Survival In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Survival is often introduced as a concept of endurance, persistence and perseverance, a textbook idea about simply living or dying. At the inception of human life, merely surviving was imperative and existence was something that humans fought for on a daily basis. But, as we flourish independently, as societies and as a race, the concept of survival is warped, and growth as an individual, as well as coping with everyday hardships and not just traditional examples of adversity such as poverty and destitution are prime examples of survival. In John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, the reader is presented with the idea that survival is not synonymous to staying alive, and moreover, that cultural and societal struggles shape self in accordance with the way we face them.
Survival of the fittest is the primordial notion that only the fit have the power and strength to live, and more importantly, thrive in their environment. In the novel Of Mice and Men, the author addresses this, noting the concept constantly throughout. Characters who are less resilient or tenacious than the rest do not have the physical or mental strength, or lack the ability to fend for themselves to survive. These characters all share something in common- weakness, and thus are constantly isolated and not treated as equals, but as insignificant and subordinate, consequently due to mental, racial, or gender related bias and prejudice. Lennie, a man who struggles with a mental illness, constantly relies on