“Of Rats and Men” is a skillful novel, which deals with the theme of `outsiders’, that is, individuals who do not fit into the mainstream of society. The book portrays this idea of solitude throughout Steve Steinbeck’s stimulating and exciting novel.
There are lots of clearly determined themes operating through the novel. The dedication and a friendly relationship which is available between two men, George and Lennie, and the aggressive environment of America through the American Despression symptoms. But , the key two topics of `Of Mice and Men’ were loneliness and prejudice.
Steinbeck elevates questions inside the mind with the reader that the novel will be based on loneliness. The initially line go through “A couple of miles to the south of Soledad”. This is a clever idea by simply Steinbeck because “Soledad” means loneliness in Spanish. It “Of Rodents and Men” may be seen as a warning for the entire novel as it came from Robbie Burns’s poem “To a Mouse” which translates as `no matter just how well end up being plan the near future, things typically go wrong’.
The environment of Steinbeck’s novel is very important because the particular date when the novel took place was at 1929, throughout the time New york city Wall Street wall street game collapsed, causing the dollar becoming worthless. Unemployment was high at the moment and men had to maneuver around a lot looking for work, which in turn meant these were never in a single place very long to form any kind of relationships, so this was a very lonely existence.
Steinbeck designed the hacienda where George Milton and Lennie Tiny worked in as a great isolated and primitive place. Steinbeck uses his personal experience as a ranch worker to describe how the working men on the ranch believed in the novel. George says that “ranch workers are the loneliest people in the world and do not belong nowhere”.
Steinbeck as well portrays isolation through characterisation. He uses sexism, racism and ageism to receive his message across.
One of these of this is usually when George meets this, decaying Candy and his old dog, this individual tells him about the “black” person called Thieves. Candy stated to the inarticulate George “give the Stable Money hell. En este momento see the secure buck’s a nigger”. This is typical of 1930’s America as dark people were regarded as inferior to white people. This shows that Crooks was friendless. This individual has his “own hokum in a separate nigger room” and “he scattered personal possessions around the floor; to be alone this individual could leave things about”. Crooks is actually suffering from ethnic discrimination when he is the only black person on the farm and is prohibited in the bunkroom with the different men due to his shade.
He consequently , had a very lonely living.
Steinbeck as well uses Candies to portray loneliness. The disconsolate Chocolate becomes lonely after his beloved doggie was shot. The men inside the ranch describe the dog like a “stinking hound” and an “old b******d”. Candy seems dejected when he says “I wish an individual would capture me while i become useless”.
This demonstrates that Steinbeck describes Sweets as depressed character.
Probably the loneliest personality, which Steinbeck creates in the novel, is definitely Curly’s better half. She is the only female inside the ranch and although she is married, you never see the distinctive couple of Curly and his partner together; they are really always trying to find each other. Curly’s wife is usually lonely and, as a result of this kind of, she was endlessly planning to make friends with George and Lenny. She tries to influence Lennie approach her in spite of what George was declaring. Curly’s partner remarked, “You can discuss, don’t tune in to George”.
However Lenny failed to agree with what she has to say. Another bit of evidence, to suggest that Curly’s wife is definitely lonely is the fact she got no brand! This demonstrates that nobody ever remains long enough to get to know her. Curly’s wife likewise flirts while using male workers of the hacienda to seek interest. The workers think she is a “tart” yet she is an insecure, depressed woman and this is displayed when the lady tells Lennie “I never get to speak with anyone, or else, Curly gets mad”. The opinion is the fact Curly’s wife married Ugly for business, not for like.
Steinbeck shows Slim to state to George and Lenny “I’ve under no circumstances seen a couple like you two before. It is not normal in this area”. You never read about Slim in abundance which must indicate he’s a unhappy character.
One other example which will Steinbeck uses to demonstrate why these men are lonesome was when Whit identifies that he has a friend who was within a magazine; he said, “Do you keep in mind Bill Tenner. He worked here 36 months ago? “
This highlights how these ranch workers never created relationships.
Steinbeck uses George and Lennie as a compare because they are the only people to have anyone to speak to. To demonstrate this kind of, Lenny exclaimed “But not us because………because I got one to look after me and you have got me to maintain you and which why”.
The past line that Steinbeck published read, “Now what the heck ya suppose is eatin’ them two guys”. Curly isn’t utilized to being with an individual for so long as he would not understand why we were holding depressed.
To conclude, John Steinbeck expertly portrays the theme of loneliness in “Of Rats and Men” in an interesting and original manner. I actually thoroughly liked reading this publication.
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