Explain How Steinbeck Presents and Develops the Character of George
Explore how Steinbeck presents and develops the character of George
In the well known novel “Of Mice and Men” written by John Steinbeck, the first character you meet is George, he is immediately seen as the leader of the pair, George and Lennie. He is “small and quick, dark of face” and is identified as a worker, because of the clothes he wears and possessions he carries, for example, his “tight blanket roll” and his hard wearing “denim” clothes. George is normally seen as being angry most of the time due to his “restless eyes and sharp, strong features” but this also makes him seem handsome and clever. If there was a mirror character in this novel, it would be Lennie, he is the complete opposite of George and is one of the more powerful characters, as he is able to destroy George’s dream.
The novel is written in third person, and Steinbeck uses the dialogues between George and Lennie to develop the reader’s opinion about each character as the story evolves.
Also in Steinbecks writing, he uses a lot of imagery, especially in the first and last chapters, where he uses a circular narrative story base. He makes the ‘two halves’ of the book parallel, for example; with the description of the Salinas River at the beginning of the book and the same once again at the end, also with George and Lennie running away from something bad that Lennie has done. However, at the end Steinbeck adds a twist and focuses more on George, dropping Lennie.
In the first chapter, the snake is seen as a symbol of peace, as it swims slowly up the pool, but in the last chapter, “the water snake, twisting its periscope head from side to side; swam the length of the pool and came to the legs of a motionless heron. A silent head and beak lanced down and plucked it out by the head, and the beak swallowed the little snake while its tail waved frantically.” I think that this really shows the turmoil that must be going on inside George when he realises what Lennie has done to Curley’s wife. I
In the well known novel “Of Mice and Men” written by John Steinbeck, the first character you meet is George, he is immediately seen as the leader of the pair, George and Lennie. He is “small and quick, dark of face” and is identified as a worker, because of the clothes he wears and possessions he carries, for example, his “tight blanket roll” and his hard wearing “denim” clothes. George is normally seen as being angry most of the time due to his “restless eyes and sharp, strong features” but this also makes him seem handsome and clever. If there was a mirror character in this novel, it would be Lennie, he is the complete opposite of George and is one of the more powerful characters, as he is able to destroy George’s dream.
The novel is written in third person, and Steinbeck uses the dialogues between George and Lennie to develop the reader’s opinion about each character as the story evolves.
Also in Steinbecks writing, he uses a lot of imagery, especially in the first and last chapters, where he uses a circular narrative story base. He makes the ‘two halves’ of the book parallel, for example; with the description of the Salinas River at the beginning of the book and the same once again at the end, also with George and Lennie running away from something bad that Lennie has done. However, at the end Steinbeck adds a twist and focuses more on George, dropping Lennie.
In the first chapter, the snake is seen as a symbol of peace, as it swims slowly up the pool, but in the last chapter, “the water snake, twisting its periscope head from side to side; swam the length of the pool and came to the legs of a motionless heron. A silent head and beak lanced down and plucked it out by the head, and the beak swallowed the little snake while its tail waved frantically.” I think that this really shows the turmoil that must be going on inside George when he realises what Lennie has done to Curley’s wife. I