“Of Mice and Men” By John Steinbeck – Coursework Essay
“Of Mice and Men” was set in the 1930’s in North Washington dc. This was a time of monetary hardship due to the Wall Street Crash. Men were forced to leave their families in order to find work on ranches.
Pay and working conditions were poor. Men scraped by, spending any more money they had gambling or in one of the many slut houses. This is where Steinbeck received his creativity from; this individual spent time on the ranches experiencing the challenges experienced by workers.
The book is all about these employees and the extremely lonely lives they led. It also unearths underlying styles of racism and how terribly the disabled were remedied. This was a period when people taken care of number one, because there was nobody else to achieve this for them.
Both the main personas are relatively different, because they travel and work together, looking out for each other. This is very unusual because life would have recently been hard enough without the extra responsibility of looking after another person. The 2 main characters have just been evicted from their work in a area called “Soledad” (which means loneliness). They are the only persons in the book in whose names Christian names are in reality used. It shows that nobody makes the hard work to make good friends enough to be on initial name terms.
This is emblematic of the solitude of each with the characters and shows just how unusual the 2 main character types are. The 2 main heroes are called George ands Lennie. There is hardly any information about all of them in the book. They will work for all their keep on the ranches. Lennie is slightly brain ruined and contains a very limited storage.
He is a massive man and Steinbeck typically compares his actions with those of a big, clumsy creature using similes and metaphors: “Dragging his feet just a little, the way a bear drags his feet. ” These are generally intended to quietly give the visitor the impression that Lennie is big and awkward, like an dog that does not know its own strength; “Lennie dabbled his big paw inside the water. ” George is exactly the opposite of Lennie. He’s small , dark and quick, and is careful of his surroundings; “The tiny man moved nervously…” George is always for the look out and he can really look after himself.
The town they had just originate from was referred to as “Weed” that could signify that they can were undesired, like a bud, there: these people were forced out of there because Lennie made a mistake. He had snapped up a woman and she stated that he had raped her. George is very much the dominant estimate the relationship and makes all the decisions. At the incredibly start you may tell this because Lennie copies George in the way this individual looks and acts; “Lennie, who had been watching imitated George exactly. ” This suggests that Lennie looks up to George and wants to be much like him. This is quite unfortunate really as he has ended up nothing like him.
Lennie hates to make George angry, just like a dog that hates for making his master angry. George feels in charge of Lennie. He is like a fatherly figure to him, and this individual knows that Lennie would never have the ability to survive devoid of him.
He feels a feeling of duty mainly because “Aunt Clara” told him to look after Lennie. The additional reason they travel jointly is George, though he doesn’t prefer to admit it, enjoys Lennie’s firm and this individual doesn’t need to let proceed of the “American Dream”. They share the dream of using their own place with a few family pets; “livin’ off of the fatta’ the lan'”.
George knows it is quite unlikely to take place but Lennie still thinks and always loves to hear the story of “how it’s gonna be”. This is certainly painful for George and he could be reluctant to speak about it. You are able to tell it is important to Lennie because he forgets anything he could be told yet he recalls the wish.
George and Lennie are dreaming of the future. When George and Lennie arrive for the ranch, the ranch hands and the manager are worried about their marriage. They suspect that George is usually taking Lennie’s stake intended for himself; “I said what stake you got in this dude? You takin’ his shell out away from him? ” They can not see why another individual would travel with someone who would restrict them unless they were getting paid. They may be lonelier than George and Lennie, and still have no true concept of camaraderie.
Despite having Lennie like a companion, George is also lonesome. He is by itself in his responsibility for Lennie. In a way it is more like speaking to an animal than the usual human when ever speaking to Lennie because George knows that no matter what he says to him will probably be forgotten and mean nothing at all. From the beginning we get a hint of this in addition Lennie was created to seem more like a responsibility than a good friend to George. Lennie was created to seen as an animal, “like a terrier that doesn’t want to bring his ball back to his master”, could be signifying that he is like a pet that always needs maintaining.
