The Importance Of Literature In Of Mice And Men

Improved Essays
Literature means many different things to many different people. It can be an escape from reality, to gaining knowledge by reading the Encyclopedia. Books, or literature, could be anything with words that have meaning, but to critic Roland Barthes 'literature is the questions minus the answer, ' he means that within each piece of literature there are questions that the book leaves with you. Although, many times you must read between the lines or look deeper into the text itself. Many books leave the reader with thoughts that do not leave them even after they have finished. Much like in all three books, 'Of Mice and Men, ' 'Paul 's case, ' and Robert Frost 's 'Mending Wall. ' There are many themes that lie within them. In 'Of Mice and …show more content…
He was only ever honest with Lennie, yet Lennie never listened. He,
Crooks, repeatedly tried to tell Lennie that his dream he had with George would more then likely never come true. He used reason and was honest about it, but Lennie was going to believe what he wanted. George and Lennie took care of each other. They would travel together and George would clean up Lennie 's messes, but George would be singled out because he had to move and all he had was Lennie. George was lonely much like Crooks, yet Crooks was black. George was singled out because of Lennie and
Lewis 2 he knew that he was. Lennie was like a child with many child like whims and wants. He knew what George told him and really nothing more. The book is simple and yet speaks more then is written. A major theme is loneliness by care-taking. George was lonely because he took care of Lennie. He had to move around and hide from people because of what Lennie did. Why did George not just explain to people what really happened? Why did he have to hide and run? Would people have understood or would they have killed
Lennie? The answers are not known and probably will never be known, but you could infer by the stories told by George and what you read happened at the farm the
…show more content…
From shooting a brother to save him from being murdered to committing suicide. Each story had a darker side to them and whether the moral lesson was received, so the answers to the questions could be answered. The quote from the beginning 'literature is the questions minus the answer,’ leaves me wondering, what is the answer to killing your only family member? What is the answer to committing suicide and spending all the money you have before you die? What is the answer to being alone, with the choice of having a neighbor? Is there a general answer for each story, or is there just a universal answer for all pieces of literature? Why is one persons interpretations more correct then anyone else 's?
The books themselves were interesting but rather dark, which I personally like, and while I enjoyed them, the questions leave the answers with a blank. Literature can almost never have a single solid answer. Each book has it 's own questions and answers, and each shows different aspects of the human condition. Literature is many different things to many different people, and much like a blank page, a book has an

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    George could have been well off without Lennie, but still continues to care and support him. They have one another to talk to, be with, and look after.      ‘With us it ain’t like that. We got a future.…

    • 921 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Of Mice and Men “You’ve got to do whatever it takes to protect the ones you love”-unknown. Sometimes making a hard choice can be harsh but, if it means the person you love will be safe at the end it’s worth it. John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ is about two men,George and lennie,traveling together trying to fulfill their dream of owning their own ranch someday but they come upon one of them committing a murder. George kills Lennie and I firmly believe that it was the right thing to do because he was protecting others, keeping him from suffering and, he was protecting Lennie from himself.…

    • 827 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    True friends should stick together no matter the circumstances. This especially applies to situations where are each other’s only family. If two friends have a relationship that is this immensely close, they should never betray one another. This means that no companion should ever cut the other’sskfjdlsk life short. Although George taking Lennie’s life away with a nonviolent method was for sure better than if it was taken cruelly and painfully by another man in John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men,” the novel could have not resulted in a death that would haunt Lennie’s friend/killer forever.…

    • 727 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Best Friends Until the End Imagine having to kill your best friend. In Of Mice and Men, George made a hard decision which was if he should kill his best friend, Lennie. George killing Lennie was justified because had to think about Lennie’s life ahead if he didn 't make this choice. George making this choice was right because Lennie had unknowingly brought a threat among people, Lennie had died much quicker and painless, and Lennie was basically George’s responsibility.…

    • 1150 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Lennie does not listen to what others tell him. George would always tell Lennie not to get in trouble and not to do something. Even though Lennie looked and sounded like he agreed, he would go and do it anyway. In the book George says “ “, but Lennie does it anyway. It seems that Lennie is not caring to other people,…

    • 356 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Friend, noun, definition; 1) A person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard. 2) A person who gives assistance; patron; supporter. Many qualities make a friend, even more make up a good friend.…

    • 818 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    George and Lennie display true friendship of loyalty to each other like family. According to Aristotle “Complete sort of friendship between people who are good and alike in virtue”. Easily dissolve”. “ its is clear that only the good can be friends for themselves, since the bad do not enjoy their own kind unless some benefit comes from them”.…

    • 253 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    At the end of the book, Of Mice and Men, George (the smarter one) kills Lennie, a man that is mentally challenged. The reason for it is because Lennie accidentally killed a man named Curly’s wife. So Curly is coming after Lennie to torture and kill him. So George killed Lennie to make him not suffer. George did the right thing killing Lennie.…

    • 299 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    How Is Lennie Forgetful

    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages

    John Steinbeck in 1937 wrote the noel Of Mice and Men. The novel is about two men, George Milton and Lennie Small, who have a friendship that is more like a brotherhood. The two travel together to find work where George acts more of the older brother and Lennie is more of the younger brother. Lennie, being a forgetful man, may lead one to believe that he has a mental disability but that doesn’t stop him from his hardworking ways. Lennie, not liking the idea of being yelled at by George and only wanting to please George shows the theme that friends can be more like family.…

    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Wanex 5-2 The Downsides of Hate Reading Pamela Paul’s article “Why You Should Read Books You Hate” is an intriguing read that focuses on the importance of reading books that are unappealing to the specific reader. She thoroughly explains that pursuing novels with subjects that do not interest the reader makes them a more skeptical and scrupulous critic. In addition, she details the pleasure that reading brings to all as well as the magnitude of the time commitment that it requires in comparison to other activities that expose people to new content.…

    • 505 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    George: Guilty or Innocent? Friendship, or a fraud? This is usually the question people ask when they feel betrayed by a close friend. Betrayal could never be forgiven. In John Steinbeck’s book Of Mice and Men, did George need to kill Lennie, or could it have been avoided?…

    • 1121 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Lennie Characteristics

    • 792 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The story Of Mice and Men is about two men, George and Lennie, and how George and Lennie go from ranch to ranch finding work. They have a dream to own their own ranch. They settle in one ranch and there they meet some people. They have lots of adventures there. Lennie breaks the boss’s hand because, Curly, the boss, beats up Lennie for not talking.…

    • 792 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Would you be able to kill your best friend or only companion? In the novellaOf Mice and Men by john Steinbeck, George had to kill the only person he traveled with. George and Lennie have traveled together because George promised Lennie’s aunt he would. As they travel, Lennie get both himself and George in trouble that George has to fix. That is, until Lennie does one thing that George can’t get them out of.…

    • 618 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    George struggles with caring for Lennie or having the sense of freedom he would have without him. Most of the problems George experienced in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men are problems many people would never think they would have to deal with. Most people do not have to worry about having enough money to own land, we all just have a house and take it for granted. None of us would ever imagine having to shoot someone, especially someone we care about, in the back of the head.…

    • 686 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    First off, Lennie is an uneasy character with a mental disability in the book Of Mice And Men. He stays with George throughout the book, but is not a stable companion. He does not fully understand the main ideas in life, and does not put them together as to what is right and what is wrong. He often mentions leaving George to go live in a cave because he feels as though he is bothering other people. George has to repeat many times what he has said because Lennie’s brain can not process what he is trying to tell him.…

    • 775 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays