of Mice and men
...f Candy's offer to join George and Lennie in their dream to buy their own ranch that it becomes a possibility - at least in their minds. The section involving the shooting of candy's old rheumatic dog typifies the harshness of the relationship's environment and setting which Steinbeck describes. It is also importantly, pre-figures the end of the novel. This scene acts as a metaphor highlighting the fast approaching end of Candy's own useful working life on the ranch, an end which is equally likely to occur without sentiment. Through the character of Curley, Steinbeck shows us that it is not only the poor and downtrodden who lead a bleak existence. Despite the fact that he is privileged ads the boss' son and is in a position of relative wealth and power compared to the other ranch hands, Curley too is a victim. He has entered into an unsuccessful marriage and can only respond to this mistake by posturing and through outward shows of 'manliness' in his aggressive behaviour towards those weaker than himself. Slim is an important character because, although he is one of the ranch hands, and indeed, the top hand, he remains detached and to a certain extent aloof, from the other characters. He is a man '… whose ear heard more than was said to him'. This is partly due to his position in the ranch hierarchy, but he above all is sensitive to the special nature of George and Lennie's friendship. Slim therefore represents a sympathetic influence in the otherwise hostile nature of everyday life on the ranch. Main Themes There are several clearly identified themes running through the novel. For example: the loyalty and friendship, which exists between George and Lennie; the hostile economic environment of America during the period in which the novel is set; the loneliness and isolation which each character experiences; and the dream of a better life. Furthermore, as in all of Steinbeck's fiction there is a strong moral thread running through Of Mice and Men which we can identify generally as a concern for the underdog. A common feature of his writing was to portray mentally or emotionally impaired individuals in a sympathetic way and to combine this with a detached writing style from which, we as readers, can ascribe a firm moral message. Hence, most of the characters in the novel, but especially George and Lennie, are depicted favourably by the author. Both heroes and villains are all common victims of the harshness of the times. We can also see in the novel Steinbeck's per-occupation with the notion of fantasies or fairy tales. This particular interest can be identified in much of his writing and stems from his central interest can be identified in the heroic stories of the Arthurian legends and their quest for the 'good man'. George and Lennie's desire for their own ranch represents their own personal fantasy. This dream, however, is also a microcosm of the ' American Dream '. Simply stated, this 'Dream' claims that hard work and private sacrifice can gain great personal success. In the context of the novel. George and Lennie's personal goal is a plot of land, which they can call their own. It is this, which supports George and Lennie through their most difficult movements and offers them hope of better things to come. This is summed up in the often repeated conversation where George rhymes of to Lennie that '..guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place.. With us it ain't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us…An' why? Because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why.' For most migrant workers, however, just as George and Lennie, the reality of their social situation means that the 'American Dream' cannot be realised. Language and Style Of Mice and men is a story of what happened; not what could or should happen, but what actually happened (at least in Steinbeck's imagination). Indeed, the original title for the novel was, Something that happened. Throughout, therefore, we can identify a detached style of writing on the part of the author, not attempting or wishing to assign blame for the fact that, as Robert Burns, the Scottish poet, said in his famous poem 'To a mouse', '…the best laid schemes o' Mice and Men, Gang aft agley'. This is the source of the title eventually chosen by Steinbeck and translates roughly as 'no matter how ell we may plan the future, things often go wrong'. The attractive simplicity of Steinbeck's writing in this novel is that he achieves the difficult task of telling an unusual story in a convincing manner, without to explain in any detail why it happened. It was nobody's fault in particular that the events turned out as they did. It was...