Free Essays on Of Mice And Men

Story Map Fiction Title: Of Mice and Men Author: John Steinback Setting: 1.Characters: Lennie, George, Candy, Slim, The Boss, Curley, Curley's Wife, Carlson, Whit, and Crooks. 2.Place: Salinas Valley, California 3.Time: 1937, Depression Era Plot: 1.Problem: George and Lennie are Laborers in California's vegetable fields. They try to get work anywhere they can. George and Lennie are not just any California Laborers. For they have a plan: to own an acre of land and have a shack to call their own. When they acquire a job on a ranch in Salinas Valley their dream seems to be within their grasp. But George cannot guard Lennie from the provocation of a flirtatious woman neither predict the consequences of Lennie's unswerving obedience to the things he learns from George. 2.Major Events: 1. This novel takes place in the California valley along the Salinas River. There are two settings: the banks of the Salinas River and a nearby ranch. George Milton, small and smart, and his friend Lennie Small, a large man with mild retardation, are on their way to jobs at a ranch. When they stop by the Salinas River to take a break from their long walk. 2. Lennie cannot remember where they are going, and George, annoyed, reminds him about their jobs. Lennie looks in his pocket for his work card and finds a dead mouse, which he found by the side of the road. Lennie likes to pet soft animals, like mice and puppies, but he is very strong and often kills his delicate pets. George reminds Lennie that he has his work card and demands Lennie to give it to him. Lennie tries to hide his mouse from George, who eventually gets it from him and throws it across the river. That evening, Lennie goes to find his mouse, which makes George very angry. He argues with Lennie, but soon feels bad and tries to console him. George tells Lennie how one day soon they will own a farm of thei... Free Essays on Of Mice And Men Free Essays on Of Mice And Men Response to Text I found Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, a difficult book to read. The language was very detailed and the speech was lazy as they left out letters, â€Å"You can’t keep a job and you lose me ever’ job I get. Jus’ keep me shovin’ all over the country all the time. An’ that ain’t the worst.† However, by the end of the book I understood the language used and I actually read the book again and picked up a lot of things I first missed. I was curious about the origins of the title and discovered it was from a line in a Scottish poem- â€Å"The best laid schemes o’ mice an ‘men Gong aft agley [often go wrong] And leave us nought but Grief and Pain For promised joy.† I think this means that no matter how well we plan something, sometimes those plans will be just dreams and never become reality, or worse, they could go terribly wrong. I think this is used in the story referring to George and Lennie’s dream of owning a farm. This dream made George and Lennie’s friendship stronger but I think deep down George knew it was only a dream that would never eventuate. â€Å"-I think I knowed from the very first. I think I knowed we’d never do her. He usta like to hear about it so much I got thinking maybe we would.† Lennie on the other hand, became so obsessed with the idea that it controlled him and became the only thing he thought of. Lennie might not have been smart, but he was sensitive, strong and had a huge heart. Although Lennie often annoys George with the mind of a child trapped in the body of a man, George does love Lennie and would do nearly anything for him. That is why at time he is so over protective of him. Steinbeck uses different devices in his writing that became clearer to me the second time I read the book. He uses foreshadowing to introduce the reader to ideas of incidents that become a main part of the story. At the start of the text, Lennie and George talk about mice and how ... Free Essays on Of Mice And Men Choose a novel which portrays a close relationship between two characters. Show how this relationship develops and adds to your enjoyment of the novel. The book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is set in California during the time of the depression. The book is about two men who keep on getting chased out of villages when they just want some money to buy a house of their own. The novel mentions a lot about the two men’s close friendship by showing that they travel everywhere with each other and can’t travel by themselves. Our first impressions of George and Lennie are that George is a kind of parent figure to Lennie and is always looking after Lennie because Lennie is always getting into trouble and acts like a child even though he is an adult. George is a friend of Lennie but has to be like a father because Lennie is unable to look after himself. George is very independent on himself and doesn’t really