Preview

Comparing The Lead Characters In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
763 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Comparing The Lead Characters In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
In the novella, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck crafts two lead characters who share an intricate but evident friendship together. This novella is set in the late 1930’s in rural California. During the 1930’s, America fell into an enormous economic recession throughout the country known as the Great Depression: unemployment rates soared, industries under-produced, businesses got disrupted, and people starved. Families were unable to support themselves, so during these times of hardship, people relied on friendships and other people to get the help they needed. This novella is about how its two lead characters support each other throughout their entire time together without a family and aid. Of Mice and Men starts off by painting vivid imagery of nature – animals and trees – in its serene state, but it rapidly shifts over to an exhausted-like mood when men enter the scene. The author establishes this location on a sandy bank of the Salinas River. Steinbeck establishes the relationship of the lead characters, George and Lennie, in the beginning of …show more content…
George and Lennie share a father-child type of relationship; George is like the father: he works, educates, and protects Lennie while Lennie is like the child: he is incompetent, quiet, and looks up to George. They live together like a family would; unlike most people in the novella who have no family or people they could trust and rely on. While George explained to Lennie how other men lived solitarily, “Lennie broke in. ‘But not us! An’ why? Because… I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why’” (Steinbeck 14). George takes care of Lennie, and protects him to the best of his ability; however, George feels laden having to watch Lennie’s every move. Lennie requires a lot of help mentally and emotionally, but George needs a companion to help overcome his troubles in

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The similarity between the book and the film "Of Mice and Men" is most evident. Even so, there are a few differences, some insignificant and other crucial. However, in the majority of the scenes, the dialogs are taken literally from the book.…

    • 634 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In conclusion, these questions that presents how shocking George killing his friend, Lennie and why, if it was the right thing to kill him, why did George had to lie what had happened to Lennie, and what did we think happened to George when the books ends. These questions shows evidence giving answers why it was a good reason to kill Lennie and the other questions that are relatable to this main question.…

    • 73 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The book, Of Mice and Men, is one that invokes thought in the reader. Although the book is well written, the movie does not come close to those same standards. After reading the book, then watchisng the movie, I saw some major differences as well as some insignificant differences. However, there were a few that were very obvious. One glaring difference that I saw involved the character simply known as "Curley's wife". One difference transpired during a scene that greatly influenced what I thought of her. However, in the movie, this scene never took place. This difference drastically altered my opinion of Curley's wife.…

    • 562 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Of Mice and Men, A classic literature book by John Steinbeck, takes place in the 1930s on a ranch in the Salinas valley. George and Lennie, the two main characters, live during the great depression. They work on a ranch in hopes of earning money. As they live a poor life they share the same dream to help them get through the tough…

    • 64 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are many differences between the movie and book “Of Mice and Men” the director, Gary Sinies, was the of the movie and the author of the book was John Steinbeck. The two men had their different views on the story and put in in a way to entertain people. There are some scenes in the movie to add some more character to the person and fill in some missing holes. That would be one difference.…

    • 561 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams dies, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly. (Langston Hughes)” The film “Of Mice and Men” directed by Gary Sinise is an adaption of the novel with the same name written by John Steinbeck, it depict the iconic living conditions and life style of farmers in California during the great depression. Both the novel and the film emphasize the themes of “friendship”, “loneliness” and “loss of dreams” in which the characters are vividly portrayed in different scenes.…

    • 494 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The boss leaves and a little later comes Curley, the bosses son, an aggressive man who seems to not like “big guys” and quickly tells George to let Lennie talk. Curley then leaves and Candy tells them that Curley loves being mean to the bigger guys because they all think that he's mad because he's not as big. He later says that Curley’s attitude has only gotten worse since his recent marriage to a “tart” who enjoys flirting with the men working.…

    • 82 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    George guesses about where Lennie is and races to the pool. To spare him from the ruthless attacks of the farm hands, George tolerantly slaughters his companion himself. Listening to the gunfire, the searchers join by the pool. They adulate George for his demonstration. Just Slim comprehends the genuine motivation behind George's…

    • 53 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The title of the book that I am doing my report on is Of Mice and Men. The author of this realistic fictional novel is John Steinbeck. The Penguin Group published it. Of Mice and Men was published in 1937 and has 107 pages. This story is about two friends, one of which is mentally impaired traveling to different states trying to make a living to accomplish their dreams. I believe that the author wanted to inform us about how hard economic times were back during the Great Depression.…

    • 587 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" there were many ideas, many of which were contrasting. This is shown even in the title contrasting and comparing mice and men and their similarities and their differences. This shows that in John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" Lennie was a blessing, and a burden to George.…

    • 504 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Of Mice and Men is the story of two men, George and Lennie, trying to achieve the American dream. Innocence is a prominent feature in Lennie’s personality, which is a large part of the story as a whole. In of Mice and Men, Steinbeck suggests that Lennie’s innocence is a burden to both Lennie and George in the world of evil men present in the story as seen through George’s constant trouble to keep Lennie from causing trouble, Lennie hurting others and feeling no remorse, Lennie’s killing of Curly’s Wife ultimately ruining the future life of the himself, and George, and Lennie holding George back from any of the opportunities that would’ve been open to him otherwise.…

    • 1169 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    2. What function does the color blue serve in this story? Where in the story does it appear?…

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    [Candy] said miserably, "You seen what they done to my dog tonight? They says he wasn't no good to himself nor nobody else”(Steinbeck 60). Candy is introduced in the start of chapter two, he is described indirectly by the narrator as a “Stoop shouldered old man”(Steinbeck 18). He is said to have a round stump on his right arm, but no hand. His dog enters later in chapter two, whom is described as a “dragfooted sheepdog, gray of a muzzle, and with pale, old eyes”(Steinbeck 26). Through these characters, Steinbeck helps the reader understand the stereotype of the uselessness of the elderly and disabled. Along with this, Candy and his dog create a parallel with George and Lennie.…

    • 677 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck tells a story about the Great Depression. The setting of the novella is a Ranch in the Great Depression. The Great Depression was a time in American history where everyone is struggling to survive. Of Mice and Men leaves the reader feeling dark and haunted. John Steinbeck describes a word where the American dream is an illusion. Steinbeck paints a dark portrait of America in the 1930s. Steinbeck reveals the challenges of the Great Depression. The loneliest person in the person in Of Mice and Men is Candy. Candy would be the loneliest because the only friend that Candy had was his dog.…

    • 955 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Of Mice and Men is a story about the failure of the American dream.The main characters' troubles can be compared to those of mice, which explains the title. Robert Burns' poem, "To a Mouse" also can help to clarify the title. It contains the quotation: "The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men, Gang aft agley" ("often go awry"). In fact, this quote is the reason John Steinbeck chose Of Mice and Men as the title.…

    • 494 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays