How Steinbeck Creates Two Contrasting Characters In...

During the presidential reign of Hebert Hoover in the early 1930s, America was hit with a severe economic slowdown which was notoriously known as The Great Depression. During this time of crisis, an estimated sixteen million people were left unemployed and many others were left homeless. Even though it was expected that many industries in the United States would be significantly affected as a result of the crash, it was Agriculture that was destroyed. Many landowners were desperate to employ workers on their farm, whilst workers were anxious themselves to find a job to support their family. In this story, two displaced Anglo migrant ranch workers, George Milton and Lennie Small, travel around America in search for a job. We soon realise†¦show more content†¦When Lennie says ?I ain?t got nothin? George?, we see that due to his mental limitation, he is unable to fool George and therefore is later exposed at having killed the rodent. On the other hand, George is portrayed as cl ever, mostly because he knows what he is doing. In response to Lennie?s point, he quickly says to ?hand over the mouse?. This short, sharp sentence is used to show the fact that George means business, and is determined not to change the subject. Overall, we see that Lennie is slow to thought, whilst George thinks quickly and avoids falling ?into the trap?. This suggests that he is a man with few weaknesses. We find out in the latter stages of the story that George has a weakness, specifically his dependency of Lennie. Lennie, intelligently, tries to manipulate George by stating that he will leave him and ?live in that cage?. This irritates George who is desperate to win Lennie?s friendship back: I want you to stay with me Lennie, no you stay with me?. This shows that he needs him just as much as Lennie needs him. In general the reader can see that George needs his mate, Lennie to be able to survive, regardless of how mentally retarded he is. On the whole, the writer creates an immense contrast between both of these characters. The use of immaculate description, as well as short, sharp phrases assists the reader in gaining a vivid image of how theseShow MoreRelatedOf Mice And Men By John Steinbeck Analysis1000 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Of Mice and Men† by John Steinbeck, portrayed the times of hardship and struggle in United States’ Great Depression. When two exorbitantly contrasting drifters, try to make enough money by working on ranches to achieve their variation of the American Dream. Steinbeck effectively got readers attention through each dramatic page and ended the novella with a drastic turn of events that will leave the readers in awe. Although many book concerning the great depression may seem boring Steinbeck was successfulRead MoreThe Evolution And Purpose Of The American Dream1741 Words   |  7 Pagesknown as the American Dream. In John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men and Barbara Eh renreich’s nonfiction piece Nickel and Dimed, the protagonists define the American Dream in contrasting yet similar ways in response to the time periods in the texts, each character striving to become independent. In both texts, the desire to achieve the American Dream drives the protagonists to combat financial, societal, and medical obstacles, demonstrating how, while the American Dream evolves as time progresses,Read MoreExplore the Way the Writer Presents the Relationship Between George and Lennie in of Mice and Men3909 Words   |  16 Pagesrelationship between George and Lennie in â€Å"Of Mice and Men† Of Mice and Men was written in the 1937 by John Steinbeck, he other well know books as the Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden, h also received a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962. This book is set in the 1930s and set in California, his home region. During this time, the USA was suffering from a great depression, this meant that it was hard to find job because the economy was very weak, so to find job the men were disposed to go anywhere and theRead MoreOf Mice and Men - Lifestyle of the Average Itinerant Worker in America During the Great Depression1852 Words   |  8 PagesDiverse Cultures - English Coursework What have you learnt about the of 1930’s, as depicted by Steinbeck in â€Å"Of Mice and Men?† The Great Depression was a worldwide economic breakdown. It was the largest and most important economic depression in modern history; it began in the United States on Black Tuesday with the Wall Street crash of October 1929 and rapidly spread worldwide. It lasted about a decade, ending in the early 1940s. Poverty stricken, life became a struggle to survive. Banks,