Of Mice and Men

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Of Mice and Men
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Steinbeck deals with a number of themes in the
novel

• Friendship
• Loneliness
• Indifference of the world
• Worth of the life of an individual

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• The many conflicts and themes add up to one
  overriding question
• Does human life have a purpose?
• Or
• Is there a reason for our struggles?

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• All characters, except Slim, are portrayed as
  either victims or predators
• George and Lennie are searching for goodness, for
  their version of paradise, yet the laws of
  nature, the cold realities of an uncaring world,
  seem to prevent them from attaining their reward

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Style of Novel

• Steinbeck set out to create a new literary form
  in Of Mice and Men
• He developed the characters through speech and
  action rather than letting the reader in on their
  thoughts
• He starts each chapter with a description of the
  setting.
• Dialogue is used to reveal characters

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Language of the novel

• Steinbecks language descriptions of nature are
  full of imagery and metaphor
• Since the story is about laborers, it is
  appropriate that their dialogue is unrefined and
  realistic
• Slang, profanity, and uneducated pronunciation
• The coarseness of the language contrasts with the
  tender motives of the main characters

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Point of view

• The story is told through third person, objective
  point of view
• Reader is not directly let in on the thoughts of
  the character or their feelings about themselves
  and others.
• Reader must draw his/her own conclusions
• Helps reader feel the information presented is in
  a straightforward manner and that no information
  has been left out

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Setting

• Time period and physical setting determine the
  mood and help the unfolding of the plot
• The time is during the Depression years, when
  people had little but the clothes on their backs
• Many were homeless and wandered the countryside
  picking up odd jobs

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Setting

• The place is a small ranch near Salinas River in
  California
• His descriptions of the riverbank and barn scenes
  contrast with the bunkhouse setting
• The natural scenes evoke a sense of beauty and
  openness
• The indoor scenes evoke starkness and imprisonment

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Motif

• Motif is a reoccurring symbol in a piece of
  literature
• Theme, character or verbal pattern

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Allusion

• An allusion is a reference to another piece of
  literature.
• Usually is to the Bible or mythology

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Foils (Contrasts)

• Foils are opposing characters
• They have opposite personalities
• Author uses set of contrasting characters to
  highlight their differences

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Foreshadowing

• Use of hints or clues

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Irony

• Irony is the contrast between appearance and
  reality.
• There is situational irony (something that
  happens) and verbal irony (something that is said)

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Simile

• A simile is a comparison between two unlike
  objects using like or as
• She is as pretty as a rose.

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Metaphor

• Comparison between two unlike things
• DOES NOT use like or as
• He is a crab.

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Symbol

• Something which stands for something else while
  retaining its own meaning

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Imagery

• Descriptive phrases that appeal to the five senses

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Personification

• Giving a non-human object human qualities
• Example - The rock jumped over the lake.
• The wind whistled through the night air.