Of Mice and Men is a novel about people Essay Example for Free

Of Mice and men is a story nigh people EssayOf Mice and Men is a refreshing ab dis destination people. Are there too human existencesy cripples, misfits and unusual types in the fable to consider Steinbecks delineation as true(a) liveliness?Steinbecks sassy is based on ordinary people during the Ameri enkindle Depression. Steinbeck has an reasonableness of how migrator motioners were and how it was as he had his childhood in California near Salinas Valley. During the completion in which the novel was wrote was written migrant workers went from bed covering to ranch working for cash neer really having a ensure job as new technology in machinery made it cheaper to harvest crops. This introduces the two main quotations George and Lennie, migrant workers, who do non fit into 1930s nightclub. The novel based is on characters that represent different walks of life history during the period illustrating the American culture. Steinbeck portrays the American cultur e in a condensed version occurring scarcely on a ranch, showing the grim truces of the society, when the novel was writtenIn Steinbecks novel the character confect is a man who has gone past his prime of his life. He has a stumped hand and therefore he is too maim to be working in the fields, he can be seen as a cripple in the novel. The result of this is that he has menial job as a swamper. To represent the cultisms of metre Steinbeck writes nearly candy being worried about getting the can as a result of his unimportance on the ranch, and this is shown when Steinbeck wroteI aint much candid with ony hand. I lost my hand right here on this ranch. Thats wherefore they give me a job swampinThis mentions that the job was only given to dulcorate out of sympathy. Further more(prenominal) dulcify saying I aint much good shows his awareness of his own situation, being worthless to the ranch. glass over represents the antique sector that exists in every society, at the time th e novel was written work was very unprecedented and if people were employed they would withstand to work hard to say in work. edulcorate as an develop person is on his last job, because if he loses it no one else will take him on. This is his major fear passim the novel and Steinbeck portrays the suppurated migrant worker as a pathetic man with only a dog to keep him company. Steinbeck writesCandy looked a long time at Slim to sample and find some reversalThe above statement suggests that Candy has no authority with the an other(a)(prenominal)(a) workers on the ranch and needs Slim to assist him this shows Candy, as a cripple, has no enjoy from the other characters, which is a portrayal of true life during the American Depression. With the dog eat dog world of the period skill, strength, intelligence, age and pelt colour affected authority. Candy has a change of attitude after hearing about the dream soon after his dog was shot, Steinbeck choosing to write the dream being heard by Candy at this point in the novel when the character had lost everything that was fundamental, gives the cripple swear for the future as his past (with his dog) is finished. Sadly the dog is a symbol of his possible future, the fate of the aged.In a time of mass unemployment and the fear of loneliness compels Candy to latch himself onto a belief to persevere in the acidulous lonely world and this gives Candy the renewed confidence. Steinbeck shows the change of Candys attitude after he hears about the dream,Candy joined the attack with joy Glove fulla Vaseline, he said disgustedly.This quote enhances the change in the character of Candy, as before he did not say anything in general conversation between the workers and at this point he was important. The verb attack shows Candys aggression against Curley, who has a higher status than Candy and is more important to the running of the ranch and is the bosses son, not a cripple and stronger. The adjective disgustedly in the quote shows that Candy is sickened by Curley and Curleys attitude to others and Candy himself. This shows Candy is more than a cripple in the story, exclusively a character who needs an image of a better future for himself with no worries. The dream of getting a ranch of their own is the need for some security can be compa bolshy as a allowance in a modern view. Once Candy has this security in the dream Steinbeck enhances the character do him bolder, and his character comes out from the sloony bin of an old cripple.In chapter two Steinbeck introduces the proof commentator to the character of Crooks. The name Crooks is not utilize for him at the start of the novel and it is only later on that he is called Crooks. The names used for him are derogatory labels including stable buck, nigger and Crooks. Throughout the whole novel the reader never finds out the characters real name, which adds to the effectiveness of the character being a misfit. Steinbeck enhances the idea of Crooks being a misfit when he writesThey allow the nigger come in. Little skinner name of Smitty took after the nigger. Done pretty good, tooThis depicts that the other characters do not see Crooks a real human being but as an target area of entertainment. Steinbeck conveys how a b deprivation man fits into the society of the period through racism. Crooks is a misfit in the novel because of his skin colour and his visible appearance, because of this he is segregated from the other workers on the ranch. This can be shown by They let the nigger come in this implies that the others do not want to be around him and that it is an important take when he does. The above quote can also suggest that Crooks wants to be sociable with the others and the word let suggests that the character has tried before. His