In at least 200 words discuss three quotations that represent key themes in the novel. Select quotes from the beginning, middle and end of the work and explain how these quotes are suggestive of some aspect of Steinbeck’s intent or purpose for writing the novel.
Do not repeat ideas of earlier posts, but you may expand on ideas previously mentioned.
Students are expected to write their entry using the conventions of standard written English.
If students have any questions about the assignment or general concerns please email Ms. Molloy at: http://www.blogger.com/molloyj@northsalem.k12.ny.us
* This assignment will be collected during the first week of school.
Do not repeat ideas of earlier posts, but you may expand on ideas previously mentioned.
Students are expected to write their entry using the conventions of standard written English.
If students have any questions about the assignment or general concerns please email Ms. Molloy at: http://www.blogger.com/molloyj@northsalem.k12.ny.us
* This assignment will be collected during the first week of school.
53 comments:
There are three main themes that Steinbeck reveals in his novel Of Mice and Men. The reader is introduced to the first theme on page 14 when George is telling Lennie of other ranch workers and how they differ from the “normal” ranch workers. “’Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family […] But not us.’ Lennie broke in. ‘But not us! An’ why?...because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.’” Lennie and George depend on each other. One wouldn’t be able to survive without the other. The same theme of the need for human interaction is reinforced when Lennie speaks to Crooks, the stable buck: “A guy needs somebody – to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ‘aint got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy us, long’s he’s with you. I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick” (72-73).
The second theme is the impossibility of the American dream. George and Lennie move from place to place looking for a job that will give them enough money to buy and take care of a farm of their own. Lennie is first introduced to the harsh realities of his dream when Crooks tells him that “Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It’s just in their head” (74). Crooks has encountered many workers just like George and Lennie who want nothing more than to own their own land, but he knows that having a dream that large is useless because it will never come true.
The third and final theme is shown at the very end of the novel. Steinbeck uses a water snake and a heron to symbolize Lennie and George and foreshadow the murder of Lennie: “A water snake glided smoothly up the pool, twisting its periscope head from side to side: and it swam the length of the pool and came to the legs of a motionless heron that stood in the shallows. A silent head and beak lanced down and plucked it out by the head, and the beak swallowed the little snake while its tail waved frantically” (page 99). This symbolizes the theme of the predatory nature of human existence. After the snake is killed by the heron, George shoots Lennie in the back of the head because Lennie is the weaker of the two and George believes that he will not be able to achieve his dream if he continues to take care of Lennie.
In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck there are three main themes that are revealed during the course of reading the novel. First, the reader comes upon the theme of trust with a quote on page 6, "George lay back on the sand and crossed his hands under his head, and Lennie imitated him, raising his head to see whether he were doing it right." This Shows that Lennie formed trust over a long-time friendship between him and George and looks up to him like an older brother, copying even his every-day actions, thinking that it will improve his personal well-being.
Later in the novel the reader comes upon the second theme of the book which is friendship on page 37 with the conversation between George and Slim, "It ain’t so funny, him an’ me goin’ aroun’ together," George said at last. "Him and me was both born in Auburn. I knowed his Aunt Clara. She took him when he was a baby and raised him up. When his Aunt Clara died, Lennie just come along with me out workin’. Got kinda used to each other after a little while. "As much as George talks against Lennie he still supports him and stands up for him when people make fun of him knowing that he needs to take the role of Aunt Clara since she was the only guardian Lennie had.
At the end of the novel the reader comes upon the concluding theme, loss. This theme in seen on page 101 right before George was going to shoot Lennie. "You . . . an' me. Ever'body gonna be nice to you. Ain't gonna be no more trouble. Nobody gonna hurt nobody nor steal from 'em [. . .] No, Lennie I ain't mad. I never been mad, an' I ain't now. That's a thing I want ya to know. " Even though Lennie is his friend George is forced to shoot him in the head to avoid him being brutally killed by Curley and the rest of the people searching for Lennie. This shows that loss can be a complicated thing, it hurts because you lose someone who is close to you, yet, it can also be good knowing that it's for a good cause.
From the novel Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, you come upon three major themes. One of the major themes you come across appears early in the book. Page 13 to 14 (to branch from Alex’s previous post) Lennie asks George to tell him this story that George has already told him several times before. But as George was telling the story Lennie interrupts by saying “But not us! An’ why? Because. . . Because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why” This shows Companionship, as you keep reading further on in the novel you see this theme pop up other times. For an example, Old Candy and his dog. On page 44 the men are in the bunkhouse. Carlson complained about the smell of the old dog and suggests that Candy should shoot him. Candy replied “ Well - hell! I had him so long. Had him since he was a pup. I herded sheep with him” He said proudly, “You wouldn’t think it to look at him now but he was the best damn sheep dog I ever seen” This shows the bond that Candy has with his dog, and when the dog eventually gets shot, it doesn’t take too much to see that Candy is clearly upset - he lost his companion.
Another theme that occurs in the novel is the placement of women in society. In Of Mice and Men, you don’t encounter many women at all. When you learn what happens in Weed with Lennie, you realize that he meant to do no harm to the girl in the red dress and she filed that he raped her; which becomes a problem for George and Lennie because of their jobs. But the main women is Curley’s wife. When you get introduced to Curley’s wife she’s often described as a “tramp” and a “bitch.” On top of Corley’s cruelness he has to worry about his wife stirring up trouble around the work place. John Steinbeck hints that in this book women are trouble. At the end of the book you learn that Curley’s wife is unhappy with her marriage and her dream was to be a movie star. But spite seeing her softer side, you sense that since she opened up to Lennie she is up to no good, a situation erupts that is similar to what happened in Weed- but ends in greater consequences.
Lastly, the theme of love is a continuous theme that happens in Of Mice and Men. The bond between Lennie and George is always shown in this book. But when you truly see it, is at the end. Lennie was told by George on p. 15 “Lennie- if you jus’ happen to get in trouble like you always done before, I want you to come right here an’ hide in the brush” I marked this as foreshadowing. After by accidentally killing Curley’s wife - Lennie does what he was told to do and runs to the brush. The whole bunk was out to find and kill Lennie. When George finds Lennie, they recite the story George has told Lennie several times. But as George is telling the story he makes Lennie look off into the distance while he grabs the gun. George kills Lennie, at first the reader will be ashamed at George for doing such thing. But the deeper meaning was that George was taking Lennie out of his misery, and all the trouble Lennie wasn’t meaning to cause. George rather of done it himself- out of Love then one of the other ranchers out of hate.
I believe one of the most important themes in this book is the pursuit of happiness, the never ending fight to get to the light at the end of the tunnel. For George and Lennie that light consists of a little piece of land that they can call their own. In Lennie’s mind, ultimate happiness may be as simple as owning rabbits.George’s ever lasting joy includes the feeling of not depending on anyone for anything. George’s and Lennie’s shared dream is proven in this quote. “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 and--”
“An’ live off the fatta the lan’,” Lennie shouted. “An’ have rabbits. Go on, George! Tell about what we’re gonna have in the garden and about the rabbits in the cages and about the rain in the winter and the stove, and how thick the cream is on the milk like you can hardly cut it. Tell about that George.” This aspect is placed in the book to encourage hard work to accomplish your goal no matter how far fetched it is.
Another key theme is sacrifice. Through out the book countless people are sacrificing ideas, futures, even living creatures for the betterment of their lives of the lives of others. Just to name a few examples; Candy gives up his beloved dog to satisfy his peers. Curley’s wife throws away a possible acting career for a financially comforting life with Curley. George gives up the possibility of a nice life to take care of Lenny. But perhaps the most important sacrifice was George sacrificing Lenny for the betterment of society. “Lennie begged, “Le’s do it now. Le’s get that place now.” “Sure,right now.I gotta.We gotta.” And George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head.” “I think Steinbeck includes the theme of sacrifice to portray the pain that the human race causes each other and the difficulty of living in the Great Depression.
The final theme I believe is letting go of he past and moving on to the future. There are many examples of this exhibited through out the plot. Perhaps the most important exhibition of this is George and Lennie escaping from the past in Weed and starting a new. “You remember settin’ in that gutter on Howard Street
and watchin’ that blackboard?” Lennie’s face broke into a delighted smile “Why sure, George, I remember that...but...what’d we do then? I remember some girls come by and you says...you say...” “To hell with what I says.You remember about us going into Murray and Ready’s, and they give us work cards and bus tickets?” “Oh, sure George I remember that now.”..... “Well-look, we’re gonna go work on a ranch like the one we came from up north.” Moving on is part of the story because with out it people may have just stayed stuck in a vat of despair rather than continue on to possible happiness.
All of these themes are important to the story Of Mice and Men by John Stienbeck
John Steinback reavels themes throughout his novel by expressing them in quotes said by the characters. The first theme that represents the begining of the novel is said by George he says " Guys Like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. But not us.’ Lennie broke in. ‘But not us! An’ why?...because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why. This represents the author telling the reader that the two men depend on each other so that they can survive. The second theme widly represents what the entire middle section of the book is about. When George and Lennie meet Crooks (an old man) they tell him about their fanatsy about one day having their dream ranch with rabbits and all the could imagine. This qoute represents the middle of the book because the entire section lennie is telling everyone new he meets at the ranch they are now working on about Georges and Lennies fantasy. The final theme is at the very end of the book when George is about to shoot Lennie. Lennie says "Hows it gunna be? We gunna get a little place." George raised the gun. "Go on" said Lennie. "We"ll have a cow" said George "An well have maybe a pig an' some chickens and a piece of alfalfa" "for the rabbits" said lennie "for the rabbits" said George. "And I get to tend to the rabbits" "yes you do" said George. I think this represents the end of the book because all the trouble Lennie gets into is because he wants to tend to rabbits in their fantasy. Lennnie killed Curleys wife because he was afraid she was gunna scream and George wouldnt let him tend to the rabbits.
In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck there are three main themes in the book. The first theme in the novel is dependency. George talks about how they are different compared to the other workers on the ranch. "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. ... With us it ain't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us Lennie broke in but not us! An' why? Because .... because I got you to look after me , and you got me to look after you,"(pages 13-14) This quote shows they're dependent on each other because they will always be there for one another and they have no one to look after but themselves.
The second theme of the novel is belief. Crooks is questioning Lennie about how he is going to get the money to live his dream. Candy tells crooks how they are going to get the money to live their dreams and what their dreams are. "But we gonna do it now, and don't make no mistake about that... That money's in the bank. Me an' Lennie an' George. We gonna have a room to our self. We're gonna have a dog an' rabbits an' chickens. We're gonna have green corn an' maybe a cow or a goat."(page 76) This quote shows that they believe that they can live their dreams as long as they stick together and keep their heads up.