need Lennie by his side who is just slowing him down. Lennie is very big and slow and can’t really fend for himself and always need George to look after him. Lennie acts very childlike and always wants to put soft things like the dead mouse George finds in his jacket pocket. Most of the animals that Lennie pats end up dead because he doesn’t know his own strength because he thinks he’s as strong as a child but is actually as strong as a full grown adult. They both play a part in their strong friendship and as you can see this by seeing that George can’t leave Lennie and Lennie is always very innocent and can’t fend for himself. One of the reasons that they have to travel with each other all the time is that George told Lennie’s family that he would look after Lennie for them. The book does make you laugh slightly when you hear about how slow and child like Lennie is. A quote from the book that shows that Lennie is very childlike is â€Å"How I get to tend the rabbits† He says this all the way though as if it’s t... Free Essays on Of Mice And Men Steinbach wrote his novel Of Mice and Men then changed the genre of his book to a drama. He does this to convey a different to his audience. In the novel, the ending is more promising. It leaves George walking away with Slim, discussing their plans to go have a drink. It seems as if George moves on and accepts what he has done to Lennie. George seems to become friends with Slim, and the ending of this novel walks off with him. It leaves the reader thinking that George may go on working at the ranch and may even live the dream that Lennie and him had shared. He may go on to share that dream with Candy or Slim or he may stay with Slim on the ranch for the rest of his life. The novel makes it clear that George will move on. In the performance of this novel, Steinbach changes the end to a drama type ending. The last scene leaves George alone in a boxcar with only the memories of him and Lennie. He sees the friendship and loving relationship he has destroyed. He sits alone only with himse lf to blame for what has happened. The boxcar that he sits in is dark and plan and I believe that in a symbolism of what George feels inside with out Lennie. Steinbach changes his ending in his novel and play to show a more dramatic side, that everyone has been in that boxcar of darkness. Megan Lambert The article â€Å"Making Things Whole† helps relate the characters George and Lennie to a realistic situation. In the article a young man named Phil has a mental disability like Lennie, but both of them are very strong physically. Phil’s boss has multiple sclerosis and is unable to do anything physically but is very intelligent, George is like him in the fact that he is very smart and is weaker than his partner is. But together both pairs make a whole person. Lennie and Phil are the physical part of the pair and Phil’s boss and George are the brainpower. In both situations a partner has left, Lennie was killed and Phil was being promoted. In both situations... Free Essays on Of Mice And Men Themes 1. Several characters in the novel dream of a permanent home and a better life. Describe George and Lennie's dream. (17-19,14-16) Lennie and George are different to other ranch workers because, according to George, they have a future and each other. They dream of having a parch of land - a small farm with animals which would keep them independent. One day they will save enough money to have their own little farm "an' live off the fatta the lan† and not have to take orders from anyone and reap their own harvest. When they get their own land George is going to get some rabbits for Lennie to raise. 2. In a long paragraph explain why George and Lennie travel around together. Explain other people's reactions to them. See Slim’s comments (38,41) and Crooks' attitude, George does not want to go around on the ranches alone because people who travel alone "Don't have any fun†¦ After a long time they get mean.† Despite the nuisance that Lennie can be, George admits, "You get used to goin' around with a guy an' you can't get rid of him." Other people don’t really like the fact that the two travel around together. Slim thinks its â€Å"unusual† for two grown men to be traveling around together and Curley even hints that they might be homosexual. 3. Describe Crooks' position on the ranch, his personality and his bunkroom. Describe his appearance and how he feels about people. What is it like for him being a cripple? Use quotes.(61-65,69-71) Crooks is a black stablehand whose nickname is derived from the crooked back he has suffered from since he was kicked in the back by a horse. He is described by Candy as a nice person. Crooks is the victim of racial prejudice and the main recipient of unequal treatment in the novel. Crooks has more possessions than the others do on the ranch because a stablehand’s job is more permanent. Crooks has got a bit of a attitude problem at first towards Lennie because when Lennie was sta... Free Essays on Of Mice And Men Of Mice and Men â€Å" The best laid plans of mice and men usually go astray.