After reading “Of Mice and Men,” a novella by John Steinbeck, a few essential connections can be developed from details of the setting. These connections can be found in “Paradise Lost,” a poem by Steinbeck that describes the Adam and Eve and their place in the Garden of Eden. One of the three connections that Steinbeck included in “Of Mice and Men” is the connection of temptation, a form of trickery that the serpent uses to convince Eve to eat the forbidden apple. In “Of Mice and Men,” Steinbeck includes the form of temptation of wanting to do something because of a certain reason, that has a negative effect afterwards.According to Steinbeck, “ ‘Oh! That’s nice,’ and he stroked harder … She jerked sideways, and Lennie’s fingers closed on her hair and hung on...And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck…For a second he was bewildered. And then he whispered in fright, ‘I done a bad thing’” (Steinbeck 91).Furthermore, Lennie’s sin was a result from temptation which came from Curley’s wife. In Of Mice and Men, Curley’s wife acted as a “serpent” who tempted Lennie to make bad decisions. The temptation worked as Lennie had killed Curley’s wife. In result, he was killed from the negative effect that came afterwards since Curley was …show more content…
Steinbeck uses a very similar setting as an allusion to the Garden of Eden. According to Steinbeck, “On one side of the river the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan mountains, but on the valley side the water is lined with trees-willows fresh and green with every spring…” (Steinbeck 1).Moreover, the setting of “Of Mice and Men” was a representation of George and Lennie’s peace, their haven from the reality potential danger and insults that actually happen in the
The novella Of Mice and Men is a novel by John Steinbeck about two migrant farmers in Salinas,California working on a ranch during the Great Depression era. In the novel Steinbeck explores and conveys many themes such as loneliness and the idea of achieving the American dream. He does this through the use of allusion to further develop the meaning of the text in Of Mice and Men. By using these allusions Steinbeck is also able to enhance the characters and their actions in the novel. Steinbeck makes several allusions to the biblical stories Garden of Eden,The Story of Cain and Abel,and The Fall of Man to develop the meaning Of Mice and Men.
Of Mice and Men, set in California’s Salinas Valley, depicts the world of the migrant worker, a world in which Steinbeck himself had lived, and the workers’ search for independence. Steinbeck was critical of what he perceived as the United States’ materialism, and his work echoes his convictions about the land and its people. Like the characters in his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath (1939), Of Mice and Men’s George and Lennie dream of a piece of land to call their
This relates back to naturalism, because Lennie gets himself into a situation that he cannot control. He does not understand that he has to be very careful with the puppy because it is so small, and he does not know his own strength. “What is clear is that Lennie’s body wins out over his mind repeatedly,- in the end with tragic consequences”(Keener 1215). Lennie is very kind- hearted, and never wants to hurt anyone. This quote explains that Lennie’s strength wins over his intentions.
Curley was wondering how the fight switched from him winning to Lennie winning. Lennie’s strength had made Curley wonder how George was able to convince Lennie to fight. The end of the fight showed that power and control can make people do any action told. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Steinbeck uses metaphor, simile, and diction to create pathos to perpetuate the theme of power and control.
George’s Decision In John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, two men, Lennie and George, travel through California 's Central Valley looking for work. Lennie and George have a special bond because George takes care of Lennie, who has a mental disability. When Lennie accidentally kills a woman and is being chased by men who want to kill him, George is faced with the difficult decision of whether to kill Lennie himself or let those men kill him. In the end George chose to kill Lennie.
“And she continued to struggle, and her eyes were wild with terror. He shook her then, and he was angry with her. “Don’t you go yellin’,” he said, and he shook her; and her body flopped like a fish. And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck. He looked down at her, and carefully he removed his hand from over her mouth, and she lay still.
The death of Curley’s wife is a very shocking event which is what triggers George’s decision to shoot Lennie. She does nothing wrong and without noticing Lennie kills her; just how he killed the mouse and the puppy killed the puppy. Curley’s wife’s death is a tragedy and symbolizes Lennie’s untroubled life coming to an end. Even though Lennie is not a bad person after the death of Curley’s wife, we can no longer think of him as an innocent child-like person. George and Lennie’s life was about survival, but centred on the innocent dream of the rabbits.
Temptation and greed are significant elements in the three stories, as many of the characters’ actions are a result of bad decisions made due to these forces. In Alice in Wonderland, Alice’s food related temptations are what cause her change of size and her progression through the world of Wonderland. Alice is often not even hungry when confronted with items of food in the story, it is their presence that tempts her to eat them: “In the middle of the court was a table, with a large dish of tarts upon it: they looked so good, that it made Alice quite hungry to look at them” (96). It is her lack of restraint when it comes to her appetite that causes her change of size and her lack of power throughout much of the story. Gluttony is displayed for
She keeps trying to break free so he shakes her trying to shut her up. However he shakes her too hard and “she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck.” (pg. 91) Lennie now has physical power over her because he has broken her neck. Lennie was stronger than her
“She jerked her head sideways, and Lennie’s fingers closed on her hair and hung on. ´Let go, ´ she cried. ´You let go! ´… She struggled violently under his hands.
If George didn’t kill Lennie, then he would have to die in a suffering way. Meaning, Lennie dying in the hands of Curley would be suffering. Since George accidentally killed Curley's wife there was no other way to save him. Even if both of them do escape, Lennie would never safe and both of them would still be hunted down. Lennie would have to die either way and George loved Lennie too much to let him die within the hands of Curley.
Lennie had a fondness for soft things. This fondness lead him to the incidents of the mouse and ,later on, Curley 's wife. He never meant any harm to either of them. However, he was the cause of their deaths. Lennie was mentally handicapped.
There are two reasons Curley wants to kill Lennie. The first reason is because he is a big guy, and Curley hates big guys. The second reason is because Lennie killed his wife. It states in “Of Mice and Men” that “Curley gon’ta wanta get ‘im lynched. Curley’ll get ‘im killed.”
Curley really has it out for him and Lennie has no idea why. Lennie doesn’t realize that the things he does are wrong. He does not mean to hurt or harm anyone but Curley does not see that as a factor in his desire to
In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, legality is often deemed less important than morality in terms of decision making. Multiple characters throughout the novel disregard the law in order to carry out their vision of justice. When Curley, the son of the ranch owner, discovers his wife’s body, he is furious. So furious that he plans to track Lennie, a new employee with an intellectual disability, down and murder him to get revenge for his mistake. Regardless of the law, Curley’s morals based on vengeance and masculinity drive him to kill Lennie.