injury to his back illustrates to the reader that he can be put into a category with Candy, as a cripple. The connection between the two is deeper than them both(prenominal) have a disabil ity.Steinbeck brings them both together in chapter 4 at the start of the novel when he writes Yeah. Nice fella, too. Candy is shown to have a high regards and respect for him Steinbeck puts them in the selfsame(prenominal) situation in the novel. Candy and Crooks as cripples both need to belong to something as there is always the threat of getting the can or a similar consequence to of Candys dog. One may think that Steinbeck was trying to portray a bridge across racism in the period with a white man and black man wanting the same dream.As Crooks changes his view in the novel from being a defensive one to felling some hope about the dream too. At first Crooks attitude to little piece of land in his passing is an objectionable because society has made him pessimistic and spiteful to any sign of others having some dream of mirth lasting that he can not have any because of race. However when he hears about the money he is more open and suggests he wants to be apart of it, this ca n be shown when Steinbeck wroteIf you guys would want a hand to work for nothing- salutary his keepThis quotes conveys Crooks hope in the dream and he wants to be apart of it to be secure and treated as an equal. The reader learns a valuable lesson from Crooks and Steinbeck portrays it in effect that society is in the wrong not that the characters. Steinbeck illustrates Crooks as being a proud son of a bitch with his illuminate room but this does not make expert a misfit or a cripple but he has humanity with all other blacks. Thats why a lot of time is devoted to him in the novel, his role is equally important to the social statement made by Steinbeck.The end of this key chapter with Crooks in, chapter 4, unhappily ends how it began with Crooks rubbing medicine into his back, this is a powerful message put across to the audience which may scold the reader to think that society will not change unless we change society. Crooks had briefly gained some respect from other white mal es and had hope for the future, but it is when this happens that a women shattered his hopes, this would be terrible to Crooks because women were thought to be lower and weaker than men, so being put down by Curleys wife made him worth nothing, just like during the beginning of this chapter.A character that is, in essence, unusual is Curleys Wife. She is unusual because she is the only female character who speaks in this novel. Steinbecks portrayal of women in this novel is not in a good light, given that the men go to a brothel. Women ordinaryly represented as objects of sexual nature not as partners or equals but as. Curleys Wife is unusual in a way that she is the only women on a ranch full of men going around dressed to seduce, this can be shown inShe had full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red.Steinbeck suggests that she is trouble by all the red in the description, with red bringing up connotations of danger. The red also can expres s seduction. Steinbecks character has a habit of looking for her husband which can suggest that she is lonely and is constantly seeking attention from the other men, another reason for dressing up seductively is to conceal her loneliness, Steinbeck includes her in the novel to portray the American housewife, wanting to be something more than a housewife. This was typical during this period of social change with Hollywood and women becoming celebrities, which is exciting compared to a life on the ranch. Steinbeck effectively portrays this inHe says he was gonna put me in the movies. Says I was a natural.This implies to the reader that she wanted something more to her life than to be stuck on a ranch. This however makes her a misfit on the ranch in the novel because of her wanting a different dream to come true, but during that period people were fascinated about celebrities so the character of Curleys Wife can represent the womens struggle during the American Depression. We learn fr om the novel that society during that period was male orientated and that women were beginning to have their own dreams other than finding a good man to marry.Throughout the whole novel the reader is aware of Lennie being a misfit in the novel. When the reader is first introduced to this character his physical description suggests that he is misfit large blanch eyes can connote the lack of intelligence, giving the sense of subdued expression, the adjective large agrees with the stature of Lennie, though the adjective pale implies the mindlessness of him. The other characters in the novel who are misfits, unusual characters or cripples have a physical or emotional riddle but Lennie as one of the lead characters is different with an intelligence problem this engages the readers sympathy as Lennie is every childlike. Steinbeck writes about the childlike behaviour of Lennie inLennie was still smiling with rape at the memory of the ranchThis quote depicts Lennies lack of social skills , like a child, which gets the character into a trouble that wouldnt have really happened in the novel if the character was not a misfit, such as what happened in Weed where he stroked the womens dress not knowing that he was doing something wrong and ended up being outcast and hunted. Steinbecks 1930s society is not tolerant of Lennie and his disability to handle a unwieldy social problem. Society when this novel was written is not an understanding one and Steinbeck dramatically portrays this by the beseech in the novel.Steinbeck shows the reader during that period people acted too rash and unsympathetic, and Steinbeck with this novel