Of Mice and Men

Analysis of Detail:

From his first paragraph, John Steinbeck sets the scene in Of Mice and Men through his use of imagery as he describes the natural world as a parallel to later events in the novella. These vivid descriptions can be used to foreshadow future events in the novel and represent characters.

Take the following quote for instance: "the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green." Some words that provoke the senses in that quote are "deep" and "green." Deep arouses thoughts of heaviness, solidity, and strength. These characteristics can be used to describe George. Though he is smaller in size than Lenny, he is definitely Lenny's support. He is solid in mental state where Lenny is weak. The word green can be used to symbolize young, fresh, lively, and natural people and objects. Children often have these traits, and Lenny is very much like a child. His mind is innocent and simple.

Another quote found in the first paragraph is "under the trees the leaves lie deep and so crisp." The deepness of the piles of leaves means that all of the leaves are depending on the others. They are relying on each of the other leaves' strength. It provokes thoughts of dark and cool places. Lenny is like the pile of leaves in that he depends of the strength of George to protect him. His mind could represent that cool and dark place, since he is simply mentally disabled. When leaves fall from the trees and remain on the ground they turn crisp. This shows age, fragility, and brittleness. George can be compared to this. He is not fragile or brittle, but he is weaker than Lenny. His temper can be fragile at times, as he is quite hot-tempered. With age comes wisdom, and George shows this wisdom in the face of troubles.

Steinbeck also writes "the limb is worn smooth by men who have sat on it." Smoothness arouses feelings of welcome. Many smooth objects, such as the branch, have been well used. George could be compared to the branch. He has been used by Lenny for help, and he sometimes even feels a little worn down from this. Despite that, he welcomes Lenny to remain as his traveling partner.

All of these quotes are found in just the first paragraph of Of Mice and Men. By analyzing the words and imagery used, the reader can discover that there is deeper meaning hidden in the sentences of the novel.

Analysis of Point of View:

The third-person objective point of view shows that even though the men live solitary lives, they still yearn for care and love. The men in Of Mice and Men, and most men of that time period, travelled alone. They seemed to try not to make connections, so that their moves where clean breaks. Many may have even tried to put on a mask to hide their true feelings. Despite this, these men really longed for good relationships.

One character in the book has an old, blind dog. His bunk mates try to convince him to kill the poor animal. "Candy threw his legs off the bunk. He scratched the white stubble whiskers on his cheek nervously. 'I'm so used to him,' he said softly. 'I had him from a pup.'" (p. 45) This scene shows how Candy feels about his dog. He really cares about the dog. In fact, he cares enough that he has had the dog for many years. Candy knows that killing his pet would be the best option, but he just does not want to lose the dog. Candy does not want to lose possibly the only real, loving relationship he has. He may seem like a loner, but truthfully, he has a partner in his dog. He yearns for the love and devotion that dog gives him.

Another passage shows the longing for care: "Slim said 'You hadda, George. I swear you hadda. Come on with me.' He led George into the entrance of the trail and up toward the highway." (p. 107) Obviously, George is very upset about the murder he just committed. He lost a friend. He lost a good, strong relationship that he had built. Also, Slim shows genuine care for George. He tries to console George and even leads him up the trial. George seems to give up trying to be a loner, and he takes the care that Slim is giving him.

All of these men may have liked some of their coworkers better than others, but they also tried to make and keep caring relationships. Whether they loved a brother, a friend, or even a dog, they worked hard to show their pal how much they cared.

Analysis of Tone:

The lonely and melancholy tones in Steinbeck's writing reflect the sad lives and conditions of the Great Depression. This is reflected because Of Mice and Men is set in the Great Depression. Many passages in the novel have such tones that have an effect on the reader.

One passage that has a lonely tone is on page 39: "You know how the hands are, they just come in and get their bunk and work a month, then they quit and go out alone. Never seem to give a [care] about nobody." This passage speaks of the solitary lives that the workers live. They do not seem to care about anyone or travel with anyone. Their lives can be lonely since they try to simply work instead of making friends. This lonely tone carries on into the entire book, and almost every character ends up experiencing loneliness.

The passage, "He reached into his side pocket and brought out Carlson's Luger; he snapped off the safety and the gun lay on the ground behind Lennie's back. He looked at the back of Lennie's head, at the place where the spine and skull were joined." (p. 105) has a very melancholy tone. This passage provokes great sadness and a feeling of despair. George, the character whom the passage is about, loves Lennie immensely, yet here he is, about to kill Lennie. The whole situation is devestatilgly sad. In the wording of the passage, George seems to be pretty emotionless despite what he is about to do. Multiple passages provoked feelings of melancholy, but this was the worst.

All in all, Of Mice and Men was a sad book. This sadness is due partly to the story, but the tone that Steinbeck uses also has a huge impact on the reader's feelings. The book leaves readers feeling like the characters and the tone: lonely and melancholy.

Analysis of Theme:

All throughout Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck and his characters explore the question, "Am I my brother's keeper?" In the novel, George asks as Lennie's "keeper." Even when Lennie offers to leave because he is such a nusiance, George says "I want you to stay with me, Lennie...No, you stay with me. Your Aunt Clara wouldn't like you running off by yourself, even it she is dead." (p. 13) Of Mice and Men shows that humans are their "brother's keeper." The novel shows the bond between humans and how they take care of each other in times of trouble. Sometimes, this relationship only helps the party in need, such as Lennie. George, however, lets Slim in on the benefits he gets.

"'I ain't got no people,' George said. 'I seen the guys that go around on the ranches alone. That ain't no good. They don't have no fun. After a long time they get mean. They get wantin' to fight all the time.'"
"'Yeah, they get mean,' Slim agreed. 'They get so they don't want to talk to nobody.'"
"'Course Lennie's a nuisance most of the time,' said George. 'But you get used to goin' around with a guy an you can't get rid of him.'" (p. 41)

George obviously cares about Lennie and likes the company he gives. Plus, Slim seems to understand the desire to help. All people rely on other people at some point in their lives. Therefore, we should all look out for our fellow humans if we expect as much in return.