Of Mice and Men is a novella written by John Steinbeck. I feel that the whole story revolves around Lennie Small and what he does.
The novella is about two workers in California during the Great Depression - George Milton, small, intelligent, assertive but caring and Lennie Small, a huge, but child-like man - that come into a ranch in California to 'work up a stake'. They are running from their previous job in weed. George and Lennie run out of weed to safety and hope to carry on their dream of finally settling down on a farm of their own where they can "live off the fatta' the lan'". And where Lennie can tend the rabbits which he never gets tiered of hearing. They then go to work at a ranch where they meet different people with different personalities. Lennie's 'accidents' grow in importance up to where he kills Curley's wife.
Lennie James
Lennie James
Lennie JamesWhich then leads up to Lennie's death. During the time it was set there was a lot of depression, prejudice and discrimination.
The main themes of the novella is loneliness, friendship and the American Dream. No one can avoid loneliness. John Steinbeck shows the loneliness of the Californian ranch life in the 1930's, during the story the reader will find many clues to this, primarily discrimination and prejudice - which results in the loneliness and isolation. All the characters seem lonely (apart from Slim who seems to be confident and happy). Crooks, Candy and Curley's wife all suffer from discrimination and prejudice which results in their loneliness. Crooks is a black man that experiences isolation because of the prejudice and racism of the time in America "i ain't wanted in the bunk house, and you ain't wanted in my room". Candy, like crooks, is an...