Right after talking about the ranch Candy says, “‘I oughtta of shot that dog myself, George. I should’t oughtta of let no stranger shoot my dog,’” (Steinbeck, 1937, p.61). Candy had the option to either shoot his own dog or have somebody else shoot it for him. That is an ethical struggle that Candy had to face. Neither of the options are ethical, but shooting his own dog would have been the better option.
Such a phrase has become a rite of passage when life hands us different opportunities and difficulties. As humans, we are always looking for reasons to assure ourselves. If there is a reason for all that transpires in people’s lives, what sense can we make of the universe that we people, live in? Does we relieve ourselves gaining something that was not ours to begin with? The novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck characterizes its characters with the act of doing things without a valid reason but was establish to further understand the connection between the characters in the story.
The American psychologist Bruno Bettelheim argues that fables, myths and classic fairy tales such as Jack and the Beanstalk and Snow White deal with important human emotions and interminable ideas such as the battle between good and evil. Bettelheim also argues that children do not grow to maturity and understanding by accident - they have to be surrounded by stories and legends that teach the moral lessons as well as keep them exciting and entertaining. Aesop is undoubtedly the most distinguished author of fable. His fables put prominence on the social communications of human beings and hence the morals he draws; deal with the realities of life. In Aesop 's fables like `The Ant and the Grasshopper’, where the ant can survive winter because he has gathered food during the summer months instead of singing like the grasshopper, teach that hard work and planning ahead are better than being idle.
Character-Driven Tension in Of Mice and Men Within a story it is crucial that an author forms a net that engages and interests the reader to continue reading. That net is tension, and whether or not the tension is engaging will make or break any story, be it a story about two friends in hard times or about a fantastical world. Some authors use the environment to create tension, however character-driven tension is the most common method of doing so. In the story Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck utilizes and writes his characters’ interactions to convey tension within the 1930s time period ranch. Admittedly, the character of Slim is meant to be the antithesis to the tension of the novel.
Candy ended up letting them shoot his dog, “he led the dog out into the darkness...a shot sounded in the distance...”(Steinbeck 48-49). Although he was upset he was not the one who did it, he understood it was important to move past the loss of his dog.It was time for his dog to pass away already and he had to put his emotions aside and let them end his misery. Another example of the characters having to get through the loss of a pet is when Slim had to kill off some of his dogs because he didn’t have
Of Mice and Men is not only about two friends and their journey together, but as well as giving one a deeper meaning of the book, such as showing the nature of their dreams, the characters as archetypes, and if the killing of Lennie is justified in the end. In this literary novella, Steinbeck digs into the idea of the nature of dreams and that each man must make sacrifices or battle some other outside force to make a dream come true. This follows with the theme that humans give meaning to their life and future by creating dreams. George and Lennie both have vast dreams that influence them in different
Shooting Lennie was George’s way of protecting him. After their problems in Weed, George hopes that Lennie has learned his lesson and will stay out of trouble, but then he murders Curley’s wife. George knows that Curley will desire nothing more than to exact revenge on Lennie. E In his conversation with Candy he insists, “I ain’t gonna let them hurt Lennie” (Steinbeck 95). A Curley is bitter and vengeful Dent 1 because Lennie had crushed his hand and made
In the novel “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, he portrays the American dream is unattainable for his characters, Lennie and George, who ironically are each others opposites, work towards achieving their dream together. Each character has at least one thing standing between them and their American dream. Whether its their race, sexuality, physical, or mental disabilities. Through his narration and use of imagery, Steinbeck crafts the character Lennie Smalls as an untamed animal in order to reveal how impossible it is to attain the American dream as a mentally handicapped person. As readers our first encounter with Lennie is dehumanizing right away.
John Steinbeck conveys several themes in Of Mice and Men, the most important ones being dreams and loneliness. The workers’ ideas contrast sharply with their reality; their dreams of better things are unrealistic, but necessary to their survival. They also face alienation and marginalization that threaten friendship and economic security. These themes are foreshadowed by the reference to Burns ' mouse. In the book, they interlock: people who are lonely have most need of dreams to help them through.
What you may not remember are the underlying themes hidden within his novella. Before you disregard this letter as another one of my rants, let me explain. As you may know, Steinbeck was known to use his platform as a writer to represent the struggles of average people in society (Hickey). In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck used the universal theme of mankind’s need for friendship to continue this idea. More specifically, he used the unusual friendship of George and Lennie and contrasted them against