Of Mice and Men By John Steinbeck Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a novel about the life of two men.
George Milton and Lennie Small work on a ranch so that they can adventually live their dream. By using meathods of characterization, conflict, and theme, Stienbeck brings their story to life.
John Steinbeck brings his story to life through characterizition by describing how George and Lennie look and also by showing what they do and how they act.
George is described as " small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features" (pg. 2). Lennie is described as Georges exact opposite.
He is " A huge man, shapless of face, with large. pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders..." (pg. 2). Lennie listens to George, looks up to him and tries to act like him. Steinbeck shows George as a leader; controlling Lennie by telling him what to do and sometimes what to say.
English: John Steinbeck
Lennie James
Lennie JamesConflict is used to show how George and Lennie behave and how they act towards each other. Lennie has made Gearge mad and causes George to become more careful about what Lennie does and says. An example would be back in Weed, a town up north from the ranch where they go to get a job. Lennie liked to touch soft things, so when he sees a woman wearing a pretty red dress, he grabs it, not realizing the reaction it would cause. When the woman started yelling, Lennie held on to the dress because thats the only thing that he knew to do, and because he was scared. This caused George and Lennie to end up running and hiding in an irrigation ditch under water so they wouldn't get caught.
George wanted to make sure that Lennie didn't do that again at the ranch they were going to next but when Lennie couldn't remember what incident in Weed George was talking about, George replied " Well, I ain't gonna remind ya, fear ya do it again." (pg. 7) The theme that John Steinbeck expresses is that it is a novel of lonliness, love and need. Through out the novel, George and Lennie hope to someday own their own house with a few acres, a garden, and some animals such as a cow, chickens, and rabbits. " An live off the fatta the lan'," (pg.15) Lennie describes it as. Steinbeck is able to show the lonliness, love, and need through George and Lennie with the dream that they both want and are so willing to get.
Through out this novel, George and Lennie care about each other and are willing to work together and support each other to obtain a common dream.
Characterization is used to describe George and Lennie and show how they act.
By showing how they get along with each other and deal with each other, conflict contributes to the novel. Theme contributes to the novel by giving it meaning, and it helps to understand what George and Lennie want.
Lennie James
Lennie James
Lennie James