ktmeng/mec huggingface dataset:
Topic: of-mice-and-men

a. After reading the novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, readers can acquire a visualization of a true (but harsh) friendship, the friendship of George and Lennie. Just like in “My So-Called Enemy”, a relationship is found in a state of disrepair. In Of Mice and Men, Lennie is the main point of neglect, as he possesses a childlike mentality. Many would agree that Lennie has a childlike mentality, as he is very easily distracted (like a child) and has an odd fascination for petting things, which includes mice, women, puppies, and his favorite, rabbits. The relationship between George and Lennie is directly displayed through the following except from the novel: “…because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.”, said Lennie.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

As stated earlier, there is also a harsh side to their friendship, as George ended up shooting and killing Lennie in the end. George (obviously) did not kill Lennie out of hate, but love. George must save his friend by a mercy killing. He kills him out of love. Since Lennie accidentally killed Curley’s wife, George knows that there is no way to save him now. Curley’s ultimate plan was to kill Lennie as revenge and George kills Lennie instead. George does this to show his true affinity for Lennie and not hate.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

“First off, I would like to say that getting in touch with other people, both physically and emotionally is important because it defines who we are.” once said by Venezuelan lyricist Luis Gallego. The world is shaped by relationships, both positive and negative ones. A relationship is the way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected, or the state of being connected. Relationships come in many manifestations, such as family memberships, friendships, intimate relationships, on a larger scale, worldly affairs, like the United Nations, and many more. In addition, interests are a huge component to relationships; a commonly known interest and/or controversial topic are religion. Religion has brought people together (and destroyed people, emotionally and physically) since the beginning of time. One scenario, which includes a tie between religion and relations, is the short film, “My So-Called Enemy”, which touches base with the relationship between the Jews and Muslims in Israel and Palestine.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Other excerpts that discuss relationships in society include award winning novel, Of Mice and Men and short story, “What, of This Goldfish, Would You Wish?” Relationships can help define who we are, as humans, due to the fact that they portray our appeals, religious views, and characteristics. The short story, “What of This Goldfish, Would You Wish?” represents our common interests as humans in many ways. This short story starts off as European journalist, Yonatan, thinks of a perfect idea for a new documentary: to go door to door, asking people, “If you found a talking goldfish that granted you three wishes, what would you wish for?” Yonatan’s main purpose in making documentaries is to study how humans interact with each other and with life, as is the purpose in writing this speech. What makes this world go ‘round? Relationships. Without one another, us, as a human race, would not be nowhere near where we are today. Another depiction of relationships in everyday life is the trailer to “My So-Called Enemy”.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

In this short film, the relationship between six girls from opposing countries (Israel and Palestine) is trying to find peace in their “home of warfare”. After watching this trailer, viewers may figure out that people who are taught to be enemies with one another can still look past the bad and become friends. For example, one of the Palestinian girls, Inas quotes, “When I see the Jewish girls as individuals, I love them and all of them are my friends…we talk everyday, and we eat together, we dance together, and we see them always together. But when I remember that they are Jews, I have my feelings at the same time…because their people killed my father.” Another significant piece from the video is when the six girls are all jumping together in a circle, shouting, “Sisters! Sisters!” Showing the girls in the act of jumping of joy together goes to show how they truly did find their peace and happiness, despite their political and religious differences. Portraying a rendition of opposing characteristics, Of Mice and Men is the perfect novel to help define relationships.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

After reading the novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, readers can acquire a visualization of a true (but harsh) friendship, the friendship of George and Lennie. Just like in “My So-Called Enemy”, a relationship is found in a state of disrepair. In Of Mice and Men, Lennie is the main point of neglect, as he possesses a childlike mentality. Many would agree that Lennie has a childlike mentality, as he is very easily distracted (like a child) and has an odd fascination for petting things, which includes mice, women, puppies, and his favorite, rabbits. The relationship between George and Lennie is directly displayed through the following except from the novel: “…because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.” said Lennie. As stated earlier, there is also a harsh side to their friendship, as George ended up shooting and killing Lennie in the end. George (obviously) did not kill Lennie out of hate, but love. George must save his friend by a mercy killing.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

He kills him out of love. Since Lennie accidentally killed Curley’s wife, George knows that there is no way to save him now. Curley’s ultimate plan was to kill Lennie as revenge and George kills Lennie instead. George does this to show his true affinity for Lennie and not hate. “Truth is, I’ll never know all there is to know about you just as you will never know all there is to know about me. Humans are by nature too complicated to be understood fully. So, we can choose either to approach our fellow human beings with suspicion or to approach them with an open mind, a dash of optimism and a great deal of candor.” declared Tom Hanks. Relationships are all around us; they are how the world was formed.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Candy’s name has many connotations and many of which gives us an insight to the inequalities against old people in American society. Candy on the very simple and literal level means “sweet and pleasing” and shows that Candy is a very sweet, nice old man. Another connotation that springs to mind is that Candy, the old swamper, is a very friendly, honest and open man with whom you can talk about everything.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

This situation also portrays an inequality in society in that society views on their age and incapabilities rather than their values and past achievements. Steinbeck throughout the novel uses Candy to portray to the reader the inequality of ageism in American in society in 1920. Through his descriptions of Candy’s working and living conditions, Steinbeck highlights the frequent use of discrimination and ageism. Candy is an “old swamper”, who lives in a “bunkhouse”.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

His possessions are a “bunk” and “an apple box”. Theoretically, one should treat aged people respectfully. In our society, pensioners have a better life than employees. However, Candy is a “swamper” and he is not treated fairly. The repetition of “old” in Candy’s description also emphasises that his appearance and inability to work because of his age was what many people judged Candy by. Candy because of his age and disability is an outcast on this ranch we see this when he does not go into town with the rest of the ranchworkers which highlights how excluded Candy is.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

The exclusion of Candy is another indication of the inequalities in American society in that it was very ageist and discriminative. In our society pensioners are treated with a lot more respect that the average middle-aged working class citizen but we learn from this novel that society in 1920 was juxtaposed to this. Candy did not get pension or benefits for the government; the only sum of money he received was the inadequate sum of $250 for the loss of his hand, which contributed massively to his uslessness. This is an indication in of an inequality in society as old people were not even valued by the government as there were no pensions.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Candy is a passive man, unable to take any independent action. Indeed, his one major act in the book – when he offers Lennie and George money in order to buy a piece of land with them – is a means by which he can become dependent on them: “An’ I’ll make a will an’ leave my share to you guys in case I kick off” This indicates an inequality in that it shows how vulnerable old people were in American society especially once they got past the stage of being able to work as no one seen them as any use.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Steinbeck presents Candy as a vulnerable character. He does this by referencing him as an “old man” before citing his name, using pre-modification; so that the reader instantly knows not only his physical state but maybe that metaphorically he is a weak person. He is also shown to be desperate throughout the opening of chapter 2, where he tries to make friends with George and Lennie as soon as he meets them. He gossips about other people on the ranch and makes sure George “won’t tell Curley nothing”.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

This quote alone indicates Candy is lonely and just wants to have friends but deep down is afraid of the other men on the ranch, implying he doesn’t have many friends on the ranch at all, therefore he needs to be welcoming and confident towards George and Lennie to gain their friendship but this quote gives away his fear of Curley finding out he was talking about him and throwing him off the ranch, leading the reader to believe the ranch is the only place Candy can call home.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

This idea of Candy being completely alone and having no where else to go is reinforced when Steinbeck introduces Candy’s “ancient dog”, the use of pre-modification again this time with the word “ancient” helps to show that like his owner this dog is old, the lexis “ancient” has the connotations of being so old it could be considered an artifact or piece of history, this concept could suggest that Candy’s dog is in fact a part of the history of the ranch that is why he is still there because even though his dog is old and useless he is still allowed on the ranch even with no purpose, just like Candy staying on the ranch with no hand, meaning he cannot do any proper jobs except “settin’ out the wash basins”.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

However when Steinbeck introduces the dog at first, Candy says “my dog”, this possessive lexis could suggest Candy is proud of his dog especially as he goes on to say “he was a good sheepdog when he was younger”, you could take this quote as a declarative, him protecting but also bragging about his dog. A conflicting idea could be that Candy and dog are similar that is why Candy likes to talk and brag about his dog, Steinbeck writes for both that they are “old” and “ancient” but both are disabled in that Candy has lost his hand and the dog is so old and decrepit it cannot hunt or feed itself. Both are looking for a companion that could take care of them, they have a codependent relationship.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

This idea could be considered a recurring theme as some say Lennie and Georges’ relationship is co-dependent, even though George wouldn’t admit it due to his controlling personality. So the reason Candy brags about his dog is because he really wants to prove himself, and that he was in fact worthy of being on the ranch. This point of Candy and his dog being similar supports my original idea, which was that using the descriptions of Candy and his dog we find that Candy is in fact just like an old animal, a useful and valued member of any ranch as opposed to just something that takes up space, money and food.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

“Jail Bate” George discriminates her beauty and gender because of the way she acts. “She screamed” Steinbeck portrays Curley’s wife to have been through some drama and terror which could suggest her reaction from discrimination. As Steinbeck does not name Curley’s wife this is Steinbeck’s opinion that she is irrelevant, this is yet another example of discrimination in some form. “Listen Nigger” this is an interesting quote that could suggest that Curley’s wife is discriminating Crooks, which is ironic because she is a victim of discrimination
Topic: of-mice-and-men