The third and final theme of the novel l is sacrifice. Lennie gets in big trouble for killing a woman. He then remembers that George had one day told that if he had ever got in trouble to return to the same spot where he had hid the first time he got in trouble. George knows he has a big decision to make. Will he save his best friend and let other innocent people get killed because of him or will he do what is good for the society and kill Lennie for the safety of others. "And George raised the gun and steadied it, and he bought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie's head The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger."(page 106) This quote shows that George had to kill Lennie for the sake of others well being.
The novel “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck consists of 3 main ideas. One of these ideas being innocence. “Lennie reluctantly reached into his pocket. His voice broke a little.”I don’t know why I can’t keep it. It ain’t nobody’s mouse. I didn’t steal it. I found it lyin’ right beside the road.” (pg. 9). Here you see Lennie’s innocence. Lennie never meant any harm. Several times throughout the novel you see Lennie caught in trouble he never meant to cause. On page 91 Lennie shockingly discovers he is an accidental killer. “When she didn’t answer nor move he bent closely over her. He lifted her arm and let it drop. For a moment he seemed bewildered. And then he whispered in fright, “I done a bad thing. I done another bad thing.” This shows Lennie’s guilt and sorrow, but most importantly it shows how not even he expected to hurt her. It is incredibly unfortunate that Lennie never seems to know his own strength. His innocence becomes known which causes the reader to feel for him.
Another one of the main ideas of this book is loyalty and sense of protection. This is shown in many places in the novel. “Crooks’ face lightened with pleasure in his torture. “Nobody can’t tell what a guy’ll do,” he observed calmly. “Le’s say he wants to come back but he can’t. S’pose he gets killed or hurt so he can’t come back?” Lennie struggled to understand. “George won’t do nothing like that,” he repeated. “George is careful. He won’t get hurt. He ain’t never been hurt, ‘cause he’s careful.” Lennie has unlimited faith in George. However sometimes Lennie’s sense of protection can get out of control. “Suddenly Lennie’s eyes centered and grew quiet, and mad. He stood up and walked dangerously towards Crooks. “Who hurt George?” he demanded. George also protects Lennie from others who might want to hurt and/or fault him for his innocent mistakes. George at times becomes very defensive of Lennie, stressing that he isn’t very smart, and he doesn’t mean any harm in what he does. This is true about Lennie and George wants others to see that he is a good person. When others are intimidated by Lennie and react badly George is always there to protect him. On pages 25 and 26 Curley meets Lennie and automatically dislikes him because he is bigger than him. Then later on in the book on pages 62 and 63, “Curley’s rage exploded. ‘Come on ya big bastard. Get up on your feet. No big son-of-a-bitch is gonna laugh at me. I’ll show ya who’s yella.’ Lennie looked helplessly at George, and then he got up and tried to retreat.” Lennie looked to George because he trusted him and knew that he would protect him.
Lastly, another main theme in Of Mice and Me is dreaming. George and Lennie dream of their future together. And how easy their lives would be. Lennie never did let go of tending to those rabbits. The men promised themselves and each other that they would work toward they’re dream together. There companionship was what made their dreams so real. Lennie wanted so badly to live out his dream of tending to the rabbits. He would have done anything. Saying goodbye to Lennie would be saying goodbye to their dreams. George knew that when he said goodbye to Lennie. In a way he saved him from all the trouble he would have been in for his accident. It looks like there dreams were never meant to be. “We’ll have a cow,” said George . “An’ we’ll have maybe a pig an’ some chickens… an’ down the flat we’ll have a …little piece of alfalfa-------“
“For the Rabbits,” Lennie shouted.
“For the rabbits,” George repeated.
“And I get to tend to the rabbits.”
“An’ you get to tend to the rabbits.”
Lennie giggled with happiness. “An’ live on the fatta the lan’
“Yes.”
In the novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, there are a few themes that stand out. The first theme that the author uses is one of acceptance. There are two main characters, George who is the decision maker and problem solver and Lennie who is a hard worker who needs assistance and guidance in life. The following quote from pages 12 and 13 demonstrates George’s acceptance of Lennie and his needs even after he gets frustrated with Lennie. “”if you don’ want me I can go off in the hills an’ find a cave. I can go away any time.” “No-look! I was just foolin’, ‘Cause I want you to stay with me.””
Another theme in this novel is one of trust. Lennie trusts George at all times throughout this story. This is demonstrated on page 73 when the hands on the ranch are talking to Lennie wondering if George left and wont be coming back. George had gone into town for the evening. “George gonna come back, “ Lennie reassured himself in a frightened voice. “Maybe George comes back already. Maybe I better go see.” Further down the page, Lennie said, “George wun’t go away and leave me. I know George wun’t do that.”
A third theme in Steinbeck’s novel is one of friendship. Even when George has to do the unthinkable and kill Lennie, he is doing it out of a sense of loyalty and friendship. George is protecting Lennie from a tortured future if he is captured and convicted of murder. Before George shot Lennie he made sure Lennie was happy and thinking about their dream of owning their own farm and raising rabbits. On page 106 George comforts Lennie, “ ‘No,” said George. “No, Lennie. I ain’t mad. I never been mad, an’ I ain’t now. That’s a thing I want ya to know.”” George also told Lennie on page 106, “ “”You…an’ me. Ever’body gonna be nice to you. Ain’t gonna be no more trouble. Nobody gonna hurt nobody nor steal from ‘em.””
The three themes that stand out throughout John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, are; acceptance, trust and friendship.
While reading the novel, Of Mice and Men written by John Steinback, you come across three themes. The first of the three themes you encounter is the theme of starting again. This is first seen when George and Lennie have been run out from there town, Weed, and are traveling to there new work in a ranch." We're gonna go an' see the new boss. Now, look-I'll give him the work tickets, but you ain't say nothing."(6) Both Lennie and George are looking foward to start there new lives as Laborers in vegetable fields.
The second theme you find is the theme of reaching their dreams. Having settled in their new jobs, both George and Lennie have come with the dream of working hard and gaining enough money to have their own land. "Go on- tell again, George." (56)
Well, its ten acres," said George. "Got a little win'mill. Got a little shack on it, an' a chicken run. Got a kitchen, orchard, cherries, apples, peaches, 'cots, nuts, got a few berries"(56-57). "An' rabbits" Lennie said eagerly. "An' I'd take care of 'em"(58). Both Lennie and George will work together to gain enough money for their dream to become a reality.
The final theme of the story is about the sadness a loss, which took place towards the end of the story. This starts when everybody is coming back to the barn after going out for a few drinks and finds Curley's dead wife under some hay. Everybody realizes that this had to be Lennie because he was the only capable enough to do it because he is very big and strong. "Le's go now." He turned suspiciously on George. "You're comin' with us fella." "Yeah," said George. "I'll come. But listen, Curley. The poor bastard's nuts. Don't shoot 'im" (98). But it was unavoidable because they were going shoot Lennie for his crime of killing Curley's wife. But George knew that he had to do the job. George had met up with Lennie where he told him to hide if something bad happens. Holding the gun to kill Lennie, George sat next to him. Lennie said, "I thought you was mad at me, George." "No," said George. "No, Lennie. I ain't mad. I never been, an' I ain't now. That's a thing I want ya to know." Lennie begged, "Le's do it now. Le's get that place now". "Sure, right now. I gotta. We gotta."(106) And at that moment George raised the gun and shot Lennie in the back of the head. The job had been done. George felt it was better that he did it rather than someone else. He still felt the extreme sadness and pain of losing his closest friend.
In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinback there are many themes. Some themes are loyalty, prejudice, and ignorance.In the beginning of the book George and Lennie are going to work on Tyler ranch because of the incident in Weed California when Lennie unintentionally hurt a lady in a red dress because he liked the way the fabric felt. George is very loyal to Lennie because Lennie cant take care of himself. A quote that exhibits that is “ Lennie was delighted “Thats it - thats it now tell us how it is with us” George went on. “With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us”. George is very loyal to Lennie because nobody else thinks anything of him. In the middle of the book a farm hand named Candy had an old dog that had been with him since he was a boy. In the book another farm hand named Carlson offers too put the old dog out of his misery and kill him just like George killed Lennie to put him out of his misery this quote exhibits that “ If you want me to, I’ll put the old devil out of his misery right now and get it over with. Ain’t nothing left for him. Cant eat, can’t see, can’t even walk without hurtin” .At the end of the novel Lennie was playing with his puppy and accidentally killed it. Curleys wife came into the barn and poured out some secrets to him. She told him how Curley prevents her from doing many many things. She also told him this “I don’ like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella” because she had confieded in him she moved closer to Lennie and sat beside him.”Coulda been in the movies an’ had nice clothes”. Curley is very ignorant towards his wife because he doesn’t let her leave the house and so she has to sneak around. He is also prejudice towards her because he is looking down on her being a woman. The reason I think that Stienback wrote the book was to premote the ideas of all three key themes in the novel and see that some bad things like death and good things like friendship can come out of them. Therefore all three themes of loyalty, prejudice, and ignorance are of large importance in the novel Of Mice and Men by John Stienback.
In the novel Of Mice and Men there are three main ideas that Steinbeck uncovers. One of the ideas is on “page 6” when George is explaining to Lennie were they are going. “That ranch we’re goin’ to is right down there about a quarter mile. We’re gonna go an’ see the boss. Now, look-I’ll give him the work tickets, but you ain’t gonna say a word. You jus’ stand there and don’t say nothing. If he finds out what a crazy bastard you are, we won’t get no job, but if he sees ya work before he hears ya talk, we’re set. Ya got that?” This quote refers to the idea of looking after each other by George telling Lennie not to talk while they are meeting with the boss is a way to get them a job, so they can start a new life. Another example of a main idea is on “page 70-71” when Lennie is talking to Crooks, when Lennie says “George won’t do nothing like that,” he repeated. “George is careful. He won’t get hurt. He ain’t never been hurt, ‘cause he’s careful.” This quote refers to a humans need to put trust in someone, it seem that Lennie needs to put his trust in someone and so he puts it in George. The last example of a main idea is on “page 106” when George kills Lennie. “… George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head. The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger. The crash of the shot rolled up the hills and rolled down again. Lennie jarred, and then settled slowly forward to the sand, and he lay without quivering. The reason why George shoots Lennie in the back of the head is because Lennie is weak because of the snakebite, George then realized that he could no longer take care of Lennie if he wants to accomplish his dream.
