“Of Mice and Men” is among American writer John Steinbeck’s most famous novels. Like many of Steinbeck’s signature works, ‘Of Mice and Men’ takes place during the Great Depression which destroyed the economy and dominated culture in the United States throughout the 1930s. The novel centers around a pair of...migrant farm laborers, George and Lennie, as they try to make a living in California, experiencing moments of joy and mountains of pain and hardship along the way. The story speaks to the helplessness and soul-crushing reality of Depression-era poverty. To write an essay on it, start by looking up samples of papers to work with before constructing an outline on which to create an essay with an introduction, body, and conclusion.
Loneliness is debatably one of the most horrible feelings existent within society. It strikes every living soul at one point or another, as it takes an immensely deep emotional toll. A profound part of what contributes to the feeling of loneliness is a lack of...
Hopes and dreams help people to survive, even if they never become real. How true is this for the characters of Mice and Men. Steinbeck wrote the book of Mice and Men in 1937, following the Great Depression of the United States of America. When...
John Steinbeck shows how important a friendship is and how much two people can support each other to survive. Take this bond away and it will create a difficult and almost impossible journey for the two men in this novel. John Steinbeck portrays Lennie and...
In the novel ‘ Of mice and men’ John Steinbeck uses the character Crooks to represent racism across America and symbolise the marginalisation of the black community at the time the novel is set. From the beginning Steinbeck skillfully uses Crooks as a tool to...
It is the natural inclination of all men to dream. Some may have short-term goals, and others may have life-long ambitions. Despite what cynics say, the American people are hopeful and waiting for something great. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck paints a portrait...
In his famous poem “Harlem,” Langston Hughes raises the question, “What happens to a dream deferred?” (line 1), and goes on to offer several possibilities for the consequences of deferring one’s dreams—“Does it dry up / like a raisin in the sun? / Or fester...
Ambition can be described as the desire to achieve something or to succeed with motivation, determination and an inner drive. In the play Macbeth, a powerful man is tempted into murder. In the novella Of Mice and Men, an unlikely pair try to follow their...
Has our culture improved of how women are widely viewed? Looking at the book Steinbeck introduces a character named Curley’s Wife who is treated poorly simply because she was a woman. Steinbeck’s portrayal of Curley’s Wife is his indictment of how women were viewed in...
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The book Of Mice and Men was written to acquaint us with the situation in the United States of America at that time. This writing does not belong to the happy and full of joy kind of literature but, it deserves to be shown in...
Friendship is like a religion to some people if it is broken then they break, in the novel Of Mice Of Men friendship is a big part of the novel. In the novel, friendship is brought up many times throughout the novel the presence of...
The historical fiction novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck is about the journey of two friends George Milton and Lennie Small. The book takes place a few miles south of Soledad at the Salinas River. George and Lennie go to work on a...
Loneliness is an inevitable part of lifestyles, which many people war with. It is an emotional response to a lack of companionship and verbal exchange with others, which has a huge effect in a single’s normal conduct. Some impacted individuals can also try to stop...
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Throughout history, there has always been an American dream. This dream is different for every person that has it, but has a simple similarity. The American dream, whether you are white, black orange, or even purple, is the pursuit of happiness. The book I feel...
In Misogyny in Of mice and Men the author Emery talks about how women are portrayed in the book. The roles she talks about are “that of homogeneous male fraternity not just to repress, but to eliminate women and femininity” as stated on page 70....
The ending of the novella is seen as a tragedy to the readers following the death of Lennie, nevertheless is holds the key ideas that Steinbeck wanted to present to the reader concerning society during the Great Depression such as how they were unable to...
When George and Lennie are traveling to the ranch and Lennie stops to drink out of a pond of dirty water George screamed “Lennie! Lennie for god sakes don’t drink so much”… “Lennie, you gonna be sick like you was last night!” This quote shows...
John Steinbeck, the author of “Of Mice And Men”, is trying to say that the loneliness leads to depression and it is a major theme in the novel. Most of the characters are very lonely because they have no family. However, George and Lennie are...
Throughout John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, the author depicts many characters such as Lennie, Candy, Crooks, etc. as having physical or mental impairments. These “disadvantaged” characters quickly become to represent isolation and discrimination, as well as giving the reader an insight into why...
The relationship between abundance and isolation is conveyed in a variety of assorted techniques in John Steinbeck’s, Of Mice And Men. Therefore, this poetically expressed non-fiction novella is mainly regarding the concept of loneliness when it comes to the protagonists in the story, which are...
Eudora Welty once said “Every story would be another story, and unrecognisable, if it took up its characters and plot happened somewhere else…fiction depends for its life on place”. This applies especially to John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice And Men’ (OMAM); set in California during the...
