How does John Steinbeck present the theme of power within the novel ‘Of Mice and Men’?
Within John Steinbeck’s novel, ‘Of Mice and Men’, he expresses the theme of power in a variety of ways. Many theorists argue that Steinbeck created these fictional characters to put forward the unfairness of the society; one that banishes the weak and rewards the wealthy. We discover the story of characters that we can relate to, which portray Steinbeck’s growing exasperation towards 20th Century America. As this novella is set during the Great Depression, it is of no surprise that our protagonists (George Milton and Lennie Small) face the crippling of their dreams, aspiration and lives, like so many others in this time of pain and loss. We, as readers, …show more content…
She is the only women present on the ranch and is described very beautiful and desirable in the novel. This could be biased by the fact that the men working there haven’t seen many women in their recent days, and could embellish her physical appearance considerably. “Lennie watched her, fascinated; but Candy and Crooks were scowling away form her eyes.” (Chapter 4 ) The woman intimidates the men and makes them wary of her because or her flirtatious nature and because of the fact that she is married to Curley. As she has no name throughout the novel, this makes us think that she is considered inferior on a social level, making her sound dehumanized, secondary and unimportant. She is left excluded and lonely, which saddens the reader and makes him resentful and angry at the men for rejecting …show more content…
He is described as bulky and powerful in the novel. “He stood there crying, his fist lost in Lennie’s paw. (…) Curley sat down on the floor, looking in wonder at his crushed hand.” With just his hand, Lennie crushed Curley’s to bits. This displays incredible strength, even though Lennie wouldn’t use it against anyone willingly unless George tells him to. “He’s sure as hell a good worker. Strong as a bull.” To everyone, Lennie looks strong and could be considered a valuable asset on the ranch, which is what George puts forward on Lennie’s behalf when he is sealing them to the ranch owner. Lennie can be very impressive to an outside eye because of his sheer size and impressive muscular strength. This fact reassures the reader, knowing that Lennie isn’t vulnerable in the face of
Within John Steinbeck’s novel, ‘Of Mice and Men’, he expresses the theme of power in a variety of ways. Many theorists argue that Steinbeck created these fictional characters to put forward the unfairness of the society; one that banishes the weak and rewards the wealthy. We discover the story of characters that we can relate to, which portray Steinbeck’s growing exasperation towards 20th Century America. As this novella is set during the Great Depression, it is of no surprise that our protagonists (George Milton and Lennie Small) face the crippling of their dreams, aspiration and lives, like so many others in this time of pain and loss. We, as readers, …show more content…
She is the only women present on the ranch and is described very beautiful and desirable in the novel. This could be biased by the fact that the men working there haven’t seen many women in their recent days, and could embellish her physical appearance considerably. “Lennie watched her, fascinated; but Candy and Crooks were scowling away form her eyes.” (Chapter 4 ) The woman intimidates the men and makes them wary of her because or her flirtatious nature and because of the fact that she is married to Curley. As she has no name throughout the novel, this makes us think that she is considered inferior on a social level, making her sound dehumanized, secondary and unimportant. She is left excluded and lonely, which saddens the reader and makes him resentful and angry at the men for rejecting …show more content…
He is described as bulky and powerful in the novel. “He stood there crying, his fist lost in Lennie’s paw. (…) Curley sat down on the floor, looking in wonder at his crushed hand.” With just his hand, Lennie crushed Curley’s to bits. This displays incredible strength, even though Lennie wouldn’t use it against anyone willingly unless George tells him to. “He’s sure as hell a good worker. Strong as a bull.” To everyone, Lennie looks strong and could be considered a valuable asset on the ranch, which is what George puts forward on Lennie’s behalf when he is sealing them to the ranch owner. Lennie can be very impressive to an outside eye because of his sheer size and impressive muscular strength. This fact reassures the reader, knowing that Lennie isn’t vulnerable in the face of