Literature Analysis #6

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Two men by the name of George (small and has sharp features) and Lennie (big and tall and mentally ill) are migrant workers who are on the road to find work.  Their main dream is to one day own a ranch of their own.  They were previously booted from their last job because Lennie was accued of rape.  The two men find work and report to the ranch. George decides to do all the talking with the boss because the fear that the boss will not accept Lennie for his mental problems.  They get the job.  They meet a couple of other workers.  Candy, who is very old and has a very old dog as well, Curley, the bosses angry son, and Curley's wife who starts to flirt with the two men.  At first the two men fit in, but are awaken with a serious problem.  Lennie, who loves to pet soft things, was accidently pulling Curley's wife's hair to hard and killed her.  The men were forced to flee the ranch once again.

One of the main themes of "Of Mice and Men" is The predatory Nature of Human Existence.  Almost all of the characters experienced profound sense of loneliness and isolation.

The tone of "Of Mice and Men" is Sentimental and tragic.  Their dream was to one day own their own and ranch, but the dream was broken after they were forced to leave another job because of Lennie's actions.

Of Mice and Men contains symbolism, imagery and allegory.  The setting is an example of symbolism.  The story begins with the two men by the river, it ends with them by the river.  This basically means that they have gotten nowhere with their lives. Also rabbits are a symbol of peace and life for Lennie, while mice symbolize death.  All of the characters at different times of the story represent broader populations.