† this poem refers to the conditions under which George and lennie live. The book Of mice and men are about to Protagonists ( George Milton, Lennie Small.) that get their dreams become deferred. Cause of a miss understanding that a flirtatious woman cause George, Lennie and candy their dream â€Å" to live off the fat of the land.† A Friendship between lennie Small and George Milton was like any other friendship George always put lennie before him self. As told in Dave Thomas Story â€Å" What Makes for Success.† George did every thing that Dave Thomas preaches in he’s story. George was caring and understanding and put lennie before himself. â€Å" We have a dream. Someday we’ll have a little house and a couple of acre. A place to call home. † George would always tell Lennie about how if he was a good fellow he get to tend to the rabbits. When Lennie and George went to their new job ( a other ranch). George said to their new boss â€Å"Oh! I ain’t saying he’s bright. He ain’t. but I say he’s a God damn good worker.† Naturalism between this two characters in the book of mice and men. Lennie is limited cause of he’s heredity, and circumstances of he mental disability. For that it cost of their â€Å" American Dream.† When Lennie said to George â€Å" I don’t like this place I don’t like this place at all. â€Å" George and Lennie have a dream. â€Å" Someday we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs.† Being lowly ranch hands, they dream of a better life, where they don’t work for anyone but themselves. George, the much smarter one of the two, is quite optimistic about it. It seems that he already talked with someone about buying his or her. Lennie , the mentally retarded brute, is childly amused of the dream. He loves soft things, and touching them; and when George ... Free Essays on Of Mice And Men I. Of Mice and Men II. Author: John Steinback III. Published by: Covici-Friede in 1937 Registered in Library of Congress 1902-1968 1962 Nobel prize Winner 105 pages V. The novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is about two men who are brought together and share a few good times, such as each other’s company, and the more overwhelmingly the bad times. Both men fight the loneliness that was ramped during the Depression. John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California, in 1902. He was raised in a fertile agricultural valley about twenty miles from the Pacific Coast. Both the valley and the coast would become the setting for some of his novels and short stories. In 1919 he attended Stanford University, where he took literature and writing classes. In 1925 he left the university. He did not attain a degree before his departure. For the next five years of Steinbeck’s life, he worked as a laborer and a journalist in New York City. Then he worked as a caretaker for an estate in Lake Tahoe. During these five years, he was also working on his first novel, Cup of Gold. He then got married and moved to Pacific Groove where he published his next two books, The Pastures of Heaven and To a God Unknown. He also worked on some of his famous short stories. He gained success and financial security with his book Tortilla Flat. This was full of stories about Monterey’s paisanos. In 1952, he published East of Eden, a story about the Salinas valley and Steinbeck’s own family history. The last decades of his life were spent in New York City and Sag Harbor with his third wife. Throughout Steinbeck’s life he published twenty-five books. After his death in 1968, four more of his books were published. Six years before his death, John Steinbeck won a Noble Prize. Of Mice and Men the book Of Mice and Men is about the trials and tribulations of friendship. Throughout the book, George is continuously telling Lennie th... Free Essays on Of Mice And Men Act One, Scene 1: a clearing in the woods. George and Lennie are running from the police, and arrive in the clearing to hide. George vents his frustration at Lennie always getting the two of them in trouble, and George having to get them out (Trouble, always trouble: that's all you're good for.). This time, Lennie had been fascinated in a childlike way by the fabric of a woman's dress, but she'd interpreted his petting it as a rape attempt, and when she screamed Lennie had panicked and gripped tighter. George gripes about how much better his life would be without Lennie (My life would be so simple by myself). But he doesn't really mean it, any more than Lennie means his offer to leave (Just give me the word and I'll strike out alone). This seems to be their ritual. Lennie has a mouse in his pocket; he had accidentally killed it by stroking