“The boss gave the stable buck hell” and “stable bucks a nigger” these two quotations emphasises the theme of discrimination of Race and how the context relates to how people were treated. (Slavery) “he woulda killed the nigger” here Candy is remembering a past memory but this is also links to the context of slavery. Here Steinbeck uses Foreshadowing as Curley’s wife dies later on in the novella.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

“crazy bastard” here George describes Lennie as “crazy” which reinforces why Lennie is mentally impaired. “Why ain’t you wanted?” Here Steinbeck shows lennie’s mental impairment to readers as he does not fathom the idea of racial discrimination. “you’d drink out of a gutter” here George emphasises Lennie being mentally impaired as George has the opinion that Lennie is not very sagacious.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

“They let the nigger come in” I can imply from this quote that Candy is relishing discrimination by joking about Crooks, which is ironic as he is also a victim of discrimination. “I been here a long time” this quote could suggest that Candy is a victim Ageism as Candy describes his time in Soledad as “long” which gives the image of old age. “wrist stump” this quote is an image which Steinbeck uses to show Candy’s disability. CONTEXT
Topic: of-mice-and-men

In the ranch where Lennie and George worked on was in Soledad, California which was where people went to chase their dreams it was known as the place of dreams. The Great Depression occurred between 1930-1936 meaning that most people were unemployed and money had been lost while banks had gone bust. This would have meant people who were discriminated e.g. disabled people or black people this could suggest that it was harder for them to live. LITERARY DEVICES
Topic: of-mice-and-men

METAPHOR -“Lennie dabbed his big paw in the water” Lennie is metaphorically referred to as a bear because of his large structure and his crushing strength. FORSHADOWING -All of the dead animals throughout the book, except Candy’s dog ; With every chapter, the death of living things increase in size, starting from a mouse, to a rat under the floorboards, to a puppy, to finally Curley’s wife and Lennie. Each death leads to a bigger one, foreshadowing that eventually, someone would die.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Chapter 4 of the ‘Of Mice and Men’ novella introduces a character named Crooks. Crooks isn’t shown as a main character of the story, but is given much light in this chapter. Crooks is a black man set on a 1930’s ranch, working as a stable buck. Steinbeck presents the Character of Crooks to us as he wouldn’t of been considered during the times of the ‘Great Depression’ and shows us the negative stereotypes of black people in an American 1930’s society.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Crooks is a minority character introduced in chapter 4. Page 66 reads “negro stable buck.” Crooks’ character is introduced exactly the way he would be seen by other ranch workers. Steinbeck’s intentions of presenting Crooks for the first time to us in this way, is to give us the outline of the black workers of 1930’s America. Steinbeck wanted us to instantly recognise the prejudice black people faced before we got to know his character. A white person of the 1930’s would of saw Crooks as a black worker and nothing.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Crooks’ room suggests the means of his life. The description of his room, on page 66 reads “which hung broken harness in process of being mended.” This suggests that Crooks has no separation from his working life to his personal life. Linking back to the previous point, segregation of the white men and the black men consequences Crooks to remain in the harness room where he works. Therefore, his life revolves around the four walls of his room merely swapping from his work to his rest in an uncomfortable bed.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Crooks is presented to us an intelligent man despite his race. On page 67 of chapter 4, the description states “a mauled copy of the California Civil Code 1905.” This is proof that Crooks is able to read, which suggests his intelligence, but also shows us he is aware of the rights he is entitled to as a black man. Furthermore, because Crooks knows his rights and standing, he understands that he is a minority among the ranch workers as he is the only black worker.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Crooks is a lonely character amongst the ranch workers. Nearer the beginning of the chapter, amongst Lennie’s entrance, on page 68 Crooks states “Don‘t come in a place where you‘re not wanted.” Crooks is shown being harsh to Lennie, and trying to push him away. This suggests that Crooks’ loneliness has caused him to no longer accept any kindness, whether its from a white or black man. However, because of the segregation between the black and white workers, Crooks seems to be talking to himself rather than to Lennie. This is suggested by Crooks, already being aware of the discrimination he faces by being excluded from the bunk house with the white workers, he is ’not wanted’ by them which is exactly what he says to Lennie.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Crooks comes across as defensive towards Lennie being in his room. He states on page 68, “I got a right to have a light.” He is very quick in his response to Lennie. Crooks does this because he is afraid of being hurt by anyone, holding a barrier up towards the other workers who already discriminate him. He being the ethnic minority, more than likely considers any comment to be a personal criticism of a black man’s room. This is symbolic and he declares having a light is a basic human right he is entitled to.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Lennie being mentally much less able gives the ideal opportunity to help exercise some authority in Crooks‘ life. Page 71 for instance, “S’pose George don’t come back no more. (…) What’ll you do then?” is terminative. By this stage of the chapter, there has been a power shift. Crooks is fully aware of the distress this would cause Lennie, as he would struggle to manage alone. The terminative comments are cruel and are linked to his jealousy of the companionship of George and Lennie, page 71 one quotes a “private victory” and even pleasure in some way. Steinbeck is presenting the bad streak that loneliness is drawing from Crooks, as a minority character.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Being in most ways isolated, Crooks has excitement and great curiosity due to his desperation for social interaction. In chapter 4, page 69, he questions Lennie, “You travel around’ with George don’t ya?”. Crooks is being shown as curious and nosy into Lennie’s relationship with George. However, this is suggesting more into Crooks enjoyment into having a conversation with someone other than himself, by asking questions he keeps the interaction going because he isn’t used to having company.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Crooks continues to hide his excitement upon Candy‘s arrival. Page 74 of chapter 4 sees Candy‘s entrance to Crooks‘ room, “You can come in if you want.” Crooks’ reply to Candy is less defensive than previously, as Lennie’s child-like kindness has created a domino effect. This is showing him to be much more welcoming, which suggests he doesn’t want to be obvious about his excitement. Crooks is at ease as his barrier is broken down, and his excitement is buried whilst he still craves the conversation
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Crooks is faced with racial prejudice from Curley’s wife in chapter 4. For example, page 80 reads “Listen. Nigger (…) You know what I can do to you if you open your trap?” Curley’s wife brings trouble to his door, thinking she has the moral high ground, power to play god in his life. Steinbeck’s intentions were to show how being a ‘nigger’ is a human being portrayed as simply nothing, having no traits, or feelings. Crooks has no standing and is powerless as a minority. Any defence he may put forward would not even be heard, because of the racial prejudice he faces.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

