The Role Of Cruelty In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
“Cruelty might be very human, and might be cultural, but it’s not acceptable”- Jodie Foster. Even though cruelty was and is part of quotidian life, it does not mean that it is acceptable for people to be cruel towards each other. During the time period in which the book Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, was set, it was normal for people to be cruel to each other. The story is placed in the 1930’s as George and Lennie, the two main characters, work towards their goal, but face many obstacles along the way. In the book, most of the characters act cruelly towards others but in different ways: accidentally or purposefully. Surprisingly enough, even the least likely to be cruel will act harshly towards other people. It is often argued that people …show more content…
At one point in the story, George and Lennie are on their way to the ranch, and as they are walking, they talk about how Lennie should act as they arrive. George hopes that Lennie will not have them fired before they even get the job when he tells him that, “If he finds out what a crazy bastard you are, we won’t get no job”(6). George is worried that if the boss doesn’t like them, they might get fired. He believes that the only way for Lennie to behave and not get them fired, is if he is cruel to him. George is cruel to Lennie a lot of the time, calling him “a crazy bastard” even though the connotation of “bastard” is astoundingly harsh. George earlier explains how Lennie makes them lose a job when Lennie acts strangely to a girl which frightened the girl and got them both in trouble, even though George was not even there at the time. Lennie tends to get them fired most of the time, so they have a spot that they meet up at, if there is some kind of problem. Lennie is hiding in the spot, the brush, that George told him to go to if he ever gets into trouble, after he accidentally kills Curley’s wife. He knows that what he did is wrong, but he doesn’t know how to fix it, and he thinks that George might be able to fix the problem. When George goes over to the spot where Lennie is waiting, he starts to talk to Lennie about life at the ranch but unexpectedly, “pulled the trigger”(106). George
How Are George And Lennie Alike
803 Words | 4 PagesHowever, because George knows Lennie so personally, he recognizes that his friend would never intentionally hurt anyone or anything. George tells Slim [on the topic of Lennie killing the ranch wife], “Lennie never done it in meanness... All the time he done bad things, but he never done one of ‘em mean.” (pg. 95)
The Sympathetic Character In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
667 Words | 3 PagesThe definition of a sympathetic character is one whom the writer expects the reader to identify with and care about, though not necessarily admire. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, Curley’s wife, a main character in the book is blatantly portrayed as an unsympathetic character. This is because they only see her through the men's eyes, who only see her as a tiresome object, owned by her husband. Steinbeck’s portrayal of Curley’s wife is unfair and misogynistic because he only displays her as unintelligent and promiscuous, never has a character have a turning point where they realize she’s more than an object, and he never reveals her true name. The first reason that Steinbeck's portrayal of Curley’s wife is unfair is that he never gives Curley any redeeming personality traits, he only depicts her as unintelligent and promiscuous.
Loneliness And Isolation In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
880 Words | 4 PagesLennie’s strength and his childish mind is his biggest struggle that affects many people on the ranch and himself. Lennie is overprotective of George and about being with him he would do anything for the guy, so when Crooks tells him, “S’pose he gets killed or hurt so he can’t come back. ”(71) Lennie then contradicts his opinion”This ain’t true. George ain’t got hurt.
Inhumanity In Of Mice And Men
837 Words | 4 PagesThroughout the novel Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck’s use of symbolism, characterization, and imagery demonstrate the cruel instincts of mankind. Man’s cruelty to man is and will be prevalent in society, therefore Steinbeck’s
George Sacrifice In Of Mice And Men
177 Words | 1 PagesGeorge sacrifices the chance to have a better and more fulfilled life to stay with Lennie. First, when George was introducing himself and Lennie to their new boss, he said, “I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy.” This shows that George was portraying that he cares about Lennie enough to be picked up on by others. He was willing to lie about being Lennie’s cousin to get him a job. Also, when George and Lennie were talking to each other at their camp spot George said, “I could get along so easy and nice If I didn’t have you on my tail.”
Naturalism In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
1469 Words | 6 PagesGeorge tries to defend Lennie after the rest of the ranch workers find out what he has done to Curley’s wife. He explains that Lennie cannot help getting himself into dreadful situations, but he has never done them on purpose. This quote ultimately proves that
How Does George Kill Lennie
853 Words | 4 PagesGeorge asks him to turn his head and look beyond, then says, “I’ll tell you so you can almost see it” (105). Even if this was a furtive way to get Lennie to turn the other way so he could shoot him, it still had the effect of making Lennie feel at peace and it was a way to give him hope. By helping Lennie imagine the farm they had dreamed of, George creates a sense of security and promise for Lennie, which was an image that kept him going day after day. Something else George does to comfort Lennie before he kills him is reassure him with his words, which often held the most significance to Lennie. Lennie asks George if he’s going to give him hell and George responds by saying, “I never been mad, an’ I ain’t now.
