Preview

A Brief Comparison Of John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
539 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
A Brief Comparison Of John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
The purpose of many books is to convey the characters' struggles and experiences of everyday life which are similar to what people have experienced in modern and past societies. John Steinbeck, an American author, reveals these subjects throughout his books. Steinbeck explores these struggles primarily in the books The Pearl and Of Mice and Men as the characters attempt to change their situations all while preserving their relationships. In the two books, Steinbeck reveals the themes of relationships and the pursuit of happiness which have various similarities and differences.
Steinbeck's book The Pearl concentrates on the atrocities Kino commits as the pearl blackens his soul and how he attempts to stabilize his relationships. Kino's determination …show more content…
George and Lennie imagine purchasing a house where they can control their destiny and where Lennie can care for rabbits. As they explain their vision to Candy, it begins to seem like it is an attainable goal. Crooks, however, believes that their dream is no more than a delusion. While he discusses it with Candy and Lennie, Crooks mentions, "Nobody ever gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It's jus' in their head." Everyone searches for a piece of heaven but few succeed in finding it. Often, they fail to discover heaven because they are already living in it. In George and Lennie's situation, they wish for something more instead of nourishing the relationship they already have.
Although relationships and the pursuit of happiness seem like two very different topics, they share many basic principles. Establishing relationships is frequently a significant portion of one’s quest for happiness. Also, it is easy to become preoccupied with both relationships and finding happiness. The two themes, however, are different from each other in many ways. While people tend to focus on founding and building a relationship, the pursuit of happiness invariably concerns the eternal pursuit of something
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Comparison Of John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
    • 494 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Comparison Of John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    Of Mice and Men is a story about the failure of the American dream.The main characters' troubles can be compared to those of mice, which explains the title. Robert Burns' poem, "To a Mouse" also can help to clarify the title. It contains the quotation: "The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men, Gang aft agley" ("often go awry"). In fact, this quote is the reason John Steinbeck chose Of Mice and Men as the title.…

    • 494 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Comparing The Diary Of John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
    • 156 Words
    • 1 Page

    Comparing The Diary Of John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    A diary can represent Slim in a way that Slim give everyone the confidence to speak. A diary is something that you can put yours thoughts into without fear and you feel your thoughts leaving your mind making your head lighter. As shown, George and most of the men were able to confidently speak with Slim without any fear unlike the way the speak to Curley. George was able to let his thoughts and feeling about Lennie out and with Slim being there, he feel like he has someone he can trust and understand how he feel. However, a diary come with a fear that one day someone besides you might see it. Slim used Curley’s fear of defeat against to protect George and Lennie. Slim understood how all three men felt and used it to help them come to an agreement.…

    • 156 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Toughest Decisions In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
    • 482 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Toughest Decisions In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    “Sometimes the hardest things and the right things are the same” (The Fray). A tough decision comes across, and the decision made is the one that took the longest to overcome. Within the novelle, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, the toughest decision within the text was George Milton’s choice to kill Lennie Small. The death was harsh, however George was justified and wise to kill Lennie. In the text, Lennie has a mental deficiency, and has made many mistakes in the past and would definitely make more in the future. To add on, the antagonist, Curley, was going to murder Lennie due to the death of his wife. The choice to be made was to either kill Lennie, or to have Curley get his brutal revenge.…

    • 482 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Choices In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
    • 1210 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Choices In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    John Steinbeck was the 1962 Nobel Prize Winner and in his speech he had many connections to one of his famous books, Of Mice and Men. He talked about the hard times that humanity had faced such as the Great Depression, World War 2, Korean war, and Civil Rights movements. In these times humans started to do non human like things to survive. Steinbeck has lived through both the highs and lows of humanity, and the time between the publishment of the book Of Mice and Men to the acceptance of his Nobel Prize, was a miserable and despairing time. His book had many similar themes and connections to what the outside world was like. In both Of Mice and Men and his Nobel Prize Speech, Steinbeck describes how life is full of difficult choices and the…

    • 1210 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    LITR221
    • 341 Words
    • 1 Page

    LITR221

    For my final project I have chosen to read and write on John Steinbeck’s “The Pearl.” The reason I chose this novel is because I thoroughly enjoyed reading “Of Mice and Men” which is also written by Mr. Steinbeck. I don’t get the opportunity to read many books of late and figured this would be the ideal time to read more of Mr. Steinbeck’s work. I am only about halfway through the book right now but my initial impression is that the main character, Kino, is similar to me in the aspect he greatly cares for his family and wants to provide for them as best he can.…

    • 341 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Cause and effect analysis of "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck.
    • 765 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Cause and effect analysis of "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck.

    Throughout the story "The Pearl", Steinbeck makes each event lead to another. Each event has its own cause and effect towards the protagonists of the story, Kino and Juana which is very significant to the plot of the story. All the major the events of the story create obstacles Kino and Juana must pass. These events create the main plot of the story and how it affects the protagonists.…

    • 765 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Juana And Kinna Differences
    • 481 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Juana And Kinna Differences

    John Steinbeck’s The Pearl is based on an ancient Mexican folktale. It is a short parable which portrays the importance of being content with one’s life through the tragedy of a poor pearl diver and his family. When they stumble across a possible great fortune, the “Pearl of the World,” they are met with a string of great evils. They are consequently forced to return the pearl to the ocean. The diver, Kino, and his wife, Juana, change throughout the story in a variety of ways. Their motivations, however, stay constant. Juana and Kino are developed and motivated in The Pearl in ways which have many similarities and differences.…

    • 481 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Characters And Themes In The Pearl
    • 1587 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Characters And Themes In The Pearl

    In The Pearl, the characters are discussed among critics in a similar opinion. The characters in The Pearl are produced to portray "universal types"� of people (Shuman 1896). This means that Steinbeck made the characters to have characteristics of people in reality. Millichap states "Steinbeck 's characters in The Pearl are real people in a real world"¦"� Also, Millichap describes them as an representative family, with the same aspirations as an ordinary family (2527). Furthermore, Riley sees Kino as having a "talismanic relationship,"� created to be an average man, against evil. Kino goes through the stages as many people do in real life, "man attaching"� himself to an object to satisfy a need, "man infusing his spirit into his possession, and man as the talisman"� for seeing his own relationship as a whole (407). Thus, these critics have similar opinions about the characters in The Pearl in that they are made to represent real people.…

    • 1587 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Analysis of the Pearl
    • 862 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Analysis of the Pearl

    A long page 40- 50, John Steinbeck told about the worriedness of Kino to lose the pearl, in the page 40 I see that there Kino, so anxious to lose the pearl, till he presume that a spot of rain as a human who want to steal the pearl…

    • 862 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    John Steinbeck Pursuit Of Happiness
    • 678 Words
    • 3 Pages

    John Steinbeck Pursuit Of Happiness

    Often, when we think of happiness, we think of our friends and our family, because for many, relationships are the embodiment of happiness and joy. Establishing relationships is frequently a part of pursuing happiness. Although the two themes often intertwine, they have many differences nonetheless. While people have a tendency to focus on the formation of a relationship, the pursuit of happiness always concerns the pursuit of something more. As I have come to know, the pursuit of happiness is eternal; in spite of the actions we take to cease its reign over our lives, it never…

    • 678 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Pearl
    • 548 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Pearl

    The story “The Pearl” when taken at face value is about a man who strikes “gold” but on a deeper level explores man’s innate dominance complex through animal imagery. The characters Steinbeck uses animal imagery to describe are Kino, Juana, and the Trackers .…

    • 548 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Critical Analysis of the Pearl by John Steinbeck
    • 465 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Critical Analysis of the Pearl by John Steinbeck

    Social classes were widely separated in the world which John Steinbeck knew. The differences between the lower class and the upper class were very obvious. Unlike today, there was no such thing as a middle class. A person was either categorized as very rich or very poor. Steinbeck used his writings to share his most inner views about the society which he lived in. Steinbeck used The Pearl as an eye opener to the problems that placing roles on a society can bring. People were not treated equally, and, Steinbeck was pushing for a world that was fair and just toall people. Steinbeck was an advocate for social reform.…

    • 465 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Of Mice and Men and A Raisin in the Sun: The American Dream
    • 430 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Of Mice and Men and A Raisin in the Sun: The American Dream

    In this novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck exposes the American Dream as unattainable through his settings, symbolization, and characters.…

    • 430 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Illusion of Life
    • 851 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Illusion of Life

    Shimmering sunshine on the ocean, glowing moonlight on the lake, may humble us with its beauty. But hidden under the surface may be an ugly layer of sludge. Steinbeck shows that appearances can be deceiving. The first time Kino finds the pearl of the world, it looks “beautiful, rich, and warm and lovely, glowing and gloating and triumphant” (Steinbeck 19). It promises any dreams that Kino could think of. Then his happiness is soon diluted. Kino lost everything, even his baby. After that, the great pearl change to “ugly; it was gray, like a malignant growt” (Steinbeck 89). The pearl that he tought valuable brought nothing but suffering. Things are not always what they appear to be. The doctor that refused to cure Coyotito (Kino’s son)the first time, suddenly comes to Kino’s house and “took the baby and examined it and felt his head” (Steinbeck 34). People in the brush house tink that the doctor only came to cure the baby. But he brought along a veiled intent with him. He wanted Kino to pay him with the great pearl because he saved Coyotito’s life. Not only the doctor, but shadows of illusion also fly to the pearl buyer in town. He tried to cheat Kino “while the rest of his face smiled in greeting” (Steinbeck 48). Pretending to be nice and not knowing about the…

    • 851 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Allegory In The Pearl
    • 865 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Allegory In The Pearl

    John Ernst Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902, in Salinas , California. (Magill 2519). Steinbeck's first short novel, The Pearl , is based on a local legend he heard in Baja , California (Day 106). Some people, however, feel that Steinbeck wrote the novel based on his personal convictions (Anderson 1). John Steinbeck's methods have always been close to an allegorical one. Even his earliest works, such as The Grapes of Wrath, show evidence of allegory (Davis 149). In his remarks Steinbeck lets us know that The Pearl is not totally realistic, "I tried to write it as a folklore , to give it that set-aside, raised-up feeling that all folk stories have," so one could expect some form of allegory (Steinbeck 3). Some see The Pearl as a strong allegorical message about human greed. KIno becomes the symbol of the poor but happy man who is destroyed when he begins to want the things of the material world (Barron 1). It is nt so much that Kino is an impoverished Mexican fisherman ( although he is): more importantly, he represents an…

    • 865 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More