RELATIONSHIPS AND LONELINESS IN "OF MICE AND MEN"
RELATIONSHIPS AND LONELINESS IN "OF MICE AND MEN" The story "0f Mice and Men" was written by John Steinbeck and set in America in the late 1920's early 1930's, in California near Soledad. The story is based around migrant workers in California usually male with no roots a very solitary existence. Migrant workers life was hard. It was gruelling, challenging, and often unrewarding. Just as George and Lennie dream of a better life on their own farm, the other migrant farm workers dreamed of finding a better life in California. The state's mild climate promised a longer growing season and, with soil favourable to a wider range of crops. Very few found it to be the land of opportunity and land of plenty which they dreamed about. Steinbeck 's theme's within this story are loneliness and relationships, the migrant workers usually travel alone moving from job to job as season and circumstances dictated an almost thankless existence having no place to call their own or families to go home too. Most of the characters admit, at one time or another, to having a deep sense of loneliness and isolation. . George sets the tone for these confessions on page 15 "Guys like us, that work on the ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place." When he reminds Lennie that the life of a ranch hand is the loneliest of lives. Men like George
How does Steinbeck present the character of Crooks in the novel 'Of Mice and Men'?
How does Steinbeck present the character of Crooks in the novel 'Of Mice and Men'? Within the time period of the 1930's, many non-white people kept themselves isolated from others and stayed out of trouble, to avoid the risk of being lynched. Segregation, isolation and racism was a normal lifestyle led by those who were black; one of the characters that embodies this theme in the novel is the character of Crooks. Other themes of the novel are the American Dream; which is never achieved by any of the characters, this suggests that Steinbeck believed that the dream was unbelievable. This is the same belief which Crooks has. Friendship is another important theme, as the reader sees the desperation Crooks has for friendship and the affect of loneliness has had on him. Steinbeck set the novel in Soledad, California, 1930's during the Great Depression. This is an ironic setting because the term 'Soledad' means isolation and loneliness in Spanish, reflecting the life led by Crooks. Also the reader follows the protagonists Lennie and George as they struggle financially. In addition unemployment rates were high and pension rates decreased; making life hard especially for the middle class. Many men left their families and travelled across the country to find work and support their families. But life was harder for black men as they were seen as savage animals and were not wanted;
The Slave's dream
'The Slave's dream', written in 1842 by the white man H. W. Longfellow, tells of the final dream of a black slave before his death. It is set on a plantation in America where the slave has stopped in the middle of a day's work, giving up hope of freedom in life, believing only in freedom by death. 'I, too' was written later than 'The Slave's Dream by Langston Hughes. It is about the hope for equality of a black servant after the abolishment of slavery in America. Written during the abolitionism movement, 'The Slave's Dream' helps to raise awareness of the immoral injustices black people had to face. This reflects the mood of the era as people at this time were trying to change the public's opinion of slavery and get it abolished. As the most important people at this time were whites, Longfellow must have used the colour of his skin to get people to listen to his point of view through his poems. H. W. Longfellow uses this poem to show that black people had lives before slavery, but that the white race had taken them away. The type of life that followed the taking of black people's freedom is reflected in the poem's rhyme scheme and stanza patterns. The poem has a very rigid structure. The rhyme scheme is regular and the lengths of lines have a repetitive pattern. The poet has conformed to such a rigid way of writing poetry, as a slave in America would have to conform to their
How does Steinbeck present Crooks in the extract? What is the importance of crooks in the novel as a whole? Of Mice and Men is a powerful and moving portrayal of two men striving
Assignment Title: How does Steinbeck present Crooks in the extract? What is the importance of crooks in the novel as a whole? Of Mice and Men is a powerful and moving portrayal of two men striving to understand their own unique place in the world. Drifters in search of work, George and his simple-minded friend Lennie have nothing in the world except each other - and a dream. A dream that one day they will have some land of their own. Eventually they find work on a ranch, but their hopes are doomed, as Lennie - struggling against extreme cruelty, misunderstanding and feelings of jealousy - becomes a victim of his own strength. Of Mice and Men does many things which include: tackling universal themes, friendship and a shared vision, and giving a voice to America's lonely and dispossessed; and in this essay about this poignant novel I will explain how 'Crooks' a key character in this book is presented, and also show his importance to the novel as a whole. In 'Of Mice and Men' Crooks is a black man and is disfigured because of his crooked back. Because of these two things, he is treated as a second-class citizen. We can see that he is treated this way by looking at this extract: "Crooks, the negro stable buck, had his bunk in the harness-room; a little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn. On one side of the little room there was a square four paned window, and on the
How is the theme of racism and loneliness shown through the character of Crooks in OF MICE AND MEN?
How is the theme of racism and loneliness shown through the character of Crooks in OF MICE AND MEN? The book 'Of Mice and Men' is based in the 1930's at this time racism was abolished but still carried on, the Great Depression was at its worst so people became lonely because they had to go and work of ranches. The Great the Depression is when the biggest banks of the USA became bankrupted, so all the people who invested in the banks lost all their money. This made some people depressed and did not think they could not cope. But in most cases they carried on with their treacherous lives. This is symbolised by Crooks in the story. He is a 'lonely' and desperate for communication for others because of his colour. John Steinbeck realised this racism at this time and separates Crooks from the rest of the ranch workers. The ranch is a microcosm to the hole of America. The first time we hear about Crooks is through Candy's speech. We are immediately shown that Crooks is not respected by Candy or the other ranch workers by announcing he is a 'nigger'. Also he is used for a brutal entertainment. At the last Christmas the white ranch workers were drinking and having an exquisite time and decided to pick on the helpless, alienated and crippled 'nigger', so they thought. This all shows that black people was still treated in an appalling manner and the other white ranch worker still
Explore the relationship between George and Lennie in Chapters 1-3 with relevant comparisons.
