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Real Elements In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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In the story Of Mice and Men, four living things are killed. Two are shot in the back of the head, and the other two are killed by somebody else’s bare hands. As strange as it sounds, the killings were solutions for some characters and complications for others. In this story by John Steinbeck, there are many different realism elements that are relevant. These elements include a few specifics like the rejection of the idealized, larger-than-life hero of romantic literature, the avoidance of the exotic, sensational, and overly dramatic, and the focus on the ethical struggles and social issues of real-life situations. Overall, the three points that will be made are the three different elements of realism. Those include rejection of heroes, avoidance …show more content…

This element means that the people in the story are ordinary, vulnerable, and do not save lives. If a character was in a big crowd of people, they wouldn’t stand out any more than anybody else. In realism, nobody stands out, and everybody is plain, ordinary, and simplified. George, Carlson, Candy, and Slim are in the bunkhouse together talking about somebody in a magazine article named William Tenner. William used to work on the ranch with Slim and all of the other workers. Despite hearing that his old co-worker’s letter is in a magazine, Carlson refuses to be a part of the conversation because of how bad Candy’s dog smells. Candy’s dog smells very bad and is getting old and worn down, so Carlson starts talking about how he can shoot the dog to end its and everybody else’s suffering. Candy has a strong connection to his dog that Carlson doesn’t care about. After the conversation about shooting Candy’s dog, Steinbeck says, “Candy looked a long time at Slim to try to find some reversal. And Slim gave him none,” (Steinbeck, 1937, p,47). Slim is a character who typically calls the shots throughout the story. He wasn’t the hero of Candy’s dog’s life. Candy’s dog is going to be shot in the back of the head because Carlson doesn’t like the smell and Slim isn’t a hero. Slim makes choices that he thinks will benefit the most people. Sometimes, the choice isn’t the best choice that could’ve been made, but it usually follows through with benefitting the most amount of

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629 Words | 3 Pages

(Page 44). But eventually he is given no other choice and Carlson takes his dog away. When Slim offers a new dog to replace Candy’s old one, he responds with nothing, proving his loyality to his life long companion. ‘“Candy, you can have any one of them pups you want’. Candy did not answer.”

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954 Words | 4 Pages

In chapter three, Carlson is complaining about Candy’s old dog while trying to convince Candy to kill it. Candy says how he’s had his dog for so long while Carlson explains how much better he’d be without it; akin to how George complains to Lennie how much better he’d be without him. Carlson then offers to shoot Candy’s dog painlessly for him. Candy reluctantly agrees. Carlson shoots the dog in the back of the head outside the bunkhouse.

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669 Words | 3 Pages

John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, takes place in California on a ranch in the Salinas Valley during the Great Depression. During this time, the United States of America was in a period of economic decline and people were living in poverty. From these hardships, weaknesses arise in different characters in the novel. In his novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck utilizes the deaths of Candy’s dog, Curley’s wife, and Lennie to reveal that weaker people are eradicated because they cannot defend themselves against others.

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1630 Words | 7 Pages

The novella ‘of Mice and Men’ was written by John Steinbeck in the 1930s. It is set in a difficult period of time when America was sunk in deep depression. However, themes of loyalty shine brightly throughout the novella. He shows that even though Americas economy is in tatters, loyalty can still be as prominent. There were also distinct themes of disloyalty, mainly between characters.

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221 Words | 1 Pages

I think the main theme of this story is idealism versus reality because it shows the harsh reality versus what the characters wanted to happen. The first example of idealism versus reality is when George and Lennie talk about owning a land with animals and crops. They both planned on getting this perfect land but when reality hits the whole idea of this perfect land and everything will be perfect ends up not happen. The second example is when Lennie and Candy were talking to Crooks about getting their own land and how they have enough money to invest right away. Crooks in disbelief told them that they could not achieve this goal and that plenty of men have tried but no one ever achieves it.

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937 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout Steinbeck’s naturalistic novel, Of Mice and Men, He portrays two distinctively different men struggling to persevere and survive in an otherwise cruel world. Two migrant workers, George and Lennie thrive off the company of one another and the impossible dream that one day, they will acquire land and make a contented life for themselves. Through their friendship and constant hope for a better life, George and Lennie learn how to survive and cling to aspiration during the harsh Depression era. Steinbeck uses symbolism, irony, and characterization in his classic novel to illustrate the undying hope found in a desperate situation. Steinbeck uses symbolism to portray how people find hope in the direst situations.

