An Analysis Of John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck writes the story of two American men struggling during the 1930s Great Depression. Steinbeck portrays their experience as an example of the harsh times America went through. People were dismissed from their jobs because of the devastating economic crash, and job openings became scarce due to the financial instability throughout America. In order to support themselves, migrants mainly traveled alone and only focused on surviving and finding money. Steinbeck writes about the journey of George and Lennie, who travel to a ranch to work along with other migrants. During these difficult times, sacrifice is necessary in order to survive. Many of the characters performed violent acts and sacrificed something for the benefit of either themselves or others. Their actions in the novel reveal important character traits that play a role in the way they behave. Steinbeck chose to portray characters like Slim as righteous, even though he has moments of violence, to prove how a character’s intentions can affect the …show more content…
Carlson, on the other hand, will always be depicted as a villainous character, because of his antagonistic and self-centered actions. Steinbeck highlights Slim and George’s characteristics because he wants to prove that any action performed with good intentions and ethical reasoning can reap good benefits. Steinbeck believes that it is society's duty to improve our world with every step we take. Steinbeck uses Slim and George as model examples of what humans need to do in order to maintain peace and strive towards a better future. Every action should be done with the mindset to support others as much as possible. As a society, we should take advantage of the available resources and learn from books like Of Mice and Men, so that we are able to completely understand the consequences of our