One Lesson John Steinbeck example essay topic

662 words
Of Mice and Men Of Mice and Men, which was written by Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck, is a very clever and well thought out short novel. Steinbeck seemed to have a thing for the poor and struggling working class people of this country. His characters in this book are typical low class farm workers, yet they are very unique in their own ways. By the end of the book you feel for some of the characters while others you don? t give a damn about. The one character that drove the story in Of Mice and Men and made it an unforgettable book was Lennie. The other characters like George, Slim, and Curley didn? t really have anything special or unique about them.

There was something special about Lennie though. Lennie is mentally handicapped to put it lightly. He has got some major screws loose upstairs. Through out the book Steinbeck shows Lennie's low IQ by how this character only thinks about one thing, and that's that he hope's George will let him take care of the rabbits when they get their own place, which never happens. Lennie wasn? t just retarded, but he was physically very strong. Lennie was a big and powerful guy.

Unfortunately Lennie didn? t know that he was strong or big. All he thought about was the rabbits. Curley's hand was crushed easily and his wife was killed accidentally by the pure strength of this huge guy. That is why Lennie was the character that made this book. I think the one lesson John Steinbeck was most trying to get across in Of Mice and Men was that everyone needs somebody so they aren? t lonely. Other then George and Lennie, the other characters are all very lonely and are looking for someone or dreaming of something better.

Crooks said it best; ? A guy goes nuts if he ain? t got nobody? Crooks felt very alone all through out the book. No one liked him or talked to him because he was black. Curley showed he was lonely through his anger. He was always trying to pick a fight so others would pay attention to him.

His wife would flirt with the other guys like Slim and Lennie because she was extremely lonely. Curley's wife hated her husband, and was never given any attention by him. Being lonely is not a good thing and I think that is a lesson Mr. Steinbeck was trying to get across. Today in America it seems that those people who are lonely or don? t have friends are likely to commit suicide. There are stories every day of teens that have committed suicide and then when teachers and parents of the kid are interviewed they tell the reporter how the kid kept to themselves and didn? t have friends.

Maybe kids picked on them, or maybe their parents always fought, but either way they still became very lonely. It also seems that these people who are lonely are the ones that shoot up their school or work places. A lot of lives could be saved if everyone would give somebody just a little attention now and again. There was a time when I was very lonely not to long ago, but I was brought out of me self-inflicted depression by my family. Even my mind wondered then but I never let anything get past that. I can understand though how it must feel to be lonely for years.

That's a place I hope I never get to. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a book that will get you to think about things like loneliness and true friends. It will also make you thankful of the friends that you have.