it too hard. George, angry, throws it away, and Lennie laments (It was something I could stroke). George cheers him up by reciting their long-standing dream: to get a farm of their own, and live in security (One day soon, we'll save up enough). They lie down to sleep, haunted by the sound of police sirens in the distance. Act One, Scene 2: the bunkhouse. Curley, the ranch boss, and Candy, and old crippled ranch-hand, are in the bunkhouse. Curley is cursing George and Lennie for arriving late (They said they'd be here this mornin', damn good-for-nothin' ranch-hands!). Curley's wife, young, bored, and frustrated, comes in to plead for attention and a night out (with Curley) (I want to go into town tonight). Curley throws her out churlishly, and she responds with equal churl. Both storm out. In come George and Lennie, reporting for work. Candy sends them to their bunks, as the ranch hands return from the fields (Oh, I met her in Frisco in the month of July). Slim, the most respected of the hands, offers his dog's new litter of puppies to the men. Lennie, with childlike glee, asks George if he... Free Essays on Of Mice And Men Of Mice and Men, a novel written by John Steinbeck, portrays that physical strength is not a positive attribute. Set in the countryside around Soledad, George and Lennie escape their previous workplace because of the trouble that Lennie causes. Lennie is mentally retarded and suffers from a child’s mentality within a giant’s body. He is innocent and forgetful like a child, and as a result is highly dependent on George. Prior to reaching their new ranch, Lennie continually searches for a mouse, which he can care for and keep as a pet. When he finds a mouse, he tries to stroke it gently, and unintentionally kills it. Furthermore, when Lennie hears about the new puppies on the ranch, he immediately gets one to pet and accidentally kills it as well. The novel reaches a turning point as Lennie is entrapped by Curley’s flirtatious wife, whom he kills as a result of his unrealized strength. As a huge person with the mentality of a child Lennie does not realize his own s trength, because accidentally hurts the things he loves. Steinbeck conveys that in society physical strength is not an important part of life and is viewed as something negative and destructive. Originally, George and Lennie approach Soledad in search of a new job, because Lennie touches the dress of a young girl and is wrongly accused of attempted rape. George is a short man, with a thin body and sharp features. On the other hand, Lennie is a big man who is innocent, unthinking and immature. Lennie’s mental retardation causes George to lead and protect him through the countryside and ranch. Lennie constantly forgets things that he is told or has experienced. Even though he tries and tries to remember, he cannot even remember having to escape from the last town because of trouble. Lennie's gigantic body can do the work of two or three men, but his spirit is still and gentle. Like a child, he is fond of petting soft things, like a mouse or rabbit. Lennie finds a mouse al... Free Essays on Of Mice And Men Of Mice and Men was made during the depression. People are looking for jobs everywhere. Dreams helped them turn away from being depressed, which is shown by George, Lennie, Curly’s wife, Candy, and Crooks. They all wanted to achieve something that they longed for. There are many things and people that get in the way of achieving their dream. Both Lennie and George had a dream. Not many Americans owned land at this time. Lennie and George want to have their own piece of land, with a small house, small farm with rabbits, chickens, and cows. â€Å"O.K. Someday- we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs.’†(14) George likes this dream because he will have freedom to do anything, and control his own life. Lennie only likes the dream because he will be able to tend his own rabbits, and pet them as much as he wants to. Lennie and George’s dream never seemed like it was going to happen. They think that if they will work enough then they will have enough money to buy some land. Once they have their own land they wont have to worry about having a job. George always told Lennie about the dream because it made Lennie happy. All he talks about is tending the rabbits. Lennie tries not to dissapoint George bec ause George will warn him that he won’t be able to tend the rabbits. â€Å"An’ he’ll say ‘Now jus’ for that you don’t get to tend no rabbits!’†(85). He loves things that are soft. So every time that he touches something soft he thinks that he is closer to his dream. That is his major problem. Every time he touches something soft something goes wrong. He doesn’t realize his own strength. Their dream ends because of Lennie, he killed Curly’s wife on accident because he wanted to feel her hair. Candy also wanted a dream, because when he overheard George telling Lennie their dream, he now wants to take part in the dream. ï ¿ ½... Free Essays on Of Mice And Men Story Map Fiction Title: Of Mice and Men Author: John Steinback Setting: 1.Characters: Lennie, George, Candy, Slim, The Boss, Curley, Curley's Wife, Carlson, Whit, and Crooks. 