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¶ … Mice and Men
John Steinbeck's of Mice and Men:
Loneliness, friendship, and the American Dream
'Living off of the fat of the land -- together.' From the first chapter of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men onward, there is foreshadowing of the tragedy that will eventually take the life of Lenny, the simple-minded protagonist of the short novel through Steinbeck's underlining the themes of loneliness, friendship, and the inability of the main characters to ever enjoy the American Dream. The first chapter illustrates how the friends George and Lenny are bonded together in loneliness. Their dream of fulfilling the 'American Dream' of gaining their own farm someday seems futile, even when they are most hopeful. Although they are physical opposites, they wear the same clothes, and walk the same lonely road together until the end of the novel.
Loneliness is what bonds Lenny and George. That explains George's protective view of Lenny. George is willing, despite his frustration, to deal with Lenny's...
However, more than conventional 'catting' with women, George clearly needs someone to make him feel worthwhile: "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no fambly. They don't belong no place." Lenny's loneliness is manifested in his yearning for something warm and soft to pet. Ominously, foreshadowing the death of Curly's wife, Lenny talks about how his Aunt Clara used to give him mice to pet, which he used to accidently crush to death because of his great strength.
Despite the great difficulties Lenny presents for George, George is clearly willing to sacrifice a great deal for his friend. He gets him a job, carefully instructing Lenny not to speak so his disability will be concealed. George fantasizes about the ease of his life without Lenny: "God a'mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job…
As one writer says, not reading this novel "…deprives individuals and communities of the opportunity to respond to an ethical imperative insisting on virtuous treatment of our fellow human beings" (George, 83). This is a tremendous summation of fundamentally what Steinbeck is trying to achieve with a novel like of Mice and Men, and a notion which sums up most likely Steinbeck's strongest motivation for writing the novel. However, as one
There are costs to bearing and believing in such a secret. These costs are manifested in many ways. There are the psychosomatic costs Jesse endures, his impotence, his weakness around the black boy in the jail, his tremors at the thought of Otis, "Now the thought of Otis made him sick. He began to shiver." There are also the psychological costs that Jesse is plagued by, the self-delusion associated with
Candy, a one-handed ranch hand, eventually learns of George and Lennie's plans and offers to invest in the farm; Crooks, the black stable hand, is also made aware of George and Lennie's plans and wishes to become part of the dream. While the men work the fields and contemplate their future, Curley's wife, interrupts their dream. While the men recognize the danger that Curley's wife poses to the group, and
Mice and Men Isolation in Steinbeck's of Mice and Men Of Mice and Men is a novelette by John Steinbeck that is filled with isolated characters desperate to latch onto the American dream. The dream of the protagonists, George and Lennie, is to have a place of their own in Depression-Era southern California. Things look promising as the itinerant workers get jobs on a farm, make friends, and devise a plan
Q6. Discuss what George's life would be like without Lennie, and Lennie's like without George. Lennie would likely be institutionalized because of his large size and his lack of social inhibitions or self-monitoring. George would be a drifter, without a clear sense of purpose in life other than his dream of owning a ranch some day. Lennie gives him a sense of identity. Q7. Discuss theme of morality Steinbeck's novel constantly questions conventional
Lennie and George, in comparison, are out of work and desperate for any kind of decent job. They have little money, nowhere to call home, and as the story progresses, less and less chances for happiness. George and Lennie are experiencing the Great Depression first hand, and it is not a good time for them or the nation. Meursault is experiencing a relatively prosperous period, and could make it