Throughout history, those who are not on level with those around them tend to be neglected. This is a trend seen among animals as the runt of a litter gets killed, eaten, or left behind, and is seen among humans as the mentally challenged or...
The first two settings that Steinbeck exposes to his readers in Of Mice and Men are the countryside and the bunkhouse at the ranch. Both of these are quite crucial to the development of the characters, as well as the progress and proper story-telling in...
Throughout the novella “Of Mice and Men,” Steinbeck uses the character of crooks to highlight the racial discrimination in 1930s America. During the great depression Black Americans faced hostility, bigotry and persecution. In Southern states, Jim Crow laws bolstered racial segregation and groups such as...
In the realistically dismal novella Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck sympathizes with poverty-stricken characters that are stuck working towards the hopeless American Dream. He portrays the men and women as human beasts, stranded in a world of limited social roles, intolerance, and endless labor....
One poignant example of the misperceptions that women face in a male-dominated society is presented in the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. The story takes place in the Dust Bowl era, when rough economic times made it hard to find work; two...
Lennie is a central character in Of Mice and Men, and though many believe he is a flat character, he does in fact evolve as the story goes on, with Steinbeck making him progressively more human. The reader strongly empathises with such a fascinating character...
Of Mice and Men is a classic novel taking place during the 1930s. The main characters are two migrant farmers, George and Lennie. They end up working at a farm out in California where they attempt to make enough cash to buy their own land:...
Lennie Small, Curley's wife, George Milton, Curley, Crooks, Slim, Carlson, The Boss, Candy
Based on
It was intended to be a play of 30,000 words, which is why it has a dynamic structure.
Symbols/motives
Tragedy, betrayal, anger, social relationships, Napoleon complex, despair, loneliness, mental illness.
Influence
As a book that has been banned more than once in the United States, it was named as one of the most challenging books of the 21st century because of the complex issues it brings up and the portrayal of tragedy where no one but the difficult times are to blame.
Plot
The book revolves around George and Lennie, two itinerant workers, during the 1930s in a place with a symbolic name "Soledad", which stands for the Spanish word "loneliness". The entire story is fit into four days that slowly end up in a tragedy when George kills Lennie. The book also deals with a mental disability, which can be seen in Lennie's portrayal of schizophrenia. This complex mixture of tragedy and the loss in Steinbeck’s book tell the tale of loneliness and the ways how anger and the lack of any hope end up in death, both mental and physical.
Interesting facts
The first version of the book was eaten by Steinbeck’s dog called Max.
The book has been banned in the United States.
The original title was "Something That Happened"
This book has been written in a place, which is now called Monte Sereno, California.
It was adapted into an opera in 1969.
The book drew several dialogues from Steinbeck's own life.
The house where "Of Mice and Men" was written represents a historic landmark today.
Quotes
“A guy needs somebody―to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. Don't make no difference who the guy is, long's he's with you. I tell ya, I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick.”
“As happens sometimes, a moment settled and hovered and remained for much more than a moment. And sound stopped and movement stopped for much, much more than a moment.”
“Trouble with mice is you always kill 'em. ”
“Just like heaven. Ever’body wants a little piece of lan’. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It’s just in their head. They’re all the time talkin’ about it, but it’s jus’ in their head.”
“I ain't got no people. I seen the guys that go around on the ranches alone. That ain't no good. They don't have no fun. After a long time they get mean. They get wantin' to fight all the time. . . 'Course Lennie's a God damn nuisance most of the time, but you get used to goin' around with a guy an' you can't get rid of him.”
Why is this topic important
In simple terms "Of Mice and Men" tell about life during the Great Depression era and the acts people have done to survive. John Steinbeck did not choose a special setting that would tell a single story, but opted for a different plot where people have made hard decisions for other persons as well. It was a way of survival without compromise or thinking twice. As Steinbeck often said himself, it is not the tragedy itself but a reflection of times and loneliness that drove people insane. It is a reason why this book contains racial remarks and vulgarity exactly the way as it has been back then. It is not an intention to be so, yet a reflection that has been made in a sincere way.
Why should this topic be used
It deals not only with the Great Depression and the tragedy that comes along when a person is lost and confused but also speaks of mental disorders that most people have failed to notice. Through the lens of grief, it reveals the topic of human loneliness and one’s being forced to make a decision that a person thinks to be a better solution. “Of Mice and Men” is the call back to the era of survival of the fittest, which is also applicable to the present times. It is a reason why it is still taught at school and used as an essay topic choice.
What is Steinbeck saying about loneliness?
Candy, Crooks, and Curley represent three stages of loneliness, according to the book as Steinbeck has put it. One of them is getting old, the other one is being unable to show one’s beauty, and the last one is the loneliness of being ignored and misunderstood.
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