Preview

Of Mice And Men Themes

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
366 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Of Mice And Men Themes
Imagine being discriminated for the color of you're skin, having you're dreams shattered right before you're eyes, stuck in a place all alone, or losing the closest friend that you have. John Steinbeck does a wonderful job of portraying all of these themes in his book Of Mice and Men. John Steinbeck sets his book up during the great depression, there he illustrates the themes of broken dreams, friendship, racism, and loneliness. The main characters are George and Lennie, two migrant workers that stick together for the entirety of the novella. The most important thing that John Steinbeck portrays in his book is the need and desire for companionship all people have. George’s personality is strict but he hides his caring side, while Lennie’s

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The 1930s novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck was written during the Great Depression, a time of many financial complications and hopelessness for the American population. It takes place in rural northern California in the town of Soledad, which was where the author grew up. Steinbeck uses his memories and recollections to paint an incredibly vivid landscape in each scene mentioned in the story. Of Mice and Men follows the seemingly futile journey of George Milton and Lennie Small on their quest to make a better life for themselves. Getting to their goal does have its complications, however. Even the differences between the two main characters cause conflict. Along the way, they come face to face with difficulties including an overly flirtatious woman, a violent, pugnacious man who happens to be the boss’s son, and Lennie’s inability to realize his own strength. Steinbeck nearly perfectly creates an atmosphere that conveys mood, reveals theme, and builds dynamic characters.…

    • 1190 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The story Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a very touching story, and is meant to show the reality of society. The story is about 2 men, George and Lennie, who travel together to find a job. It’s difficult for them to keep a job because Lennie has the mind of a child and causes trouble. In the beginning of the story, George and Lennie had a job in Weed; however, Lennie touched a girl's dress-he likes to touch soft things- which scares her and causes a manhunt for George and Lennie. They ran away and found another ranch job in Salinas, but that didn't end well either. Lennie touched a girl's hair, which scared her and caused her to scream, so Lennie accidently broke her neck. He then ran away, but the ranch workers and…

    • 725 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck) is a novel overflowing with friendship, colorful characters, vivid detail and yet a tragic storyline. George and Lennie are two guys that travel the country looking for work during the depression era. Given that Lennie is "not quite right", George must be accountable for Lennie's actions and take care of him. Throughout several sequence of events, George gives himself up to care for Lennie and his needs. Although the two do have a dream to buy a farm, George doesn't achieve it for reasons that may or may not be related to Lennie's mistakes. George is a rather tragic character because he could be very successful if he didn't have to look out for Lennie.…

    • 702 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    From the early 1900’s, society has strictly judged people by the way they look or where they come from. We still see this act of judgement re-occur in this day and age, unfortunately. In the novella Of Mice and Men, we clearly see the cruel conditions and situations that occurred during the Great Depression. This fantastic novel showcases the lives of two migrant workers, George and Lennie, who struggle to find a job and the stereotypical judgements of Lennie who is mentally disabled. In their journey, this novella introduces many other archetypes for the minorities of that time period, including women, colored people, and the elderly. John Steinbeck shows his expertise of crucial literary devices like allusion, archetype, and foreshadowing to show how humans will treat specific categories of people that have disabilities that in the end affect their hopes and dreams in life.…

    • 900 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    'Of Mice and Men' is written by John Steinbeck, published in 1937. The novel is set in the 1930s during the great depression in California. The two protagonist characters, George and Lennie are farm workers who have a dream of one-day owning their own ranch. They find work in a ranch near Soledad, after escaping from Weed because of George's incident. They are met by different characters on the farm that all have a dream. To be lonely means to lack friends or companionship and to feel isolated. Most of the characters are lonely and the only thing that keeps them alive is their dreams. Some of the loneliest characters they meet are Candy, an old man with only one hand, Crooks, a black cripple and Curley's Wife, a woman who has no identity, she is lonely even though she is married. Although they are all on the ranch together, they are lonely because of who they are and their history. 'Of Mice and Men' is an emotional story with many different themes and characters. This essay will describe the way loneliness is portrayed in 'Of Mice and Men.'…

    • 2329 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The book Of Mice and Men was written by John Steinbeck and takes place during the Great Depression. Throughout the book we follow the two main characters, George and Lennie. George is shown to have much power over Lennie. These two and many other characters struggle with obtaining, holding, or keeping “under control” the amount of power they have or want. In Steinbeck's novel, the theme that seems to be most present is that, although people seek power, they often misuse it after obtaining it.…