Steinbeck as well uses George playing solitaire as a metaphor for his loneliness; “George cut the cards once again and put away a solitaire lay, little by little and purposely. ” George lays the cards out like he has done that many time’ before. Solitaire is a single player game (and solitaire comes from solitary), this kind of shows that Lennie is incompetent at acting like an adult therefore George need to play on his own. George is organised from having his own life by the responsibility of caring for Lennie.
He continually tells Lennie how lifestyle would be with no him; how he could have a girl and a decent task: “God a’mighty, if I was alone I really could live so easy” The truth though, is the fact George would be even lonely without Lennie. It is ironic at the end with the book that George should be so annoyed by the loss of life of Lennie, because then he knows that he will have to spend all the rest if his time exclusively. You under no circumstances know what you could have until it is fully gone.
One of the hacienda workers, Candies, features seriously in the book. This individual tries to become a member of the friendship of George and Lennie. Candy is extremely lonely.
This individual has been working for the ranch for several years and due to his impairment. He is struggling to leave as they knows that simply no other employer would consider him about. The only cause he has work today, is that this individual suffered the injury to his hand on the ranch.
He has seen many men arrive and disappear but he cannot proceed. Candy knows he will probably die for the ranch. Chocolate is very buzzin because he is very eager to socialize. He warms to this chat because he on his own when every one of the workers will be in the areas. As soon as this individual meets George and Lennie he engages them in conversation, barely letting them speak.
He let us out every one of the opinions, regarding Curley great wife plus the other hacienda hands that he provides formed and never had anyone to tell them to. In fact the sole sort of a pal he has is an old dog. Your canine is aged, has no tooth and that stinks. Your dog is used to symbolise Candies: old and useless.
Your dog is also employed as a foreshadowing device for Lennie’s fatality. When Carlson tells him that this individual should destroy the dog this individual tries to end him by making up excuses: “Maybe it’d hurt him, ” and tries to position the inevitable off; wants to dedicate just one more day with the dog by killing this in the morning. The only reason Candy had still left to live was your dog therefore in a way Carlson killed a part of him. The dog is also applied as a second foreshadowing device for what George has to carry out to Lennie in the realization of the book. Lennie, contrary to the dog, on the other hand will be wiped out by the only person this individual trusts on the globe.
This will range from pressure of other people. Inside the early 20th Century, blacks were greatly persecuted due to their colour. The stable buck is called Crooks and is discriminated because he is actually a black; “S’pose you couldn’t go into the bunkhouse and place rummy ’cause you were black”. He is held apart from the additional ranch hands because of his race.
He is very nervous when Lennie enters his room. This is because crooks has his own living space away from the other males. The only persons he views are probably gonna insult or perhaps hurt him so he is immediately about guard when someone comes in to his room. He could be also discriminated against as a result of his crippled back, meaning he can’t work in the fields like the other men.
Crooks reveals his earlier to Lennie in his barn. The irony that his father used to very own his very own ranch and once he accustomed to lead a comfortable life should be extremely painful for him to relive if he thinks about his present lonesome self. That is certainly probably why he is thus bitter for the other males who will be treating him so roughly. Crooks is usually dreaming of earlier times; “Remember after i was a tiny kid on old man’s chicken farm. ” The other males would probably desire having their particular space yet Crooks is really lonely he’d rather be with other people; “A guy needs somebody to be near him. ” All Crooks has for firm is a little collection of books that this individual reads again and again.
It must be very lonely being on your own all the time when he thinks about what it had been like if he owned his own hacienda. Sometimes he almost will go crazy with loneliness; “Maybe if he sees somethin’, he don’t know whether it’s right or not really. He can’t turn to the other guy and ast him in the event he views it as well, ” He’s only acknowledging this as they knows that Lennie is not listening, and in many cases if he was, he couldn’t remember and repeat the thing that was being said anyway.
