coffee, croissant and book on table

Useful Values are Highlighted in John Steinbeck’s Novel “Of Mice And Men”

John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice And Men was published in 1937. It portrays human endeavors during the hard times of the Great Depression.

The author is a prolific writer whose novel resonates with readers of all ages. The themes he uses to tell the story can be related to a wider audience. 

man with brown book reading

Of Mice and Men 

Of Mice and Men, the novel written by John Steinbeck is a fable about George and Lennie, whose ambition is to own a ranch. But they face obstacles along the way.

Lennie is a mentally handicapped giant. He makes the ambition of owning the ranch worthwhile. However, ironically, Lennie becomes the biggest obstacle to achieving the goal. 

The parable reveals the way the dreams, loneliness, sacrifice, and dignity of the characters, Lenny and George, go awry. This duo is illustrated as belonging to the working-class category that has hardly any meaningful freedom.

It shows us the danger of putting your trust in dreams that might hold us captive. It teaches us the priceless value of companionship and friendship. 

Free essay example written by experts 

Of Mice and Men is centered around the themes of companionship, loneliness, and dreams. The story ends in a tragedy with George shooting Lennie.

Perhaps the themes around which the story is built can be good topics for a research paper for a college student. Free examples of essential of mice and men essays can be a valuable source of inspiration.

The examples are written by professional writers and researchers. You can check out these samples on Gradesfixer to explore ideas for your essays. 

If you are interested in writing topics about this novel, start by exploring the samples of papers. Then construct an outline to work with that can closely match the themes of the novel Of Mice And Men.

The outline can be basic and generic, with pointers in the introduction, the main content in the body, and the lessons learned in conclusion. 

The predatory tendency of humans 

All the characters in the novel Of Mice And Men are rendered weak, helpless, and lonely. Yet, they are scheming to destroy those others who are weaker than them instead of helping each other.

This preying on others causes some confusion. The author of the novel depicts this cruel tendency as a characteristic of human existence. 

The most powerful episode of the cruel predatory nature is seen in Crooks behavior. He criticizes Lennie’s dream to own a farm and pulls his legs about his reliance on George. Although Crooks himself is vulnerable, he preys on another person’s weakness. 

Fear is a powerful emotion 

Every character in Of Mice and Men fears somebody or the other. George and Lennie live in fear as they flee from a lynching. Candy fears that his life will end up like his dog’s. Carlson killed the dog because it was too weak and old. Crooks fears lynching. Curley fears that he might lose power and control over the workers. 

This fear is felt by everyone who works in the land. They are all scared of each other. And yet, they cannot live without each other.

The novel suggests that for oppressed people, an inextricable part is fear. This powerful emotion even extends to the oppressors. These could be useful points for every student. 

Your loneliness makes you vulnerable 

Of Mice And Men is a lesson about the predatory nature of humans who prey on other people’s loneliness. All the characters in the novel admit that they are going through profound isolation and loneliness.

Therefore, they desperately desire a friend’s comfort. However, they settle for consolation from a stranger. 

Crooks is separated from others on the ranch due to his race, which makes him bitter and angry toward people. This unfriendly behavior brought on by his literal isolation stops people from approaching him.

This demonstrates the harmful results of loneliness. Interestingly, the novel is set in Soledad, which translates to solitude. 

Analysis of the novel 

Steinbeck wrote the novel with different chapters and scenes that contain the actions of the story. Each of them begins with a conflict and ends with a conclusion. But the common central conflict runs throughout the scenes. The novel is a Broadway play that was created shortly after the book’s publication. 

The central idea of the novel is a statement of humanity’s meaning during the Great Depression era.

Through the characters, the author examines what humanity means by allowing each character to show a different side. Struggling, dreaming, striving, friendship, peace, and justice are woven through the fabric of this tale. 

Conclusion 

The lessons throughout the novel Of Mice And Men portray the characters going through love, dream, fear, and justice.

The author Steinbeck gets to narrate the story of humanity by playing around with these themes. This is a story that has a lesson for each one of us.