How Does Steinbeck Present George And Lennie's Journey
Of Mice and Men
By John Steinbeck
Journey is a term that implies travel, which can offer up new insights, experiences, cultures and perspectives. Journeys can have positive or negative effects, as we see in John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men”. In the novel, the writer takes us into the American outback, and we journey with the characters as they face the various challenges and barriers that arise as they attempt to achieve the ‘great American dream’ – settling down and farming their own land.
The physical aspect of journey in this novel was the traveling – George and Lennie running away from Weed because of something Lennie had done, and trying to find work on another ranch. The inner and emotional journeys were far more significant, and we see the changes in the characters from the first time we’re …show more content…
The themes of friendship and loneliness are embodied by the characters and their relationships on the ranch. Most of the men do not believe in friendship during the depression because it was each man for himself and they couldn’t afford to fend for another person. This is why they all found George and Lennie traveling together downright suspicious. The friendship that George and Lennie have allows them to dream, and thus, have hope, and without hope, there is no journey. On the ranch, Curley’s wife, Crooks and Candy represent outcasts in society. Curley’s wife represents women during the depression, Crooks represents African Americans, and Candy represents toe disabled and elderly. Curley’s wife is avoided because the men on the ranch do not want to get involved in a fight with Curley. Being African American, Crooks is isolated, and Candy is considered as useless as his dead dog who was his only friend. The theme of outcasts is always significant as we often empathize the outcasts or underdogs. Also, it is usually the outcasts who undergo the most challenging
By John Steinbeck
Journey is a term that implies travel, which can offer up new insights, experiences, cultures and perspectives. Journeys can have positive or negative effects, as we see in John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men”. In the novel, the writer takes us into the American outback, and we journey with the characters as they face the various challenges and barriers that arise as they attempt to achieve the ‘great American dream’ – settling down and farming their own land.
The physical aspect of journey in this novel was the traveling – George and Lennie running away from Weed because of something Lennie had done, and trying to find work on another ranch. The inner and emotional journeys were far more significant, and we see the changes in the characters from the first time we’re …show more content…
The themes of friendship and loneliness are embodied by the characters and their relationships on the ranch. Most of the men do not believe in friendship during the depression because it was each man for himself and they couldn’t afford to fend for another person. This is why they all found George and Lennie traveling together downright suspicious. The friendship that George and Lennie have allows them to dream, and thus, have hope, and without hope, there is no journey. On the ranch, Curley’s wife, Crooks and Candy represent outcasts in society. Curley’s wife represents women during the depression, Crooks represents African Americans, and Candy represents toe disabled and elderly. Curley’s wife is avoided because the men on the ranch do not want to get involved in a fight with Curley. Being African American, Crooks is isolated, and Candy is considered as useless as his dead dog who was his only friend. The theme of outcasts is always significant as we often empathize the outcasts or underdogs. Also, it is usually the outcasts who undergo the most challenging