How Does Steinbeck Present Lennie's Death In Of Mice And Men
651 Words | 3 PagesGeorge keeps telling people that Lennie is a “Hell of a worker.” showing that people. All that matters to the boss and Curley (who represents the elite during this time) only see him as a useful worker. Lennie, like an animal needs someone to take care of him.
Theme Of The Scarlet Ibis And Lennie's Death
717 Words | 3 PagesGeorge had to kill Lennie, unless he wanted Curley to get to Lennie. Lennie was in imminent danger
Social Injustice In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
513 Words | 3 PagesIn the novel “Of Mice and Men” John Steinbeck portrays the theme of social injustice throughout the story in the lives of several characters that include Lennie, Curley’s Wife, and the stable buck, Crooks. All of these characters are mistreated in some way, shape or form. The hardships that these characters faced help guide us to see the social injustice that is prevalent in the story. Lennie is a victim of social injustice due to the fact that he is mentally disabled. He is not treated fairly when he was accused of rape.
The Theme Of Violence In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
203 Words | 1 PagesIn Of Mice and Men violence is extremely prevalent and also a major theme. Each character is so accustomed to their misfortune and failure, which results in them becoming agitated and more frustrated with each other. Violence and bullying are used as outlets for their stress and misery. An example of a character that suffers from this violence is Crooks. He decides to torment Lennie by touching on the idea about George’s safety being in danger, however crooks intentions came from the discrimination and isolation he felt unlike some of the other workers, Crooks wasn't just passing by.
Human Condition In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
573 Words | 3 PagesThe 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.
Migrant Workers In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
404 Words | 2 PagesJohn Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men portrays a life of two migrant workers Lennie and George. They have been best friends. George is characterized as a shorter man with a dark face while lennie is almost the opposite a man with a large face and a large body but he acts childish mentally and often forgets what he is told. Together both of them set off to go work for a ranch in one day hoping to achieve their dream of owning their own ranch. George was always talking to lennie to listen to him and what he says so he would not get into any trouble so they could continue working and saving money for the “dream”.
Compassion In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
685 Words | 3 PagesImagine, a small, nearly silent hospital room filled with quiet apprehension about what is about to happen; the silence masked only by soothing voices trying to bring the room to a state of peace. A man lies in bed, only kept alive by the life support that his been sustaining him for days. Then in a moment, the life support is gone and so is the man, released in a harsh act prompted by mercy, compassion, and good intentions. In John Steinbeck’s book, Of Mice and Men, a another situation is prompted by compassion, but the result is a cruel act. Lennie attempts to show caring and tenderness to Curley’s wife, but it leads to her death in an example of situational irony.
Cruelty In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
678 Words | 3 PagesDo you think people are simply cruel or do they have a reasoning to be cruel? In the book of Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, many characters show a cruel side of them that was a bit misunderstanding but had their own personal reasons why they acted cruel. The novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, with a very intense storyline is about two best friends named Lennie Small and George Milton who are always on the road looking for work on farms, since they’re planning to own their own farm someday. When luck hits them and find work at a ranch they meet many people at the ranch but everyone doesn’t get along. Sadly in the end when George finds out they wanted to kill Lennie, George ended up killing Lennie himself.
More about The Role Of Cruelty In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
How Are George And Lennie Alike
803 Words | 4 PagesThe Sympathetic Character In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
667 Words | 3 PagesLoneliness And Isolation In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
880 Words | 4 PagesInhumanity In Of Mice And Men
837 Words | 4 PagesGeorge Sacrifice In Of Mice And Men
177 Words | 1 PagesNaturalism In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
1469 Words | 6 PagesHow Does George Kill Lennie
853 Words | 4 PagesHow Does Steinbeck Present Lennie's Death In Of Mice And Men
651 Words | 3 PagesTheme Of The Scarlet Ibis And Lennie's Death
717 Words | 3 PagesSocial Injustice In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
513 Words | 3 PagesThe Theme Of Violence In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
203 Words | 1 PagesHuman Condition In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
573 Words | 3 PagesMigrant Workers In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
404 Words | 2 PagesCompassion In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
685 Words | 3 PagesCruelty In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
678 Words | 3 Pages