Q3
How is symbolism used to show both strengths and weaknesses in Of Mice and Men?
In John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men, symbolism is used to highlight both strengths and weaknesses of the characters. Throughout the novel, the characters are represented by various symbols that reflect their personalities and actions. The strength of George and Lennie's friendship is represented by the motif of the rabbits that Lennie loves. The rabbits represent the simple dream of a happy and peaceful life, a dream that is shared by both George and Lennie. On the other hand, Candy's dog symbolizes his weakness. The old and smelly dog is a metaphor for Candy's own life, which has been neglected and left behind. The death of the dog is symbolic of Candy's eventual
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Throughout the novel, the male characters treat her as an object rather than a human being as she is referred to as “Curley’s Wife”. Curley's wife is always portrayed as a playful girl, as well as being referred to as "jailbait" and a "tramp". For example, there is a moment when Curly commands his wife to get back into the house, Curly doesn’t give a second thought about her and does not allow her to speak back, Curly then continues to tell her after their marriage he now owns her. Near the end of the novel, after Lennie had killed Curley’s Wife. No one seems to care for her. This objectification of women is shown through the narrow-mindedness of the men on the ranch, who cannot see her as anything other than a sexual object. The author, John Steinbeck, uses Curley's wife to emphasize the harsh and unfair treatment that women faced during the Great Depression where they were often viewed as inferior to men and were denied the basic rights and respect that they deserved. Curley's wife's presence in Of Mice and Men is essential to Steinbeck's attempt at exposing the flaws of society towards
Literary devices used in Of Mice and Men include, foreshadowing, motif, and symbolism. The novel includes foreshadowing when George talks to Slim about how Lennie got them kicked out of Weed, it is foreshadowing for when Lennie inevitably will mess something up. This effects the story because it leads to Lennie makes a huge mistake by killing Curley’s wife, which leads to George killing Lennie. The book shows motif because there is Recurring events of violence are shown throughout the story, to form a motif. The impact this has on the story is Influential because Curley fought Lennie, Carlson killed Candy’s dog, and George kills Lennie.
First thing’s first, not once throughout the entire book does anyone refer to Curley’s wife by her name, and it’s unclear if they even know it in the first place. She’s unsatisfied with her marriage and gets lonely, so she gets flirty with the other guys, however, as a result, they tend to avoid her because they suspect she’s gonna try to start trouble, which in turn, feeds into the cycle of loneliness. Whenever other characters talk about her, it’s usually in demeaning terms and insults, since she had unfairly accumulated a rock-bottom reputation. During a very vulnerable period, she strikes up a conversation with Lennie and starts venting about where she could’ve been, "I tell you I ain't used to livin' like this. I coulda made somethin' of myself."
The ending of the book, Of Mice and Men, had many strengths and weaknesses. In the last chapter in the novel, chapter 6 page 99 started off with Lennie running off to the woods where George told him to go if anything were to happen. As Lennie was running off to the woods he had started to hallucinate and started seeing his Aunt Clara, lennie started to get upset when she when she started to yell at him. After Lennie had ran off into the woods George had to get to him before Curley and the other men got to him. When George had finally found Lennie he sat Lennie down and Lennie asked george to tell him the story of where they were going to go in the future and what they were going to have.
Candy's dog is similar to Candy because both are elderly and have several wounds. Candy's dog struggles throughout the entire book, whether he is standing stationary or roaming around with Candy. Having his dog as a life-long friend and someone who is committed to him makes Candy, like George, stand out from the other men on the ranch. Instead of going side by side like friends when Lennie and George were first travelling through the field at the beginning of the story, Lennie trails behind George like a dog behind its owner. Candy has had his dog since he was a pup, so his dog is an important part of his life.
Rabbits symbolize fertility, luck, and creativity. Rabbits also symbolize compassion and intuition. Rabbits are a popular symbol in many cultures around the world. Often associated with springtime and new beginnings, the happy critters are a reminder that life is full of possibility (“Rabbit - Rabbit Spirit Animal Symbolism and Meaning”). According to Steinbeck, he uses 2 examples from the book to show why we use animal symbolism.