wants people to take point out of society and for it to be more tolerant to misfits, cripples and in a sense unusual characters. Steinbeck leaves the ending of Lennie at a moderately neutral point of view this lets one make up ones mind to know that its a tragedy. On one side that it is a tragedy that Steinbecks characters have no acknowledgment of Lennie kill Curleys Wife by accident and that he has no understanding of death and his own strength. On the other side some readers may believe that Lennie should be shot because he killed a human, even with his lack of intelligence it still make him a danger to society. Steinbeck writes his death in the place where Lennie suits best throughout the whole novel, in natureSuddenly Lennie appeared out of the brush, and he came as silently as a creeping swallow moves.This quote implies that Lennie suited the environment that he was in, and the metaphor a creeping bear moves is a powerful one. In addition, it conveys the character to be almost part of nature and if he was never meant for society. As a result of this, the reader may think it is less of a tragedy as Lennie dies where he belongs.Steinbeck portrays the purpose of Lennies character of being the character that allows people to have a dream. Lennie is the one to console table in and not to put down people, because he has n o real understanding of how the world works. Candy and Crooks benefit from having time with Lennie as Candy has someone to pour forth too furthermore ensuring Candy a no opposition to joining the dream, which may not have occurred if Lennie was not a misfit to society. Crooks has someone to talk to without no prejudice as it because of Lennie being unintelligent, he did not understand the concept of racism. Lastly, Lennie ensured Curleys Wife last got someone to talk to in the novel. Steinbecks misfit Lennieshows the flaws in society that needs to be exposed in true life. If there were more people like Lennie on the ranch (society) there would be more empathy towards others and their feelings and there wouldnt be feelings of superiority other one another.George and Lennie have a friendship that is not typical of the period in which the novel was set. Two men travelling around together and working together was inaudible of, the American Depression saw people distant themselves fro m each other. With no security, men chose not to self-assurance each other. Steinbeck depicts this effectively throughout the whole novel. This relationship is not typical of the era, Steinbeck shows this when he writesGuys like us, that work on the ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They dont belong no place.This illustrates the stereotype of the migrant worker make this unusual relationship out of place in the novel and Steinbeck wanted to show this by the set up of their relationship upon the characters. The relationship being not of true life has a sense of inevitable ordain to it. Steinbeck depicts the relationship to draw other characters to it so that they can belong even though the friendship creates skepticism inHe hooked his thumbs in his belt and squinted one eye nearly closedThis expresses to the reader the Boss had never seen it before and that thinks it trouble, with squinted one eye the verb creates suspicion. This clearly emphasis the idea, that the relationship sparks the plot with eventually, Lennie killing Curleys Wife. Perhaps Steinbeck shows this because he is making a social statement on the period where people just can not trust in one another or be emotionally close to each other, with out anything going wrong. George and Lennies relationship shows one how much empathy and understanding one man can have in another. Against everyone being antagonistic to the relationship George stuck by Lennie until he could no more. Steinbecks characters have a friendship that is destroyed by the attitudes in society of the period.In conclusion to this essay, Steinbeck has wrote misfits, unusual characters and cripples in Of Mice and Men to show the faults and prejudices during the 1930s American depression, in which the novel was written. Steinbecks characters portray different aspects to the life in the period. Crooks represents the life of a black man having to struggle through life being worth nothing because of s kin colour, whilst Curleys Wife represents how a women struggles in a male dominant society, the male dominant society being the ranch itself.Candy symbolises the aged in the period, being old is being useless and unwanted. Though the novel has misfits, unusual characters and cripples they would not have as much affect if they were not contrast to the more uninventive characters of the period. Curley and Carlson show the reader the bleak and lonely lives migrant workers had. The contrast has a bigger and more purposeful social statement made by Steinbeck. The writer effectively shows this at the end of the novel.Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin them two guys?This enhances the social statement made by Steinbeck, with Slim consoling George but the other more usual characters, Curley and Carlson, not coming together after the whole plot Steinbeck keeps them apart and socially distant, unaware of the situation George is in. the novel is also concluded within the novel where the i mage of the water snake in the grass an the heron. The whole novel is summarised, with the calmness to the heron snatching the water snake. Steinbeck implies this animal image that humans in a society live like animals and how that we have not evolved to be more tolerable of peoples differences the consequence of this is Lennies death. Steinbeck conveys wonderfully that this will keep transpiring as the heron returns to the pool to catch another water snake.