From the very beginning of the novel on page 3 George protects Lenny “Lennie!” he said sharply “Lennie, for God’s sakes don’t drink so much.” Lennie continued to snort into the pool. The small man leaned over and shook him by the shoulder.” Lennie. You gonna be sick like you was last night.”
This quote demonstrates that George is Lenny’s protector and shows how much he cares about him. Early on the reader is not yet aware that although George cares about Lennie he sometimes feels Lennie is holding him back from doing what he wants to.
On Page 41 “I ain’t got no people,” George said I seen the guys that go around on the ranches alone. That ain’t no good. They don’t have no fun. After a long time they get mean. They get wantin’ to fight all the time” This quote is about how difficult and lonely life could be for men on the ranch. The lonely life that the characters face has an effect on their behavior with each other Loneliness is a key theme in the novel that Author John Steinbeck writes about.
On Page 74 “You’re nuts.” Crooks was scornful. “I seen hundreds of men come by the road an’ on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an’ that same damn thing in their heads. Hundreds of them….They’re all the time talkin’ about it, but it’s jus’ in their head.’ In this quote Crooks tries to tell Lennie that his dream will never come true and it is only a dream. It also shows how cruel the character can be.
One of the themes of Of Mice and Men is strength and weakness. The theme is introduced through the character of Lennie who is physically strong but intellectually weak. Lennie likes to keep a mouse in his pocket to pet. He ends up killing the mouse because he doesn’t realize how fragile mice are. On page 10, Lennie says to George “ I pinched their heads a little and then they was dead – because they was so little”. Another example of Lennie not being aware of his strength is when he accidentally kills his puppy. On page 85, Lennie is looking at the dead puppy and says “Why do you got to get killed? You ain’t so little as mice. I didn’t bounce you hard.” Lennie is physically strong but he doesn’t mean to kill things. At the end of the book Lennie kills Curly’s wife and doesen’t even realize he did it at first. He just starts out touching her hair, but Curly’s wife screams because he is being too rough. Lennie panics and covers her mouth and nose with his hand and then shakes her so hard that he breaks her neck. On page 91, Lennie looks down at her laying still and says “I don’t want ta hurt you, but George’ll be mad if you yell”, not even realizing that he had killed her.
Another theme of the book is about dreaming of a better future. Throughout the book George tells Lennie that one day they will get their own farm and they won’t have to work for someone else. This gives them both something to look forward to. On page 14, George says “we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs”, and Lennie says “an’ live off the fatta the lan”.
A third theme in the book is friendship. While most of the men who work on the ranches travel around alone, Lenny and George stay together. Even though Lennie is a lot of trouble, George likes having someone with him instead of being alone. George tells Lennie on page 13, “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world.” On page 14 George says “With us it ain’t like that”. Lennie continues by saying “because I got you to look after me and you got me to look after you.”
One of the themes of Of Mice and Men is strength and weakness. The theme is introduced through the character of Lennie who is physically strong but intellectually weak. Lennie likes to keep a mouse in his pocket to pet. He ends up killing the mouse because he doesn’t realize how fragile mice are. On page 10, Lennie says to George “ I pinched their heads a little and then they was dead – because they was so little”. Another example of Lennie not being aware of his strength is when he accidentally kills his puppy. On page 85, Lennie is looking at the dead puppy and says “Why do you got to get killed? You ain’t so little as mice. I didn’t bounce you hard.” Lennie is physically strong but he doesn’t mean to kill things. At the end of the book Lennie kills Curly’s wife and doesen’t even realize he did it at first. He just starts out touching her hair, but Curly’s wife screams because he is being too rough. Lennie panics and covers her mouth and nose with his hand and then shakes her so hard that he breaks her neck. On page 91, Lennie looks down at her laying still and says “I don’t want ta hurt you, but George’ll be mad if you yell”, not even realizing that he had killed her.
Another theme of the book is about dreaming of a better future. Throughout the book George tells Lennie that one day they will get their own farm and they won’t have to work for someone else. This gives them both something to look forward to. On page 14, George says “we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs”, and Lennie says “an’ live off the fatta the lan”.
A third theme in the book is friendship. While most of the men who work on the ranches travel around alone, Lenny and George stay together. Even though Lennie is a lot of trouble, George likes having someone with him instead of being alone. George tells Lennie on page 13, “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world.” On page 14 George says “With us it ain’t like that”. Lennie continues by saying “because I got you to look after me and you got me to look after you.”
In the novel, “Of Mice and Men”, written by John Steinbeck, There are several important themes. One of these themes is Loyalty. In this scene the Boss is meeting Lennie and George for the first time. The boss said suddenly, “Listen, Small!” Lennie raised his head. “What can you do?” In a panic, Lennie looked at George for help. “He can do anything you tell him,” said George. “Then why don’t you let him answer? What you trying to put over?” (Page 22) This quote shows that George is loyal to Lennie, and if Lennie does not know what to do or how to do it, George will always step in and find the solution, because that’s what friends do for each other. If George did not answer the question, the Boss might have found out that Lennie had issues, and they could have been fired once again from their jobs.
Another key theme in the book is commitment to a better life. In this quote, Lennie asks George to tell him about their dream of owning their ranch. “Well ,it’s ten acres,” said George. “Got a little win’mill. Got a little shack on it, an’ a chicken run. Got a kitchen, orchard, cherries, apples, peaches, ‘cots, nuts, got a few berries. They’s a place for alfalfa and plenty water to flood it. They’s a pig pen,” “An’ rabbits, George.” (Page 56, 57)This quote proves that they are committed and motivated to fulfill their dream.
This next quote, proves that one of the key themes in this book is sacrifice. “ No”, said George. “No Lennie. I aint mad. I never been mad, an I aint now. That’s a thing I want ya to know.” The voices came close now. George raised the gun and listened to the voices. Lennie begged “Le’s do it now. Le’s get to that place now.” “Sure, right now. I gotta. We gotta.” And George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head. The hand shook violently, but his face set and hand steadied. He pulled the trigger. The crash of the shot rolled up the hills and rolled down again. Lennie jarred, and then settled slowly forward to the sand, and he lay without quivering. In this quote, George knew what he had to do, even though he did not want to do it. If he had run away with Lennie, he knew that on their next job Lennie would get in trouble, and they would have to run again. It shows that you have to sacrifice things for the better, even if it’s your best friend.
There are numerous themes throughout Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Loneliness is one of the major themes that are apparent. This story is about migrant workers, bindle sticks, who travel from farm to farm looking for work. Except for George and Lennie, the workers travel alone. They don’t have a home and only have temporary jobs. On page 13-14 George says, “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 and work up a stake and then they go inta town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they are pound-in’ their tail on some other ranch. They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to.” Most of the migrant workers are lonely. They share a bunkhouse but they have no family, few friends and they bunk with strangers. Curly’s wife is lonely too. She stays there on the ranch and is forbidden to talk to the other men. She’s the only female. Crooks is also lonely because he’s isolated from the bunkhouse and the games because he’s black. He is the only black man on the ranch, he doesn’t have anyone to talk to, and he sleeps in a room alone. Candy is lonely too after his sick dog, his only companion, is killed.
Another theme in this book is meanness. George explains to Slim, “I seen the guys that go around the ranches alone. That ain’t no good. They don’t have no fun. After a long time they get mean. They get wantin’ to fight all the time.” Curly, who is the ranch owner’s son, is a mean man who looks for trouble. Curly is described as pugnacious. “He glanced coldly at George and then at Lennie. His arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists. He was at once calculating and pugnacious.” (p. 25-26). Curly was quick to fight and he thought he was a tough guy. Later in the story he picks a fight with Lennie. Lennie on the other hand, does bad things but he doesn’t do them maliciously. He accidently crushes Curley’s hand and breaks Curley’s wife’s neck. Afterwards George says, “Lennie never done it in meanness… All the time he done bad things, but he never done one of ‘em mean.” (p.95) George explains to Slim how Lennie’s not mean, “But he gets in trouble alla time because he’s so God damn dumb” (p.40). Lennie has a big heart but he is mentally handicapped.
Lastly, I think portraying the friendship between George and Lennie was one Steinbeck’s major intent’s. George and Lennie were best friends and practically family. The strong bond between the two main characters is evident throughout the story. Whenever Lennie says, “Tell how it’s gonna be.” (p. 105) George describes the farm they dream about owning and living out their lives on together. Lennie is very happy when he thinks about how George is going to let him take care of the rabbits. He also tells Lennie, “Guys like us got no family. They make a little stake an’ then they blow it in. They ain’t got nobody in the worl’ that gives a hoot in hell about ‘em….” “But not us…we got each other, that’s what…” Lennie cried in triumph (p. 104). George is not only Lennie’s best friend; he’s also his protector. At the end of the story George’s final act of friendship is to kill Lennie out of love. George wants to spare Lennie from the torture that Curly threatens. George makes sure Lennie is happy and not in pain. As Lennie dies, George is describing the two of them together with the soft rabbits, on the farm of their dreams.
In the book “of mice and men” one of the most important themes is friendship. The theme of friendship is shown when George says “with us it ain‘t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don’t have to sit in no bar room blowin’ in our jack jus’ because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us.” Lennie broke in. “But not us! An’ why? Because… because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.”(14) This shows that both Lennie and George care and depend on each others friendship. This was not so common during this time. Another theme in this book was innocence. This is shown when Slim and George were talking. Slim sat in silence for a moment. “Didn’t hurt the girl none, huh?” he asked finally.
“Hell, no. He just scared her. I’d be scared too if he grabbed me. But he never hurt her. He jus’ wanted to touch that red dress, like he wants to pet them pups all the time.” “He ain’t mean,” said Slim. “I can tell a mean guy a mile off.”(42) Lennie wanting to feel the fabric of the girls dress had meant her no harm. In his innocence he was just curious of how the fabric felt. Another main theme in this book is prejudice. We see an example of prejudice when Lennie visits Crooks in his cabin. Crooks said gently, “maybe you can see now. You got George. You know he’s goin’ to come back. S’pose you didn’t have nobody. S’pose you couldn’t go into the bunkhouse and play rummy ‘cause you was black. How’d you like that? S’pose you had to sit out here an’ read books. Sure you could play horseshoes till it got dark, but then you got to read books. Books ain’t no good. A guy needs somebody-to be near him.”(72) This shows prejudice because Crooks was not allowed to go into the bunkhouse because he was black. He was treated differently and kept separate from others because of his race.
In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, there are three key themes that you come along that really make the story more exciting to read.. the first key point in the book is on page 14"Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family... "But not us.’ Lennie broke in. ‘But not us! An’ why?...because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why." this key point shows that they depend on each other to look after one another. that quote shows trust and companionship.
The second key point in the book is on pages 56-58.Well, its ten acres," said George. "Got a little win'mill. Got a little shack on it, an' a chicken run. Got a kitchen, orchard, cherries, apples, peaches, 'cots, nuts, got a few berries"(56-57). "An' rabbits" Lennie said eagerly. "An' I'd take care of 'em"(58). Lennie and George both express that they are going to earn enough money at the ranch to live their version of the american dream.
The last main theme of the book begins when Lennie accidently kills curley's wife. later, some of the men come back after getting a few drinks and find curley's wife dead in the barn. they run to tell curley. when they do that, Lennie runs into the woods and hides from the guys because he knew they were going to kill him. at one point, Lennie starts to shout " Oh! George--George--George!" then george came quietly out of the brush and the rabbit scuttled back into Lennie's brain. " What the hell you yellin about".... page 106... " Lennie begged. George, lets do it now. lets get that place now. "sure, right now. I gotta. We gotta." George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie's head. the hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger the crash of the shot rolled up the side of the hills and rolled down again. Lennie jarred, and then settled slowly forward to the sand, and he lay without quivering. George killed Lennie to put him out of his misery of guilt of killing curley's wife, also because he would rather do it then one of the other ranchers.
There are three themes that Steinbeck reveals in the novel, Of Mice and Men. Early in the book, one of those themes is introduced on pages 13-14, where George explains to Lennie why they are different than other ranch workers. “’Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place… With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don’t have to sit in no bar room blowin’ in our jack jus’ because we got no place to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us.’” Lennie and George depend on one another to take care of them, without one the other would be at loss. The theme is brought up again later in the novel when Lennie speaks to the character Crooks about how a person would go crazy without someone to keep him company.
The second theme is about the impossibility of the American dream. George and Lennie’s dream is to finally make enough money so they can buy and take care of their very own farm. When Lennie speaks to Crooks and tells him about their dream, Crooks tells him that “’Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It’s just in their head. They’re all the time talkin’ about it, but it’s jus’ in their head’” (74). Crooks has met many workers who, just like George and Lennie, wish to someday acquire their own land, but knows that having a big dream such as theirs is no use because it will never come true.
The final theme is shown at the end of the novel when Steinbeck foreshadows the murder of Lennie by using a water snake and heron to symbolize both Lennie and George. “A water snake glided smoothly up the pool, twisting its periscope head from side to side: and it swam the length of the pool and came to the legs of a motionless heron that stood in the shallows. A silent head and beak lanced down and plucked it out by the head, and the beak swallowed the little snake while its tail waved frantically’” (99). This scene symbolizes the predatory nature of human existence. After the snake is killed by the heron, George kills Lennie by shooting him in the back of the head because he is weaker than George and believes he will not achieve his dream if he continues to look after Lennie.
John Steinbeck’s great American novel, Of Mice and Men, was written during a time in our history known as “The Great Depression.” The themes in this book relate to the time that it was written. People were poor and desperate and relied on each other. Three themes that will be discussed in this essay are “Hope and the American Dream,” “Innocence,” and “Friendship.”
The two main characters, Lennie and George, never give up hope. They strive to have the American Dream, which in their case is a little place of their own. The two men often discuss what they will have and how they plan to achieve their goal. In this quote George reminds Lennie that they cannot give up and must work hard. “…with us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to you. We don’t have to sit in no bar room blowin’ in our jack jus’ because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. but not us.” (p. 13)
Lennie is disabled and this makes his character seem innocent and naïve at times. Innocence is another theme in the novel. Although he is powerful, he does not understand why Curly wants to hurt him. He does not want to fight Curly but he must protect himself. In this scene he looks to George for help because in his innocence he is confused. He doesn’t want to get in trouble and disappoint George once again. “Lennie looked helplessly at George, and then he got up and tried to retreat. Curley was balanced and poised. He slashed at Lennie with his left, and then smashed down his nose with a right. Lennie gave a cry of terror. Blood welled from his nose “George,” he cried. “Make’ um let me alone, George.” (p. 59)
Finally, one of the most important themes in the book, I believe, is Friendship. George demonstrates the ultimate friendship when he kills Lennie, to protect him from any further pain and suffering. This may seem like murder to some, but to me it took great courage and loyalty on George’s part, to shoot Lennie. Also, George shows his devotion and compassion for Lennie, when he tells him that he was never mad at him. George wants Lennie to finally be at peace and die happily. “I thought you was mad at me, George.” “No,” said George. “No, Lennie. I ain’t mad. I never been mad, an’ I ain’t right now. that’s a thing I want ya to know.” (p.101)
Many people suffered during the Depression. John Steinbeck is able to tell the reader what life was like for some during this time. The themes of Friendship, Hope and the American Dream, and Innocence are important messages about life.
John Steinbeck’s great American novel, Of Mice and Men, was written during a time in our history known as “The Great Depression.” The themes in this book relate to the time that it was written. People were poor and desperate and relied on each other. Three themes that will be discussed in this essay are “Hope and the American Dream,” “Innocence,” and “Friendship.”
The two main characters, Lennie and George, never give up hope. They strive to have the American Dream, which in their case is a little place of their own. The two men often discuss what they will have and how they plan to achieve their goal. In this quote George reminds Lennie that they cannot give up and must work hard. “…with us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to you. We don’t have to sit in no bar room blowin’ in our jack jus’ because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. but not us.” (p. 13)
Lennie is disabled and this makes his character seem innocent and naïve at times. Innocence is another theme in the novel. Although he is powerful, he does not understand why Curly wants to hurt him. He does not want to fight Curly but he must protect himself. In this scene he looks to George for help because in his innocence he is confused. He doesn’t want to get in trouble and disappoint George once again. “Lennie looked helplessly at George, and then he got up and tried to retreat. Curley was balanced and poised. He slashed at Lennie with his left, and then smashed down his nose with a right. Lennie gave a cry of terror. Blood welled from his nose “George,” he cried. “Make’ um let me alone, George.” (p. 59)
Finally, one of the most important themes in the book, I believe, is Friendship. George demonstrates the ultimate friendship when he kills Lennie, to protect him from any further pain and suffering. This may seem like murder to some, but to me it took great courage and loyalty on George’s part, to shoot Lennie. Also, George shows his devotion and compassion for Lennie, when he tells him that he was never mad at him. George wants Lennie to finally be at peace and die happily. “I thought you was mad at me, George.” “No,” said George. “No, Lennie. I ain’t mad. I never been mad, an’ I ain’t right now. that’s a thing I want ya to know.” (p.101)
Many people suffered during the Depression. John Steinbeck is able to tell the reader what life was like for some during this time. The themes of Friendship, Hope and the American Dream, and Innocence are important messages about life.
In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck there are three main themes through out the novel. The first theme that occurred in the very beginning and very end is the bond between George and Lennie. "But not us!An' why? Because...because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why."(page 14)The bond gets stronger between George and Lennie in the last chapter of the book where George has to help Lennie by ending his life because Lennie didn't realize how dangerous he was. Lennie had caused two recent deaths before George came and found his in the brush where Lennie promised to go if he was ever in a bad situation. George just wanted the best for Lennie "You...an' me, Ever'body gonna be nice to you. Ain't gonna be no more trouble. Nobody gonna hurt nobody no steal from em'." (page 106)This was not done out of hate for Lennie accidentally killing curley's wife, George didn't want anyone but himself to kill Lennie. Even though it may seem like George is doing this to punish him, George did it to relieve the stress of all the trouble he has gotten into.
Another theme that occurs in the novel is loneliness, this is mentioned in the beginning of the book, "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 then they inta town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they're pounding in their tail on some other ranch. They ain't got nothing to look ahead to." (page 13-14)George and Lennie knew they would be walking in a place where they knew no one had anyone. A little bit later after arriving to the ranch, Lennie comes across a man named Crooks. He didn't live in with the rest of the guys, he lived in the barn."A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. Don't make no difference who the guy is, long's he’s with you. I tell ya," he cried "I tell a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick." (page 72-73)
The last theme in the novel is aspiring to be somebody but never living up to the dream. Their were many characters who had the dream of being a 'somebody' but ended up at the ranch. George and Lennie aspired to be somebody with their dream of building their own farm."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 and-"( page 14)George and Lennie never got to have a farm together because Lennie got into to much trouble to be alive. Another character that aspires to be somebody is curley's wife. Before her death she revealed to Lennie before marrying Curley she had a passion for acting."He says he was gonna put me in the movies. Say I was a natural. Soon's he got back to Hollywood he was gonna write to me about it" she said pressing him. "I never got that letter"(page 88) Both George, Lennie, and Curley's wife never got to be a 'somebody' because something stopped them on their way to living a good life.
Siri Burt
Summer Reading Assignment
In the book, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the author presents us with many different themes. In the beginning of the book, one quote stands out as representing how Lennie does so many things without realizing what he’s done. In the quote, “look George, look what I’ve done,” Lennie tells George what he’s done and George always to take responsibility. It seems that throughout the book Lennie keeps doing things that he doesn’t mean to do and they are mostly hurtful things. One example is when he pets the mouse too hard and kills it.
In the middle of the book, when Candy and Carlson are talking about putting Candy’s old dog down, Carlson says “look Candy, this ol’dog jus’ suffers hisself all the time. If you was to take him out and shoot him right in the back of the head.” I think in this quote the author is getting us to think about really hard choices and how George will eventually have to make that decision about Lennie.
At the end of the book Slim says to George, “You hadda George. I swear you hadda.” I think this quote represents how George always too responsibility for Lennie, and how he is responsible for the end of his life too. I think George felt that he should be the one to end Lennie’s life and Slim is telling him that he didn’t have a choice. The author is able to help us feel hwo George must have felt. I can’t imagine having to feel that taking someone’s life is all you can do.
In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck there are many themes that could be interpreted. During the book a lot of events happen that could lead to more than one theme, but there are key points.
In the beginning of the book, when they’re by the pond and George says “Lennie, for god’ sakes don’t drink so much.” it shows that George is always looking out for Lennie. When George saw that he had a mouse in his pocket, he tried to stay calm but he told Lennie to show him what was in his pocket. Alittle while longer George says “Well you ain’t petting no mice while you walk with me. You remember where we’re goin’ now” It shows that George is a good enough friend to deal with Lennie, even if he is driving him crazy.
Towards the middle of the novel, when they’re talking about the dog Carlson said “if you want me to, I’ll put the devil out of his misery right now and get it over with. Ain’t nothing left for him.” Even though that quote is referring towards the dog, it showed that other things would get put out of their misery. At the end George kills Lennie to put him out of his misery, so those two connect.
At the end of the book after George kills Lennie, Carlson came over to George and said “You hadda George, I swear you hadda” which shows that as much as George put up with Lennie, he had to put him out of his misery for the better, so he could stop un intentionally hurting people and things he didn’t mean to.
One theme revealed in Of Mice and Men is the desire for the American dream, the dream to have a place of your own. This theme is introduced for the first time on page forty-three when George explains to slim that Lenny isn’t crazy. “‘He ain’t no cuckoo,’ said George. ‘He’s dumb as hell, but he ain’t crazy. An’ I ain’t so bright neither, or I wouldn’t be buckin’ barley for my fifty and found. If I was bright, if I was even a little bit smart, I’d have my own little place, an’ I’d be bringin’ in my own crops, ’stead of doin’ all the work and not getting what comes up outa the ground.’” This shows George’s desire for the American dream, how he would have his own place if he could.
A second theme that is in the novel Of Mice and Men is the idea of friendship. One of the scenes in which this theme is obvious is on page eighty when Crooks is talking to Lenny and asking what he would do if he had nobody. “S’pose you didn’t have nobody. S’pose you couldn’t go into the bunk house and play rummy ’cause you was black…a guy needs somebody--to be near him…a guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. . . .I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick” This shows how Crooks has no one and is dying of loneliness because he says that a guy goes nuts if he has nobody. The reader gets the feeling that Crooks knows this from experience.
A final theme from the novel is loneliness. This theme appears on page ninety-five when Curley’s wife is talking to Lenny about how she never gets to talk to anyone. “I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely.” This shows how she just wants someone to talk to so she won’t be lonely. The reader sees a similarity between Crooks and Curley’s wife, both of whom are desperate for someone to talk to.
The book Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, has three main themes that are shown throughout the novel. The first theme that you are introduced to is on page 13-14. Here, George tells Lennie how they are different from an average worker. “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 the ranch an’ work up a stake and then they go inta town and blow their stake, […]” Lennie broke in “But not us! An’ why? Because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you [….]” This shows the bond and dependence between Lennie and George, and how they are more than the average workers.
The second theme is the will to sacrifice. On page 22 George puts his own job on the line for him and Lennie to be able to work together. “He’s my . . . cousin. I told his old lady I’d take care of him.” He then later explains how he could go into town and spend his earnings on drinks and such, but instead, George sacrifices his money to take care of a friend.
The final theme is on mercy killing. On page 105, Lennie has to make the hard decision of taking George’s life. To make George happy, Lennie said “ Go on (…) How’s it gonna be? We gonna get a little place” […] “For the rabbits” Lennie shouted. “For the rabbits” George repeated. “And I get to tend the rabbits.” “An’ you get to tend the rabbits.” […] “He pulled the trigger. The crash of the shot rolled up the hills and rolled down again. Lennie jarred, and then settled very slowly forward to the sand, and he lay without quivering.” This section describes the moment George takes Lennie’s life after being hunted down by Curley. Even though Lennie accidently killed Curley’s wife, Curly was going to take his revenge. George thought back to when Carlson’s killed Candy’s old dog, Candy had explained how he would have rather taken his beloved dog’s life than have someone else do it. This idea of mercy killing is why George took Lennie’s life rather than having him suffer and be killed by someone else.
In beginning of Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Lennie and George are two friends living on their own just trying to get by during the Great Depression. Lennie and George are lonely men and George knows it. In a quote said by George, “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place. The come to a ranch and work up a stake and then they go into a town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they’ve poundin’ their tail on some other ranch. They got nothing to look ahead to (13-14).” In this scene George continues and tells Lennie that they are different and that they have a future and begins to tell Lennie their story of the farm they are going to get. When he tells Lennie, Lennie knows the story already and this tells us it is something they have talked about many times. This shows the theme of loneliness and hope.
Towards the middle of the book Lennie and George are working at a ranch with a bunch of other guys. One of the guys, Candy, is an old man with one hand and has a really old dog. In once scene another guy, Carlson, eggs on Candy to kills that dog and put it out of his misery. Candy doesn’t want to but agrees to have it put down, but he didn’t have the guts to kill it himself. Carlson ends up taking his gun and the dog outside and killing the dog himself. Later after it happened, George and Lennie were talking again about their dream farm. Candy heard them and started talking to them about it too, asking if he can join because he can help with the money to get the farm. The conversation ended with Candy a part of the plan to be on farm. Candy then said to George, “I ought to have shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn’t out to have let no stranger shoot my dog (61).” Candy said this because he felt guilty. Like the saying goes, ‘a dog is a man’s best friend,’ Candy felt guilty he didn’t do his best friend the favor of putting it out of its misery. This shows the theme of loyalty in a friendship.
Another character in the book is Curley’s Wife. Through out the book, she causes trouble with the guys because she goes to try to talk to them giving them the excuse she is looking for Curley, and it causes trouble with the guys and Curley. Toward the end of the book, there is a scene where Lennie is in the barn alone with his dead puppy that he accidentally killed. Curley’s Wife walks in and starts to talk to him. Lenni
e right away remembers what George told him and said he’s not supposes to talk to her. She keeps trying but he keeps saying how he’ll get in trouble. She gets frustrated and says “what kinda harm am I doing to you? Seems like they ain’t none of them cares how I gotta live. I tell you I ain’t used to livin’ like this. I coulda made somethin’ of myself (88).” She said before that she gets lonely, not being able to talk to anyone but Curley, connecting to the theme of loneliness, but this quote shows a different kind of loneliness in her. You can tell she came from a place different than the farm life and is not used to it. She also has dreams of living a different life and feels alone in her dreams.
Todd Beyer
“Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong a place . . .. With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us.” This quote was used the night they camped before they went to the ranch. George said this quote and this explains their friendship between him and Lennie, which is the strongest relationship in the novel.
“We’d just go to her,” George said. “We wouldn’t ask anybody if we could Jus’ say, ‘We’ll go to her,’ an’ we would. Jus’ milk the cow an’ sling some grain to the chicken an’ go to her.” When George describes their farm they are going to get to Candy, since Candy overheard Lennie and George discussing their farm. And when candy offers his money to help pay for the house and property, Lennie and George idea for the farm becomes more realistic.
“I seen hundreds of men come by on the road an’ on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an’ that same damn thing in their heads, 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. Everybody wants a little piece of lan’. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. When Lennie tells Crooks his plan to buy a farm with George. Crooks is trying to tell Lennie that what he said would probably never happen and that it is only a dream. The ones with strength and power are not the ones responsible for oppression.
The novel (although it seemed quiet short to me) Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a quiet depressing novel if I say so myself. The story however does reveal the way dreams are built, and destroyed as well as racism and utter rudeness during the great depression. But when two very different personas are bound together, the result could end up destroying both of the men’s lives, which ends up being the result.
At the beginning Of Mice and Men, one of the main characters, George Milton states, “”God you’re a lot of trouble,” said George. “I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn’t have you on my tail. I could live so easy and maybe have a girl””. Perhaps it seems to the reader at the beginning of the novel that George simply thinks of Lennie as a nuisance. But further on in the novel, one could digress and state that Lennie keeps George out of trouble. This can be implied because George simply doesn’t have much free time to spend getting drunk and going to whore houses because he is too busy watching out for Lennie. Any free time is spent playing solitaire while still keeping out of trouble.
Another strange character- which will lead into the next quote- is a colored man named Crooks. “I was born right here in California. My old man had a chicken ranch, ‘bout ten acres. The white kids come to play at our place, an’ sometimes I went to play with them, and some of them was pretty nice. My ol’ man didn’t like that. I never knew till long later why he didn’t like that. But I know now”. This cruel but unfortunate truth is the past of Crooks. In the time of the great depression, this rather educated man who lived in a rather well kempt shack and worked as a farm hand. Strange, that with in all this need for money that the white folks (especially Curly’s wife) and found time to bring down the colored folks despite how smart they are. Despite being a product of a sad time, Crooks still keeps his cool, but sometimes crawls into his “shell” when insulted.
And lastly, I want to write about Lennie Small. This humongous man seems to be nice but appears to have some kind of mental disability as well as a case of schizophrenia. “But he’ll know. George always knows. he’ll say, ‘you done it. Don’t try to put nothing over me.’ An’ he’ll say, ‘Now jus’ for that you don’t get to tend rabbits!’””. This is a case where Lennie is talking to himself and pondering what he will do now that he can’t tend the rabbits. As you could probably guess, Lennie as a severe obsession about rabbits and furry things, which would result in him getting in a lot of trouble.
Through and through I thought the novel was nice. In a shorter amount of time I got to know the characters than it did for when I was reading extremely long novels. The book seemed to have a interesting end, leaving the reader pondering, “now what?” but that I assume is for the reader and the reader alone to decide the fate of the characters in the novel Of Mice and Men.
In the novel of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck it seems that there are 3 reoccurring themes one is friends should always stick together no matter what from which is shown on page 14, when George and
Lennie are talking about how guys like them that work on ranches live and how they work for money and then spend it all at bars. Then he goes on to say that they are different because they have a future and Lennie includes that,”Because…Because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.” This is shown throughout the book that the two friends don’t leave each other for anything.
Another theme in the book is that if you really want something you can work towards it and achieve your goal; this is expressed in the middle of the book when Lennie asks George to tell the story of their dream home to Candy”Well it’s ten acres, “said George. “Got a little win’ mill. Got a little shack on it, an’ a chicken run. Got a kitchen, orchard, cherries, apples, peaches, ‘cots, nuts, got a few berries. They’s a place for alfalfa and plenty water to flood it. They’s a pig pen” (56-57). After Candy hears this he wants to join them, and the three boys plan to buy and move in to the house in one month. This theme is shown in the book that if you want something and you put your mind to it you can achieve it.
