Language In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
Setting
This novel takes place in the 1930’s during the time of the Great Depression. The era when the stock market crashed and there was not enough money nor resources to go around. It sets the mood in which the story is going to fall under. During this time people were willing to take any job that was available to keep their families maintained. In the novel George and Lennie are searching for a job after getting ran out of town due to Lennie’s incident. They become farm workers which is what most were doing at this time during the Great Depression. People desperately wanted better lives and stable incomes which is exactly what George and Lennie longed for. Their longing for the farmhouse and freedom which most did not have then. Steinbeck …show more content…
implies in this novel how unrewarding life was a farm worker. Without this setting it wouldn’t really convey the storyline very well. It would not give the protagonist the struggles they had leading to their ending tragedy. It wouldn’t give a motive to the story. Since the author lived through that time era as well he had a much better understanding of how things were running back the 1930. He was first hand witness.
Diction
The language used in this text was much known as informal through dialogue but he uses formal language in context.
An example of the author’s informal dialogue is in the beginning of the novel Lennie and George are arguing and he says, “ They run us outta Weed, run us outta hell.” They speak very countryside. They don’t seem to use proper grammar. Another informal example is when George is explaining to Lennie where they are going to work and Lenni repeats, “ We gonna work on a ranch, George.” Being that “gonna” isn’t really a word. The proper term would be going to. His formal language is used throughout the rest of the novel which is the narrator talking. The author does indeed use concise language but throughout most the story it is kept very simple and very easy to understand. The way in which George speaks does not show he is uneducated it’s just the way the language was talked back then. Like in the 1500s when old english was still around, it was different but that does not mean people were uneducated. Shakespeare did just fine with old …show more content…
english.
The first segment that helps reflect the tone is, “George's voice became deeper. He repeated his words rhythmically as though he had said them many times before. 'Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place. They come to a ranch an' work up a stake, and the first thing you know they're poundin' their tail on some other ranch. They ain't got nothing to look ahead to.” These men weren’t anything special to society. Just basic men that worked to make their own living. Especially men like Lennie who truly had no future in that era if it weren’t for George guiding and protecting him every step of the way.
The second segment that helps the tone is, “Crooks stood up from his bunk and faced her. "I had enough," he said coldly. "You got no rights comin' in a colored man's room. You got no rights messing around in here at all. Now you jus' get out, an' get out quick. If you don't, I'm gonna ast the boss not to ever let you come in the barn no more." Here it shows how things were back then. People were angry of course for having no rights. They had no freedom. Discrimination was still quite big in the 1930s. This portrays a feeling they longed for. Equality and freedom.
Syntax
The sentences used in this novel are predominantly simple. Nothing is too complex just a couple of characters but nothing further than that. Steinbeck does not use very lengthy sentences in this particular book. Here and there he does but that is usually when he is trying to state a point. Otherwise, most of his lengthy sentences are used between dialogue. The sentences are fairly periodic. They tell the story in order. There is no special way that Steinbeck set up these sentences. The author used syntax by making simple set sentences for the reader to understand what was going in the story as well as to get his points across. Steinbeck could have easily made this a very complex and had the readers not fully understand some parts of the novel but with that in mind it would have probably changed the reader’s perspective on how they looked at these characters as opposed to how Steinbeck wanted them to be viewed. He made it this way so that you would view these characters they he wanted you to so that the story would fall in line.
Using One Of the Passages From Diction
“George's voice became deeper. He repeated his words rhythmically as though he had said them many times before. 'Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place. They come to a ranch an' work up a stake, and the first thing you know they're poundin' their tail on some other ranch. They ain't got nothing to look ahead to.” Steinbeck is giving the effect of sympathy and understanding by the way that George conveyed his emotions on the way he felt about life. Through this dialogue the author helps set the tone of anger and frustration which is the tone throughout most of the novel.
Imagery
Some recurring theme that seems to happen quite often is Lennie unintentionally hurting something or someone which also leads them to their downfall in this novel. In the beginning of the novel Lennie touches a woman's dress and she accuses him for assault causing them to be kicked out of town. Later that George finds that Lennie has a mouse in his pocket, “Lennie held his closed hand away from George’s direction, It’s on’y a mouse George.” Lennie had accidently killed the mouse. Towards the middle of the novel Lennie was getting beat up by Curley and George gave Lennie the okay to fight back. Lennie had unintentionally broke Curley’s fist. Lennie was unaware of how strong he really was because he couldn’t process things well due to his mental illness. Towards the end of the novel Lennie kills Curley’s wife and he then causes the people in the ranch to go after him. George knowingly there was nothing he could do to protect Lennie this time, he makes a decision to kill Lennie.
Symbolism
The novel is highly symbolic. There are many different types of symbolic characters in this novel. Curley’s wife is a symbol of temptation that women portray against men. This is how women are normally viewed in society up until this day that hasn’t changed. The same sexism is still around in the 20th century. Crooks, the African American in the novel symbolizes the discrimination that was taken place in the 1930s. Candy’s dog symbolizes what happens to useless workers once they start aging and are not able to do much, they kill it. They seem to say, “put the dog out of its misery.” Although the dog is not really suffering he just slowly aging as natural living objects did.