As the story unfolds Crooks becomes very pessimistic in his outlook towards the American dreams of Ranch Workers. Chapter 4, page 73 Crooks states “They come, an‘ they quit an‘ they go on; an‘ every damn one of ‘em’s got a little piece of land in his head.” Crooks’ views are very pessimistic but also realistic, as he has experienced dream after dream after dream that has failed. Steinbeck presents Crooks with cynical views at this point of the chapter, which supports Crooks‘ understanding that loneliness drives you to insanity.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Crooks feels nostalgic about his childhood. Page 70 shows Crooks tell Lennie “The white kids come to play at our place (…) some of them was pretty nice.” This suggests his nostalgic feelings, making him vulnerable at this stage. Willingly disclosing such a personal memory helps with our understanding of this character, he is wise and able to distinguish the fact that not all white people are racist. This is a contrasting point in the chapter, as we understand Crooks’ want for social acceptance, because during his childhood he wasn’t exposed to the racial discrimination he faces at his present day.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Crooks needs a dream to give him hope during the great depression of the 1930’s. Page 73 of chapter 4 reads “Had a strawberry patch. Had an alfalfa patch.” This shows us Crooks’ childhood of him already experiencing the land, which suggests Crooks’ understanding of the freedom of the American dream lifestyle the ranch workers want. Furthermore, the use of the repeated word ‘had’ suggests that Steinbeck has written George and Lennie’s dream in reverse through Crooks’ childhood.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Crooks character has a need for companionship due to his loneliness. Page 73 of chapter 4 sees Crooks explaining to Lennie “If some guy was with me, he could tell me I was asleep, an‘ then it would be all right.” Crooks is trying to emphasize the fact he has no reassurance when he has bad dreams or pessimistic thoughts. This shows Crooks’ character dwelling on how alone he is without anyone to talk to or interact with.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Companionship creates confidence in Crooks’ character. Page 77 shows Crooks in defence to Curley’s Wife “We don’t want no trouble.” The use of the word ’we’ shows Crooks having confidence to defend himself alongside Candy and Lennie. This shows that having companionship makes Crooks’ character more confident. Furthermore, this suggests that after Crooks lets his barrier down to Candy and Lennie, and starting to have hope, Crooks could gain companionship by achieving the American dream.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

In conclusion, Steinbeck’s character of Crooks is used to convey the effects of racial oppression and loneliness for black people during 1930’s America. Using his situation on the ranch to give us a glimpse of society and the realism. Steinbeck presents Crooks on a personal level in chapter 4. He does this by letting us experience the racism and discrimination Crooks receives for being black, not so much disabled, after we get to know and understand the intelligence and extent of his character. Therefore, our emotions are heightened and we are led to feel sympathy for Crooks.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