    • 591 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, is an intriguing and captivating piece that captures America’s history. Throughout the text, Steinbeck demonstrates how multiple prejudices can affect contrasting characters in the 1930’s. Lennie Small and George Milton, a pair of bindlestiffs, witness the discrimination throughout the course of the novel. George cares for Lennie, who is mentally challenged, and once Lennie’s onerous actions increase, George makes the formidable decision to abruptly end his life. The characters in the story are faced with internal and external conflicts. These are shown for the duration of the text, supporting the theme: prejudice and discrimination can cause isolation. Steinbeck develops this theme through the literary elements, characterization, conflict and imagery.…

    • 335 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Of Mice and Men is a novel in which John Steinbeck, the author, portrays many broken dreams. Steinbeck is a famous author known for many books like “The Grapes of Wrath,” and “The Long Valley.” The book was published in 1994 by Penguin Classics. The book is geared towards teenagers and above. The genre of the book is considered novella. George and Lennie, the main characters, show what it’s like to live as a migrant worker in the early 1900’s. In “Of Mice and Men” Steinbeck shows dreams can easily be broken by character’s actions and the world they were born into.…

    • 952 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In Steinbeck's novel " Of Mice and Men" there are many different characters each expressing there own opinion on whether they are living in a desperate society or that there is indeed some hope and optimism in the world around them. At the time the book was set, which is in the 1930's great American depression, many people were unemployed and jobs were hard to come by. Steinbeck's novel centres around the exploits and happenings of a few men, and one women, at the time of this great depression. Steinbeck shows how the most unusual friendships can be created in the mist of this depression and sadness. Such as…

    • 2676 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the tragic novela of mice and men steinbeck presents many themes and symbols that are being represented. Two of the themes are, the predatory nature of human existence, the predatory nature of human existence means that humans are born with the nature of being predatory or hunting other humans or thing. when Crooks criticizes Lennie’s dream of the farm and his dependence on George is a big example of this theme in the novela. Another theme would be the importance of fraternity and bonds between men. The men in Of Mice and Men desire to come together in a way that would allow them to be like brothers to one another. That is, they want to live with one another’s best interests in mind, to protect each other, and to know that there is someone in the world dedicated to protecting them is a very big example of the importance of fraternity and bonds between men.…

    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Imagine being isolated from the world and everyone else for being black, being mistreated for not being the same as everyone else, or even not being able to follow your dreams because you’re a women, these are the issues That Steinbeck introduced to us in the book Mice of Men. In the book there was many issues and the ones I saw were the most important and that were still to this day happening, were Crook racial slur problem, Lennie’s mental health issues, and Curl’s wife issue in regard to being unhappily stuck with Curly instead of perusing her dreams.…

    • 919 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men chronicles the experiences of two unlikely friends Lennie and George, as they follow the path of life in pursuit of their own version of the American dream. Steinbeck incorporates thematic ideas that define dreams and what prevents them from being manifested, tensions concerning race and gender, and the significance of relationships within the story. Use of these thematic ideas amplify the strength of feeling throughout the story, and connects the reader with themes they can identify with.…

    • 633 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Of Mice And Men

    • 1375 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a novel that draws many emotions out of the reader. This story tells about two men, George and Lennie, who travel for work. Lennie is assumed, by readers, to be mentally disabled. He is not very smart, does not remember or understand many things and the other characters in the story comment on him being like a kid or childlike. George sacrifices continually through the entire story. He sacrifices not only the opportunity to have a better job but he also sacrifices himself. He shows his unconditional loyalty to Lennie even though it comes with a high price. The dialogue in this story allows the readers to make many assumptions about characters and setting. George and Lennie are portrayed in this story by…

    • 1375 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are several themes present in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, among them powerlessness and the impossibility of the American dream. Although these two themes definitely make up a fair portion of the story, they are not the subject of this paper. Nay, for standing prominently alongside these themes is loneliness, which is indisputably one of the most major concepts explored in the duration of the story. The theme of loneliness is thoroughly fleshed out through both characters – specifically Lennie and Curley's wife – and the involvement of migrant workers in general.…

    • 604 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Thesis of mice and men

    • 251 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In "Of Mice and Men," John Steinbeck utilizes his prevailing themes of friendship and loneliness, through his deep characterization and interconnection between George and Lenny, in order to illustrate glamorized desire of "the American dream."…

    • 251 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays