Olympic runner Jessie Owens once said that: “The battles that count aren't the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself - the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us - that's where it's at.” John Steinbeck would agree with Jessie Owens comment as he too focuses on the inner battles that we all face at one time or another in his 1937 novel Of Mice and Men. While Steinbeck was able to hide numerous lessons and flaws in our society in the book, the main aspect that stood out to was how Steinbeck was able to convey this same message of inner battles and visibility through the motif of hats. Steinbeck uses the motif of hats to show how some people face their inner battles as well as how some people want to feel invisible when times become rough.
Steinbeck does an exceptional job on carefully placing the aspect of wanting to feel invisible and inner battles especially when we see Lennie do something that upsets George or puts them in a position to lose their jobs. A classic example of this can be found on page 96: “George had put on his blue denim coat and buttoned it, and his black hat was pulled down low over his eyes. The men raced around the last stall. Their eyes found Curley's wife in the gloom, they stopped …show more content…
Through Steinbeck's characters George and Lennie we can come to see how hard it can be to make decisions and how sometimes we will have to live consciences for the rest of our lives. While everyone thought killing Lennie was the best option, George will have to carry the weight of killing Lennie for the rest of his life. Steinbeck uses the motif of hats not only to show how they want to feel invisible but also just how much they hurt on the inside. The book not only teaches us about the grim reality of human existence but it also teaches us how to love others and treat others the way in which we want to be
Steinbeck does an exceptional job on carefully placing the aspect of wanting to feel invisible and inner battles especially when we see Lennie do something that upsets George or puts them in a position to lose their jobs. A classic example of this can be found on page 96: “George had put on his blue denim coat and buttoned it, and his black hat was pulled down low over his eyes. The men raced around the last stall. Their eyes found Curley's wife in the gloom, they stopped …show more content…
Through Steinbeck's characters George and Lennie we can come to see how hard it can be to make decisions and how sometimes we will have to live consciences for the rest of our lives. While everyone thought killing Lennie was the best option, George will have to carry the weight of killing Lennie for the rest of his life. Steinbeck uses the motif of hats not only to show how they want to feel invisible but also just how much they hurt on the inside. The book not only teaches us about the grim reality of human existence but it also teaches us how to love others and treat others the way in which we want to be