Inhumanity To Man And Greed In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

In this chapter two sub-themes, man’s inhumanity to man and greed, will be discussed as primary causes of conscience crisis that lead to the human predicament in general. The two themes are dealt widely by novelists from many perspectives. From those novelists are John Steinbeck and Cormac McCarthy who wrote about these themes, both of them in his own way, to convey and to touch people's real lives. “Steinbeck has read and studied deeply, dissecting and examining the various facets of human behavior, including what Wordsworth calls man’s inhumanity to man.” Henry Morgan wrote in his portrait of the single-minded, self-absorbed, “ Steinbeck has provided a portrait of a criminal mind—one moving from atrocity to atrocity, with little evidence of any regret or compassion.” (Edited by Brian Railsback and Michael J. …show more content…
It is a "Universal metaphor" for the cruelty of the "human condition" (Beach 3377). Lennie's "shapeless face, bearlike movements, brute gentles and selective forgetfulness," represents one of the most sympathized sensational figures in all of modern fiction (Gray 3378). He is convincingly childlike in nature, but knows what he can do to strengthen his and George's relationship. George is one of the things Lenny values besides his love for small, soft animals. Because of his uncontrollable strength, Lenny usually ends up "destroying" those small animals, and in the end must be "destroyed" himself (Magill 1885). The theme "Man's inhumanity to man" fits the book "Of Mice and Men" because throughout the story there is a lot of anger toward each other. Most of the people are at one point hurt by each other and their actions. In fact, Steinbeck conveys the idea that the strength to oppress others it itself born of weakness. In their powerlessness, they seek some type of gratification, so the men antagonize Lennie especially because he is unaware of the predatory powers around