In Of Mice and Men Steinbeck’s use of theme, the impossibilities of the American Dream, expresses his belief that the dream simply does not exist. His point is made clear by the end of the novella when none of the characters get what they desired from life. “The reason they call it the American Dream is because you have to be asleep to believe it.” George Carlin. Carlin’s attitude about the American Dream is mostly reflected in Crooks, the black stable hand. "I seen hunderds of men come by on the road an' on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an' that same damn thing in their heads. Hunderds of them. They come, an' they quit an' go on; an' every damn one of 'em's got a little piece of land in his head. An' never a God damn
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Many critics such as Brooks Atkinson, Stark Young, and Edith J. R. Isaacs agree with the sentiments of New York Drama Critics Circle: "For its direct force and perception in handling a theme genuinely rooted in American life; for its bite into the strict quality of its material; for its refusal to make the study of tragical loneliness and frustration either cheap or sensational, and finally for its simple, intense and steadily rising effect on the stage." (Thesing,) These critics did confess that the novella was awfully raw and intense, however, the beauty of the novella lies in those raw and intense realities. Steinbeck wasn’t afraid of the cold hard truths, for he witnessed them for himself. “Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It’s just in their head. They’re all the time talkin’ about it, but it’s jus’ in their head.” (Steinbeck 74) Nevertheless, Of Mice and Men did receive some negative criticism for its "starkly naked," "sacrilegious," "appalling," and “raw” dialogue. One of Steinbeck’s biggest critics, Arthur Mizener, believed Steinbeck’s representation of primitive characters falsely demonstrates American society and its struggles. He accused Steinbeck of being a sentimentalist resulting in his works to be based on pure emotion as opposed to reason. The night Steinbeck was designated to receive a Nobel Prize for Literature in …show more content…
All one hundred and seven pages of Steinbeck’s novella captures the intricacies of humanity and marks a milestone in America’s evolving literature. The short novel does a good job revealing the many complexities of humanity with simplicity and realism. Steinbeck was able to provide compelling, honest truths about life on a deeper level without the use of complex language or long text. While written in elementary dialogue, the story consists of intricate characters, detail imagery, and deep revelations for the readers to reflect on. For that, the novella is lauded by millions. Of Mice and Men also greatly contributed to American literature by breaking away from traditional writing styles—Romanticism—and branching off toward styles that reflected the ideas of Realism and Modernism. Rather than the use of big vocabulary, extended metaphors, and hard-to-relate themes, Steinbeck took a different route with his writings. They were simple and relatable to the ‘common folk.’ They were real and honest. Of Mice and Men reveals deep truths about human life and is also an American literary highlight. As a result, the novella is a truly superb American classic that everyone should read and experience for
Many critics such as Brooks Atkinson, Stark Young, and Edith J. R. Isaacs agree with the sentiments of New York Drama Critics Circle: "For its direct force and perception in handling a theme genuinely rooted in American life; for its bite into the strict quality of its material; for its refusal to make the study of tragical loneliness and frustration either cheap or sensational, and finally for its simple, intense and steadily rising effect on the stage." (Thesing,) These critics did confess that the novella was awfully raw and intense, however, the beauty of the novella lies in those raw and intense realities. Steinbeck wasn’t afraid of the cold hard truths, for he witnessed them for himself. “Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It’s just in their head. They’re all the time talkin’ about it, but it’s jus’ in their head.” (Steinbeck 74) Nevertheless, Of Mice and Men did receive some negative criticism for its "starkly naked," "sacrilegious," "appalling," and “raw” dialogue. One of Steinbeck’s biggest critics, Arthur Mizener, believed Steinbeck’s representation of primitive characters falsely demonstrates American society and its struggles. He accused Steinbeck of being a sentimentalist resulting in his works to be based on pure emotion as opposed to reason. The night Steinbeck was designated to receive a Nobel Prize for Literature in …show more content…
All one hundred and seven pages of Steinbeck’s novella captures the intricacies of humanity and marks a milestone in America’s evolving literature. The short novel does a good job revealing the many complexities of humanity with simplicity and realism. Steinbeck was able to provide compelling, honest truths about life on a deeper level without the use of complex language or long text. While written in elementary dialogue, the story consists of intricate characters, detail imagery, and deep revelations for the readers to reflect on. For that, the novella is lauded by millions. Of Mice and Men also greatly contributed to American literature by breaking away from traditional writing styles—Romanticism—and branching off toward styles that reflected the ideas of Realism and Modernism. Rather than the use of big vocabulary, extended metaphors, and hard-to-relate themes, Steinbeck took a different route with his writings. They were simple and relatable to the ‘common folk.’ They were real and honest. Of Mice and Men reveals deep truths about human life and is also an American literary highlight. As a result, the novella is a truly superb American classic that everyone should read and experience for