Chen Guangcheng, a prominent blind civil rights activist, said, “How a society treats its disabled is the true measure of a civilization.” The topic of disabilities is touched upon many times in the novella Of Mice and Men. John Steinbeck writes masterfully, driving character development forward employing societal paradigms on which to model his alternate world. Because the story is less plot driven as some others, it relies heavily on the presence of literary elements coupled with the exploration of civic themes. The undertones of political commentary in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men attempt to convey the mistreatment of people with disabilities in that they are isolated from society and treated vehemently, in order to connect us to characters’s social experiences in relation to the norms of the time period.
John Steinbeck continually makes the assertion that
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While their friendship is evident, so is the subtle tinge of inequality. The reader’s first impression of Lennie and George is one of equality and similarity. Steinbeck writes, "Both were dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats with brass buttons. Both wore black, shapeless hats and both carried tight blanket rolls slung over their shoulders" (2). At first blush, the unlikely pair form a support system, relying on each other undeterred by the disheartening temperament of the Great Depression. As the story progresses even further, deeper insight into the characters as well as the narrative contradicts this preconception. Just a few pages after, Steinbeck discusses the aspect of their relationship that adheres to the leader and follower dynamic. “Lennie stopped chewing and swallowed. His face was concentrated. ‘I… I ain’t gonna say a word.’ ‘Good boy! That’s fine Lennie’” (Steinbeck 15). Regarding social altercations, like the pair meeting their new boss, George require that Lennie be silent due to his mental ailment. What is more troubling is the treatment of Lennie as if he
In John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men”, Lennie and George travel together to work. They discuss the trouble they experience with Lennie's touching things he shouldn't and how that forces them to run, hide, and constantly search for work. Throughout the book, Steinbeck gives just a small picture of all the trouble Lennie has caused and how George continues to guide him to get by. A problem with a girl leads us to chapter 1 and 6, and how they share in setting, but George and Lennie's interactions differ. The similarities and differences of chapter 1 and 6 show how Lennie and George's cohesive friendship with a bright future develops into a loving bond that had to end.
When George asks Lennie to give the mouse back, he "slowly, like a terrier who doesn't want to bring a ball to its master, approached, drew back, [and] approached again. George snapped his fingers sharply, and at the sound Lennie laid the mouse in his hand" (Steinbeck 9). George knows that Lennie will listen to him because of the relationship they have, which is similar to a terrier and it is master. Steinbeck’s description of Lennie as a terrier clearly presses upon the reader that George is the leader, and Lennie is the follower. Later, George continuously yells at Lennie to fight back, to put Curley in his place.
Lennie and George’s dynamic is incredibly complex, however Steinbeck's figurative language shows an owner and pet like relationship. Therefore, Lennie depends on George for everything, and he couldn’t survive without him. Lennie
First, let’s start out with the fact that Lennie and George were like family and George knew what was best for Lennie. They did everything together and George has always been there for him. Lennie said, “An’ I got you. We got each other, that’s what, that gives a hoot in hell about us” (Steinbeck 104).
"We're born alone we live alone die alone. Only through love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone” Orson Welles. In John Steinbeck's novel, “Of Mice and Men”, Steinbeck focuses on the struggle of having a disability while struggling to get by during the American Great Depression on a Californian ranch life. Even though one may have to live around their disability, they do not let that become a big stepping stone in the life, whether they know about it or not. In John Steinbeck's novel, “Of Mice and Men”, Lennie Small, Carlson and Crooks are three great examples of how they keep living their lives despite the facts that they each have a disabilities to their lives.
By giving Lennie these childish and animalistic qualities, Steinbeck is illustrating how his immaturity causes him to get into trouble and distances him from the other workers. Although, through all of Lennie’s mistakes, George stays with him because he needs his companionship as much as Lennie does as it brings them both hope and strength in their desperate situations as migrant workers during the
Scott Hamilton once stated, “The only disability in life is a bad attitude.” Disability is only an obstacle in a person's life, but it does not set the identity of that person. John Steinbeck's novel shows how disabled people are treated differently by writing about their heartbreak and sorrow. Many individuals with disabilities feel that a disability is a wall blocking them from achieving their goals. In our society, people are told what to be and what to do with their disability, but one should have the choice to carve their pathway to success.
Discrimination Present in Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck was born at the beginning of the twentieth century and experienced the turning point of many eras that are evidenced throughout his writings. Steinbeck lived through the strong economic years during World War I, the dirt poor years of the Great Depression, and even saw the beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s; all of his dreams for these decades are evidenced in his works, more specifically, Of Mice and Men. Of Mice and Men is set in the 1920’s in the Salinas Valley of California. Other writers, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, char-acterize the 1920’s as a fun decade with a booming economy filled with men rising from rags to riches, but Steinbeck shows how life was for men
With Lennie’s mental disability, fending for himself is not always possible thus he has to rely on George’s help for everyday tasks. “‘What you gonna say tomorrow when the boss asks you questions? … I ain 't gonna… say a word’” (Steinbeck 15). This quote exemplifies Lennie’s dependency on George.
In the novel “Of Mice and Men” the theme of social injustice is presented by John Steinbeck through the characters of Lennie, Curley’s wife, and Crooks. By examining the theme of social injustice one can be taught that treating someone based on their mental capability, gender, or race is wrong. Rather treat them base on the person they are on the
Being forced to kill someone would be really emotional, but imagine if that person was your best friend. In John Steinbeck’s book “Of Mice and Men” George and Lennie have been together since they were kids. Lennie idolized George and George, as often as he gets mad at him, still loves Lennie. They run from their old town of Weed to get a job as ranch hands in Salinas Valley. From there they meet many people, most of which welcomed them, while some had a harder time accepting them.
George and Lennie, prominent characters in the story Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, are migrant workers—men who move from place to place to do seasonal work— who end up in California and are faced with numerous problems. Set in the era of the great depression, the story of Lennie and George, two very different men who have formed a family-like union, takes place on a farm where Lennie struggles to stay out of trouble. Having committed an unintentional, harmful act, Lennie is faces severe consequences; and George must decide to make a necessary decision which changes the mood of the entire novel. By the comparison and contrast of George and Lennie, unique characters who are very different from each other, the reader can better acquaint himself
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.
He usta like to hear about it so much I got to thinking maybe we would.” (Steinbeck 134) He knew it was too good to be true but sometimes sanity leaves people when they’ve had enough. Lennie’s innocent mental state and George ’s nurturing of Lennie are what kept their dream alive.
The author explores a variety of themes telling the story of George and Lennie, two agricultural field workers who are bound to each other but diametrically opposite in character. Lennie is a simple-minded man who is not in control of his strength,