Explore the relationship between George and Lennie in Chapters 1-3 with relevant comparisons. Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men deals with the plight of migrant labourers in California during the Great Depression, with the focus on two random migrant workers, George and Lennie. The first chapter sharply establishes the relationship between the two primary characters. George is a realist who must care for the simple child-like Lennie. George consistently reprimands and gets angry with Lennie for his actions, while Lennie strives to please George. We see this in the scene by the pool where Lennie imitates and copies George's every move. Their relationship can be immediately compared to a father-son relationship. The arguments between the two characters reveal a great deal about each of them. George is careful and controlled; he formulates a plan for every situation and acts to prevent any bad occurrences. His careful planning comes from past experience; Steinbeck implies that Lennie has placed George into so many precarious situations that he must now consider every possible tragedy that might occur. "Well, look Lennie - if you jus' happen to get in trouble like you always done before, I want you to come right here an' hide in the brush" Although George and Lennie are similar in age, George acts as a parental figure. He guides Lennie through almost every situation, supplying
Of Mice and Men - Life in America in the 1930's…
Of Mice and Men - Life in America in the 1930's... "Of mice and men" by John Steinbeck tells the story of life in 1930's America during the great depression, about the dreams, lifestyle, racism and sexism, which had become a way of life for the characters in Steinbeck's book. I will be discussing these points to determine exactly what life in 1930's American was like. Life in 1930's America was very lonely, George tells us that "...guys like us...are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place...". Many of the other ranch hands share the same feeling. This is also made apparent by the fact that most people think that there has to be something wrong if two men travel together because nobody takes that much care of somebody else, Slim's comment to this is "... I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy..." George and Lennie's new boss is also suspicious, he asks George, referring to Lennie, "...what stake you got in this guy?..." George feels he has to lie and tells the boss that Lennie is " ...my...Cousin...". The other ranch hands don't interact with each other this is shown when Candy says to George "...a guy on the ranch don't never listen nor he don't ask no questions..." this quote emphasises how private the menn keep their lives. Slim is an exception to this as he is always willing to talk if others wish to. However
Of Mice and Men – How does Steinbeck use symbolism to reflect the characters relationships with each other and the society in which they live?
Of Mice and Men - How does Steinbeck use symbolism to reflect the characters relationships with each other and the society in which they live? Throughout 'Of Mice and Men' the author, John Steinbeck, uses symbolism to reflect some of the characters motives and their relationships with one another. Steinbeck uses particular extracts, to relate to the different characters in the book, each of them representing a wide range of people in society at that time. One of the first aspects that Steinbeck uses as a source of symbolism, is the title. 'Of Mice and Men' is actually the title of a poem written by the famous Scottish poet and writer of folksongs Robert Burns. The poem is about a mouse whose nest is destroyed by a plough. The best laid schemes 'O Mice an Man gang oft agley,' meaning things often go wrong. The poem and title basically mean that plans don't always go as they were meant to. The title is symbolic to the book, as, certain characters are metaphorically ploughed: Many of the characters in the novel have dreams, in the sense that they have hopes and ambitions. Lennie and George have a dream of living on a farm together, where they would be free. The 'dream farm' represents the ambition and possibility to escape from the itinerant workers' loneliness and poverty. George's dream is destroyed by Lennie, as Lennie is always getting himself into trouble, and George
Of Mice And Men
Many of the characters in 'Of Mice and Men' have dreams. What are their dreams and how near are any of them to achieving what they want? Many characters have dreams and aspirations in the story "Of Mice and Men" and try to achieve them in different ways. Many characters have dreams and I will be discussing the dreams of: Candy, Crooks, Curley and his wife. Candy, Crooks and Curley wife all have similar dreams, which is to have freedom and equality. All three characters are treated with very little respect and are seen as lower class due to race, gender, age or disability. Dreams are very important to the characters as they help them to escape from reality even if only for a short while. Their dreams are also significant as they are hope that things will get better and are vital to keep spirits high. However, many people's dreams were affected by the economic downfall that America experienced. The story is set in the 1930's, which was when America experienced the Wall Street crash. This was when the stock market collapsed and many Americans lost thousands of dollars they had invested. This caused mass homelessness and led to the great depression. During this era there was lots of prejudice and discrimination against black people, women, the elderly and the disabled. This affected them the worst as any time when life was getting tough they were hit much worse and were the
The Outsider (Of Mice and Men)
The Outsider Of Mice and Men is a classic novel written by one of the world's most illustrious writers, John Steinbeck. John Steinbeck wrote a naturalistic novel which dealt with many powerful and universal themes including the value of dreams and goals, friendship and also "outsiders", which means individuals who do not fit into the mainstream of society. The novel also illustrates the significance of moral responsibility, the veracity of social injustice and also solitude. His novel "Of Mice and Men" is a story taking place around the 1930s during the Great Depression in California where the New York Wall Street stock market collapsed, and the rate of unemployment was very high. The great depression affected everyone, including both the rich and poor, industrial workers, farmers and so on. This novel however, portrays the life of two farmers, George Milton and Lennie Small. The themes of the novel are important because they depict human life in a remarkable and comprehensible way relating to the dreams and constant struggles faced in life. All the characters played in the novel "Of Mice and Men" are lonesome, living an empty life everyday consisting of mainly hard labor. The characters all live a very disheartening life, with the lack of happiness, love and affection in their lives. This can be seen also when George mentions that 'ranch workers are the loneliest people
