Mice of Men Dreams of Commitment
Of Mice and Mein The Dream of Commitment.
Louis Owens The Eden myth looms large in Of Mice and Men (1937), the playnovella set along the Salinas River "a few miles south of Soledad" (Of Mice and Men, p. 1). And, as in all of Steinbeck's Califomia fiction, setting plays a central role in determining the major themes of this work. The fact that the setting for OfMice and Men is a Califomia valley dictates, according to the symbolism of Steinbeck's landscapes, that this story will take place in a fallen world and that the quest for the illusive and illusory American Eden will be of central thematic significance. In no other work does Steinbeck demonstrate greater skill in merging the real setting of his native country with the thematic stmcture of his novel. Critics have consistently recognized in Lennie's dream of living "off the fatta the Ian'" on a little farm the American dream of a new Eden. Joseph Fontenrose states concisely, "The central image is the earthly paradise.... It is a vision of Eden." Peter Lisca takes this perception further, noting that "the world of Of Mice and Men is a fallen one, inhabited by sons of Cain, forever exiled from Eden, the little farm of which they dream." There are no Edens in Steinbeck's writing, only illusions of Eden, and in the fallen world of the Salinas Valley—which Steinbeck would later place "east of Eden"—the Promised Land is an illusory and painful dream. In this land populated by "sons of Cain," men condemned to wander in solitude, the predominant theme is that of loneliness, or what Donald Pizer has called "fear of apartness." Pizer has, in fact, discovered the major theme of this novel when he says, "One of the themes oí Of Mice and Men is that men fear loneliness, that they need someone to be with and to talk to who will offer understanding and companionship." The setting Steinbeck chose for this story brilliantly underscores the theme of man's isolation and need for commitment. Soledad is a very
Of Mice and Men: The
Louis Owens The Eden myth looms large in Of Mice and Men (1937), the playnovella set along the Salinas River "a few miles south of Soledad" (Of Mice and Men, p. 1). And, as in all of Steinbeck's Califomia fiction, setting plays a central role in determining the major themes of this work. The fact that the setting for OfMice and Men is a Califomia valley dictates, according to the symbolism of Steinbeck's landscapes, that this story will take place in a fallen world and that the quest for the illusive and illusory American Eden will be of central thematic significance. In no other work does Steinbeck demonstrate greater skill in merging the real setting of his native country with the thematic stmcture of his novel. Critics have consistently recognized in Lennie's dream of living "off the fatta the Ian'" on a little farm the American dream of a new Eden. Joseph Fontenrose states concisely, "The central image is the earthly paradise.... It is a vision of Eden." Peter Lisca takes this perception further, noting that "the world of Of Mice and Men is a fallen one, inhabited by sons of Cain, forever exiled from Eden, the little farm of which they dream." There are no Edens in Steinbeck's writing, only illusions of Eden, and in the fallen world of the Salinas Valley—which Steinbeck would later place "east of Eden"—the Promised Land is an illusory and painful dream. In this land populated by "sons of Cain," men condemned to wander in solitude, the predominant theme is that of loneliness, or what Donald Pizer has called "fear of apartness." Pizer has, in fact, discovered the major theme of this novel when he says, "One of the themes oí Of Mice and Men is that men fear loneliness, that they need someone to be with and to talk to who will offer understanding and companionship." The setting Steinbeck chose for this story brilliantly underscores the theme of man's isolation and need for commitment. Soledad is a very
Of Mice and Men: The
Cited: Alexander, Stanley. "The Conflict of Form in Tortiiia Fiat." American Literature 40 (1968): 58-60. Astro, Richard. JoAn Steinbeck and Edward F. Ricketts: The Shaping of a Novelist. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 1973. Carpenter, Frederick. "John Steinbeck: The Philosophical Joads." College English 2 (January 1941): 324-25. Ditsky, John. "Ritual Murder in Steinbeck 's Dramas." Steinbeck Quarterly 11 (Summer-Fall 1978): 72-76. Fontenrose, Joseph. John Steinbeck: An Introduction and Interpretation. New York: Barnes and Noble, 1963. French, Warren. John Steinbeck. New York: Twayne, 1961. Levant, Howard. The Novéis of John Steinbeck: A Criticai Study. Columbia: U of Missouri P, 1974. . "Tortiiia Fiat: The Shape of John Steinbeck 's Career." PMLA 85 (1970): 1087-95. Lisca, Peter. John Steinbeck: Nature and Myth. New York: Crowell, 1978. 150 Critical Insights Pizer, Donald. "John Steinbeck and American Naturalism." Steinbeck Quarterly 9 (Winter 1976): 12-15. Steele, Joan. "A Century of Idiots: Bamaby Rudge and Of Mice and Men." Steinbeck Quarterly 5 (Winter 1972): 8-17. Wilson, Edmund. "The Boys in the Back Room." In Classics and Commercials: A Literary Chronicle of the Forties. New York: Farrar & Straus, 1950. Of Mice and Men: The Dream of Commitment 151 Copyright of Critical Insights: John Steinbeck is the property of Salem Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder 's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.