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137 Words | 1 Pages

Of Mice and Men was an excellent novel about two migrant workers traveling in Southern California, trying to make enough money to fulfill their dream of attaining their own plot of land. They have trouble accomplishing this goal when Lennie, the big and clueless on of the two, consistently makes mistakes, some of them being vital. The author, John Steinbeck, uses great techniques and literary devices that build up to the climax and resolution. Throughout the story, he describes how several characters all have/had dreams or goals, but none of them truly achieved those dreams. All of these literary devices, techniques, and the entire plot lead up to my thesis statement.

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George prohibits Lennie from petting mice, making Lennie sad. While Lennie killing mice is a bad thing, Carlson killing Candy’s dog is actually isn’t. Carlson shoots Candy’s beloved dog to stop it from enduring any more suffering. Carlson recognizes the love that Candy feels for his dog, and lets Candy know that the way he would shoot him: “‘...He wouldn’t feel nothing...

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656 Words | 3 Pages

In chapter 3, Carlson and Slim want to put down Candy's dog, which Candy doesn’t want, “‘I'm so used to him,’ he said softly. ‘I had him from a pup.’ ‘Well, you ain't bein' kind to him keepin' him alive,’ said Carlson. Look, Slim's bitch got a litter right now. I bet Slim would give you one of these pups to raise up, wouldn't you, Slim?’”(Steinbeck)

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633 Words | 3 Pages

In order to avoid losing readers, many authors make the endings of their books the happy predictable one. In John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, it is evident that Steinbeck did not conform to this popular practice, and instead, made his characters make the tough choices and did not please every reader with the drastic ending. Steinbeck portrays the cruel side of human nature in his novel through the use of tone, symbolism, and foreshadowing. To begin, Steinbeck’s use of a realistic tone shows the dark side of human nature.

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546 Words | 3 Pages

In John Steinbeck’s novella “Of Mice and Men”, he enacts through his writing, the themes, of Violence and Dreams, Hopes and Plans. John Steinbeck relates back to those themes through Rabbits, Bunkhouse, and Lennie Small. The symbol, setting, and person chosen all represent Dreams, Hopes and Plans and Violence. Rabbits represent Dreams, Hopes and Plans because Lennie was always dreaming of raising the Rabbits. Bunkhouse represents Violence because all of the people who stay there are extremely rowdy and cruel.

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895 Words | 4 Pages

It does this through an emphasis on dialogue rather than description, rapid changes of scenes and lack of transitions. To set the scene of 1930s life, Steinbeck uses the concept of social realism when he evokes the idea that the two protagonists are destined to crash from the very beginning. Steinbeck ensures that his characters are believable and are shown as is so that the reader can connect and relate with each protagonist. There is a much deeper meaning to the setting of mice and men; The Great Depression and poor men desperately looking for work. Steinbeck describes natural settings to create a mood and atmosphere for the reader, also emphasising themes such as loneliness and instability.

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977 Words | 4 Pages

Candy does not want to give up the dog since he has had him for so long, and the dog is one of the only possessions he has left. Being old makes some of the other guys not like him as much. Even though they do not actually say it, it is implied when one of them says “I wisht somebody’d shoot me if I got old an’ a cripple” which is exactly what Candy is (Steinbeck 45). Candy is quite old and is missing a hand so although Slim is describing his dog, he is also inadvertently describing Candy. In the same way Crooks is lonely because of his color, Curley’s wife is lonely because of her

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1067 Words | 5 Pages

Along with these elements, imagery supports characterization throughout the novel. These elements help to support the theme that chaos can occur in even the most peaceful places. In his novel, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses conflict, imagery, and characterization to strengthen the story, and develop the theme in the novel. Steinbeck’s development of George and Lennie’s conflicts and even Candy’s help to advance the plot and develop the theme in the novel. George’s internal and external struggle is clear at the beginning of the

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573 Words | 3 Pages

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.

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