Symbol of love Of Mice and Men
This novel takes place during the Great Depression, which lasted from 1920 to 1940. John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men is a novel about what it means to be human. Steinbeck's story of George and Lennie's ambition of owning their own ranch, and the obstacles that stand in the way of that, reveal the nature of dreams, dignity, loneliness, and sacrifice.
One result of the Great Depression was a lack of steady jobs, which resulted in an increase in the number of traveling workers. Mostly, these workers were men who traveled from town to town looking for short-term jobs, just like Steinbeck described in his novel. Of Mice and Men begins beside the Salinas River near Soledad, California, where two immigrant workers, Lennie Small, and George Milton, are walking on their way to a nearby ranch. They have recently escaped from another farm they have worked. George was an intelligent but uneducated man, and Lennie was a man of large stature and great strength but limited mental abilities. They hope to one day attain their shared dream of settling down on their own piece of land. Lennie's part of the dream is to tend rabbits on the farm, as he loves touching soft animals, although he always kills them.
As they walk along, George criticizes Lennie for playing with a dead mouse and warns him not to talk when they arrive at their new place. George tells Lennie that if he gets into trouble as he did earlier, he should return to the place near the river and wait for George to find him. When they reach the bunkhouse at the farm where they will work, an old man named Candy shows them their beds. Soon, the boss starts questioning George and Lennie. He realizes Lennie's mental problem and cannot understand why George would travel with him, but George lies and he says Lennie is his cousin. After they get hired, the situation gets dangerous, especially when they are with Curley, who is the boss of the ra...
