John Steinbeck Character Analysis

Explanatory Essay
Antonio Kim John Steinbeck’s hero’s never reach or achieve their ambitions, ending up worse than before. In many of John Steinbeck’s stories the main characters (heroes) have goals or dreams that they desperately want. In the story “The Pearl” Kino is the hero that loses his child and prized find, the pearl, as well as the wealth he envisioned. In another John Steinbeck piece “Of Mice and Men,” George is one of the main characters that lose one of his close friend as well as his hopes and goals. After these two character hoped to “hit it big” being in what you could say in the low social class ended up losing something in the end. Kino in “The Pearl,” is a strong willed but arrogant character who follows his beliefs. First when his child Coyotito becomes ill, Kino desperately searches for a way to pay for medical care and miraculously ends up finding the pearl. After a great commotion was made in Kino’s village Kino refuses a pearl buyers deal, he is filled with rage thinking he is being swindled and cheated. Kino knew that the pearl was much more than the pearl buyer had offered and with his arrogance got attacked several times and his abode was burned down. Filled with greed, Kino’s clouded judgment allows him go to any extent to reach the position of riches and fame. After many obstacles are faced Kino loses his only child and the pearl- along with his aspirations of wealth. George is one of the main characters in the story “Of Mice and Men,” George is a small, quick witted and intelligent man who is like a father like figure who watches over his friend Lennie, a big lumbering child like character who gets into trouble a lot due to a mental disability. Like Kino, together George and Lennie also hope to “hit it big” and dream about “live off the fatta the land” on a simple ten acre farm. Before, Lennie caused some trouble in the last town so together they ran away to start fresh and get a job as handymen on a farm to earn some money. After all the money was collected and ready their goals were finally in sight except when Lennie caused trouble again. With his brute force he accidently kills the wife of Curly, the boss’ son. Soon after that George finds Lennie again and relays their dreams and goals’ hoping to end Lennie out of the misery of the cold harsh world, George then shoots Lennie. At that moment George realizes his position in society, just a migrant worker who has unachievable goals. George then gives in sacrificing his goals and dreams as well as the friend that gave him hope. Why does John Steinbeck make his heroes lose something precious at the end of an attempt to reach their goals and dreams? In other stories you would imagine heroes as someone in tights with a cape. For instance Spider-Man, Spider-man is a super hero with special abilities that always gets the girl, and is always given a happy ending. In John Steinbeck’s stories his heroes are regular everyday people who don’t have a physical enemy but is in fact fighting against society and social status. John Steinbeck leaves a message using an example with his characters that in reality “nothing is too good to be true.”