Crooks is pleased and doesn’t want to admit that he is unhappy or that the men are receiving to him by calling him brands and mistreating him, “If I say some thing, why it’s just a nigger saying this. ” When someone phone calls somebody anything enough times a person will start to absorb the names and commence to believe that there is some fact to what the person is saying info. Crooks can be treated such as an animal. A single Christmas time they “let” him into the bunkhouse and made him fight. The word “let” is utilized like permitting an animal in for a treat. He then leaves after his fight, pertaining to his personal room.
The men just use him while entertainment. His life is usually under threat because he means nothing them. Curley’s partner plays a very prominent function in the book since she gives the loss of life of Lennie and himself. She is certainly not given a name throughout the whole publication.
This signifies how very little everyone believes of her. She is termed as “jail bait” and “slut” by each of the ranch hands. This is due to the manner she has implemented to befriend the men. Your woman constantly passade with any kind of man the lady meets and being quite at the same time, the girl with bound to receive herself into some sort of trouble. The girl acts such as this because the girl with lonely in fact it is her means of attracting focus on herself.
60 that all the employees are afraid to talk to her because they fear what Curley would carry out to all of them if they were doing. Curley is always looking for a deal with to show just how much of person he is. In the event he got just the faint scent of her cheating on him he would combat. Nobody like to get on the incorrect side of Curley since they find out he is a fantastic boxer and because he is the boss’s son they can probably get anyone “canned” if this individual wants, The truth is, Curley’s partner doesn’t in fact like Curley and even admits to Lennie: “I don’t like Curley. ” The lady married him to show her mother that she could possibly be independent and get back at her intended for the page that could have been her big break that she feels her mom stole.
Curley’s wife is usually dreaming of might have been, how she might have been in the movies and what a lifestyle she could have had. Wedding ceremony between Curley and Curley’s wife is definitely not based upon love yet on sex attraction Curley’s wife is usually very depressed, that is why she actually is always skulking around the bunkhouse with the guys. She needs someone to speak to; She uses the reason that she is looking for her husband. In the long run her loneliness is the end of her when the lady tries to speak with Lennie (much the same way as Crooks let out his thoughts to him). The climaxing of the book starts in the barn.
The scene commences with Lennie worrying about his puppy which he just killed inadvertently. Curley’s wife enters, as usual looking for someone to talk to. She begins showing Lennie her life tale. All through the book she has recently been portrayed being a spiteful female; “foolin’ about with other guys, causin’ trouble. “, yet here her true figure comes away.
Lennie eventually ends up telling her about his love intended for soft things so the girl lets him stroke her hair. The other men can withstand her charm bracelets but Lennie is not really clever enough to know. Lennie strokes this a bit too vigorously and her panic affects Lennie. He breaks her neck by accident, then considers that if perhaps he hides the puppy dog, which is used as a foreshadowing gadget to Curley’s wife’s death George will be more likely to allow him to tend his precious rabbits. This is unfortunate and sarcastic, as Lennie cannot grasp the enormity from the thing this individual has just carried out.
Curley’s partner seemed relaxing after her death; “the ache intended for attention had been gone coming from her face. ” She was noticed from her prison on the ranch and was at this point free and happy. When George listens to, he despairs, for Lennie has ended their particular chance of reaching the impossible “American Dream”. One of the themes of this book is certainly loneliness. The people are seperated into groupings.
Age, disabilities, race and sex independent many people. Also time of economical hardship required men to maintain number one. It made it very hard for the men to form friendships as they possess very few tasks.
The publication is about the unusual companionship of George and Lennie who have nothing in common with one another apart from they will share the American Wish. That is all that keeps these people going. It is extremely sad when George will kill Lennie because he was all that George had remaining. It was sarcastic because George had often spoken about what life will be like without Lennie; how he could be cost-free.
Now he previously his want he was emaciated that he had had to eliminate the only good friend that he previously in the world.