" These attacks solidify Steinbeck as a radical. Once my questions were hardly answered I dove deep into the actual book. The book Of Mice and Men portrays blatant depression era sexism. If women worked, it was only housekeeping type jobs and women without families were often overlooked in society. I believe because of this it makes sense that Curley’s wife had to marry him.
In Of Mice and Men, women were treated as less than men and are constantly demeaned and excluded. Their treatment during the Great Depression played a main role in their overall loneliness and solitude. Being the only woman on the ranch, Curley’s Wife longs for companionship and desperately wants someone to talk to or acknowledge her. She is ultimately ignored by everyone because of their fear of Curley’s jealousy and the repercussions that might follow if they are seen with her. Her loneliness is seen in Steinbeck's description of her physical appearance.
At the point when Candy hears George and Lennie talking about the dream of owning their own land, Candy gets inspired with the dream that George and Lennie share. George and Lennie allow Candy to share their dream, and Candy encounters hope. Imperatively, Candy builds up a friendship with George and Lennie. Candy confides about his inner feelings regarding his dog to George and begins a companionship. Candy’s actions convey the idea that shared dreams develop hope and friendship.
John Steinbeck’s presents Curley’s wife in a way that comes off as she is being abused. In Of Men and Mice Steinbeck clearly portrays Curley’s wife as a victim and not a villain, as others would see her. She is abused by Curley, mistreated by the other men on the ranch, and she is treated like she does not exist with no respect or value. Curley’s wife is a victim because Curley her husband, abuses and mistreats her.
In the book of mice and men, I believe that Steinbeck uses the significance of animals as a sign of false hope, as well as a sign of power in different characters. Throughout the book of mice and men Lennie always seems to be associated with the “Rabbits” which are a part of his dream, the dream of one day owning a farm. The biggest part of this dream to Lennie was the opportunity he would get tending the rabbits. When reading the book carefully I noticed that the rabbits symbolize Lennie's realization of when he's in trouble.
In the novel Of MIce and Men John Steninbeck creates empathy for the character of Curley’s wife, centered around her being the only woman living on a ranch during the 1930s, in order to help the reader prepare for, and deal with, the novel’s tragic ending. Through the chapters in the novel, the author Steinbeck creates sympathy by making the character Curley’s wife feel needed and being around cruel people, it is shown that it is hard to be a woman living in the 1930s. This can be shown in the novel Of Mice and Men as the character Curley’s wife is constantly being insulted by the men on the ranch behind her back for what she wears and what she looks like. All the character Curley’s wife wants is someone to talk to but is neglected by the
In John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck portrayed a political statement by looking at mental and physical disabilities through different characters such as Curley's Wife, Crooks, and Lennie. Curley's wife is used to represent how women were treated during the 1930’s and almost treated with a disability. Women were portrayed as the help and they were supposed to stay home and work while the strong brave men went out and got money to support the family. By Steinbeck not giving Curley's wife a name he is showing how she is connected to Curly with an Invisible rope.
World of Sexism Due to the Great Depression, women’s rights took a back seat to employment and poverty. It was believed that women shouldn’t work but stay at home, clean, cook, and raise their children. The prejudice against women in the society was great back in the 1930s for they were degraded and underestimated. All the rights they had gained in the 1920s were neglected and the women were once again maltreated. In Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the victim of sexism is Curley’s wife who is so insignifact that even a name was not provided for her.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is about two men, Lennie Small and George Milton, who travel place to place, job to job to pay for their dream. They end up on a ranch where they meet many people, including Curley's Wife, the only woman on the ranch. Steinbeck utilizes Curley’s Wife to prove that women didn’t have any chance of acquiring the American Dream because of the sexist society in the 1930’s. Being the only woman on a ranch full of men seems like a nightmare, even now. Can you imagine doing it when the sexism was even worse than it is now?
1. Of Mice and Men contains many symbols. Discuss two of these symbols. Two prevalent symbols in “Of Mice And Men” by John Steinbeck are dogs and rabbits. Dogs are used in the novel to represent Lennie, and they way he’s treated.