What does a reading of 'Of Mice and Men' reveal about the cu
What does a reading of 'Of Mice and Men' reveal about the culture and experience of migrant workers in the 1930s America?Of Mice and Men is a novel set on a ranch in the Salinas Valley in California during the Great Depression of the 1930s. By reading it, the reader learns a lot about the lives of itinerant workers and society during that time. Steinbeck also conveys his views on society to the reader and how he feels society without law, morals and politics can not sustain itself and will collapse in on itself. He achieves this through a variety of methods and techniques, which also make the novel an absorbing read.Steinbeck's novel emphasises the loneliness of its characters. Every character's life introduced in the story is lonely and empty in a way whether it is obvious to the reader or not. "Hell, I seen too many guys... seems like ever' guy got land in his head", this shows how every ranch worker has to take comfort from insubstantial dreams of a better life in order to overcome their loneliness. Steinbeck establishes this idea of loneliness to the reader right near the start of the book and reminds the reader again at the end of the book, "Guys like us... are the loneliest guys in the world... work up a stake an
George is a clever person with feelings, he has a friendship and tie with Lennie, making it difficult for him to kill Lennie, ". Steinbeck uses specific descriptive words to describe the water snake, making it seem helpless and hopeless, 'little snake', 'frantically'. Jesus, how that nigger can pitch shoes", they still segregate him in the same way society does. The fact that the novel is framed by the natural environment in chapters one and six emphasises that Steinbeck was interested in the natural order of things where the fittest survive and being fit is often just luck or fate which can not be fought or altered. Nature is also a representation of freedom and the description of this setting contrasts the bunkhouse's description; Steinbeck uses this contrast and how George wants to sleep out there, "It's gonna be nice sleepin' out here", to show how the ranch lacks freedom. Steinbeck specifically uses minor characters like Crooks to help bring forward the theme of loneliness to the reader because it strikes the reader as they realise how the flaws in society can also affect ranch workers that are as insignificant as Crooks and create pathos for their situation. For George, he feels that it is his responsibility to look after Lennie, George is devoted to Lennie because Lennie is what puts meaning into life for George to keep him going; but Lennie is also a drag to George and keeps him back. The white workers are racist towards black men and Steinbeck uses Crooks to represent this prejudice. This therefore gives the reader an impression that society will repeat itself again with the same mistakes it has made before. The dog was once a fine sheepdog that was useful on the ranch, Candy's mutt is now weakened by age. Though these deaths do not occur near the beginning of the novel, Steinbeck drops minor hints to foreshadow these deaths using a well structured story. " The emotions which Slim experiences are unfamiliar to the itinerant ranch worker. the heron jacked itself clear of the water", this means that Lennie has disordered the natural way of interaction and Steinbeck uses Lennie as a device to represent how this society is against nature. Its failure was inevitable because the American Dream was not a success, so a reflection of the American Dream would be a failure as well.
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Acceptance Essays