2.Place: Salinas Valley, California 3.Time: 1937, Depression Era Plot: 1.Problem: George and Lennie are Laborers in California's vegetable fields. They try to get work anywhere they can. George and Lennie are not just any California Laborers. For they have a plan: to own an acre of land and have a shack to call their own. When they acquire a job on a ranch in Salinas Valley their dream seems to be within their grasp. But George cannot guard Lennie from the provocation of a flirtatious woman neither predict the consequences of Lennie's unswerving obedience to the things he learns from George. 2.Major Events: 1. This novel takes place in the California valley along the Salinas River. There are two settings: the banks of the Salinas River and a nearby ranch. George Milton, small and smart, and his friend Lennie Small, a large man with mild retardation, are on their way to jobs at a ranch. When they stop by the Salinas River to take a break from their long walk. 2. Lennie cannot remember where they are going, and George, annoyed, reminds him about their jobs. Lennie looks in his pocket for his work card and finds a dead mouse, which he found by the side of the road. Lennie likes to pet soft animals, like mice and puppies, but he is very strong and often kills his delicate pets. George reminds Lennie that he has his work card and demands Lennie to give it to him. Lennie tries to hide his mouse from George, who eventually gets it from him and throws it across the river. That evening, Lennie goes to find his mouse, which makes George very angry. He argues with Lennie, but soon feels bad and tries to console him. George tells Lennie how one day soon they will own a farm of thei... Free Essays on Of Mice And Men In the early chapters of the novel Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, there are many examples of foreshadowing. Upon the ending of the book, the examples of foreshadowing show why the â€Å"American Dream† was not fulfilled by the main characters Lennie and George. In the first chapter, Lennie and George are traveling from the weed to the ranch in which they will be working. An example of foreshadowing starts out from why they were leaving the weed. Lennie, a man of great strength, is quite slow and is unaware of what he is doing. George later explains â€Å"Well, he seen this girl in a red dress. Dumb bastard like he is, he wants to touch ever’thing he likes. Just wants to feel it. So he reaches out to feel this red dress an’ the girls lets out a squawk, and that gets Lennie all mixed up, and he hold on ‘cause that’s the only thing he can think to do...so I comes running, an’ by that time Lennie’s so scared all he can think to do is jus’ hold on...He was so scairt he couldn’t let go of that dress. And he’s so God damn strong, you know† (pg. 41). The incident in the weed shows that Lennie causes a lot of trouble because he is not aware of how strong he is and the damage he can and later will do. Lennie is not a mischievous man. Although he is large, deep down he is a simple, clumsy man. He is mentally slow and possesses child-like qualities. He is very forgetful and imitates George because he looks up to him. Another example of foreshadowing is how Lennie is infatuated with petting soft things. He used to have a mouse but from petting it for so long and hard, he would kill them by breaking their necks, only to become quite angry with it. â€Å"They was so little,† he said apologetically. â€Å"I’d pet ‘em, and pretty soon they bit my fingers and I pinched their heads a little and then they were dead- because they was so little.† (Pg. 10). This foreshadowing shows that Le... Free Essays on Of Mice And Men John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, is a tragic and endearing story of the unconditional friendship between two virtually opposite men. The two main characters, Lennie Small and George Milton, are just a couple of hard working ranch hands trying to â€Å"make their stake† and achieve their dream of having a farm of their very own. Set in the early 20th century during the Great Depression, our protagonists are looked upon as an odd pair, not just because of their character differences, but because it is rare for anyone in their line of work to be traveling with a companion. The two men also encounter conflicts which are foreshadowed by the dialogue between them early on in the story. The characterization, setting and dialogue all effectively contribute to the meaningfulness of the novel, making it a heartwarming story with a tragic twist of an ending. Steinbeck’s use of characterization presents his audience with the unique friendship between two exact opposites. Lennie is a slow-witted brute of a man who, in the words of George, â€Å"isn’t too bright but a hell of a good worker†. Lennie’s counterpart, George, is small and wiry, but with enough common sense for the both of them. Steinbeck characterizes the two friends by a classic relationship of child and adult. Lennie possesses many childlike qualities because of his mental retardation, which is his most obvious characteristic. since he is a grown man with the mind of a child. Slim is one of the first characters to notice his mental immaturity, remarking that Lennie is â€Å"jes like a kid†. Curley’s wife also comments on how he is â€Å"jus’ like a big baby†. George has taken on the role of Lennie’s main caregiver since Lennie’s Aunt Clara died. George and Lennie have no one else in the world but themselves, and look to each other for guidance and protection. â€Å"Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world... Free Essays on Of Mice And Men â€Å"Of Mice and Men† has a very disturbing ending. In the end, George is forced to kill his best friend, Lennie. George is affected by this in many ways. The fact that George killed Lennie may have freed George from caring for him but he now faces a new type of entrapment. There is also a great significance about how Steinbeck ends the novel. Steinbeck’s conclusion is very cynical. Lennie’s death may have been necessary but it greatly affected George. Killing Lennie meant George no longer had a social and humanitarian responsibility of protecting him. By George accepting responsibility for Lennie, it had given him a sense of purpose. Now that Lennie is dead, George has no purpose, he will be just another ordinary ranch hand. George also had to lie about Lennie’s death, saying that Lennie had a gun as was going to shoot him. The most logical reason for George lying is because George is a survivor. If George admitted that he had stole Carlson’s luger, he would be known as a thief around the ranch from now on, and if he admitted that he shot Lennie some would call him a murderer. George continues to go on living with his own feelings. He probably didn’t feel guilty about killing Lennie. Instead, he just feel empty. George feels that he has failed Lennie, and loves him. Killing Lennie is purely an act of love and mercy, with no anger or revenge. George probably felt like a part of him was missing too, because he and Lennie had a symbiotic relationship. This means that they needed each other to survive. George did Lennie’s thinking for him and tried to keep him out of trouble. But there is a question about why George needed Lennie. Lennie was more than just George’s companion who kept him from being lonely. Lennie made George special. George was, â€Å"God damn smart alongside of him...† George needed Lennie or he would be just like the other guys on the ranch. George and Lennie are like a two-sided person. George explains to... Free Essays on Of Mice And Men In â€Å"Of Mice and Men† John Steinbeck uses animal imagery to describe Lennie and links the death of Lennie to the killing of Candy’s dog. Candy has a dog that is very old, smells bad, and is useless. George has Lennie and he is very strong, but very slow mentally and always gets George into trouble. Candy is unable to kill his dog, which he later regrets, but George knows he must kill Lennie. Steinbeck uses animal imagery to describe Lennie in the book â€Å"Of Mice and Men.† Many times Steinbeck refers to Lennie’s hands as paws. In the beginning of the story Steinbeck says, â€Å"Lennie dabbed his big paw in the water,† and he also says on the same page, â€Å"Snorting into the water like a horse,† comparing Lennie to a horse. When handing over the mouse to George, he refers to Lennie as a dog by saying, â€Å"Slowly like a terrier, Lennie approached, drew back, and approached again.† During the fight with Lennie and Curley, he refers to Lennie as a sheep by saying, â€Å"He bleated with terror.† Steinbeck refers to both Lennie and George as beavers by saying, â€Å"They are pounding their tails.† The deaths of Lennie and Candy’s dog have many similarities. They are both killed by Carlson’s gun and are shot right in the back of the head where they wouldn’t feel a thing. They are also killed fo r the following reason, Candy’s dog was killed to stop its suffering and George killed Lennie so, he wouldn’t have to die in a suffering manner. Candy also regretted that he didn’t kill his dog, but George felt responsible to kill Lennie himself. The many different animal images of Lennie help make the story and describe him. The death of Candy’s dog is an important event in the story and helps foreshadow the end of the book. The animal imagery and death of Candy’s dog are parallel later in the book when Lennie was killed....