John Steinbeck was born in California, Salinas February 1902. In spite of the fact Steinbeck came from a wealthy background he also showed curiousness toward the farm workers and spent his own time working with them. The experience he had gained from working with the farm laborers was then applied as matter for his writing. This certainly adds a sense of realism to his texts. Steinbeck produced numerous novels about poverty-stricken people who have a dream. One of the novels is the well-known ‘Grapes of the Wrath.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

It is shown here – “Look, if me an’ Lennie work a month an’ don’t spen nothing, we’ll have a hunderd bucks. That’d be four fifty. I bet we could swing her for that.” The American Dream is striving for freedom, status, and success, and as this quote suggests it is often bound up with issues of a financial nature. The American Dream associates with all characters in, “Of Mice and Men” but mainly with Candy, Crooks, Lennie, George and Curley’s wife, who at one point says, “He says he was gonna put me in the movies.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

This is because, as readers, we know that the character is disillusioned, and falling for the false promise of prosperity. Racism is posed throughout the novella; in the 1990s segregation laws were approved, whereby the rights of black and white people were divided; black people generally had the things lacking in quality, i.e. Crooks’ inhumane segregation on the ranch. Habitual use of racism, for example flippant use of the word ‘N****r’ are prevalent in this novella. There were also groups of people who were explicity posed against blacks, for example the KKK, who presented violence towards the black minorities, by ambushing them and/or lynching them.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

They would also strike any person who dared to associate with blacks. This may stand to elaborate why nobody socializes with Crooks – they’re frightened to step outside of social parameters. For example we learn that, ‘Candy stops at the door and takes a step back.’ The fact that Crooks is black demolishes the possibilities of his dreams actually being accomplished; they are not assigned the same rights, and In turn dreams as the white people. This is ironic because we know that Crooks used to ‘live the dream’, and live amongst “the white kids;” perhaps this is Steinbeck making a comment on how society has regressed for the worse.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

The tone Steinbeck creates is mellow and calm especially in the opening paragraph. I know this because Steinbeck uses words such as “twinkling” and “golden foothill slopes curve. ” creating a dream-like atmosphere. Both these quotes represent colours that indicate summertime, a long season whereby people and animals revel in the tranquillity of the outdoors. In addition to this Steinbeck says that the, “foothill slopes curve” this gives the impression the walk is effortless trip. However, this calmness is instantly interrupted and starts to show rupture as the George and Lennie near. This may be Steinbeck commenting on how the futile nature of dreaming will always become apparent. Steinbeck states that the two men “hurried” and “pounded” down the river; both these verbs are starting to stipulate the start of a battle.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

By the writer creating such a subtle scene, which is then ruined, could represent the fact that people whose lives come across cheerful and composed, also have holster sadness. I feel that Steinbeck wanted the audience to know that ‘the best laid plans’ didn’t have the outcome that was anticipated; in fact the dream of ‘livin off the fatta the lan’ near enough every time fails, results in relationships vanishing and lives wrecked. Lennie is very broad and heavy handed. On the other hand George is small, so it is also ironic that Lennie’s surname is small. The text readers, “Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely.” The writer says that George has “restless eyes” meaning that his eyes are defined, whereas Lennie’s are described as “pale.”
Topic: of-mice-and-men

This colour is not vivid nor is it harsh, so it is almost sympathetic and tender. Lennie’s eyes do not suggest strength, so maybe Steinbeck is presenting Lennie as having a monotonous, good-natured personality. Steinbeck is not trying to make George and Lennie seem alike, but completely different; this is to show how dependent two opposites are in needing each other. Without one another George would have been a lonely ranch worker, meanwhile Lennie would of probably contained in a mental institution. Lennie is referred to a bear, straight away this tells the audience that Lennie is physically strong, pretty large and hostile. Despite this, it also shows that Lennie would only fight when he has to, he wouldn’t do it without an intention.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Research has shown that bears only attack when they feel in danger, therefore a bear symbolizes Lennie best as he tend to lose control a lot. Lennie is always willing to attack when the dream is compromised, showing how important the vision was to American citizens. Lennie says, “I remember about the rabbits, George.” and George responds,   ”The hell with the rabbits. That’s all you can ever remember is them rabbits.” This is the very first time we hear about Lennie dream. Even from the beginning of the novella, the impression is given that Lennie is more enthusiastic than George about the dream. George’s simple eradication of the words “them rabbits” shows signs that he thinks the whole situation is foolish. This tends to get intricate as we to register that George might just be as animated for the dream as much as Lennie. it comes across that George is extra wary about that excitement, this makes sense as he’s also more aware of his surroundings compared to his other half.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

The American Dream as whole is impossible of fulfilment, the death of Lennie is figurative of that – concluding that all good things most come to an end. Lennie only wanted to “tend the rabbits,” nothing more, nothing less – it was George who came up with the entire dream therefore Lennie is not to blame for everything. The dream was presented to Lennie like a story, in a childlike manner. “…God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an’ work, an’ no trouble. No mess at all, and when the end of the month come I could take my fifty bucks and go into town and get whatever I want…”
Topic: of-mice-and-men

