symbolism to give readers an opportunity to notice and compare these cohesive writings. Both these pieces by John Steinbeck have many facets in the personality of their main character.
Rhetorical Analysis Essay Everyone in this world has a purpose to live to achieve a specific goal. However, while chasing the ultimate result, people have driven their lives into a sky full of success or into a dark void of defeat. Authors Robert Burns, John Steinbeck, and Maya Angelou incorporated real experiences through the stylistic scenarios of paradox to exhibit the truth about achieving goals in life.
After reading Of Mice and Men, I felt the need to research the author. After researching the author, I realized that he based this book off of his experiences. Steinbeck grew up in Salinas, California and that is where the book takes place. Due to John Steinbeck growing up and experiencing the Great Depression, I think his inspiration to write this book came from the social and economic issues that he had witnessed. He worked closely with migrants and itinerants and that deepened the empathy for workers as well as deepening his love for writing.
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.
The book Of Mice and Men is full of puzzling examples of the human condition, from Lennie and his mental disability to Curley only caring about his social appearance. With characters like these two, the book exploits the human condition that concerns circumstances life has given you. John Steinbeck brings to life what being a laborer in the American depression meant to the men and one woman who had enough personality to stand out. Steinbeck shows the human condition of men while they survive in the American depression.
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.
John Steinbeck’s, Of Mice and Men, is a compelling story that has captured and embodied the struggle and loneliness felt by many during the Great Depression. While desire for the American Dream is prominent in the novel, Steinbeck is able to demonstrate the wants from different social classes through the construction of characters such as George Milton and Curley’s wife. With these characters, Steinbeck successfully displays the difference in ideas, values and attitudes of certain social classes in the 1930’s and the illustrates the rarity of achieving the American Dream. Steinbeck wrote this novel during the Great Depression, when America was suffering greatly by the disastrous crash of the stock market. From this point in time, separation of the different classes became
The novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is about two men's struggles to find a way to make a living in California during the 1930s. One of the characters, George, helps take care of his mentally disabled friend, Lennie, as they work on a ranch to get enough money to buy their own plot of land. One theme that emerged from the story is that lacking resources often leave a persons desires unfulfilled because George and Lennie lack stability and wealth. Also George lacks the resources to teach Lennie how to control himself.
The Death of The Unborn Female American Dream Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, takes place during the time of The Great Depression; an era extremely difficult for women. The novella contains many iconic characters that serve as a metaphor to our societal standards. Curley’s wife is introduced just like any other; however, the emphasis on her feminine features are metaphoric to where women stand in society. In order to prove that society makes it impossible for certain people to attain The American Dream, Steinbeck objectifies, sexualizes, and kills Curley’s wife to show that women cannot reach The American Dream. Steinbeck uses specific vocabulary to objectify Curley’s wife; alienating her from The American Dream.