Dramatic qualities in the structure of 'Of Mice and Men'.
Steinbeck wrote Of Mice and Men in a play format, using a circular pattern of locales, condensed narration, minimal action descriptions, dramatic lighting, and foreshadowing to connect his plot. Some readers feel that Of Mice and Men is so balanced and thoughtful in structure that the novel is a work of art. Other readers feel that the structure makes the book predictable, taking away from the reader's interest. Nevertheless, Steinbeck's novel easily translated to the stage, almost intact, because of his thoughtful craftsmanship. The locales are perfectly balanced in a circular pattern. There are six scenes in groups of two, producing three "acts." The first and last scene take place near the bank of the river so that the plot comes full circle. In the middle are two scenes in the bunkhouse, and two scenes in the barn, the latter including Crooks' room which is in the barn. In each of these scenes, Steinbeck develops an interesting pattern of general to specific. For example, in the first scene by the river, Steinbeck begins with a "camera shot" of the entire scene so the reader can take in the mountains, the sun, the river, and all of nature in the vicinity. Then he focuses in on a path and then — still more — on two men walking down that path. At the end of the first scene the author does just the opposite. The focus is on the two men settling down for the night and
How does John Steinbeck use animals to structure the novel 'Of Mice and Men'?
How does John Steinbeck use animals to structure the novel 'Of Mice and Men'? Animals are used throughout John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" to structure the novel in a way that constantly foreshadows towards the climax at the end of the story. The way in which Lennie kills a mouse before they have reached the ranch, gives the reader an idea of his brute strength, and Steinbeck reinforces this with the fact that Lennie kills a small puppy as well. The American dream in the novel is for Lennie and George to own their own farm, and Lennie only wants this so he can have 'plenty rabbits'. The first mouse encountered in the story is a dead one. Lennie has kept it in his pocket 'to pet', and soon kills it as he does not know his own strength. Steinbeck is already using animals to foreshadow the rest of the novel, as Lennie is comfortable with death but he is so kinaesthetic that he continues to pet the dead mouse. Mice are obviously a source of comfort for Lennie, and he holds connotations of mice with Aunt Clara. The book is based around the fact that George and Lennie are only temporarily working at the ranch until they have enough money to own some land where they could work 'maybe six, seven hours a day' and 'live off the fatta the land'. Steinbeck structures the novel around this simple dream and allow others to join such as Candy. Steinbeck increases the severity of the
of mice and men
Of Mice and Men The American dream was almost impossible in the 1930's to achieve due to the Wall Street crash in 1929. This then started of the American depression throughout the 1930's. I believe that John Steinbeck might have chosen to write of mice and men during this time to show what life was like for the last few migrant ranch workers travelling the country from job to job looking for work. Steinbeck would have been able to do this as he himself had grown up in the same area on a ranch that his father owned, he had also worked on the ranch so he would know what the ranch hands were like, what they dreamed of achieving, how they treated each other and acted towards one another. Steinbeck would have been able to describe in detail what the area and the ranches would have looked like, and also what the workers would have been like he might have used descriptions of actual workers that worked on his father's ranch. The novel it's self is written like a theatre play as it is only a short novel but it gives the reader great detail in its descriptions of how the scenery would have been set. "For a moment the place was lifeless, and then two men emerged from the path and came into the opening by the green pool". The second scene in the book is when they arrive at the ranch and go into the bunk house "against the walls, were eight beds, five of them made up with blankets and
Of Mice and Men.
Critical Essay Of Mice and Men Everyone in the novel appears to have a dream or ambition of some kind. With Close reference to one or two of the characters analyse the importance of the dream to the individual, and whether you feel it is realistic. Dreams and ambition are one of the major themes in John Steinbeck's novel 'Of Mice and Men'. They are conveyed effectively by the hopes and dreams of the characters. George and Lennie's dream is important because it gives the main structure to the novel. They have a dream that one day, they will live on their own in a house and be able to 'liv' of the fatta the land'. Lennie's idea of this is very basic compared to George's idea. George thinks about how they are going to achieve their dream and all the other main aspects of the dream but Lennie just likes to hear about it. George tells Lennie not to tell anybody but he finds this hard and tells a few people. In the novel, George has other dreams aswell. He wishes that he would be alone, 'I could get along so easy and so nice if i didn'y have you on my tail. I could live so easy and maybe have a girl.' The dream reveals a lot about the characters, it shows how youthful and immature Lennie is. He keep wanting to hear it, just like a kid. He knows it like the back of his hand but he always prefere's to hear George tell it to him. 'Lennie said carftily-"Tell me like you done
Of Mice and Men
Stuart Hatch 4.1 Of Mice and Men Many people get lonely when they have to leave their family. For example many men in 1920's America had to leave their family to earn money to work on ranches because the stock market crashed and they lost their jobs. This is what George and Lennie had to go through. George and Lennie are the two main characters in the novel "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck. George in Lennie had to leave their Aunt Clara in search for work on a ranch. Dreams are something that a lot of the characters in "Of Mice and Men" have most of them is of doing something with their lives instead of being stuck on a ranch all the time. George and Lennie's dreams are a good example of this. "OK, Someday were gonna get the jack together and we're gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an' a cow and some pigs and..." That shows us that George and Lennie have a dream or call it a "Fantasy" about being away from it all and relaxing on their own ranch were they make the rules" Yet another character that has a dream or an ambition is Curley's wife: "Cuda been in the movies an had nice clothes like they wear an I cuda sat in one of them big hotels and had pitures took of me" Curley's wife has a dream that she could have been in the movies and she actually thinks she has the ability to be in the movies as well. George, Lennie and Curley's wife are not the only
