Comparing Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams dies, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly. (Langston Hughes)” The film “Of Mice and Men” directed by Gary Sinise is an adaption of the novel with the same name written by John Steinbeck, it depict the iconic living conditions and life style of farmers in California during the great depression. Both the novel and the film emphasize the themes of “friendship”, “loneliness” and “loss of dreams” in which the characters are vividly portrayed in different scenes.
Firstly, the theme of “friendship” is shown by the portrayal of the main character George Milton. In the film, George is assigned the character trait of tenderness when he cleans Lennie’s bruises after Lennie is hurt. In the novel, however, George …show more content…
In the novel, Steinbeck provides the readers with specific descriptions of Candy after his dog is taken away portraying the loneliness inside of Candy. Whereas in the film, none of the detailed description of Candy is being displayed. In the novel, this is proven by the quote “Candy lay still, staring at the ceiling. Slim gazed at him for a moment and then looked down at his hands; he subdued one hand with the other; and held it down. There came a little gnawing sound from under the floor and all the men looked down toward it gratefully. Only Candy continued to stare at the ceiling” (Steinbeck 55). The novel delivers the theme of “loneliness” with the refined use of imagery at this scene, however the film does not. The character “Curley’s wife” is also seen as a lonely person. In the film, she is portrayed as an energetic person enters the scene often with a smile on her face without obvious indications of loneliness. In contrast, in the novel, without actual display of facial expressions, she is seen as a very lonely person. “Aw, nuts!’ she said. ‘What kinda harm am I doin’ to you? Seems like they ain’t none of them cares how I gotta live” (Steinbeck
Firstly, the theme of “friendship” is shown by the portrayal of the main character George Milton. In the film, George is assigned the character trait of tenderness when he cleans Lennie’s bruises after Lennie is hurt. In the novel, however, George …show more content…
In the novel, Steinbeck provides the readers with specific descriptions of Candy after his dog is taken away portraying the loneliness inside of Candy. Whereas in the film, none of the detailed description of Candy is being displayed. In the novel, this is proven by the quote “Candy lay still, staring at the ceiling. Slim gazed at him for a moment and then looked down at his hands; he subdued one hand with the other; and held it down. There came a little gnawing sound from under the floor and all the men looked down toward it gratefully. Only Candy continued to stare at the ceiling” (Steinbeck 55). The novel delivers the theme of “loneliness” with the refined use of imagery at this scene, however the film does not. The character “Curley’s wife” is also seen as a lonely person. In the film, she is portrayed as an energetic person enters the scene often with a smile on her face without obvious indications of loneliness. In contrast, in the novel, without actual display of facial expressions, she is seen as a very lonely person. “Aw, nuts!’ she said. ‘What kinda harm am I doin’ to you? Seems like they ain’t none of them cares how I gotta live” (Steinbeck