Analysis: Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men Analysis
In this passage taken from 'Of Mice and Men', Steinbeck illustrates how people from different walks of life can share a similar dream. The three characters, Lennie, Crooks and and Candy have all been damaged and bruised by life, yet still aim to have something small to call their own.
Set in the barn on the ranch of 'Soledad', the characters share a conversation about dreams and ambitions. Lennie is visiting the Negro stable buck when Candy comes to investigate. Although Crooks seems irritated by the company, this is not entirely the case. 'It was difficult for Crooks to conceal his pleasure with anger', Steinbeck writes. Being Negro, Crooks is isolated from the rest of the men on the ranch, and it rarely allowed to indulge in the natural human desire to interact with others. He then points to the pile of manure under the window, furthermore emphasising the way Negros are treated, and how the standards vary from those of white men. Due to this pecking order, the white men choose not to associate with the Negros either. 'Guys don’t come into a coloured mans room much,' Crooks says, demonstrating the racism that occurs on the ranch. Continuously trying to relate back to the topic of rabbits, Lennie interrupts Candy. 'I get to tend them.. George says I get to tend them. He promised.' Lennie's childish obsession with rabbits is an example of his autistic tendencies. He appears to be completely oblivious to the rest of the world, instead focusing only on what directly affects him. Soon, Crooks interrupts the conversation in a brutal and negative manner. 'You'll talk about it a lot but you'll never get no land,' he says, almost sarcastically. Although this is likely, it seems that Crooks in simply putting down their dreams, as such desires are almost impossible for a Negro man like himself. 'You god damn right we're gonna do it,' Candy says, fighting back angrily. The faint possibility of achieving their goal is enough to keep them
In this passage taken from 'Of Mice and Men', Steinbeck illustrates how people from different walks of life can share a similar dream. The three characters, Lennie, Crooks and and Candy have all been damaged and bruised by life, yet still aim to have something small to call their own.
Set in the barn on the ranch of 'Soledad', the characters share a conversation about dreams and ambitions. Lennie is visiting the Negro stable buck when Candy comes to investigate. Although Crooks seems irritated by the company, this is not entirely the case. 'It was difficult for Crooks to conceal his pleasure with anger', Steinbeck writes. Being Negro, Crooks is isolated from the rest of the men on the ranch, and it rarely allowed to indulge in the natural human desire to interact with others. He then points to the pile of manure under the window, furthermore emphasising the way Negros are treated, and how the standards vary from those of white men. Due to this pecking order, the white men choose not to associate with the Negros either. 'Guys don’t come into a coloured mans room much,' Crooks says, demonstrating the racism that occurs on the ranch. Continuously trying to relate back to the topic of rabbits, Lennie interrupts Candy. 'I get to tend them.. George says I get to tend them. He promised.' Lennie's childish obsession with rabbits is an example of his autistic tendencies. He appears to be completely oblivious to the rest of the world, instead focusing only on what directly affects him. Soon, Crooks interrupts the conversation in a brutal and negative manner. 'You'll talk about it a lot but you'll never get no land,' he says, almost sarcastically. Although this is likely, it seems that Crooks in simply putting down their dreams, as such desires are almost impossible for a Negro man like himself. 'You god damn right we're gonna do it,' Candy says, fighting back angrily. The faint possibility of achieving their goal is enough to keep them