At this point George lashes out at Lennie raging about what the life of a migrant worker would be like without any heavy loads i.e Lennie. From this piece of text it seems that George is imagining a nonchalant existence and that Lennie is just an obstacle in his way.What George had highlighted here is far-seeing because of what happens in the end of “Of Mice and Men.” George uses the dream so that they both have hope later on life, after the ranch workers knew about their dream they wanted to have one too. This reveals the value of dreams entirely in the novella, and for those alive during the Great Depression, sitting in the same position as the ranch workers.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Once George creates a full account of the farm, its heaven garden-like qualities become even more obvious; Everything thing they want will be in front of their eyes, without any literal effort. Just as Lennie states: “We could live offa the fatta the lan’.” I think that when George shot Lennie he was right in doing so. One of the reasons I think this is due to the fact that he would have been killed by Curley or the rest of the ranch men anyway. Lennie had unexpectedly killed Curley’s wife; therefore, it would of resolved in death either way. The author lets the reader know that Curley would of killed Lennie when Curley says – “I’m gonna get him. I’m going for my shot gun. I’ll kill the son-of-a-bitch myself.” If Curley killed Lennie, it would of resolved in a slow painful, death. In my opinion, it was better his best friend killing him than his enemy.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

This killing can be compared to a mercy killing or linked to euthanasia in many ways. George killed Lennie for all the right reasons; the only downfall in this is that George has to go on and live a lonely life, with no companionship. George kills Lennie by Salinas River ‘Salinas’ means lonely, which is what George is now. George and Lennie fail to register that their dream is like thousands of other ranch workers, Crooks summarizes their dream when he quotes: “Seen hundreds of men come by on the road an’ on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an’ that same damn thing in their heads. Hundreds of them. They come an’ they quit an’ go on, every damn one of ‘em’s got a little piece of land in his head. An’ never one of them get it.” The men on the ranch have this futile dream about owning their peace of land, but its unachievable because of their circumstances.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

In a similar manner, from beginning to end Miller depicts the American Dream and how Willy Lowman and his family fail to achieve it. Arthur Miller was born in New York, Harlem October 1915. Miller wrote Death of a Salesman whilst working for his father’s company at the age of seventeen. Miller had said that everything he wrote was based on someone he knew or had seen. After Miller wrote the script he wrote a postscript saying that the real-life salesman, who the play is based on had killed himself by jumping in front of a subway train.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Willy has been attempting to achieve the American Dream for such a long period of time that he actually believes it’s achievable. Throughout Willy’s life he has prolonged numerous lies to himself and to his family, this has persuaded him that his dream has become an possibility. He constantly reveals to his family that he’s on the verge of huge success, meanwhile he contemplates to himself as to why he hasn’t reached the dream he knows he is capable of – Willy says that “There’s more people! That’s what’s ruining this country! The competition is maddening! Smell the stink from that apartment house! And one on the other side… How can they whip cheese?”
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Willy says this in Act one, this quote suggests that Willy is blaming the over populated country, America, on his lack of success – the truth is that its down to his belief in the assumption of the flawed American Dream. Its seems to me that Willy is just trying to come up with excuses, to cover the fact that he, himself, failed at the American Dream. The fact that Willy is always in need of a scapegoat , shows us that the dream Is, by nature, completely unachievable. The use of explanation marks in this quote express Willy’s feelings about the people and the impact its having on his ability to achieve the American dream.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Willy convinced his sons that in order to achieve the American Dream you need to be “well-liked”, not just liked. It seems that Willy is implying that being admired and the quality of arousing interest is the most important thing that will enable you to achieve the American Dream. He puts being “well liked” first over any other quality. According to Willy, being well liked amounts to the bare matter for reaching the American Dream. Being well liked is a quickened way of achieving something without as much hard work.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

In act one Willy says to Happy that he’ll be “Bigger than Uncle Charley! Because Charley is not liked. He’s liked – but not well liked.” The exclamation mark is to emphasise the fact the he’s going to be bigger than Charley, Charley is prestige and has status. The dash creates the effect of a dramatic pause to make it clear that Charley was not well liked, but at the same time Willy is implying that he, himself, is well liked, when evidently we know this is just a delusion.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Willy completely thinks that anyone who works hard in America will become successful without doubt. He says, “Biff Loman is lost. In the greatest country in the world a young man with such- personal attractiveness gets lost. And such a hard worker. There’s one thing about Biff – he’s not lazy.” This is another encapsulation of the American Dream fooling the American man, it’s evident that it’s futile and ends up killing Willy. It’s almost like Willy sees the American dream as a given right of an American, Willy’s death is such a horrendous one, as he commits suicide and so this serves to show us how destructive the American dream can be for the average American man.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

