Of Mice and Men Essay Example for Free

Of Mice and Men Essay For my coursework, I am going to write about how John Steinbeck, Announces and presents the two characters George and Lennie in the book; Of Mice and Men; and how the relationships between the characters make the story as good as it is. Steinbeck uses a high definition of detail to introduce the two men, George and Lennie: by using similes, personification and metaphors; he gives a large imagery effect of what the people look like (George and Lennie). Small, quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. By using informative text like this you get the idea if someone is small they are generally about 5ft tall he hasnt been able to wash for a while due to dark of face (or this fellow hasnt been a rich person and has worked all his life), with sharp strong features must mean he has been working, maybe as a labourer or a outlaw. The second figure 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 second fellows description gives me the idea he is slightly retarded; the way his arms do not swing and the way he uses features of a bear I find it that bears haves docile features, e.g. the use of there paws and the expression on the faces. He is also the follower. Steinbeck puts it across that the large person has no perception of danger; the way he flung down his blankets and drank from the surface of the green pool. Then the small fellow starts shouting his name, Lennie! Dont drink so much ; hinting he has awareness that they maybe danger with the pool being green. The way he drinks from the pool also gives the impression that he is slightly retard long gulps, snorting, and like a horse all strong descriptive words, makes the reader think hand on what is the guy a animal or a human? He gives him animal (inhuman) qualities. Steinbeck puts Lennie across as a child making his splashes of rings across the pool and George the leader. And again when Lennie goes to take a sip from water he is giving him the characteristics of a animal dipping his large paw into the water George is put across to have a strong bond with Lennie helping each other is the key to the story. The link between the characters is they are together in the early 1900s men didnt generally go around together them days, it was everyone for themselves with the American dream (The American aspect is that anyone can get to any position of work, wealth etc. with working for it.) On page 6 Steinbeck shows that the characters are frustrated He said angrily, We could just as well of rode clear to the ranch if that bastard bus driver knew what he was talkin about. Jes a little stretch. God damn near four miles, thats what it was! Didnt wanta stop at the ranch gate, thats what? Too god damn lazy to stop in Soledad at all. Kicks us out and says, jes a little stretch down the road. I bet it was more than four miles. Damn hot day. Steinbeck uses strong language in this text to show the frustration of lazy drivers and how people dont care most probably because Lennie is a retard and its how its was in the early 1900s. George is looking after Lennie; Steinbeck gives the hint in page 7 where George is looking after Lennies work card. Lennie also likes to pet small soft animals in the book, he holds mice at the start of the book, later on we find out Lennie likes to pet mice that his aunt gave him; but with him being so clumsy he squashes them to death and keeps them because there soft, because he has the mental age of a 8yr old and he doesnt know any better. George has to keep an eye out for this because we all know fresh mice will carry disease. Later on in the book, we find out that George and Lennie has a dream of owning a small ranch and Lennie wants to pet the rabbits. They have a little bit of money stored back and hope to make there dram come true shortly and they discuss that if there is any trouble in Soledad they will meet up in the wooded area, there was trouble in weed (the town they last had a place of work in). Lennie likes pretty colours and got attracted to a girls dress, when the girl said, let go, he hung on in fear and the girls escaped shouting rape, of course, Lennie would have been trialled and sentenced to death for this, so they made a run for it. In addition, eventually made it to a ranch in Soledad. For Lennie to remember things George gets him to repeat himself several times this way he remembers what has been said. When they get to the ranch, Lennie is instructed not to say a word to anyone, they dont want the ranch owner to find out Lennie isnt as smart as he looks, so they go meet the owner and George tries to answer all the questions, the owner thinks its suspicious the two guys travelling together, and makes Lennie talk. Anyhow, they get there way around it and go to the bunkhouse. Also in the book Slim gives Lennie a pup, since he aint allowed mice since they where always dying in his pocket, the guys thought that having a pup might be easier for him as its bigger and stronger and it will grow older to be bigger and stronger, unluckily this doesnt happen like the mice the pup also dies. There is a repetition of this through the book, and the persistence of a gun, and things (animals) dying. As they kill candys dog, it is taken outside and shot! I think that J. Steinbeck had made the book so that repetition of incidents are made to drag the reader into thinking I think something isnt going to be too good at the end of this book, people classed as animals, and everything being killed or shot? Curly is a character in the book with a fiery temper he is the ranch owners son and was a lightweight boxer, married (just) to His wife who is clearly given no name but referred to as Curlys wife, making it so that she is his possession. There is always an assumtion of a fight when curly enters the story line, he is always looking for his wife and always curious of what she is up to. Candy gets in on the American dream offering Lennie and George some money to buy the land and do it as he is fed up of being on the ranch. This way they can go to there dream and letting Lennie play with the rabbits but, he also would be out of danger e.g. the incident in weed that wouldnt be possible to happen as it would be on there land. A few pages on from curly being part of the American dream, Lennie has a fight with Curly and severely damages his fist breaking every bone in his hand! This now gives curly a reason not to like Lennie. Anyhow the guys go out and start playing horseshoes, Lennie was in the barn stroking his pup when it went to bite him; he hit the pup and he had killed it! Anyhow he was so upset thinking George wouldnt let him tend his rabbits in the dream they were having, Curlys wife walked in with here hair and make up all done so smartly, with a nice dress on. Curlys wife had been told she could have been a actor in Hollywood, and a guy would write to her but she was never wrote to, putting it across that her mother never let her seen the letters; while trying to prove to Lennie she could be a actor. Lennie explained his dream to Curlys wife, as Curlys wife was such a tease, moved closer and closer to Lennie, Lennie was going on about how he likes to stroke and pet soft things. Several times, she called Lennie nuts. She let Lennie stroke her hair, repeatedly and he stroked it harder, harder and harder, until she cried let go, Lennie grabbed her and covered her mouth telling her not to cry as he will get into trouble. She then struggled and Lennie shook her, he killed her, broke her neck, he dropped her and she laid there; he realised what he had done and ran into the brush where George had told him to go, Lennie had remembered he had to run to the brush. Once the guys found out she was dead Curly wanted him dead he got his gun and went out and his horse to get him with the guys. Curly now had a real reason to go and get Lennie; George knew exactly where to find him. George took a gun and went to go find Lennie, he found Lennie exactly where he had told him where to go, he started to talk to Lennie and got him to tell George about there dream and what it was going to be like, George lifted to gun to the back of Lennies head and shot him! The crash of the shot was heard echoing about the valleys. Steinbeck at the end of the story did not say if George ever made his American dream with candy of if he ever got Trialled for murder. This shows how the American dream doesnt always go to plan and maybe its just luck that gets you there, but does show you how the guys tried, and the relationship between people in them days sometimes led to hard consequences.