“Of Mice and Men: The Failed Quest”
By sending his protagonists on such a hopeful and noble quest in his novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck shows that a hopeless journey damages characters in irreparable ways. The five aspects of a quest as shown in Thomas Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor can be clearly related to the journey both George and Lenny hope to complete; yet the unrealistic expectations that George and Lenny possess of their dream farm are ultimately what lead to their failure. However, the novel departs from the classic conventions of quest stories, as the protagonists not only fail their stated quest, the misfortune that inevitably befalls them destroys their opportunity to completed the true journey as well.
The first aspect of a quest, as stated by Foster, is the quester (4). In the case of Of Mice and Men, there are multiple questers, namely George and Lenny, which promotes an element of companionship. Their quest also brings to light one of the major themes of the novel: brotherhood. Not only do the main questers feel a need for …show more content…
Despite the political and societal undertones that are spread throughout the story, the hopeful characters within the novel are unaware of the inevitable doom that hangs over them. The men dream of freedom from the suffering they experience working for others, and begin to search for an ideal life. By escaping the oppressive society spreading that had spread in the setting of the novel, the men could have achieved what they simply believed was the American Dream. As the economy crumbled around the characters, the farm symbolizes hope and light as they scramble to find any form of an idyllic lifestyle. Such societal commentary shows some of Steinbeck’s intentions behind the quest the protagonists are on: one that seemed impossible in their time (Foster
By sending his protagonists on such a hopeful and noble quest in his novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck shows that a hopeless journey damages characters in irreparable ways. The five aspects of a quest as shown in Thomas Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor can be clearly related to the journey both George and Lenny hope to complete; yet the unrealistic expectations that George and Lenny possess of their dream farm are ultimately what lead to their failure. However, the novel departs from the classic conventions of quest stories, as the protagonists not only fail their stated quest, the misfortune that inevitably befalls them destroys their opportunity to completed the true journey as well.
The first aspect of a quest, as stated by Foster, is the quester (4). In the case of Of Mice and Men, there are multiple questers, namely George and Lenny, which promotes an element of companionship. Their quest also brings to light one of the major themes of the novel: brotherhood. Not only do the main questers feel a need for …show more content…
Despite the political and societal undertones that are spread throughout the story, the hopeful characters within the novel are unaware of the inevitable doom that hangs over them. The men dream of freedom from the suffering they experience working for others, and begin to search for an ideal life. By escaping the oppressive society spreading that had spread in the setting of the novel, the men could have achieved what they simply believed was the American Dream. As the economy crumbled around the characters, the farm symbolizes hope and light as they scramble to find any form of an idyllic lifestyle. Such societal commentary shows some of Steinbeck’s intentions behind the quest the protagonists are on: one that seemed impossible in their time (Foster