Preview

Reality In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1216 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Reality In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
The way a person was raised and the things they have experienced can change their objectives in life, and in addition the way they see the world. These different perceptions of reality are the main reasons why humans all have so many diverse aspirations and dreams, regardless of how modified they may be due to the circumstances. Jing Chen, Phil Alden Robinson, and John Steinbeck all saw precisely how a person's backgrounds can influence their fantasies; and by using the rhetorical device of paradox they passed on that learning to a variety of readers through their literary works.
In the article titled “White man in the photo is the ‘third hero’ that night in 1968” written by Jing Chen, Australian Olympian Peter Norman had stood amongst two
…show more content…
The only female character in the novel whose name has been given to readers as Curley’s Wife is a paradox within her own life and its circumstances, and where she ended up as a result. Throughout the novel she was upset at the way she was living because she claimed that she could have “ ‘...been in the movies, an[d] had nice clothes...’ ” however the unfortunate truth was that she was stuck living the life she was living (Steinbeck 89). This as well as the fact that readers constantly saw her as mean and toxic, but only in her death they saw her as she truly was; “... the meanness and the plannings and the discontent and the ache for attention were all gone…” and she looked very plain and beautiful (Steinbeck 92-93). She, much like many other characters in the novel, had a dream for herself. However the fact is that she unfortunately failed to see that dream become a reality. Steinbeck used the paradox in the way the men on the ranch saw her to show how unfairly treated she was. He showed this through her death, displayed as pure and beautiful, unlike the manipulative creature readers had come to know thanks to the perception of the men. It is unfortunate that she never lived long enough to pursue her dreams, instead stuck in a place where she was not happy and trapped in a failing marriage. The paradox is simple, she had dreams, and they were crushed. Not everybody, as saddening as it is, gets to live their ideal life. Most do, but some tend to stop

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck there are three characters that show person vs fate in a negative way. The book ends by George shooting Lennie at the end. George will turn into the average migrant worker because he does not have Lennie any more. Also, Crook's future is bad because of segregation. Finally, Curley's wife will not make it to Hollywood because she is married to Curley. With Lennie’s death it makes it very hard for george to try to achieve the American Dream.…

    • 514 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Thesis: VAB-Values of that time shown by authors by Marginalisation: GEORGE HAS POWER, ATTICUS- RACE…

    • 327 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    d the cream.They are like brothers they work together and provide food for each other.George provided both of them food and shelter he got lennie a job George is like the big brother. Lennie thinks they both could make there dreams come true.George tells a story to Lennie that is about them and that Lennie knows the story by heart and George stops telling the story to lennie because he told lennie he doesn't need to keep telling the story if lennie knows it by heart.George says that lennie should tell the story but lennie said that George tells it better.They camped outside the farm for the night they only had a campfire and sleeping bags They kill the rabbits when its winter and they tend.They live in a ranch so they big vegetable patch and…

    • 307 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    This paragraph will be about the disgust and horror which is conveyed during chapter 3 of, Of Mice and Men during a fight between Lennie and Curley. Towards the end of the novel the fight begins where Curley ‘slashed at Lennie with his left, and then smashed down his nose with his right’, already this quote shows the power of Curley in this fight and the sheer harshness and magnitude of the whole situation. The word ’smashed’ used is onomatopoeia, meaning it’s spelt how it sounds, so the reader can almost hear the impact of the punch on Lennie’s face and are made to feel sympathy towards Lennie as he did nothing wrong and fear for what may happen to him at the hands of Curley. In addition ‘slashed’ and ‘smashed’…

    • 368 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “‘I can still tend the rabbits, George?’ ‘Sure. You ain't done nothing wrong.’ ‘I di'n't mean no harm, George.’” (Steinbeck) Throughout John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, Lennie childishly obsesses over his and George’s plan to have their own piece of land, on which he could tend the rabbits. However, this never came to pass as Lennie was put down like an animal, by George. By writing about the lives of this unfortunate pair, Steinbeck addresses many thematic ideas such as having power and being powerless, the difference between right and wrong, and dreams and reality that help the reader better understand the human condition.…

