Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, narrates the lives of a duo, George Milton and Lennie Small, who seek to find a stable life in California during the Great Depression Eras. George is short and intelligent, but Lennie is physically strong with a mental disability that makes him rely on George in many ways concerning guidance and independence. The duo share a dream of owning a piece of land where they will start a farm, with Lennie especially eager to tend rabbits. When they get to a new ranch, they encounter various workers, such as Candy, an elderly man working in the ranch who has lost a hand; Crooks, a black stable man who is a victim of racial prejudice and spinal disabilities; Slim, a mule driver who is greatly respected in the ranch; and Curley, the hot-headed and insecure son of the boss. Curley's isolated wife often attempts to attract the attention of the ranch hands, but they avoid her for fear of getting into trouble with Curley. Throughout their experience on the ranch, they make friends with some other workers, including Candy, who invests in their dream farm, and Crooks, who sympathizes with Lennie. When Lennie encounters Curley's wife in the barn, she allows him to pet her hair. But when he pulls too hard, she becomes scared, making Lennie accidentally break her neck, leading to her death. When he realizes the final outcome, George steals a gun and reaches Lennie before the mob led by Curley can. To spare him a gruesome death from the mob, George shoots him in the back of his head. The novel ends with Carlson and Curley wondering aloud what could be “eatin’ them two guys” as they see Slim comforting and helping a distressed George walk back towards the ranch.
The novel, Of Mice and Men, relates to the Great Depression during the 1930s as its historical background, highlighting the lives of millions who were left homeless and unemployed during that era. George and Lennie, the main duo in the novel, and many other characters working on the ranch are examples of people who have been influenced greatly by the Great Depression. Throughout the Great Depression, the once well-known and highly polished American Dream had become a dark and sorrowful nightmare. “‘Well, we ain’t got any,’ George exploded. ‘Whatever we ain’t got, that’s what you want. God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an’ work, an’ no trouble.’” (Steinbeck, 12). The motivation the American Dream had once given to George and Lennie is seen throughout their determination to complete their dreams of owning a piece of land and starting a farm together. However, their dreams are shattered when Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife and dies in George’s hands, to spare him from a gruesome death. When George describes their future farm to Lennie in the first few chapters, the duo still believes in their dreams: “‘Well,’ said George, ‘we’ll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens.’” (Steinbeck, 16). The Great Depression, affecting nearly everyone across the world, was a period of economic collapse, leading to many American workers traversing and immigrating from place to place, in search of employment and a home to live in.
Throughout the novel, multiple characters' failures and broken dreams emphasize the harsh realities that many people must ultimately face. Of the duo, Lennie is the more optimistic one who wholeheartedly believes that they will be able to complete their goal of starting a farm. However, because of his mental disabilities, he often causes trouble for both himself and George, yet George is always the one to think of ways to cease the troubles. “George went on furiously. ‘I got you! You can't keep a job and you lose me every job I get. Just keep me shovin' all over the country all the time. And that ain't the worst. You get in trouble. You do bad things and I got to get you out.’” (Steinbeck, 12). George, on the other hand, is comparatively more realistic, even though he still invests greatly in his dream. Without Lennie, as seen in the first few scenes of the novel, George is unable to stop himself from using up his savings on useless items. He stops when Lennie’s optimism keeps encouraging him to move on, out of fear of both disappointing Lennie and feeling sorry for himself. Ultimately, when Lennie’s innocence and disabilities lead to Curley’s wife’s accidental death, it determines the inevitable failure of his dream, especially when he dies at George’s hands. Other than George and Lennie, many other characters also fail in their own dreams, such as Candy, a veteran worker; Crooks, a black stable hand; and Curley’s wife, who is marginalized due to her gender. George and Lennie’s dream of owning a piece of land and tending to animals by starting a farm shows their hope and optimism in such a belief, yet its failure leads to broken hopes and fate.
Many characters within the novel are marginalized prejudiced, and excluded from the larger part of society due to their differences from others. For instance, Lennie has a mental disability, which leads to him being unable to misunderstand and misinterpret many things. Even though he has strong physical strength, he is unable to control it, leading to many troubles later on. Especially when Lennie realizes he likes touching soft things, George has to get the duo out of many troubles throughout their traversing across California. Lennie’s mental disabilities become life-changing and troublesome when he accidentally breaks Curley’s wife’s neck, leading to her death, when he tries touching her hair. Multiple other characters are also marginalized for different reasons and are unable to live their dreams because of these reasons. “‘Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place. They come to a ranch and work up a stake and then they go inta town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they’re poundin’ their tail on some other ranch. They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to.’” (Steinbeck, 15). For instance, Candy, an elderly and disabled man, invests in George and Lennie’s dreams in hopes of securing a better future for himself. Crooks, as a black and disabled stable hand, is often discriminated and his cynical character makes him see the dream as “unrealistic”. Curley’s wife had wanted to be a movie star in her youth, but her household didn’t allow that. As the only woman on the ranch, she is often discriminated against and marginalized by others. Throughout the novel, multiple characters, due to their differences, and prejudiced and discriminated against by others for various reasons.
Of Mice and Men follows the life of two migrant ranch hands, George and Lennie, who traverse around California in search of employment. George and Lennie, the main duo in the novel, and many other characters working on the ranch are examples of people who have been influenced greatly by the Great Depression. However, their ultimate failures and broken dreams emphasize the harsh realities that many people must ultimately face. Not only them, but many other characters throughout the story are also going through hardships and fail to complete their dreams due to economic problems and societal boundaries. Lennie is unable to start a farm and reach his dream due to his mental disabilities; Candy is both too old and physically disabled to secure a stable life for himself; Crooks experiences large racial discrimination and has spinal problems, preventing him from living a successful life; and Curley’s wife is marginalized as the only woman in the novel, and is prevented from completing her dreams of becoming a movie star. Similar to mice, the characters within the novel can only live simple lives, and their dreams are shattered by forces they are unable to control themselves.
Works Cited
Steinbeck, John. “Of Mice and Men”, HIIS Laboratory
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