Of Mice and Men And American Depression Beginning Essay

In 1930, the American Depression began. It was to become a feature that would affect many people’s lives. Men such as George and Lennie had no literacy skills; therefore their job span was increasingly limited. George and Lennie were unique in the way that they went around the country working on the ranches together. John Steinbeck used George and Lennie’s companionship in these times of hardship to reflect optimism and hope. Steinbeck’s knowledge is mirrored in a vast amount of this book in the way that he produces scenes for the characters to encounter and try to solve. America turned on its people in the Depression, forcing even the severely disabled to work for they had no other options they would not survive if they did not have any capital. Workers used the ranch’s resources to comfort themselves. Workers even came to the ranches on a Saturday afternoon, so they could have all their meals on the day of rest and then depart without doing any intense labour. The book illustrates this fact with the quote. ‘ Guy that wants to look over a ranch comes in Sat’day afternoon. He gets Sat’day night supper an’ three meals on Sunday, and he quit Monday mornin’ after breakfast without turning his hand’. This quote emphasises the ranch workers dependence upon the ranches and in a way lets us into the typical ranch workers pattern of thoughts, therefore this reiterates how the migrant culture worked. Throughout the book, George and Lennie have a pipe dream; this dream has been a goal, a goal to keep them from spiralling into depression. The dream is to be able to afford their own piece of land and live in peace and harmony, however the dream interprets two opposite trains of thought. For Lennie it means that he can look after the rabbits, therefore it creates a childish reality. For George he craves independence to make his individual character content, however George knows that this is a dream, he is not thinking about what will most likely happen. This was the case for many American ranch workers; they fulfilled these dreams by reading magazines with stories such as ‘The Dark Rider’. For example ‘ He went to his bunk and put his head on his shelf. Then he picked a pulp magazine from his shelf and brought it to the light over the table. This emphasises the American Dream and this is why this of magazine was so popular, it produces a play in text about a fantasy ranch worker, who travels majestically about the country on his ebony stallion. For the ranch workers they envisage that it will be them upon the stallion doing deeds to save the country, this reflects the migrant cultures point of convergence with their dreams and how it kept their hopes up high during these times of hardship. Steinbeck selects George and Lennie out of the vast migrant culture, for their unique circumstances and their overpowering friendship. For example: Lennie broke in. ‘But not us! Because†¦ because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you and that’s why.’ This quote depicts their fondness for one another and how important friendship was. The task for Steinbeck was to create an array of characters who had different characters and attitudes at this time, yet they formed a team who had to work together and cope with each other’s habits. The migrant culture was a population of people from different backgrounds; therefore this point is dissected from the rest of the book very well At the beginning of the novel, we follow George and Lennie through the state of Soledad trying to seek work. To make matters worse the bus driver dropped them off more than four miles from their location. ‘Jes’ a little stretch down the highway,’ he says. ‘Jes’ a little stretch.’ God damn near four miles. George is obviously angry about the bus drivers heartlessness towards these two men, however men like George and Lennie were easy targets, as the man knew he would never see them again and they were lower class civilians, therefore people showed no respect towards them. Travelling these long distances in such isolated conditions was a daunting task and there must have been some murders and fatalities in such solitary conditions. The migrant culture brought the aspect of danger into many peoples lives. On arrival. George and Lennie have to go to the boss office to submit their name and various details. It is vital that they both have a reputation for being hard workers at this early stage or they could be asked to leave. The boss’s suspicions are aroused by Lennie’s lack of communication and he immediately asks questions such as: ‘He ain’t much of a talker, is he? and , I said what stake you got in this guy? You takin’ his pay away from him?’ These questions show that the migrant culture was untrustworthy and nobody could be trusted. In the migrant culture the vast majority of ranch workers decreased every man’s chances of being noticed and looked after, therefore if the worker was not working up to the average standard they would simply be told to leave. It was a dog eats dog world and the other ranch workers were certainly not sympathetic to your feelings. For example: You was pokin your big ears into our business,’ George said. ‘ I don’ t like nobody to get nosey. Ranch workers had to have a depth of insensitivity and be oblivious to acrimonious comments. Loneliness featured in the novel was the result of bitterness. There were three main characters that represented loneliness in the novel. Crooks was a black man who looked after the stables. During the American Depression, black people were shown little respect and the white people regarded them as slaves making hurtful comments and forcing them into isolation for the insignificant reason of their colour. To add to Crook’s misery, he had a severely bowed back, this limited his work span and his isolation became greater. Crook’s was bitter towards all white people for the way they had mentally scared him and for this reason he showed no feelings towards them either. Crook’s was even a solitary figure at night, for he was not even allowed into the bunkhouse let alone to sleep in there. Crooks confided in books to make up for his social loss, however he could only seek refuge in a book to a certain degree and soon he fell into the bottomless pit of seclusion once mo re. Crooks was even foul to his equals such as Lennie. ‘ Crooks said sharply: ‘ You got no right to come in my room. This here’s my room. Nobody got any right in here but me.’ This quote reflects Crook’s bitterness and shows that his isolated life has made him selfish. The America Depression and the migrant culture turned on black people and treated them as dirt. Crooks feels this harsh mannerism and understandingly turns against it, which makes him uncivil too. Curley’s wife is another lonesome character, who seeks solace with the workers on the ranch. Her isolation is increased by the fact that she is the only woman on the ranch and the only unemployed person as well, therefore she has far too much time on her hands. Her hasty marriage was a way to conquer loneliness; however it has only stretched her detachment from the world. Other lonesome characters such as Candy and George will not mix with her, as they see her as a troublesome threat. The only person on the ranch who listens to Curley’s wife is Lennie, however the relationship is not true, for Lennie’s mental problems make it infeasible for him to join in any conversation. Lennie’s power is what makes Curley’s wife attracted to him, for Lennie crushed Curley’s hand during a fight. Most women would be furious with the man who had injured her husband, but Curley’s wife laughs saying to Lennie.’ Ok, Machine. I’ll talk to you later. I like machines.’ This implicates how she hates her husband and reveals that she only married him for security. Curley’s wife knows that Lennie is mentally inadequate, therefore she feels as if she has power over him and of course it is unlikely that she has ever experienced this feeling before. The migrant culture has had a great effect on Curley’s wife life. The men who once had time for her, now have to work to survive, therefore they have no time for her inane chatter. George is another solitary character on the ranch. This may sound inaccurate, but as we have discovered Lennie is mentally disabled and cannot participate in sort of conversation. George may be able to have a social life at the ranches, however he will only stay at a ranch for a small duration of time, so close friendships cannot be made. The migrant culture had an immense impact on ranch workers social lives and soon they would have become social outcasts. In chapter three, Lennie brings the subject of the dream into conversation, while sitting down with George one night. George informs him of a reasonably priced farm he has discovered. Candy joined in the conversation still traumatised by his elderly dog’s sudden death asking the details of this house. George is reluctant to tell him for the reason that it has been George and Lennie’s dream from when they started roaming the countryside for work and it would seem immoral for them to invite someone they did not know into it at this stage. Candy is not struck back by these comments and informs them that he has $450 saved up in the bank. ‘ George half-closed his eyes. ‘ I gotta think about that. We was always gonna do it by ourselves.’ George portrays a reluctant character who is unwilling to co-operate, yet inside he is probably celebrating the making of his dream. The sudden scope of this dream that has been released is truly magnificent. George and Lennie have conquered every migrant worker’s pessimistic prospect, to make their dream realistic George is overcome by this unexpected event that he knows will change his life for the rest of his days. In the book he frees his humble and timid character to replace it with an electrifying and bold person who we have not seen before. Quotes to reflect this outburst are: George said reverently: ‘Jesus Christ’! I bet we could swing her.’ His eyes full of wonder. ‘I bet we could swing her,’ he repeated softly and George stood up. ‘We’ll do her,’ he said. ‘ We’ll fix up that little old place an’ we’ll go live there’. George is ecstatic he has finally found a way to make his naturally independent character content and he will be able to make his own money by being the boss, the man he has respected for so long. At last Lennie will be safe from the temptations of the world that he simply cannot handle. George and Lennie have found hope in these mentally painful times, which scarred so many men for life. This scene interprets the fortunes of the human life and after many downfalls they have come to a conclusion, that many migrant workers never found. In novels after optimism comes despondency. The ending of this book is tragic. Lennie, who has become easily influenced by Curley’s wife flirtatious movements becomes too attached to her and when asked to feel her hair he becomes over exuberant and in sheer panic clings on to the delicate framework of this woman, Curley’s wife slumps to the ground like a ragdoll taking the effect of this man’s awesome power with a broken neck to prove the damage, which can not be reversed. The tragedy led to Lennies disappearance and the ranch workers pursue him , however George knew where he was from an earlier plan and went to find him. ‘The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger. The crash of the shot rolled up the hills and rolled down again. Lennie jarred, and then settled slowly forward to the sand, and he lay without quivering.’ A emotional scene for two people we thought were so fond of each other, however George knew that Curley and fellow friends were going to kill him and in the most brutal manner possible to mankind, which would have been distressing for the two companions. George thought it would have been appropriate for Lennie’s last living moments to be filled with the memory that they loved the most, the dream. The dream would not be fulfilled after Lennies crime and death; therefore he would be of a majority once again working to make his dream reality and this is why so many migrants ended becoming severely depressed and killing themselves as a result of their bitterness and hurt. John Steinbeck creates a novel, which depicts a compelling yet brusque meaning. Steinbeck brings out the truth of these times and does not try to shroud it and keep it away from the human eye, for nothing can hide the truth. Since George came to this ranch in Soledad, we have been through his pain with him and happiness, however we have always had the dream in the back of our minds. Grasping the fact that the dream will never occur has added a touch of realism to this book and made us realise that this is not a imaginary story, instead it is the hard hitting truth. The novel has made it obvious that the typical migrant workers life was a continuous circle, which never changes its shape and that it would be the same for George from now on. Hopes and Dreams have been the ‘backbone’ for this story. Many of the characters have mentioned a dream and at that point their tone of voice changed. For example: She looked up at Lennie, and she made a small grand gesture with her arm and hand to show that she could act. The fingers trailed after her leading wrist and her little finger stuck out grandly from the rest. This quote shows how Curley’s wife sparkles on the inside, when she talks about her illusive acting career. Dreams meant so much more to people during the American Depression as they do to our generation due to the great span of activities we can do today compared to the limited amount in the 1930’s.A number of peoples dreams can be accomplished today for we have the technology. Hopes and Dreams became the great factor in George and Lennie’s relationship, for it gave them something to talk about that they both understood and talking is the key to a good friendship. Lonesome migrant workers did not have a friend to confide instead they constantly thought about the long working hours and their isolation. A dream kept them focused and acted as an aid to comfort them. George has now become one of these lonely souls, who we envisage trekking along dusty roads with a face tangled by his own grief. It would not have been right if Lennie, George and Candy went to the idyllic farmhouse and lived happily ever, as that would have not been reflecting the outcome of so many migrant workers lives and Steinbeck would have been interpreting a false hope to the reader. Characters in the novel such as Candy and Crooks fell into the ‘invalid category’, where they were envisaged as being outsiders who looked up to normal people on the ranch. Crooks was a black man and at the time of the Depression, black people were looked upon as dirt and only being able to do jobs that would not involve them with any human contact, therefore he was very much isolated from the world and felt bitter and resentful towards any human who tried to bond with him. An example of Crook’s bitterness: ‘ Crooks said sharply: You got no right to come in my room. This here’s my room. Nobody got any right in here but me.’