In act one, Willy indicates that Biff can even get let off with purloining a ball because of how popular he is with his coach. This supports the notion that Willy places upmost importance on being “well liked” In Act One Willy says to his sons “Tell you a secret, boys. Don’t breathe it to a soul. Someday I’ll have my own business, and I’ll never have to leave home anymore” Here Willy is secretive and possessive, just like in of Mice and Men when George let Candy participate in their dream. Willy wants to own a business just like George and Lennie, although Willy’s dream and George and Lennie’s dreams are completely different, they are similar at the same time, as they both are striving to achieve financial independence, they both have this unwavering image of a dream which they believe to be achievable, but the irony is the reader sees this as unachievable.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

The difference in these dreams is evident through what is they want to achieve; George and Lennie aims for and simple, agricultural success, whereas Willy is positioned in a contemporary situation in which he seeks to corporate success and material gain. Here it’s worth realizing Biff and Happy endeavour to achieve and reality which is more similar to George and Lennie in terms of its simplicity, however his father’s obsession with corporate wealth means that this is not possible.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

The above can be seen when Happy says, “That’s what I dream about Biff. Sometimes I wanna just rip my clothes off in the middle of the store and outbox that goddamned merchandise manager. I mean I can outbox, outlift and outrun anybody in that store, and I to take orders from those petty, common sons of bitches till I can’t stand it anymore.” Here we see Happy rejecting his father’s wishes to follow a corporate lead American dream, in favour of a more primal like competition.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

However he releases the idea that business competition, similar to the type his father promotes will bring him success; he can’t escape the rat race of American capitalism. This is similar to the inescapable, futile situation that Lennie and George find themselves in; they move from ranch to ranch, with seeming direction, but the irony lies in the fact that their life is totally directionless. The final bitter blow lies in Lennie’s death.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Although culturally, the direction toward which the pursuers of the American Dream changes over time (from dreams of living simply via agriculture, to dreams of achieving corporate success) it is interesting to see that Willy says to his wife, “You wait, kid, before it’s all over we’re gonna get a little place out in the country, and I’ll raise some vegetables, a couple of chickens…” This suggests that the direction of the American Dream has not changed much, and material/corporate success only serves as a temporary means to fulfil the original view of owning one’s own ranch and living from the land. Here, Willy’s vision is almost identical to George and Lennie’s, which is interesting due to the difference era both are set in/written in. The ellipsis in this quote represents the never ending possibilities of what they can acquire.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

This aforementioned idea of Willy obsessed with being well liked is something he unfortunately passes down to his children in a typical cyclical way. In a conversation with his parents Biff and Happy reveal they are interested they are looking for work that is simply bearable. Happy says, about his “business idea” that, “…it wouldn’t be like a business. We’d be out playin’ ball again…” Despite this, Willy is completely fixated on ensuring that the boys possess job security in a lucrative profession, which he believes will lead them on this path to greatness, and most importantly, financial security. We may accuse Willy of not being very supportive of his children, as he seems to be prioritising pursuit of the American Dream over his children. This is a true reflection of his blind faith in the idealised dream.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Linda’s attitude toward the American dream is contradictive. Linda does this by motivating Willy into believing his dreams are real, even though she recognizes his dream is conclusively futile and bound to stay incomplete. Linda doesn’t have as many dreams as Willy, but her main one is to live a undemanding, quiet life with her husband. Whereas he would prefer to travel, be recognized and remembered by everybody. Linda would prefer to sit back in her aging jacket with him and to have him employed in the city. This is illustrated when Linda says to Willy ‘can’t continue this way’, and encourages Willy to put himself forward and ask Howard for a job, so that he does not have to travel and so he can pay for the insurance premium.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

At this stage the audience gather that Linda is very concerned for Willy. Linda never manages to attain her dream since Willy would be more willingly to commit suicide than to surrender his job as a salesman. In addition to this, Linda yearns to safeguard Willy. A case of this is whilst speaking to Ben she shouts at Ben and says, ‘don’t say those things to him! ‘Afterwards, it is clear that she is shielding him; even though the stage directions interpret Linda as being ‘frightened of Ben’, she becomes assertive for Willy’s benefit. She fails to shade Willy as he objects, resulting in the worst case scenario whilst under her belt.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Willy committing suicide. As the play concludes, it’s evident that Willy was lost and didn’t actually know himself. We already knew this, the point being hardly anyone attends his funeral. It is here Biff registers that his dad was lost, entirely and travelled down the wrong road, we know this as he says “He had the wrong dreams. All, all wrong.” It is obvious the Biff will no longer follow the same route as his father. However, Happy, decides to secure his father’s ill-advised visions and takes them on-board himself, he says so himself toward the end of the play “I’m gonna win it for him.”
Topic: of-mice-and-men

