Cruelty of the World The cruelty of life remains in an endless cycle. Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, illustrates the harsh life of migrant workers during the Great Depression. Through his use of tone, foreshadowing, and imagery, Steinbeck shows an honest and cruel world that is never changing. Steinbeck’s tone throughout Of Mice and Men is very honest and to the point, much like life. He compares Lennie to an animal during his fight with Curley, saying he, “covered his face with his huge paws and bleated with terror”(Steinbeck, 62). His comparison of Lennie shows the naturalist writer in him and explains that man is cruel and detrimental just like wildlife. Another example of Steinbeck’s honest tone is when George is trying to explain to the boss why Lennie isn’t speaking, saying, “I’m ain’t saying that he’s bright. He ain’t. But I say he’s a God damn good worker”(Steinbeck, 23). George describes Lennie honestly, but it shows the cruel side of humanity by pointing out Lennie’s weaknesses and his inability to fix them. Steinbeck’s tone sets up a very honest and cruel world that man lives in Steinbeck’s use of …show more content…
One dreary landscape is described, saying, “For a moment the place was lifeless…”(Steinbeck, 4). A lifeless world is frightening and lonely, much like life was during the Great Depression. This is a greater metaphor for George and Lennie’s lives because it says their lives are bleak and lifeless. When George and Lennie arrive at the farm their living quarters are described as, “...a long, rectangular building. Inside, the walls were whitewashed and the floor unpainted”(Steinbeck, 18). This simple and mundane description shows how austere life was. It also shows the hopelessness of George and Lennie with blank walls meaning an empty life. The dismal qualities of the landscape surrounding George and Lennie points out the hopelessness of man and their inability to change
At the point when George shoots Lennie it demonstrates that he cared for Lennie and realized that in the event that he let the others discover Lennie they would torment him. Steinbeck demonstrates that, in Lennie 's situation, individuals with dysfunctional behaviors were dealt with as sub-par and misjudged with little help in their circumstances. It likewise demonstrates that when individuals are detainees to their status, for example, Curly 's wife, you are headed to do emotional and consideration looking for acts that cause inconvenience of everybody. In the book, the writer utilized words that were not proper English, for example, ain 't and different illustrations "You never oughta drink water when it ain 't running, Lennie,".
Steinbeck shows this by Lennie’s need of George to tell him the story of their dream farm over and over again. “Lennie spoke craftily, “Tell me-like you done before’” (Steinbeck 13). Steinbeck also shows this is his physical description of Lennie. “Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide sloping shoulders; he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws’ (Steinbeck 2).
The friendship between George and Lennie in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is illustrated as one that is strong and enduring which is not expected of men during the time the book sets. By looking at George and Lennie’s friendship, one can see that they both envision a future that includes both of them and fail to see one without the other. By opposing the themes of friendship and loneliness, Steinbeck creates an example of a friendship that is doomed to end with the use of foreshadowing in the final stages of the
The friendship between George and Lennie is perhaps the strongest relationship in the novel. They have a symbiotic relationship, where George is presented as being the carer and protector of Lennie, who provides stability and company. George has always put Lennie first, even if it means missing out on something. Steinbeck characterises Lennie as being innocent and naïve, ‘jes’ like a kid’, but as ‘strong as a bull’. Lennie is a victim of his own strength, and it leads to him unintentionally taking the lives of several mice, his pup and Curley’s wife.
The men ridicule him leaving him mentally ostracized. Physically he fits in better than any other worker. Because of his odd grouping of mental ability and physical strength, Lennie often hurts or kills other living things because he doesn't understand his own strength in comparison to others. John Steinbeck uses all these characters and more to depict the ostracism that people struggle with daily when they are placed in a situation with which society does not agree with.
Lennie is not a bright man, he has some metal issues and the two were run out of town because of it. Nevertheless the two won’t give up their hopes and dreams of one day living by themselves. A area were Steinbeck shows powerlessness is when Lennie and George go in for a job interview and the women questions Lennie because of his disability. “Oh I aint sayin he bright.
The last scene of Lennie and George displays their usual relationship Lennie committing mistakes and George being mad at him. Steinbeck portrays sadness on this scene exhibits their usual relationship, but this time one thing is different, since George is pretending to be angry at him, by being apprehensive. The task George is about to do is definitely a hard one so he decide to sweet talk Lennie about their dream of the ranch while he prepares himself mentally to commit this action. There is no doubt that this was something tough for George, here is where the concept
George and Lennie constantly talk about their dream about owning a farm and they almost came close to it, but a series of unfortunate events occurred and that’s where theme of loneliness come into play. Steinbeck portrays that loneliness is caused by both social barriers and personal choice by exemplifying dialogues and actions of Curley's wife,
In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck portrays opposite personas, as George represents a smart and brave character, and Lennie acts as a follower to George, showing fear and discomfort around others. To begin, usually when you first meet someone, there is a sense of shyness. Displayed in the reading, Lennie shows he is shy when he meets Curley’s Wife, and is nervous on interacting with her. Towards the end of the story, Lennie makes a difficult decision, as he decides to kill Lennie with a gunshot to the back of the head. In George’s defense, he should kill him, as he causes so much trouble to their dream idea.
Even though Lennie lacks the fundamental concept of common sense for his age, he is trustworthy and friendly to everyone he meets, the author John Steinbeck shows this by sharing his relationship with his best friend and traveling companion George. Throughout the story George and Lennie’s relationship increases and the reader begins understand the mindset of
Through Lennie and George's relationship, Steinbeck illustrates how with
Nevertheless, she comes to find out that he is actually the opposite of what she originally thought. John Steinbeck wants to show that one cannot falsely judge others based off of the stereotype that people who talk funny are nuts. Lennie is a very kind-hearted person and cares for others. He might not seem like the smartest person, but misjudging him just because of that is wrong because he is actually a good human
In the novella Of Mice and Men by the author John Steinbeck, George Milton and Lennie Smalls deal with the pitfalls of migrant work while employed as ranch hands in the midst of the Great Depression. Steinbeck explores the theme of brotherhood through George’s responsibilities towards Lennie, Lennie’s downfall, and the ranch hands’ camaraderie. Throughout the work, John Steinbeck proves that brotherhood cannot outstand all of life’s challenges and necessary decisions. First, George’s dedication to Lennie shows an example of brotherhood in the plot.
Steinbeck illustrates this through Lennie's choice of words and his limited actions. He is a companion for the ages
John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men (1937) is an intensely-focused novella that deals with friendship, trust, the relationship between good and evil and the role of justice. It is the second book in Steinbeck’s trilogy about agricultural labour, alongside with In Dubious Battle (1936) and The Grapes of Wrath (1939). The title, inspired by a line in the poem The Mouse (1875) by the Scottish poet Robert Burns (The best-laid schemes o' mice an ‘men / gang aft agley), encapsulates the spirit of the narration.