Comparing Kosinski's Of Mice And Men

In Kosinski’s novel, the first thing Chance does upon awakening each morning is tend to his beloved plants. He very gently touches “every plant, every flower, every branch of the garden” (3), a direct metaphor to Christ and the church. Chance, who possesses the qualities that were taught by Christ, compares the plants he tends to human beings. He compares their life cycle to that of humans who need care in order to live, to survive disease, and to die peacefully. He makes the following observation in the film: “Young plants do much better if a person helps them,” emphasizing his compassion and nurturing nature.
Kosinski tells his readers that Chance occasionally turns the water off and sits in the grass to meditate in the wind. The garden,
Kosinski’s concept reminds his readers of Carl Jung’s theory about the qualities that make one human: conceptual thinking, wonder, and love, and further that the world is a mirror of one’s own unconscious. According to Jung, one can only make sense of the world by unconscious projection of his or her own previous experiences. In order to lead a human, happy, fulfilled life one must learn to read his or her own mythology. Only then, will humans find out who they really are and what they really wish to do. Like Campbell, Jung maintains that humans accomplish self-realization only when dreaming or thinking
His blank affect is taken for intellect, and his personae causes most of the people he encounters to greet him with deep respect. He tips his hat to the homeless and asks for food from strangers. Kosinski describes Chance as relieved to be seen by others because he believes that like television, not to be seen is to fade out. “When one was addressed and viewed by others, one was safe. Whatever one did would then be interpreted by the others in the same way that one interpreted what they did. They could never know more about one than one knew about them” (34). According to Jung, Chance’s ego is making an attempt at “projection”. He encounters some drug dealers loitering on the sidewalk, and inquires about a possible job in a garden. When they respond by pointing a knife at Chance, his reaction to the threat is to try to change the channel with his