"Of Mice and Men" and "Into the Wild Essay"
Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ and Sean Penn’s ‘Into the Wild’ explore the fundamental themes of freedom, companionship and following your ambitions. (QUESTION). ‘Of Mice and Men’ is set during the Great Depression in which George and Lennie explore the realism of freedom and hardships by hoping to one day have their own farm. In contrast, Chris from ‘Into the Wild’ achieves ultimate freedom by choosing to run away and live in the wild.
Both texts explore different perceptions of freedom. Steinbeck’s novel demonstrates how everyone’s perception of freedom is suppressed. George and Lennie’s idea of freedom is to have their own land and shield themselves from the peril of the world. However, they are denied this freedom because of their lack of money. The technique of multiple perceptions is adopted by the omniscient narrator to access various view points of the characters that represent different types of freedom suppression. This is depicted in the sentimental quotes by Curley’s wife who says “’I tell ya I could of went with shows’. … She was breathless with indignation” or Crooks who states "Cause I'm black. They play cards in there, but I can't play because I'm Black.” Similar to George and Lennie, Chris desires freedom however, he does this by moving away from a lavish lifestyle to one of struggle which he calls “ultimate freedom”. This change is contrary to that of George and Lennie who are looking to free themselves from the chains of poverty. Through the poetic phrase “The freedom and simple beauty is too good to pass up” Chris expresses his new found freedom in the laws of nature. Therefore both texts explore a heightened sense of suppression for the protagonists when it comes to the idea of freedom.
The necessity of companionship is integral in both texts. Companionship can have both positive and negative ramifications. In Steinbeck’s novel Lennie is shown to exhibit child-like behaviour which makes him completely dependant on George. As a result
Both texts explore different perceptions of freedom. Steinbeck’s novel demonstrates how everyone’s perception of freedom is suppressed. George and Lennie’s idea of freedom is to have their own land and shield themselves from the peril of the world. However, they are denied this freedom because of their lack of money. The technique of multiple perceptions is adopted by the omniscient narrator to access various view points of the characters that represent different types of freedom suppression. This is depicted in the sentimental quotes by Curley’s wife who says “’I tell ya I could of went with shows’. … She was breathless with indignation” or Crooks who states "Cause I'm black. They play cards in there, but I can't play because I'm Black.” Similar to George and Lennie, Chris desires freedom however, he does this by moving away from a lavish lifestyle to one of struggle which he calls “ultimate freedom”. This change is contrary to that of George and Lennie who are looking to free themselves from the chains of poverty. Through the poetic phrase “The freedom and simple beauty is too good to pass up” Chris expresses his new found freedom in the laws of nature. Therefore both texts explore a heightened sense of suppression for the protagonists when it comes to the idea of freedom.
The necessity of companionship is integral in both texts. Companionship can have both positive and negative ramifications. In Steinbeck’s novel Lennie is shown to exhibit child-like behaviour which makes him completely dependant on George. As a result