Explore the ways in which places are presented by Steinbeck in Of Mice and Men
A place is a particular point, space or location. A question frequently wondered in literature is how these certain places, these inconsequential areas of the Earth’s crust, have the power to influence our outlook on them; why do these insignificant places have the capability to remind us of a particular moment or person? Considered Steinbeck’s finest piece of literary work, Of Mice and Men uses the abominable truths of what life was really like for migrant workers during the great depression to influence the ways in which certain places are portrayed. Crooks, a stable buck that has been damaged by the consistent prejudice and preconceived opinions due to his skin tone, is a prime example of this. In 1930s America there was still a lot of racial segregation; black people were made to feel like second class citizens and they did not have the same rights. As a result, Crooks’s room is portrayed as secluded and little, and he is purposely distanced from his peers who rest in the same bunkhouse together.
In the opening section of the novella, Steinbeck uses an extensive range of imagery to portray the setting as an undisturbed place of beauty that is seemingly miles away from the ordeals and …show more content…
The phrase, “sycamores with mottled, white, recumbent limbs and branches that arch over the pool” seems contradictory with the first few sentences of the section which portray the setting as some sort of haven. This could be representative of the previous point; the perfect environment consisting of twinkling water and yellow sands is too good to be true. However, the phrase also has subtle references to Lennie, which could be foreshadowing future events in the novella. For example, sycamores are typically known to be large and towering: much larger than the surrounding
A place is a particular point, space or location. A question frequently wondered in literature is how these certain places, these inconsequential areas of the Earth’s crust, have the power to influence our outlook on them; why do these insignificant places have the capability to remind us of a particular moment or person? Considered Steinbeck’s finest piece of literary work, Of Mice and Men uses the abominable truths of what life was really like for migrant workers during the great depression to influence the ways in which certain places are portrayed. Crooks, a stable buck that has been damaged by the consistent prejudice and preconceived opinions due to his skin tone, is a prime example of this. In 1930s America there was still a lot of racial segregation; black people were made to feel like second class citizens and they did not have the same rights. As a result, Crooks’s room is portrayed as secluded and little, and he is purposely distanced from his peers who rest in the same bunkhouse together.
In the opening section of the novella, Steinbeck uses an extensive range of imagery to portray the setting as an undisturbed place of beauty that is seemingly miles away from the ordeals and …show more content…
The phrase, “sycamores with mottled, white, recumbent limbs and branches that arch over the pool” seems contradictory with the first few sentences of the section which portray the setting as some sort of haven. This could be representative of the previous point; the perfect environment consisting of twinkling water and yellow sands is too good to be true. However, the phrase also has subtle references to Lennie, which could be foreshadowing future events in the novella. For example, sycamores are typically known to be large and towering: much larger than the surrounding