Analysis of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men
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Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ is a novel about people, their dreams, relationships and disappointments. The characters are diverse and represent a cross section of society during the American Depression of the 1930’s. The novel is set in Steinbeck’s birthplace of Salinas Valley, California, and it is at the ranch where he grew up that we meet the majority of characters. There are three specific locations in the novel where most of the story unfolds, these are; the banks of the Salinas River, the bunkhouse and the barn. ‘Of Mice and Men’ has a number of central themes evident in the novel such as loneliness; hope and the American Dream, and the strength and importance of friendships. These themes are pivotal to the characters’ development and behaviour with each other in the novel.
A large number of the characters in ‘Of Mice and Men’ have something wrong with them; this is because Steinbeck is writing about the vulnerability of being an outsider. Migrant workers are, by their nature, ‘misfits’ due to the fact they are displaced and are, therefore, unconnected to the people around them. George and Lenny are unusual in that they have each other. Furthermore, I feel ‘Of Mice and Men’ is true to life as Steinbeck is writing about the debris of the Depression and these are the very characters, the ‘cripples’ and ‘misfits’, who would have found it hardest to find work and would have had to leave their homes to find jobs.
The character Candy is the cleaner or ‘swamper’ on the ranch. Fromthe description of him in the novel the reader deduces he is old.Suggesting this Steinbeck says, ‘The door opened and a tall,stooped-shouldered old ma…
…sented as neithercripples nor misfits except for being ranch workers. Curly isprivileged in being the boss’s son and has prestige as a prize-winningboxer, yet he is still isolated from the other men by his status andhis suspicion of them regarding his wife. Carlson is a loner due tohis insensitivity
In conclusion, I do not consider that there are ‘‘too many cripples,misfits and unusual characters’ in the novel to consider Steinbeck’sportrayal as true to life’ as although each character is unique, theyall possess characteristics which are totally believable andrepresentative of a cross-section of American society. The charactersportray the importance of true friendship, loneliness, a man’s abilityto dream and having someone to share the dream with, in addition tothe vulnerability of being an outsider.