Tone and Theme
A lot of the tone is this passage was anger and frustration. As well as hopelessness and sadness. When George states, “Guys like us got nothing to look ahead to” it shows that he is hopeless and looking forward to basically nothing. Nothing good will ever come his way.
“They come, an' they quit an' go on; an' every damn one of 'em's got a little piece of land in his head. An' never a God damn one of 'em ever gets it. Just like heaven. Ever'body wants a little piece of lan'. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It’s just in their head.” George is saying that people just make themselves believe in things so they have a sense of hope to look forward to. Unlike them he has witnessed far too many things that seem to leave him hopeless ad frustrated about his life. There are multiple themes in this novel. One of them is Human existence. People can not see why Lennie is the way he is but in his life it is just his nature. It is his mental disability. Another theme here is friendship and companionship. George has always looked out and protected Lennie. He has always been his backbone and will continue to do so until he is no longer able to.
Significance of Title
The meaning behind the title Of Mice and Men according to a source is that the name was created and inspired because of the play, To a Mouse [on turning her up in her nest with a plough.] Written by Robert Burns in 1785. They play talks about how a character turned up a mouse’s nest with his plough causing it to be destroyed. Which connects us to Lennie since he seemingly destroys everything he touches.
Memorable Quotes
“I got you to look after me and you got me to look after you.” This conveys part of the theme of friendship and companionship because Lennie and George have eachother’s back throughout the novel.
“Trouble with mice is that you always kill ‘em.” This quote helps and tells part of the story behind the meaning of the title. “Lennie said quietly, “‘It ain’t no lie. Wr’re gonna do it. Gonna get a little place an’ live on the fatta the lan’.” This takes us back to how they hoped for freedom and one day they would have it. This was the placed they longed their freedom upon. “Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung upon a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.” This quote shows us the discrimination they still had among colored people. They disrespected them and still didn’t look at them as people as a
whole.
Research/Literary Criticism
The first article that I read didn’t surprise me because the man too liked the book and also said it was influential. What I did learn was how he viewed it and interpreted his analysis by saying that Steinbeck looked at this is a way where a mouse’s life and humanity have “striking similarities” as the critique said.
The second article I came across was on enotes. They say that it is often taught in high school because it raises awareness to real life situations that might still go on today. As well as it gives us a sense of what it was like back in history. Everyone seems to constantly bring up his most known book The Grapes of Wrath which is also a very common book taught in high school. It makes me think about how glad I am that i am getting the opportunity to be exposed to literature such as Steinbeck’s work.
This novel takes place in the 1930’s during the time of the Great Depression. The era when the stock market crashed and there was not enough money nor resources to go around. It sets the mood in which the story is going to fall under. During this time people were willing to take any job that was available to keep their families maintained. In the novel George and Lennie are searching for a job after getting ran out of town due to Lennie’s incident. They become farm workers which is what most were doing at this time during the Great Depression. People desperately wanted better lives and stable incomes which is exactly what George and Lennie longed for. Their longing for the farmhouse and freedom which most did not have then. Steinbeck …show more content…
implies in this novel how unrewarding life was a farm worker. Without this setting it wouldn’t really convey the storyline very well. It would not give the protagonist the struggles they had leading to their ending tragedy. It wouldn’t give a motive to the story. Since the author lived through that time era as well he had a much better understanding of how things were running back the 1930. He was first hand witness.
Diction
The language used in this text was much known as informal through dialogue but he uses formal language in context.
An example of the author’s informal dialogue is in the beginning of the novel Lennie and George are arguing and he says, “ They run us outta Weed, run us outta hell.” They speak very countryside. They don’t seem to use proper grammar. Another informal example is when George is explaining to Lennie where they are going to work and Lenni repeats, “ We gonna work on a ranch, George.” Being that “gonna” isn’t really a word. The proper term would be going to. His formal language is used throughout the rest of the novel which is the narrator talking. The author does indeed use concise language but throughout most the story it is kept very simple and very easy to understand. The way in which George speaks does not show he is uneducated it’s just the way the language was talked back then. Like in the 1500s when old english was still around, it was different but that does not mean people were uneducated. Shakespeare did just fine with old …show more content…
english.
The first segment that helps reflect the tone is, “George's voice became deeper. He repeated his words rhythmically as though he had said them many times before. 'Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place. They come to a ranch an' work up a stake, and the first thing you know they're poundin' their tail on some other ranch. They ain't got nothing to look ahead to.” These men weren’t anything special to society. Just basic men that worked to make their own living. Especially men like Lennie who truly had no future in that era if it weren’t for George guiding and protecting him every step of the way.
The second segment that helps the tone is, “Crooks stood up from his bunk and faced her. "I had enough," he said coldly. "You got no rights comin' in a colored man's room. You got no rights messing around in here at all. Now you jus' get out, an' get out quick. If you don't, I'm gonna ast the boss not to ever let you come in the barn no more." Here it shows how things were back then. People were angry of course for having no rights. They had no freedom. Discrimination was still quite big in the 1930s. This portrays a feeling they longed for. Equality and freedom.
Syntax
The sentences used in this novel are predominantly simple. Nothing is too complex just a couple of characters but nothing further than that. Steinbeck does not use very lengthy sentences in this particular book. Here and there he does but that is usually when he is trying to state a point. Otherwise, most of his lengthy sentences are used between dialogue. The sentences are fairly periodic. They tell the story in order. There is no special way that Steinbeck set up these sentences. The author used syntax by making simple set sentences for the reader to understand what was going in the story as well as to get his points across. Steinbeck could have easily made this a very complex and had the readers not fully understand some parts of the novel but with that in mind it would have probably changed the reader’s perspective on how they looked at these characters as opposed to how Steinbeck wanted them to be viewed. He made it this way so that you would view these characters they he wanted you to so that the story would fall in line.
Using One Of the Passages From Diction
“George's voice became deeper. He repeated his words rhythmically as though he had said them many times before. 'Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place. They come to a ranch an' work up a stake, and the first thing you know they're poundin' their tail on some other ranch. They ain't got nothing to look ahead to.” Steinbeck is giving the effect of sympathy and understanding by the way that George conveyed his emotions on the way he felt about life. Through this dialogue the author helps set the tone of anger and frustration which is the tone throughout most of the novel.
Imagery
Some recurring theme that seems to happen quite often is Lennie unintentionally hurting something or someone which also leads them to their downfall in this novel. In the beginning of the novel Lennie touches a woman's dress and she accuses him for assault causing them to be kicked out of town. Later that George finds that Lennie has a mouse in his pocket, “Lennie held his closed hand away from George’s direction, It’s on’y a mouse George.” Lennie had accidently killed the mouse. Towards the middle of the novel Lennie was getting beat up by Curley and George gave Lennie the okay to fight back. Lennie had unintentionally broke Curley’s fist. Lennie was unaware of how strong he really was because he couldn’t process things well due to his mental illness. Towards the end of the novel Lennie kills Curley’s wife and he then causes the people in the ranch to go after him. George knowingly there was nothing he could do to protect Lennie this time, he makes a decision to kill Lennie.
Symbolism
The novel is highly symbolic. There are many different types of symbolic characters in this novel. Curley’s wife is a symbol of temptation that women portray against men. This is how women are normally viewed in society up until this day that hasn’t changed. The same sexism is still around in the 20th century. Crooks, the African American in the novel symbolizes the discrimination that was taken place in the 1930s. Candy’s dog symbolizes what happens to useless workers once they start aging and are not able to do much, they kill it. They seem to say, “put the dog out of its misery.” Although the dog is not really suffering he just slowly aging as natural living objects did.
Tone and Theme
A lot of the tone is this passage was anger and frustration. As well as hopelessness and sadness. When George states, “Guys like us got nothing to look ahead to” it shows that he is hopeless and looking forward to basically nothing. Nothing good will ever come his way.
“They come, an' they quit an' go on; an' every damn one of 'em's got a little piece of land in his head. An' never a God damn one of 'em ever gets it. Just like heaven. Ever'body wants a little piece of lan'. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It’s just in their head.” George is saying that people just make themselves believe in things so they have a sense of hope to look forward to. Unlike them he has witnessed far too many things that seem to leave him hopeless ad frustrated about his life. There are multiple themes in this novel. One of them is Human existence. People can not see why Lennie is the way he is but in his life it is just his nature. It is his mental disability. Another theme here is friendship and companionship. George has always looked out and protected Lennie. He has always been his backbone and will continue to do so until he is no longer able to.
Significance of Title
The meaning behind the title Of Mice and Men according to a source is that the name was created and inspired because of the play, To a Mouse [on turning her up in her nest with a plough.] Written by Robert Burns in 1785. They play talks about how a character turned up a mouse’s nest with his plough causing it to be destroyed. Which connects us to Lennie since he seemingly destroys everything he touches.
Memorable Quotes
“I got you to look after me and you got me to look after you.” This conveys part of the theme of friendship and companionship because Lennie and George have eachother’s back throughout the novel.
“Trouble with mice is that you always kill ‘em.” This quote helps and tells part of the story behind the meaning of the title. “Lennie said quietly, “‘It ain’t no lie. Wr’re gonna do it. Gonna get a little place an’ live on the fatta the lan’.” This takes us back to how they hoped for freedom and one day they would have it. This was the placed they longed their freedom upon. “Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung upon a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.” This quote shows us the discrimination they still had among colored people. They disrespected them and still didn’t look at them as people as a
whole.
Research/Literary Criticism
The first article that I read didn’t surprise me because the man too liked the book and also said it was influential. What I did learn was how he viewed it and interpreted his analysis by saying that Steinbeck looked at this is a way where a mouse’s life and humanity have “striking similarities” as the critique said.
The second article I came across was on enotes. They say that it is often taught in high school because it raises awareness to real life situations that might still go on today. As well as it gives us a sense of what it was like back in history. Everyone seems to constantly bring up his most known book The Grapes of Wrath which is also a very common book taught in high school. It makes me think about how glad I am that i am getting the opportunity to be exposed to literature such as Steinbeck’s work.