    • 1011 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the novel, Curley’s wife is seen as a danger to the ranch workers as they feel that she is putting their job on the ranch at risk as Curley is the ranch owner’s son. However, we find that as we get to understand her better, we begin to feel pity and empathetic towards her. This is because we realise that she hasn’t lived the life she wanted to and is feeling sorry for her for these reasons. We begin to understand her dream of being an actor, this relates to all ranch workers dreams – They never work. We feel bad about this because she had the opportunity when she was younger to live the life she wanted. On page 125, we understand that she is resentful and angry that she is with Curley due to her feeling that it is the lowest she could have gotten.…

    • 431 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Of Mice and Men is a novel set on a ranch in the Salinas Valley in California during the Great Depression of the 1930s. It was the first work to bring John Steinbeck national recognition as a writer. The title suggests that the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry, a reference to Robert Burns's poem "To a Mouse." Of Mice and Men was selected for the Book of the Month Club before it was officially published, an honour that encouraged 117,000 copies of the novel to be sold before its official publication on February 25, 1937.…

    • 5348 Words
    • 22 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    If something good happened to you and you were acting happy in public, how would other people see and interpret your emotions? People's’ reactions really highlight the human condition and give us new views on it. A book that really displays this is the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. A theme that I found to identify and shape the human condition is: Throughout Steinbeck’s story, Of Mice and Men, he pushes to show that we humans and our different perspectives shape how we treat certain people, whether with kindness and empathy, dislike and loathing, or even confusion and ignorance. This theme is shown multiple times throughout the story, with different perspectives conflicting the most notable time being after George shoots Lennie and Carlson doesn’t know why George is distraught.…

    • 875 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Often throughout our society, we tend to judge people based on our first glance appearance. Many teenagers can relate to this because the moment that they are attracted to someone they see for the first time, they think that they have fallen in love. That is not love, in fact it is the main definition for the term infatuation. Many people are familiar with the story of Romeo and Juliet, which is told to be the “greatest love story” ever to exist. Shakespeare does do a good job on describing a story of two very different people coming together. What he does not do is create a strong relationship between the infatuated lovers. An author that does do a good job at this is John Steinbeck, who wrote Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck describes two main characters (Lennie and George) who are very contrasting to one another, but bring very similar values that lead to a strong relationship. Although Romeo and Juliet do specific things that are on the right track of a good relationship, George and Lennie in Of Mice and Men develop a stronger relationship because they share the same independent goals, they help one another out, and lastly, they fill in each other's missing piece to the puzzle.…

    • 1375 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The passage immediately introduces Slim as an authoritative and almost regal member of the ranch:…

    • 1164 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the John Steinbeckâs novel âof Mice and Menâ he introduces us to the character of Curleyâs wife. She could be interpreted as a mis-fitting character in the novel as no one relates to her. Steinbeck relates her to how women were powerless during 1930âs and makes her seem desperately lonely and isolated from the others on the ranch. She has sexual power which she uses to get to the men on the ranch and she just needs someone to talk to. She dislikes her husband and had a desire to become a movie star. She is not seem as an individual and has no name. This shows how a woman belonged to their husband. This essay is going to examine in detail how Curleyâs wife has been presented in this novel.…

    • 391 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    When reading a novel, there is generally a theme. A theme is the central idea of the novel. Normally, the author of the novel is trying to teach readers a life lesson. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses multiple themes throughout his novel. Steinbeck uses his theme of hopes and dreams to show motivation, unlikeliness, and anger.…

    • 657 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Curley’s wife has no name and seem to not be givien no importantance. As the only woman on the ranch, Curley’s wife is lonely and sad. In the novel they don't portray women in the best matters. They treat women with despite in the whole novel. Women seem to drive them mad and only bring trouble towards them. In curley's wife case she seem to be all those charactierisctics.…

    • 378 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    What is the definition of the American Dream? Many people hope to be able to live the American Dream or perfect life but can’t. In Steinbeck’s book he shows us the harsh reality that the “American Dream” doesn’t exist. This is one of the themes that Steinbeck conveys to the readers through the creation of the character Curley’s wife. Curley’s wife is a minor character who is brought to an untimely and tragic death. She feels like she has no real place on the farm making her feel insecure and like she has no value. She relates to the theme of defeated hope and harsh reality of the American Dream because she hates the situation in which she is in but feels as though…

    • 243 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck is world renowned, and a great piece of literature. When most read it they enjoy it. This is because Steinbeck illustrates themes that many can relate to. He touches topics like, friendship, gender and racial inequality, and alienation. Steinbeck uses Crooks as a figure to represent these themes, which is what makes him a very interesting character.…

    • 431 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays