Of Mice and Men Coursework Rough Essay

Introduction.Of Mice and work force is written by John Steinbeck, published in 1937. The brisk is set in the 1930s during the ample depression in California. The cardinal prominent characters, George and Lennie are elicit workers who lay down a ambitiousness of whizz-day machinateing their experience bedcover. They find work in a ranch near Soledad, after escaping from Weed because of Georges incident. They are met by different characters on the farm that all have a stargaze. Lots of farm workers would apportion the dream of all one day owning some put downcast of their own. This dream became actually popular and was named the Ameri posterior Dream. Its people came from ein truth coarse and background with the one belief that America would bring them wealth and happiness. For very legion(predi quate) new(prenominal)s, America offered escape from poverty and starvation. It was a bracing country, an undiscovered one. In Europe land had always been the key to m oney and status. Only in America could the low-down of Europe hope to own their own land.The country became more than and more heavily populated as the word got around of opulent mines, and new homes and villages developed creating communities. At its simplest the Ameri muckle Dream was the popular idea that America was a country that allowed workforce and wo men to make a clean start. Like all dreams the genuineity did non always twosome the dream. How ever the destruction of the Indians, the American civil war and the creation of city slums were all growing nervous str ain of a undischarged country. Yet the dream survived. That is this dream survived until the late 1920s. By then in that location was no more land to be claimed and America had built up its own rules and laws.This marked the start of the great depression. Farming was badly effected, as over farming had caused huge areas of land to honourable dry up. This was the creation of the famous dust bowl. Poor c lothes meant that many of the farmers were ineffectual to pay back the debts they had taken pop(p) in the first shoot for to buy the land. This meant that the way of life history of men such as George, Lennie and slim was advent to an completion when of mice and men was written. All the correctts above occurred during the writing of the unfermented and perhaps suggests that the story is nigh the end of the American Dream, the social changes and the new reality of living a full American life.The Setting.The book opens with a description of the country around the Salinas river, south of Soledad in California. When describing this landscape Steinbeck uses a very wide bod of different colours and animal descriptions in only the first short paragraph. He has a very powerful descriptive style. Lower leaf junctures, that are green, then he notes that the deers tracks are split wedge. This description is used when the author used direct speech. As the two characters give us inform ation nearly what they think and their personalities by how they palaver. This landscape is the appropriate backdrop to the introduction of the two characters George and Lennie because it shows a typical background for migrant workers. Who would travel great distances, either walking, using cheap bus services, twitch hiking or change of location by train. We endure that this particular novel strictly focuses on the life of these men from a a couple of(prenominal) short quotes on the first couple of pages. The path beaten hard by boys.This line suggests that George and Lennie are following in the footsteps of hundreds of other men. The path had been used to walk to and from work many ages which symbolizes the employment and unemployment of men. Walking the road and trying to achieve the all American Dream by making a fortune and living the high life. The tree worn smooth by men, this shows how frequently migrant workers had collapsed and sat on that log suggesting how tired and utterly exhausted the men were after traveling miles and miles. This conjures determination that those men had, to actually make something of their delays. Ash pile made by many fires. This conveys the idea of starving men who had set up camp in that area. By lighting fires that kept them fond(p) and fed.The fact that so many fires had been lit before just proves the amount of people who had been in that force area. George and Lennies previous job in Weed was credibly something to do with farming as they were gipsy farmers. They are drifters who move from ranch to ranch. This means that they are very skilled in various aspects of farm work and labour. The only security these men live on is the hope of more or new work. Murray and Readys was kindred an employment agency which was set up as a issuance of President Roosevelts new deal which directed migrant workers into agricultural work. From this place George and Lennie had two dispassionate work cards which secured the ir working position and acted as evidence and identity. They had no permanent home and merely relied on the rough farm accommodation. They carried all their be desireings around in a bindle of clothing and training utensils which were made portable by wrapping blankets around the outside.When migrant workers arrive at their work place after traveling and sleeping rough. They often find they have to stay in very simple, poor accommodation. The conditions in which the migrant workers lived were primitive. Bunkhouse walls were whitewashed, the floor unpainted. There were eight hunt downs in the bunkhouse, which showed that there was a lack of privateness for the men. Even their few personal belongings were on public dis symbolise over each bunk there was nailed an apple-box with the opening forward so that it made two shelves. The only places for the men to sit were boxes. George dictum that the conditions were also unhygienic when he found a can in his apple-box which said positiv ely kills lice, roaches and other scourges. Even the inactive buck, who is not permitted to sleep with the other men in the bunkhouse and has his own path, also has to live in primitive and unhygienic conditions. For example a manure pile under the window. virtuoso characteristic that the migrant workers share is that they all long for a better life.Loneliness.Loneliness is a very key part of the migrant workers life. They have no time for meaningful friendships or long relationships. piddling trust is shared and the men work solely for themselves. Many of the characters are lone(prenominal) and this inspires them to look for an resource way of life. This is one of the reasons why there are drifters they are continually searching often not beding what they are looking for. Characters are also lonely because of something within themselves, something which seems to make their seclusion inevitable. distinct characters seek comfort and solace in different things. For sugarcoat it is his dog, for George and Lennie its each other, for Crooks its his reserve and his skill at pitching horseshoes. In the novel George and Lennie find themselves a Few miles of Soledad. This is a real place in California and its name, which is Spanish can mean loneliness or lonely place. George describes himself and Lennie as the sort of people who are the loneliness guys in the world. Although the boss of the ranch thinks that George exploits Lennie, all the ranch workers come after to see that the reason for their relationship is mutual loneliness. Candys relationship with his dog is ofttimes the likes of the relationship between George and Lennie.Candy has a maternal(p) role towards his dog, just as George has a parental role towards Lennie. Lennie can be compared with the dog in the sense that he listens, that does not talk this provides comfort for those who talk to him slightly their feelings. He aint no substantially to you Candy. An he aint no good to himself. why nt you shoot him Candy? Carlson is unsentimental about Candys dog as he can see no further working use for it. Although his suggestion is perhaps reasonable, he seems oblivious to the strong bond between Candy and his pet. Lennie turns to caressing animals for comfort. He means no harm to the creatures and sees them as on a similar level to himself. Lennie is unwitting of the feelings of the pups as he heavily touches and plays with them, this causes the ranch workers to become concerned.Well you aint bein kind to him.. With these wrangling Carlson is ironically sentencing Lennie who will later suffer the same fate as the dog. Carlson assumes that Candy can soon get another pet, just as at the end of the novel he seems to assume that George can easily get another friend. From this we can see that Carlson, like some of the other characters does not consider the bonds that occur. Candy and his dog are obviously very alike to George and Lennie, even to the way the dog follows Can dy around in the same way as Lennie follows George. Just as Candy feels tied down by his relationship with his dog, so George feels trapped by his sense of responsibility for Lennie. Curleys wife is one of the loneliest characters in the novel she has no identity, she is seen as an object, a possession of Curleys. Curleys wife is seen as a flirtatious tart by the other ranch- work force, true, Curleys wife does flirt, she is very conscious of the effect this has on men, but she is not a tart.She wants attention and by gaining that attention, she act the way people think. She had full rouge lips and wide-s staird essences, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red. She likes to dress up and wear a lot of make up, to attract the men. The men on the other hand do not flirt with her, as they are afraid of what permed might do. This leads to the loneliness of many characters. Although the men think it is wrong of her to flaunt herself sexually and give everyone the eye, the men all vis it a for sexual gratification and momentary companionship. Those like George and Whit defend themselves when they talk about Curleys wife as being jail-bait. Shes gonna make a mess. Theys gonna be a bad mess about her. Shes a jail-bait all set on a trigger, George senses danger coming his way, but he chooses to ignore it, as he needs the money.During the 1930s, women were seen as possessions of their husbands who were to stay at home. Georges view of women, seem to be very basic and biased, he sees them as instruments to relieve physical urges. All the ranch-hands one evening go off to Susies place. This Brothel is a place were the men can enjoy the company of women and sexual amusement. As the men have no need for a relationship it means they can still have fun without all the arrange attached to love and friendship. She never talks dirty, neither. Got five girls there. George does not express the need for any egg-producing(prenominal) companionship mainly because he is too bu sy keeping Lennie out of trouble. All these things link up to suggest clues behind the real reasons as to why the ranch workers are so lonely. They try to startle away from commitment and responsibility.Violence.The lives of the men in the novel is filled with unnecessary violence. The boss is a good example of this in the way he treats the men and permits fighting. Curley is another good example with all his whole irrational aggressiveness. Carlson is another character who seems to thrive on violence either when he is arguing with others or when he is erring them on. The guns easy availability causes inevitable trouble throughout the book. From the text it is simple to scatter the more frustrated characters who resort to uncivilized behavior from those who are not preferably so uptight. In a world of such mistrust it is not hard to see why violence is a constant issue. When George and Lennie first enter the bunkhouse they discover how bad the accommodation is. Suspecting his be d contains vermin George inspects it cautiously. As he does so Candy chatters on about the boss. We learn that he vents his anger on the black stable hand, provides the men with whisky and allows a fight between the stable buck and Smitty, one of the Skinners.The boss could be worse Candy insists hes a pretty nice fella and, after all, he keeps two of the cripples on payroll. The atmosphere of later violence has the potential to create trouble for Lennie. Finally grinding builds up between Curley and Lennie. Let the big guy talk. This harsh confrontation is caused by Lennies attempts to copy Georges instructions to say nothing. Curleys presence is not good for Lennie and Georges safety. This is emphasized by Candys comments hes alla time picking scraps with big guys. Since Lennie is a teras man it seemed certain that a violent assault would come from Curley. As Candy explains, Curley is a atomic man and feels that he cannot loose this kind of situation. This seems very dangerous as Lennie dont know no rules when it come to fighting. It is typical that Curley should pick on Lennie for his display of violence. In picking on the epic but apparently harmless man, Curley demonstrates his own cowardice. There is an irony in the fact that it is Lennies ingenious thoughts about the farm which leave a smile on his face, which is misinterpreted by Curley. contempt his size Lennie has two distinct disadvantages, he will not act unless t over-the-hill to do so by George and he is terrorise by aggression. Because of this he does not make any attempt to defend himself. Curley is a vicious champ and is out to inflict damage on Lennie. Animal imagery is used towards Lennie as he cubicles like a bear with paws covering his face but Curley is the dirty little rat. Lennies strength and fascinate crushes Curleys hand . This is not aggression but more of a reflex action, it is a defensive move. Carlson is not a cowboy, but does possess a handgun. There is a conversation about Carlsons gun in the bunkhouse this lets George know where it is kept. The sensitive slim points out that when Candys dog is killed there will need to be a decent burial so a shovel would be needed. This compares the shooting of the dog with the shooting of Lennie later on. John Steinbeck emphasizes the long wait at this period in time in the novel by using sounds like shuffle, rippled, and gnawing, which contrast the eventual shot. After Lennie is charge of killing Curleys wife the ranch workers all go searching for the criminal.The prospect of a manhunt and the opportunity to use his luger excites Carlson, who seems to want to solve all his problems with his gun. His keenness to use his luger on Lennie reminds us of his former enthusiasm to use it on Candys dog. The hunt for Lennie continues and the consequences for Lennie are that as George has just been saying that there Aint gonna be no more trouble. Nobody gonna hurt nor deal from em. These things would have been the r ewards they were hoping from their dream farm. There is heavy irony in Lennies urgings to George to do it now. Earlier on in the novel Candy said that he ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldnt ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog. This is probably the main reason as to why George decides that he should be the one to shoot Lennie, but he may also be protecting him from the treatment he would receive at Curleys hands if he were to find him first.Prejudice.In Of Mice And Men there are several different levels of preconceived idea shown, all contributing to the failure of the American dream. The main types of loss shown in this novel are racial, sexual and age related. Racism is very prominent. There is much racial prejudice shown in Of Mice And Men towards Crooks the black crippled stable buck. Crooks is more permanent than the other ranch hands and has his own room off the stables with many more possessions than them. This room is made out to be a privilege and als o because it means he is nearer to the horses but in fact it is really because the other ranch hands do not want him in the bunk house with them. As a result of this prejudice Crooks has become bitter and very lonely. When Lennie comes to pet the puppies, not even realizing that Crooks room is out of bounds, Crooks instantly becomes defensive I aint wanted in the bunk room and you aint wanted in my room but Lennie is childish and is completely without prejudice Why aint you wanted he asks. Crooks replies to this ,Cause Im black, they play cards in there but I cant play because Im black.They say I stink. Well I tell you, all of you stink to me This line showing that Crooks desperately wants to join in, be accepted, but because of his colour he cant and so he feels the only way he can make himself feel better is to cut himself off further, it is a vicious circle. When Crooks realizes that Lennie means no harm he invites him to Come on in and set a while Lennie begins to talk about G eorge and his dream, it makes Crooks remember his childhood which he looks on as a kind of paradise. The white kids come to play at our place, an sometimes I went to play with them and some of them were pretty nice. My ol man didnt like that. I never knew till long later why he didnt like that. But I know now. Crooks didnt experience racism in his childhood, making his current situation even worse.Crooks is fascinated by the strength of the friendship of Lennie and George, especially how close they are. Crooks said, Well, spose, jus spose he dont come back. Whatll you do then? Crooks asks these questions because he does not have any friends, and wouldnt know how losing them unexpectedly would feel. He was curious and envious, about the friendship of Lennie and George, noticing that Lennie is retarded, he takes advantage of this situation to torment him mentally, to make him feel better and ease the pain of having other reject him Crooks face lighted with pleasure at his torture he also does this to ease his jealousy towards the friendship Lennie has, but that he, Crooks, will probably never have. He wants the people to feel the way that he does, completely alone. Crooks goes on to talk about his loneliness A guy needs somebody-to be near him He whined A guy goes batty if he aint got nobody.Dont make no difference who the guy is, longs hes with you he cried I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an he gets sick Crooks is looking for sympathy, he is so incredibly lonely even to the point to saying that loneliness can make you ill. Curleys wife is shown a lot of sexism over the course of the novel. Living on a ranch where the large majority of the people are male she is very lonely. George says Ranch with a bunch of guys on it aint no place for a girl Perhaps to prove the fact she is insignificant, she is always referred to as Curleys wife, never given a name. She experiences sexual prejudice in that none of the ranch hands will talk to her. This is partly because sh e can make up things about those she dislikes who will subsequently get the can and also because she is a looloo who flirts alots. She got the eye goin all the time on everybody. I bet she even gives the stable buck they eye. I dont know what the hell she wants says Whit.The ranch hands dont trust her or understand her. George says Ranch with a bunch of guys on it aint no place for a girl, specially like her An old lover told her that she coulda went with the shows, not jus one neither He promised her that he would write Soons he got back to Hollywood but he never did and so she married Curley. Because of this shes upset and feels shes been deprived by life. In fact she doesnt even like Curley He aint a nice fella. Because she has nothing to do but sit at home she goes out on the ranch under the reason of looking for Curley. Some of the sexism she experiences is her fault, she scares the ranch hands with her womanly actions but she isnt really a tart, she just craves attention which she doesnt get from Curley. Ignored by both the ranch workers and Curley she has ended up very lonely, the one thing she most wanted to escape. Throughout the novel there is a undersize protest for the weak. Steinbeck sees an opportunity to emphasise on how strong men had more authority over weaker or disabled onees.Candy, the old swamper is prejudiced against because of his age and his disability. Because of his hand he is unable to do a lot of the jobs that the other ranch hands do making him instantly an outsider. besides because he thinks that he is old he puts himself in a state of mind which handicaps him far more than his missing hand ever will. His life echoes that of his dog, he was once the best damn sheep-dog I ever seen but now is next to useless, Candys life has gone somewhat the same way. The novel shows the amount of predjudice at the time of the 1930s. At the time of the novel blacks in America had no rights, they were seen as nobodies. Because of this prejudice m any of them, like Crooks retired into the terrible protective dignity of the negro. Women also had very few rights. There are many different levels of prejudice shown in Of Mice And Men. Through these prejudices the characters such as Crooks and Curleys wife have become lonely but they are in hopeless position which they can do nothing about.Dreams.Many ranch workers would share George and Lennies dream of a small farm. such(prenominal) a dream would allow men such as George to be their own master, to make a decent living from their own hard work. This dream forms part of the much larger phenomenon known as the American dream. The American Dream has its roots from when American first became populated. Many of the characters in the novel have dreams, in the sense that they have hopes or ambitions. These dreams are often kept secret to begin with. George is displeased when he discovers that Lennie and Candy have told Crooks about their secret dream farm. George always talks wistfully about his mental picture of the farm. He sits entranced with his own picture. Georges dream like description slows down the pace of the novel and provides a period of well-nigh calm before all of Lennies destruction. Georges life and Lennies would be more closely related to nature on his dream farm as he says, when we put in a crop, why wed be there to take the crop up, so the cycle of nature would be complete.Since George and Lennies ambition in life is much like all those around him he believes it to be pretty impossible to come true. But utterly George realizes that what had been until a certain point a distant dream was then a real possibility. Spose I went in with you guys. Candys involvement and contribution made the dream make more sense. It offers George and Lennie the prospect of companionship and self-living. The characters dream is a sharp contrast to that of their current surroundings. Crooks is rather sniffy of the dream as Lennie explains it to him youre nuts, he sa ys. Crooks compares human hopes with religious belief and says that the search for a little piece of land is like the search for heaven. His comments create tension as Candy, Georges and Lennies dream seems so close to them. Crooks thinks that the chances of them successfully achieving their dream farm are remote. Few have achieved it before.Despite Crooks negativity he seems drawn into the same dream of a better life and of companionship. During the discussion with the ranch workers his attitude changed from sheer disbelieve to almost excitement. Unlike most of the characters in contrast, Curleys wife seems almost desperate to tell Lennie about her dreams. It is ironic that she confides in someone who appears to have no involution or little understanding of what she is saying. Curleys wife reveals her own dreams of a better life. Her dream is parallel to that of Candy, Crooks and George. Curleys wife seems to be starstuck to have taken all the flattering comments she received from the men she met. She finds her dream in the glittery world of show business, the cinema and glossy magazines. This is a sharp contrast to that of the three men. Her interest in the world of cinema and film stars suggest that her dress sense is there to make her stand out from all the other ordinary girls.Eventually though in one way or another all the peoples dreams die out because of Lennie. Candy, George and Lennies dream is destroyed because of Curleys wife. Lennie sinned and the heaven of the small farm became a dream again. George realizes that his own prospects are now no better than those other ranch workers, with their limited ambitions of cheap sex and gambling. Georges vision is an example of the second kind of unhappy vision. When he sees his succeeding(a) aimlessly drifting. Ill take my fifty bucks an Ill stay in some lousy cat house. Or Ill set in some pool-room till everbody goes home. Lennies dream is shattered. He starts to have visions after killing Curleys wife. The appearance of a giant rabbit is to do with Lennies fear for the future.The rabbit is a symbol of a time of peace in quite and natural surroundings. Lennie tells himself that his dream has been destroyed by what he has done. Steinbeck again creates a sort of parallel not only between the shooting of Candys dog and of Lennie, but also between the emotions which motivate the killings. George ends up by killing Lennie, Lennie has killed Curleys wife, and Carlson killed Candys dog. All killers are motivated by passion. Many of the workers have dreams of one kind or a another, and sometimes they share the same dream. primarily though the characters have one choices of an almost realistic dream. This is the dream that includes companionship, honesty and love or the dream farm. Which represents the ambition and the possibility of escape from the workers loneliness and poverty. These factors eventually stimulated the violent deaths and therefore the abrupt expiry of dreams.