Animal and Human Nature in Of Mice and Men Essay

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    They "display the basest elements of nature... and lack all sensitivity, all compassion for those more helpless and weaker in mind and body than they are" (Johnson 16). Curley is extremely competitive, a trait that is evident in his desire to prove himself in a fight with Lennie and in his constantly asking where his wife is, as if he is competing with the other workers for her or demonstrating his "ownership" of her. Jealousy consumes him, and he lives as if he is subject to Darwin's theory of "survival of the fittest." He is a stereotypical bully. Carlson embodies similar traits and is totally void of any compassion or sympathy for his fellow man. He is the one who fiercely pushes Candy to let him shoot Candy's dog, even though the dog is obviously the only thing that means anything in his life. At the end, after George has shot Lennie and is walking away with Slim, it is Carlson who asks Curley what he thought was "eatin' them two guys?" (Steinbeck 107). These two are bestial in their inability to empathize with anyone else, striving for nothing more than self-gratification and motivated by a sort of meanness and…

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    H.G. Wells once stated, “Man is the unnatural animal, the rebel child of nature”(np). In Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men shows the cruelty of man towards the disabled; much like how animals would treat a disabled member of their own. Throughout Of Mice and Men, the majority of the characters are given bestial qualities, such as cold-heartedness and a decidedly uncompassionate mentality. Unlike the others, Lennie seems to be compassionate and caring towards others. The most prominent difference…

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    Nature is all around us – an ever-present part of life which can be beautiful, mysterious, dangerous or useful. Human society is inevitably part of nature and is affected by its natural environment. The frequency with which people interact with nature and the similarities and differences between human society and the rest of the natural world make nature into an interesting and frequently-used literary device. In John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, the worlds of nature and human society…

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    of literature that caused people rethink their entire outlook on life. This literary movement was known as Naturalism. Unlike its predecessor, Realism, which focused mostly on literary technique, Naturalism focused on philosophical theories. Naturalism can be simply described as applying scientific and philosophical viewpoints to literature in order to identify underlying causes of a person’s behavior. Naturalists believed that a person’s circumstances, whether they be hereditary or social,…

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    “All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”. This excerpt from the US constitution shows the basis of the American national ethos of equal opportunity in a pursuit of happiness and fulfilment, this ethos having been manifested into an idea more recently known as the American Dream. The human experience in this instance is a parallel to the American Dream, also at its core…

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    Following the Great Depression, 19th Century Realism led to the movement known as Naturalism. Naturalism is based on the idea that a person’s personality is derived as a product of their environment and there is no “free will”. The nature of the human relationship is guided by friendship and survival. In John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men” the two main characters, George and Lennie have a relationship based on their instinct to survive and the pursuit of the American dream. Lennie and George…

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    Ever since its publication, John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men has been an acclaimed novella, relating its story of two migrant men trying to find their place in both social and economical America during the Great Depression. These two men, along with the other individuals they meet on their journey – laboring wage workers and a disabled black man – are troubled with isolation and loneliness. The lack of interaction and brotherhood among these people cause them to lash out at possible friends and…

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    In essence, Of Mice and Men is a story about the nature of human dreams and aspirations and the things that work against them. All people give purpose to their lives in the present and for the future by creating goals and dreams for themselves. Without dreams and goals, life would just be endless days that have little meaning. George and Lennie's dream to own a little farm of their own is such a big part to Of Mice and Men that it appears in some form in in every chapter. In fact, George…

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    Of Mice and Men shows us three examples and three sides of human nature. Steinbeck's book shows that people often believe that they are socially higher than others. Of Mice and Men also tells us that two men had a dream to buy land. In real life, everyone has a dream of what they want to accomplish. Finally, Of Mice and Men reflects Social Darwinism in "Survival of the Fittest." In real life, people often believe that they are socially more powerful. Consequently, treating some as…

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    isn't the reality of it all. In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, characters try so hard, but don’t always succeed. As two migrants workers, Lennie and George, struggle to reach their goal of owning a farm to support themselves, many unfortunate events unfold, resulting in their dreams being crushed. They work together to raise money, but when Lennie’s disability gets in the way, it stops them from getting what they have always wished for. Throughout the story, terrible loneliness…

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