Of Mice and Men Comparative Essay
Of Mice and Men- Essay
‘Of Mice and Men’ is fictional novella written by Nobel laureate John Steinbeck. This book explores the social ideology at the time of the 1930’s Great Depression. The book also discusses various hierarchies, and how power is used and misused. It also talks about life in the ranch in that era. Steinbeck has shown that the characters in the book all have dreams and how they overcome various challenges to fulfill them.
The characters and events make the book a social commentary. How Steinbeck projects the relationship between George and Lennie, and Curley and his wife describe the social concerns of that period. Curley used to treat his wife poorly, but was still very protective of her. This was acceptable at the time. Curley’s wife had many ambitions of her own, like becoming an actress and making a success of her life. She believed that her mother hid one of her letters from an influential personality in the industry, her passport to success. Her mother was probably only trying to protect her daughter and due to the ideology of the time, was not concerned of her daughter’s career getting ruined. Getting married to Curley was a compromise for his wife. She was not in deep love with Curley.
Crooks, the black stable buck is also an example of the social rules at the time. He had his own room next to the main barn. He initially came across as very defensive man, probably because he felt neglected and felt the need to fight back. The line: “You go on and get outta my room. I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse, and you ain’t wanted in my room.”(Steinbeck, John. Of mice and men, 68) further proves his defensiveness. As he is talked to more, he becomes more open and talks about his family and background openly to Lennie and Candy. He shares the stories of his childhood, specifically mentioning that his was the only non-white family in the area. He also said that he often played with the white children, and that some of them were friendly to him.
‘Of Mice and Men’ is fictional novella written by Nobel laureate John Steinbeck. This book explores the social ideology at the time of the 1930’s Great Depression. The book also discusses various hierarchies, and how power is used and misused. It also talks about life in the ranch in that era. Steinbeck has shown that the characters in the book all have dreams and how they overcome various challenges to fulfill them.
The characters and events make the book a social commentary. How Steinbeck projects the relationship between George and Lennie, and Curley and his wife describe the social concerns of that period. Curley used to treat his wife poorly, but was still very protective of her. This was acceptable at the time. Curley’s wife had many ambitions of her own, like becoming an actress and making a success of her life. She believed that her mother hid one of her letters from an influential personality in the industry, her passport to success. Her mother was probably only trying to protect her daughter and due to the ideology of the time, was not concerned of her daughter’s career getting ruined. Getting married to Curley was a compromise for his wife. She was not in deep love with Curley.
Crooks, the black stable buck is also an example of the social rules at the time. He had his own room next to the main barn. He initially came across as very defensive man, probably because he felt neglected and felt the need to fight back. The line: “You go on and get outta my room. I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse, and you ain’t wanted in my room.”(Steinbeck, John. Of mice and men, 68) further proves his defensiveness. As he is talked to more, he becomes more open and talks about his family and background openly to Lennie and Candy. He shares the stories of his childhood, specifically mentioning that his was the only non-white family in the area. He also said that he often played with the white children, and that some of them were friendly to him.
Bibliography: 1) http://www.google.com/webhp?source=search_app#hl=en&sugexp=les%3B&gs_nf=3&cp=19&gs_id=1t&xhr=t&q=of+mice+and+men+genre&pf=p&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab&oq=of+mice+and+men+gen&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=b14eb2ebfba2e33b&bpcl=38625945&biw=1280&bih=675 2) http://reviews.rebeccareid.com/of-mice-and-men-by-john-steinbeck/