The novella ‘Of Mice and Men’ and the play ‘The Death of a Salesman’ paint a picture of the vanity of dreams, the main one is the American dream. Both authors, Arthur Miller and John Steinbeck use numerous linguistic and literary methods, so that the audience can see how impossible dreams were during that era. Of Mice and Men and Death of a Salesman are set during the 1930s-1940s, the writers permit the context of the literature in order to help them tour the futility of the ‘American Dream’.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Willy is lost in this delusion about being successful and gaining status that he would rather die than be known to failure of the American dream. When Willy and Ben are speaking Linda yells at him saying, ‘don’t say those things to him!’ Here it is clear the Linda is shielding Willy. The way Linda presented herself to Ben is almost identical to the way Lennie reacts when its things resulting with George. For example, When Crooks expressed the possibility of George being injured, Lennie ‘walked dangerously towards’ him, questioning ‘who hurt George?’
Topic: of-mice-and-men

In the stage directions Miller says how Happy was ‘almost ready to fight Biff’ As we know, Happy’s dreams are what his father’s are and when Biff decides to ask what applicability Willy’s dreams are it results in a battle nearly commencing. The reason being as to why Happy was ready to challenge Biff is because as stated above (Happy’s dreams are his fathers). What happened here is similar to what occurred with Lennie and Crooks. In my opinion Steinbeck and Miller, both display how the characters will assert one’s over another in an arrogant way, to make the audience grasp mentally, that no matter how much you try to protect your dream it will always be captured.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

How does Steinbeck present loneliness in ‘of mice and men’? During the Great Depression in the 1930s in the USA many migrant workers went to California in search of work. In the novel “Of Mice and Men” John Steinbeck deals with the loneliness which affected these characters. One of the main symbols of this, is the setting of the novel is in Soledad, which translated from Spanish means solitude. Steinbeck point to the cause of loneliness being from discrimination, and the loneliest person on the working ranch would likely be the black stable buck “Crooks”, this is proved by his actions and his attempts to make friends.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

As an African American he is not allowed into the bunk house or to play cards with the white ranchers. Crooks tells Lennie it is “Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink. Well I tell you, you all of you stink to me.” (page 77) This shows that he longs to join them in playing cards and feels bitter and angry that he can’t. This was a very racist time in America.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Crooks was the only black person on the ranch and there was only one other black family in the area. As Crooks says “If I say something it is just a nigger sayin’ it.” (page 80) Crooks at first turns Lennie away from his room saying “you got no right to come in my room.” (page 77) but due to Lennie’s ‘disarming smile’ (page 77) he gives in and invites him in. When Crooks realises about the dream of the farm he wants to be part of it, offering to work for nothing. “If you…guys would want a hand to work for nothing – just his keep, why I’d come an’ lend a hand. I ain’t so crippled I can’t work like a son-of-a-bitch if I want to.” (page 86) This shows how desperate Crooks is to overcome his loneliness and be part of something.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

However, this dream is stopped by Curley’s wife who threatens to accuse of him of rape so that he will be hung. She reminds him that everyone will believe her saying “Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.” (page 91) This makes Crooks remember that he is not able to be anything else and that the dream is futile. He returns to being angry and bitter. Steinbeck does not offer any solution to Crooks loneliness. He simply gives an observation on life and how lonely it can be for some people. He shows how racism can cause loneliness and isolation and this can cause people to be very bitter and angry.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

‘Of Mice and Men’ is well know for the usage of Animals within the books and without the animals, the book would no nearly be as descriptive as it is, but also it would not have the underlying meaning within the book which is so hard to put into books. Nothing within the book is just ‘ a filler’- everything in the book is there for a reason and links up with other points within the story, all leading up to the one main point at the end of the book.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Within the first chapter, where Lennie and George are introduced, Steinbeck uses similes a lot to depict Lennie: dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws, and, Lennie dabbled his big paw in the water… this is extremely elusive to a reader as you have to analyze it further to understand it further. It a person is to be killed by a bear, it is not likely to have been mauled by its teeth, but rather its paws, as that is where the bear can channel all its weight and strength.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

This is rather like Lennie, and implies that Lennie is extremely strong. The next description of Lennie is a comparison to a horse, and showing that he acts instinctively, like a horse: drank with long gulps, snorting into the water like a horse. Lennie and a horse are similar in the way their mind works: if its thirsty it eats, if its hungry it eats, if its tired it sleeps. They do this without any real thought about what going to happen when they next become hunger, or next become thirsty. Even a simple simile like Strong as a bull, implicate that Lennie is extremely strong, but not much else.