The last theme that John Steinbeck shows in the novel is you can’t always run from trouble. This is shown when Lennie kills Curley’s wife and knows that something bad has happened so he went to the spot that George told them to meet if anything bad ever happened to Lennie and George couldn’t let lennie get away for this and he was asked to kill Lennie so he had too,” And George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head. The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger” (106).
One of the reasons why John Steinbeck wrote this book is to become aware of how people around you affect your way of thinking and the way that you feel and act. “George, if you want I should go away and leave you alone?’ ‘Where the hell could you go?’ ‘Well I could go off in the hills there. Some place i’ll find a cave.’ ‘Yeah? How’d you eat. You ain’t got sense to find nothing to eat.’ ‘I don’t need no nice food with ketchup. I’d lay out in the sun and nobody’d hurt me. An’ if I foun’ a mouse, I could keep it. Nobody’d take it away from me.” (12) This is showing how when Gorge had been angry and said things about Lennie, he would say things that he didn’t mean to say. It had an affect on Lennie and caused him to think about leaving, but George would not let him because he knew Lennie could not survive.
Another key theme in the novel that Steinbeck had intended was that once you have a friend you always will, but new friends can cause you to drift away from that person. “ Lennie was not to be drawn. ‘No, sir I ain’t gonna talk to you or nothing.’ She knelt on the hay besides him... ‘All them guys got a horseshoe tenement goin’ on. It’s only about four o’clock. None of them guys is goin’ to leave the that tenement.” (82) George had left Lennie alone inside and went with the other guys to play horse shoes. This shows how they have drifted apart.
The last key theme in the novel is the impractical dream of fantasizing of a different life. George was saying that he, Lennie, and Candy were going to own a little ranch and let Lennie tend to he rabbits. “ We going to get a little place’ George began... Lennie begged, ‘ Let’s do it now. Let’s get that place now .’ ‘Sure, right now. I gotta. We gotta.’ And George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head. The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger.” (102) Steinbeck never intended weather George got the ranch.
Noelle Muoio
One of the reasons why John Steinbeck wrote this book is to become aware of how people around you affect your way of thinking and the way that you feel and act. “George, if you want I should go away and leave you alone?’ ‘Where the hell could you go?’ ‘Well I could go off in the hills there. Some place i’ll find a cave.’ ‘Yeah? How’d you eat. You ain’t got sense to find nothing to eat.’ ‘I don’t need no nice food with ketchup. I’d lay out in the sun and nobody’d hurt me. An’ if I foun’ a mouse, I could keep it. Nobody’d take it away from me.” (12) This is showing how when Gorge had been angry and said things about Lennie, he would say things that he didn’t mean to say. It had an affect on Lennie and caused him to think about leaving, but George would not let him because he knew Lennie could not survive.
Another key theme in the novel that Steinbeck had intended was that once you have a friend you always will, but new friends can cause you to drift away from that person. “ Lennie was not to be drawn. ‘No, sir I ain’t gonna talk to you or nothing.’ She knelt on the hay besides him... ‘All them guys got a horseshoe tenement goin’ on. It’s only about four o’clock. None of them guys is goin’ to leave the that tenement.” (82) George had left Lennie alone inside and went with the other guys to play horse shoes. This shows how they have drifted apart.
The last key theme in the novel is the impractical dream of fantasizing of a different life. George was saying that he, Lennie, and Candy were going to own a little ranch and let Lennie tend to he rabbits. “ We going to get a little place’ George began... Lennie begged, ‘ Let’s do it now. Let’s get that place now .’ ‘Sure, right now. I gotta. We gotta.’ And George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head. The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger.” (102) Steinbeck never intended weather George got the ranch.
Noelle Muoio
Kayla Milanes
September 6, 2011
English 9R
The book “Of Mice and Men” is about the ultimate pursuit of happiness. In this book, almost every character talks about how unhappy they are in life. Each one of them wants to achieve companionship within each other, and live freely.
One scene that helps show the idea of this book is when George tells Lennie about leaving and buying ten acres of land together, and living the “American Dream”. George says “ Its got a little win’mill. Got a little shack on it, an’ a chicken run. Got a kitchen, orchard, cherries, apples, peaches, ‘cots, nuts, got few berries. They’s a place for alfalfa and plenty water to flood it. They’s a pig pen-“, he even told Lennie he could take care of the rabbits. This shows how they both long for a better life, and to stop traveling from city to city, but to live in a stable environment. Throughout this scene, George and Lennie talk about how great moving would be, and how much better they could have it. They are both unhappy with their lives, and are searching for the key to happiness.
Another scene that shows the theme of the book, was when Curley’s wife tells Lennie “I don’t like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella.” She said, “ Coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes- all them nice clothes like they used to wear. An’ I coulda sat in them big hotels, an’ had pitchers took of me. When they had them previews I coulda went to them, an’ spoke in the radio, an’ it wouldn’ta cost me a cent because I was in the pitcher. An’ all them nice clothes like they wear. Because this guy says I was a natural.” Curley’s wife is clearly upset and resentful of her life, and regrets marrying Curley. All she wants to do is live out her dream as an actress. She confides in Lennie because she wants to feel important and find comfort in someone, because her husband isn’t giving it to her. When Crooks tells Lennie “S’pose George don’t come back no more. S’pose he took a powder and just ain’t coming back. What’ll you do then?” He says this to cause worry in Lennie. He wants to make Lennie feel helpless and weak, so that he feels strong and powerful. When he continuously tells Lennie that George isn’t coming back, he is making Lennie feel less confident in himself, so that he gains confidence. He does this because he is an African-American who isn’t allowed to do much, and he has a broken back, so he needs to take power from someone else by hurting them. This shows the point of the book and how everyone has their own issues, and just wants to reach the goal of self-fulfillment.
In this book, many characters had problems with themselves and with others, and try to find a way out of their lives but don’t succeed. Each of them are so desperate for happiness that they go about it the wrong way. Such as, Curley’s wife flirting with other men to find companionship, and ending up dead. These characters will never know true happiness because of the lengths they go to find it, which will leave them forever longing for it.
One quote that represents key themes in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is “I could pet it with my thumb while we walked along,” said Lennie’. (9) This shows that Lennie is innocent and he never meant to make George angry for holding on to a mouse. One time Lennie liked a girls dress and touched it because it was soft and didn’t let go, than got in trouble. Steinbeck’s purpose was probably to show that Lennie is special and feels comfort to pet mice and other soft items. Lennie also enjoyed petting newborn puppies from Slim.
A second quote in chapter three is “The next minute Curley was flopping like a fish on a line and his closed fist was lost in Lennie’s big hand. (62 and 63) Curley got in a fight with Lennie because he thought he was laughing at him. Steinbeck wanted to show that Lennie is strong and can hurt people if he needs to for defense. but Lennie is also a good person and never means to hurt people on purpose. George was actually encouraging Lennie to fight him. In the book Lennie also killed a puppy and a woman but they were by accident just like he didnt mean to hurt Curley.
The last quote for the end in chapter six is “He pulled the trigger. The crash of the shot rolled up the hills and rolled down again. Lennie jarred, and than settled slowly forward to the sand, and he lay without quivering.” (106) Steinbeck’s purpose was to show that George didn’t want to see Lennie get hurt by the other men so he killed him. The other men wanted to kill Lennie because he killed Curley's wife. George had to sacrifice Lennie's life so he could not get hurt.
In the book, “Of Mice and Men,” by John Steinbeck, a mentally challenged boy named Lennie and his guardian George get into a little trouble. When Lennie accidentally breaks the landlord’s wife’s neck, Lennie is overwhelmed with guilt. George puts Lennie out of his misery before the town comes for Lennie. In the overall plot of the story, there are multiple morals Steinbeck sends.
One moral Steinbeck tries to connect with the reader in the beginning, is the saying, “Ignorance is bliss.” Lennie is mentally challenged and seemingly un-intact with reality. When he fantasized, it was unrealistic. (Page 16) “Let’s have different color rabbits, George.” “’Sure we will,’ George said sleepily. ‘Red and blue and green rabbits, Lennie. Millions of em.’” George just says this to get Lennie to go to sleep, leaving Lennie in content. Lennie later brings this up many times with George, though of course, George never really made it come true.
Another moral John Steinbeck tries to connect with the reader near the middle of the book, is, “Pick on someone your own size.” Curly, the boss’s son, messes with Lennie for looking at him funny. However, Lennie is much larger. Curly made first move by slashing Lennie with his left hand then punching his nose with his right. (Page 63) After being attacked a few more times, George and the other workers tell Lennie to fight back, and he punches Curly in the face.
The final moral towards the end of Steinbeck’s, “Of Mice and Men,” is to be cautious. Lennie accidentally breaks Curley’s wife’s neck while trying to feel her hair, and he kills ones of his puppies. Lennie didn’t realize his own strength. (Page 91) “… And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck.” What may not intended to be might still happen, so the important moral is to be cautious and careful of what you’re doing.
Brendan Mahoney
In the novel Of Mice and Men there are two main characters, Lennie and George. They have always been together, and their friendship is tested in various ways. Whether it is loyalty or believing each other, they stick together for almost the entire novel. These actions create various themes in the novel, and here is one quote expanding on one theme.
“I... ain’t gonna say nothin’. Jus’ gonna stan’ there.” (Page six) This quote shows one main theme in the novel because it shows the theme of how Lennie isn’t bright. George is talking to Lennie about how they are going to interview for a job. George tells Lennie that he is not going to do anything. Lennie is an innocent man, like a young child. He does not mean any harm and only does what he is told. George wants to get this job for him and Lennie and does not want Lennie to say the wrong thing and have them fail the interview. The boss is curious about this and even when the boss talks to Lennie, George does what he is told. Throughout the novel Lennie is doing what George is telling him to, and eventually gets them in to various situations. Here is another quote expanding on another theme.
“‘Well, it’s ten acres,’ said George. ‘Got a little win’mill. Got a little shack on it, an’ a chicken run. Got a kitchen, orchard, cherries, apples, peaches, ‘cots, nuts, got a few berries. They’s a place for alfalfa and plenty water to flood it. They’s a pig pin….’” (Page 54) In this quote George is telling Lennie again about the house they are saving up to buy. Lennie loves hearing about the house and the story is told several times throughout the novel. The house is a major key in a theme of this novel. The reason George and Lennie got the jobs is so they can buy the house. Throughout the novel the men are saying how they are going to save up for it and buy the house. Candy is in this scene and hears the story and asks if he can come with them and help pay. George finally says yes and now all three of them are saving their money to buy this house. This is the last quote expanding on the key themes.
“‘What you got covered up there?’
‘Jus’ my pup….’
‘Why, he’s dead.’
‘He was so little,’ said Lennie. ‘I was just playin’ with him… an’ he made like he’s gonna bite me…an’ I made like I was gonna smack him… an’ I done it.… I like to pet nice things with my fingers, sof’ things.’” (Page 85) Here, Lennie is talking to Curley’s wife. Lennie just accidentally killed his puppy. It is about to bite him and he accidentally kills him. Curley’s wife comes in and calls Lennie crazy. Lennie says that he just likes to pet soft things. This and the fact that he killed his puppy are large key themes in the novel. Lennie accidentally kills mice, a puppy, a man’s hand, and a woman during the novel. Lennie has a large amount of strength and does nothing with it. He does not mean to kill thing or hurt things, but he does not realize his own strength. Curley’s wife is talking with Lennie and tells him to touch her soft hair. He feels her hair and then does not let go. Curley’s wife starts to scream and Lennie accidentally squeezes her too tightly and kills her. He does not mean to kill her but does and later George has to shoot Lennie. Lennie is innocent and does not want to kill anything. Not many people other than George understand this and is brought up many times during the novel. It is one of the biggest themes in the novel.
At the end, George and Candy decide not to buy the house because now Lennie is dead and it is not the same. Lennie is an innocent man with an extreme amount of strength and that costs him his life. If everyone were more like George and Candy, then Lennie would still be alive.
Of Mice and Men
By: Drew DiMella
The book “Of Mice and Men” written by John Steinbeck is about two men trying to get from rags to riches. This novel takes place in Salinas Valley, California during the Great Depression in the 1930’s. George and his friend Lennie had to leave their homes because Lennie was accused of touching a woman. Lennie is mentally handicapped and is helped by George along the way. George is not related to Lennie but they care about each other like family.
In the beginning of the book after Lennie was accused of touching a girl, both Lennie and George had to leave as soon as they could because if they were caught Lennie would have faced bad consequences and maybe even death. After being chased Lennie and George eventually found a safe place. After they were both settled in George says “God, you’re a lot of trouble,” “I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn’t have you on my tail. I could live so easy and maybe have a girl.”(pg. 7) In this quote George is imagining his life without Lennie. He is thinking about how easy it would be and how all the stress would be lifted off his shoulders. George realizes how easy his life would be but he doesn’t quit on Lennie because he is a true friend who cares about him and wants the best for him. Friendship and loyalty are important themes in this book. John Steinbeck emphasizes these themes by developing the close relationship between Lennie and George throughout the book.
During the middle of the book Carlson kept bugging Candy that his dog was too old and should be put down. After a while of asking Candy the old man sadly said to take him. Carlson took his pistol, went out with the dog and eventually killed him. Later on George and Lennie are talking about the house they are going to get. Candy overhears them and wants to chip in to buy that house. Candy says “You seen what they done to my dog tonight? They says he wasn’t no good to himself nor nobody else. When they can me here I wisht sombody’d shoot me. But they won’t do nothing like that. I won’t have no place to go, an’ I can’t get no more jobs.”(pg. 60)This is the beginning and turning point of when the dream that George and Lennie have starts to become a reality. Having dreams is an important theme of this book. It gives the characters hope in their future. Later on Candy also says that he should have shot his dog and not let some stranger do it. I think what Candy told George helped him later on in the novel.
Towards the end of the book Lennie accidentally killed Curly’s wife and Curly was going to kill him. George knew that Lennie was going to die, but George wanted to make him die happy as opposed to frightened and scared. George sadly killed Lennie while Lennie was happy and not expecting it. Afterwords, Slim came directly to George and sat down beside him. Slim says “Never you mind”… “A guy got to sometimes.”(pg. 107)George took Candy’s words into consideration. He didn’t want a stranger to kill Lennie. He wanted Lennie to die with happy thoughts and that’s just what he did. This quote is important because a big question in this book is whether George was right to kill Lennie. It follows the question early in the book of whether Carlson or anyone should have killed Candy’s old dog.
In the novel Mice of Men by John Steinbeck has many big theme’s throughout the book some of them more obvious the others but three of them standout more then the others. "I seen hunderds of men come by on the road an' on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an' that same damn thing in their heads. Hunderds of them. 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. Everybody 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. They're all the time talkin' about it, but it's jus' in their head." (Ch.4). The first big idea in Mice of men is trying to achieve what never can be achieved. Throughout the book Lennie and George are always trying to archive there dream to have a life of living of the land and being there own boss and not having to take order’s from anyone. In the end though there plan fails once again and now they will never achieve there goal.
"No, Lennie. I ain't mad. I never been mad, an' I ain't now. That's a thing I want ya to know." (Ch. 6). The second big theme in mice of men is relationships. Throughout the book you see all different relationships you see love relationships you see forced relationships and then you have Lennie and George’s relationship. There relationship is different because it is more of a love hate relationship. On the outside it seems that George really dislikes Lennie the way he treats him and pushes him away. But on the inside George really like Lennie and that’s why in the end of the book he kills Lennie so he can go to a better place.
“George ran down the room. ‘leggo ofhim, Lennie. Let go.’ But lennie watched in terror the flopping little man whom he held. Blood ran down Lennie face, one of his eyes was cut and closed. Geroge slapped him on the face again and again , and still lennie held on the closed fist. Curley was white and shrunken by now, and his struggling had become weak. He stood crying, his fist lost in lennie’s big paw. George shouted over and over:’ Leggo his hand, Lennie. Leggo. Slim, come and help me while the guy got any hand left.’ Suddenly Lennie let go his hold. He crouched cowering against the wall.’ You tol’ me to, George,’ he said miserably.” (Ch.7). The Last main idea in the book is control. Control is a main idea in this novel because it plays a big part in the downfall of Lennie and George. The reason George and Lennie can never settle down and have a real life is because Lennie has no control over his life or emotions and that’s why George kills him in the end so he can put Lennie out of his misery.
In the novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck there are many quotes that represent key themes in the novel. One theme in the novel is the impossibility of the American dream. George and Lennie struggle with their dream to own a ranch and raise rabbits. Another theme is male friendships. George and Lennie are true friends, even though it may be difficult for George to deal with Lennie at times. The last theme is loneliness. Curley’s wife experiences this everyday because her husband neglects her.
The first theme in the novel is the impossibility of the American dream. George and Lennie want to make money to buy a ranch and raise their own animals. George and Lennie both have the American dream. A dream to own a farm and live life to the fullest. “Well, we’ll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens….”
The second theme in the novel is of friendship. On page 13, George and Lennie are sitting by the river and George says to Lennie, “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world…with us it ain’t like that. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us.” George is talking about how everyone else has no family. But George and Lennie do, they have each other.
Another theme in the novel is loneliness. On page 88-89, Curley’s wife tells Lennie how she didn’t really like Curley, and how she really wanted to be movie star and a dancer. “I don’t like Curly. He ain’t a nice fella.” Curley’s wife is lonely on the ranch and has no one to talk to, so she settles for the ear of an attentive stranger, Lennie. George and Lennie also say how they aren’t lonely because they have each other.
I think John Steinbeck’s purpose for writing Of Mice and Men was to show pain, suffering and broken dreams that the farm hands went through. The novel shows that dreams were just false hope and that they were just there to get you through the long days ahead.
In the novel, Of Mice and Men there are many themes. The themes are the impossibility of the American dream, male friendship and loneliness. I feel that these three quotes suggest Steinbeck’s reason for writing this novel.
In the novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck there are many quotes that represent key themes in the novel. One theme in the novel is the impossibility of the American dream. George and Lennie struggle with their dream to own a ranch and raise rabbits. Another theme is male friendships. George and Lennie are true friends, even though it may be difficult for George to deal with Lennie at times. The last theme is loneliness. Curley’s wife experiences this everyday because her husband neglects her.
The first theme in the novel is the impossibility of the American dream. George and Lennie want to make money to buy a ranch and raise their own animals. George and Lennie both have the American dream. A dream to own a farm and live life to the fullest. “Well, we’ll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens….”
The second theme in the novel is of friendship. On page 13, George and Lennie are sitting by the river and George says to Lennie, “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world…with us it ain’t like that. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us.” George is talking about how everyone else has no family. But George and Lennie do, they have each other.
Another theme in the novel is loneliness. On page 88-89, Curley’s wife tells Lennie how she didn’t really like Curley, and how she really wanted to be movie star and a dancer. “I don’t like Curly. He ain’t a nice fella.” Curley’s wife is lonely on the ranch and has no one to talk to, so she settles for the ear of an attentive stranger, Lennie. George and Lennie also say how they aren’t lonely because they have each other.
I think John Steinbeck’s purpose for writing Of Mice and Men was to show pain, suffering and broken dreams that the farm hands went through. The novel shows that dreams were just false hope and that they were just there to get you through the long days ahead.
In the novel, Of Mice and Men there are many themes. The themes are the impossibility of the American dream, male friendship and loneliness. I feel that these three quotes suggest Steinbeck’s reason for writing this novel.
There are three important themes in the novel Of Mice and Men, by John Stienbeck. One is shown on page 13, "I want you to stay with me, Lennie" Although george acts like he doesn't like Lennie sometimes and wishes he didn't have to deal with him, he still cares about Lennie. Lennie gets George in trouble all the time and he never does it to be mean or annoy George. Stienbeck intended to show that Lennie couldn't understand what he was doing and George would always forgive him to show caring.
The second theme is on page 41, after Candy learns about the plan to buy the house and land with George and Lennie at the end of their employment. Candy tells them, "I oughtta shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn't oughtta of let no stranger shoot my dog." He means that the dog was his friend and he didn't like to see it suffer, he feels that he wouldn't feel guilty if he had put it down himself. This is shown later on in the book when George has to shoot lennie to "put him out of his missery" because he will either be shot by Curley who will "spill his guts out" or be placed in a psychiatric hospital for the rest of his life. I think this prt with the dog was added in to hint what George would do in the end. Also to show the theme of loyalty.
A final theme of the book is on page 97, after Lennie accidentaly killed Curley's Wife and fled to the meeting place. Curley is out for blood and tells Carlson "When you see 'um, don't give 'im no chance. Shoot for his guts." He expresses his hatered of Lennie and goes to kill him. This shows the third theme of hate.
The novella Of Mice and Men has three major Key quotes and themes that stand out to me. The first one is from the very beginning of the book, “the fist man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features……behind him walked his opposite……”pg. 2 This quote shows how friendship can be so strong and how no matter what you’ve been through a friend will remain a friend. George and Lennie are completely different, but yet throughout the entire book lookout for each other.
The second important topic has to do with trust and guidance and how George and Lennie have each other. On page 13 Lennie says: “……I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you……” George and Lennie have to trust each other to guide each other, and this is another thing that goes on throughout the entire book.
The final key theme and quote is about Candy and his dog on page 42, “’This ol’ dog jus’ suffers hisself all the time. If you was to take him out and shoot him right in the back of the head’…… Candy looked about unhappy. ‘No,’ he said softly. ‘No, I couldn’ do that. I had ‘im too long.’” This quote shows Candy’s attachment to his dog, at the end of the novella, George shoots Lennie, but the first attempt failed due to George’s attachment to him.
In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck there are many themes but the main ones stand out. The First main theme is of guidance with a quote on page 5, "Then he replaced his hat, pushed himself back from the river, drew up his knees, and embraced them. Lennie, who had been watching, imitated George exactly. He pushed himself back, drew up his knees, embraced them, looked over to George to see if he had it just right." This Shows that Lennie looks up to him like a player looks up to a coach because he was copying every action that George would do, thinking that it will make him better.
Another one of the main themes of this book is devotion. This is shown in many places in the novel like on page 70 “Nobody can’t tell what a guy’ll do,” he observed calmly. Le’s say he wants to come back but he can’t. S’pose he gets killed or hurt so he can’t come back? Lennie struggled to understand. George won’t do nothing like that,” he repeated. George is careful. He won’t get hurt. He ain’t never been hurt, ‘cause he’s careful”. It shows how devoted George is for Lennie here too “Suddenly Lennie’s eyes centered and grew quiet, and mad. He stood up and walked dangerously towards Crooks. "Who hurt George?" he demanded." George is also very devoted to Lennie to protect him from others who might want to hurt him. George at times becomes very defensive for Lennie. Like when Curly attacks him or when others are intimidated by Lennie and react roughly.
The third main theme of the novel is amity. This theme is very much shown when George has to kill Lennie, George does it for Lennie not because hes homicidal because George is saving Lennie from a horrible future because if he is captured and convicted of murder He would be in jail without George or be killed with bad thoughts. Before George shot Lennie he made Lennie happy and thinking about their dream of owning their own farm and raising rabbits. It shows this on page 103, “ ‘No,” said George. “No, Lennie. I ain’t mad. I never been mad, an’ I ain’t now. That’s a thing I want ya to know.”” George also told Lennie on page 103, “ “”You…an’ me. Ever’body gonna be nice to you. Ain’t gonna be no more trouble. Nobody gonna hurt nobody nor steal from ‘em.”
Those are the main themes I think that stand out the most in the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinback.
Emily Feldman 9/8/11
The first quotation that I felt was important was "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place. . . . With us it ain't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don't have to sit in no bar room blowin' in our jack jus' because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us”. This quotation deals with the theme of true friendship. George is telling Lennie about how they’re the lucky ones, and that they have a friendship that no one else at the ranch has. Lennie and George have a strong bond; they always stick up for each other. Although George does get annoyed with Lennie quite often, they care about each other a lot.
Hope is another theme that I see in “Of Mice and Men”. Lennie says to George “We could live offa the fatta the lan”. What Lennie means is that George and he could have their own property and live off the crops that they make, “stead of doin’ all the work and not getting what comes up outa the ground”. Lennie and George’s dream is to have their own place. When George talks about eventually having land, he fills Lennie’s immature brain with happy thoughts and hope that one day they could do as they wished.
The theme of discrimination plays a roll in this novel. Crooks (the black man in the novel) says to Lennie “you go on get outta my room. I ain’t wanted in the bunk house, and you ain’t wanted in my room. Why ain’t you wanted? Lennie asked. Cause I’m black”. This quote clearly shows how some people back then were extremely prejudice to anything that was ‘different’. Lennie does not understand why Crooks would not be wanted because he has an innocent mind, and is not aware of racism.
SAVANNAH LAZO
In the novel " Of Mice and Men " the author John Steinbeck reveals several main themes throughout the book. One of the themes in the novel is friendship. The power of friendship is so strong nothing can break the bond between Lennie and George, “But not us! An' why? Because. . . because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why." He laughed delightedly(15) The Second theme is responsibility. Through out the novel George took full responsibility after Lennie's aunt died, Aunt Clara. And when it comes to society choosing to kill Lennie George thought it was his responsibility to take matter into his own hands. Just like Candy and his own old dog," I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn't ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog."(6) Candy thought George from his mistake that responsibility is something one has to take into his own hands and not into societies hands. The last theme in the novel is innocence by it self can be dangerous. When you look at Lennie and you introduce rabbits or other pets innocence alone does not guarantee tranquility. Often George has to bail out Lennie from his mistakes as shone in this quote," Hell, no. He just scared her. I'd be scared too if he grabbed me. But he never hurt her. He jus' wanted to touch that red dress, like he wants to pet them pips all the time."(42) this quote ties to the theme by showing Lennie while innocent, does not know his own strength
Miguel Tunas
1.” Blubberin like a baby! Jesus Christ! A big guy like you. Lennie’s lip quivered and tears started to fall. Aw Lennie! I ain’t take it away just for meanness but the mouse ain’t fresh.” This goes into the theme that you should always stick together. Even after George made Lennie cry he felt bad and apologizes to Lennie. This shows that George actually cares about Lennie and wants to be with him even though he doesn’t always show it.
2. “ George, how long’s it gonna be till we get that little place an’ live on the fatta the lan’ an’ rabbits? I don’t know said George we have a big stake together. I know a little place we can get cheap, but they ain’t givin’ it away. Lennnie said tell about this place, George. This shows that Lennie and George are planning on spending the rest of there life together. This also proves that George will always take care of his best friend Lennie.
3.”George came quietly out of the brush and the rabbit scuttled back into lennie’s brain. George said quietly what the hell you yelling about. Lennie got up on his knees. “You aint gonna leave me,are ya , George? I know you ain’t . This proves that no matter what George won’t leave Lennie.
Madalyn Dahlke
While reading Of Mice and Men you come across a couple of different themes throughout the book. One theme you come into in the first chapter is friendship. Lennie and George are very close and go everywhere together, they never leave each other. On page 14 while George is telling Lennie the story of their plan Lennie says “...I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you.” This quote shows that Lennie and George look out for each other no matter what. Another quote that supports this theme is on page 73 “George wun’t go away and leave me. I know George wun’t do that”
Another theme that you come upon in this book is determination. Both Lennie and George are both very determined to get enough money to be able to go and get their dream little house where they can live off the land. Throughout the book Lennie is always asking George to tell the story about the dream. Also all through the book Lennie makes reference to taking care of all the rabbits. This shows that they both really want to just get enough money to pay for the land. On page 76 when Crooks is talking about how a lot of men say they are going to buy land but never do, because they never have the money, Candy says “Damn right. We got most of it. Just a little bit more to get. Have it all in one month. George got the land all picked out, too.”
The last theme of the book would have to be sacrifice. All throughout the book they talk about how Lennie’s aunt left him with George. This shows that George sacrificed a lot to take care of Lennie after his aunt had died. At the end of the book, Lennie kills Crook’s wife by accident and is in big trouble when crooks finds out. Lennie runs away and hides at the pond that he and George stayed at before they came to the ranch. Before Crooks could kill Lennie himself, George takes it in his hands to kill his friend before Crooks can. “And George raised the gun amd steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head. The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger. The crash of the shot rolled up the hills and rolled down again. Lennie jarred, and then settled slowly forward to the sand, and he lay without quivering.” (page 106)
Edwin Richter “George said, ‘I want you to stay with me, Lennie. Jesus Christ, somebody would shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself. No, you stay with me. Your Aunt Clara wouldn’t like you running off by yourself, even if she was dead.” This shows that sometimes you have to take care of people, even if you do not want to have the responsibility. George has to take care of Lennie, who is mentally challenged, because it was Aunt Clara’s last request before she died.
“Well, I can’t stand him in here,’ said Carlson. ‘That stink hangs around even after he’s gone.’ He walked over with his heavy legged stride and looked down at the dog. ‘Got no teeth,’ he said. ‘He’s all stiff with rheumatism. He ain’t no good to you Candy. An’ he ain’t no good to himself. Why’n’t you shoot him, Candy?” The author showed an example of how people sometimes have to do harm to someone or something they care about. In Candy’s case he had to kill his old dog, but the dog was in poor condition and was living in agony, so Candy decided killing the dog was the right thing to do.
“And George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head. The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied he pulled the trigger. The crash of the shot rolled up the hills and rolled down again. Lennie jarred, and then settled slowly forward to the sand, and he lay without quivering.” In this scene, the author puts George in a difficult position. Lennie had killed Curley’s wife by accident but was still guilty of killing her. Lennie would have been lynched or locked in a cage. George decides that killing him quickly and painlessly was the best thing to do for Lennie.
While reading the novella Of Mice and Men you come across many themes.
One of these themes is the theme of loneliness. In the novella multiple characters express the theme of loneliness. An example of one of the characters being lonely is when Curley’s wife is talking to Lennie about how she isn’t happy with her life and the dreams that she had. “And then her words tumbled out in her passion to of communication, as though she hurried before her listener could be taken away”. This quote shows Curley’s wife wanting to have someone to talk to because she was lonely all the time.
Another theme you come across during the novella is the theme of companionship. The theme of companionship comes across as something you need in order to survive. An example of this theme is the relationship between Lennie and George. Even though George’s life could be much better if he wasn’t stuck taking care of Lennie all the time he knows that he is better off sticking with Lennie because if he didn’t he would go crazy with loneliness. In the quote, “I seen the guys that go around on the ranches alone. That ain’t no good. They don’t have no fun. After a long time they get mean. They get wantin’ to fight all the time”. In this quote George explains why it’s so important to have some sort of companion, someone to talk to or else you’ll become mean and not want to do anything. The workers on the ranch who separate themselves also show this because they separate themselves from others because they have never really known the meaning of companionship.
A third theme that you can find in the book is the theme of every man’s dream. This theme shows that every man wants to be able to own his own land and live by their own rules and not have to work if they don’t want to. This is shown by the quote, “Jesus, I seen it happen too many times. I seen too many guys with land in their head. They never get none under their hand”. This quote shows that it’s everybody’s dream but no one is really ever able to attain it.
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