Of mice and men
CW 3. Ashley ziyanai sithole Year 10R Mr. R Shaw 15/02/09 ENGLISH COURSEWORK: WHY DOES AUTHOR JOHN STEINBECK INCLUDE CROOKS IN HIS NOVEL `OF MICE AND MEN'? In America the Wall Street Stock market crashed in October 1929, the world economy was plunged into the Great Depression. By the winter of 1932, America was in the depths of the greatest depression in its history. It led to many people becoming jobless and many offices and banks shutting down and business and trade was at its most minuscule point. And in John Steinbeck's novel `Of Mice and Men' he describes the life that individuals had and the complications of lifestyle and dreams that were hard to accomplish. And in this essay I am going to be answering the question, "Why does John Steinbeck include crooks in his novel `Of Mice and Men', with detailed and supported statements that will help me generate a final opinion on why john Steinbeck included crooks in his novel. John Steinbeck uses crooks in his novel `Of Mice and Men' because of Racial discrimination amongst the workers on the Ranch. Some evidence to support my statement is the following "She turned to him in scorn. 'Listen, Nigger,' she said" evidence captured from chapter 4 from the novel `Of Mice and Men'. Steinbeck wanted to show that life for Afro-Americans was hard, and that the Characters
Of Mice and Men
Loneliness Of Mice and Men - The theme of loneliness "Of Mice and Men" is a skillful novel, which deals with the theme of `outsiders', that is, individuals who do not fit into the mainstream of society. The novel portrays this idea of loneliness throughout John Steinbeck's stimulating and exciting novel. There are several clearly identified themes running through the novel. The loyalty and friendship which exists between two men, George and Lennie, and the hostile environment of America during the American Depression. But, the main two themes of `Of Mice and Men' were loneliness and prejudice. Steinbeck raises questions in the mind of the reader that the novel would be based on loneliness. The first line read "A few miles south of Soledad". This is a clever idea by Steinbeck as "Soledad" means loneliness in Spanish. The title "Of Mice and Men" may be seen as a warning for the whole novel as it came from Robbie Burns's poem "To a Mouse" which translates as `no matter how well be plan the future, things often go wrong'. The setting of Steinbeck's novel is very important because the date when the novel took place was in 1929, around the time New York Wall Street stock market collapsed, resulting in the dollar becoming worthless. Unemployment was high at this time and men had to move around a lot looking for work, which meant they were never in one place long enough to
Of Mice and Men
George Haddad Wide Reading Course Work In the course of the year I have been reading two stories as part of my wide reading coursework. The first novel was " Of Mice and Men" written by John Stienbeck, the second was a short story "The Withered Arm" written by Thomas Hardy. I am to compare the two stories for their similarities and differences. John Stienbeck wrote "Of mice and Men" in 1937. The story is about two drifters in search of work. George and his simple-minded friend Lennie have nothing in the world except each other and a dream. The dream is that one-day they will have some land of their own. Eventually they find work on a ranch in California's Salinas Valley, but their hopes are doomed as Lennie struggling against extreme cruelty, misunderstanding and feelings of jealousy, becomes a victim of his own strength. "The withered arm" was written by Thomas Hardy in 1981, and is set in Dorset, south of England. Rhoda Brooke worked on a farm milking cows. She once had a relationship with farmer Lodge and together they had a son. Farmer Lodge gets married to a woman called Gertrude. Gertrude later appears in Rhoda's dream. Rhoda out of jealousy had a fight with Gertrude. The dream felt so real and as a result of the dream Gertrude's arm became withered. Gertrude went to a conjuror that had a cure for her arm, which would turn and clean her blood. The
Of Mice and Men
Is the "American Dream" presented as a myth or a real possibility in "Of Mice and Men"? John Steinbeck, the author of the book "Of Mice and Men" was born in Salinas, California in 1902. His books were based on real-life experiences: his own and the people he worked with. During his working life, Steinbeck met many people hoping to achieve what was known as the "American Dream". Many Americans shared this dream, although it meant different things to different people. The novel "Of Mice and Men" was written in the 1930s, this period of time was known as the "Great Depression". Before this decade came the 1920s - the "Roaring twenties" as this was called. At this time America was a newly discovered country, with plenty of money, cars, planes and industrial work. This all changed on the 29th October 1929 with the stock market crash. Unemployment during this time rose to 30% and 50% of commercial banks failed. The "Great Depression" destroyed the lives for many Americans, it left people homeless in poverty and despair. The workforce was largely male and stayed this way until after the war had ended. The "Great Depression" is what caused many people to want to begin to search for the "American Dream", thus causing many to migrate to California - the promised land of wealth. Steinbeck presented this in "Of Mice and Men" with two migrant workers - Lennie Small and George
Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck's novel 'Of Mice and Men' is one of those books which make you believe everything that takes place between the covers. Books like these always remain as classics, because of their very informative and believable stories. John Steinbeck especially excels in this, and therefore is the reason I have chosen this book to describe. 'Of Mice and Men', the title of the novel, originates from the poem 'To a Mouse', by Robert Burns. It means that no matter what you plan to do in the future, something will always go wrong. It comes from the line '...the best laid schemes o' Mice and Men, Gang aft agley'. The title of the book was originally 'Something that Happened', as the story is about what actually happened, not what should or could happen (at least to John Steinbeck). This is always at the back of the readers mind. During 1919 until 1926 (while Steinbeck was at college), he took up a few manual, and unskilled jobs, one being where he became a farm labourer on ranches between King City, and Santa Clara in Northern California. These experiences seem to have helped Steinbeck create the setting for his novel ('Of Mice and Men'). He uses two main settings throughout the story; Curley's father's ranch, and rural California. Most of the story is set in and around the ranch, which allowed Steinbeck to contain all of the important events in one place.
