Literature Analysis

Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

1)     Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is a novel depicting the lives of two men during the hardships and trials that stuck the nation during the Great Depression in the 1930’s. Although mixtures of characters are introduced later in the novel, the story focuses on George Milton and Lennie Small, two men who are on the run and in search of a job after a little misunderstanding that involved Lennie and a woman in their previous town. These two mean encounter many new and interesting faces once they reach their new place of work. As they are working, many interferences occur, such as distractions from the wife of the employer’s son, Lennie getting attacked, and the accidental murder of the wife. Both George and Lennie share the bond that brothers in arms, and George is very protective of Lennie because of his mental disability. Due to the accident with the wife, Lennie is shot by George out of love and protection for his dear friend.

2)     The theme overall for Of Mice and Men, would have to be dreams. George dreams of independence, Lennie dreams of being with George in his independence, and to quench his obsession for soft objects. Throughout the novel, George is always telling Lennie of their dream of one day owning their own piece of land.

3)     The tone of the novel appears to be somewhat relaxed. Given the fact that there were violent ripples of this calm sea, the overall tone of the story was relaxed up to the end, where Lennie was shot in the back of the head by George.

4)     Theme, motif, symbols, diction and syntax played the roles of the big five literary elements in the story. Since this all takes place during the 1930s California, the diction and syntax go hand-in-hand with the time setting. Most were cocky, illiterate, racial and ill-tempered. There are multiple themes occurring throughout the novel, and many do play an important part. Another thing is that the symbolism of Lennie’s puppy and Candy’s dog represent the sad way of life. For Candy’s dog, it’s a reminder that the strong will dominate the weak, and Lennie with his puppy prove it.