The Three Main Themes Of John Steinbeck

’s Of Mice And Men Essay, Research Paper

Of Mice and Men, a novel written by John Steinbeck, clearly develops three themes:

man s desire to create and seek dreams, man s desire for companionship, and man s

responsibility to other members of society.

First, a person s want to pursue their dreams is expressed through many of the

characters. The primary example of this would be George and Lennie s attempting to

earn a stake and purchase a small farm. They had plans to live off the fatta the lan . (14)

Never again would the two have to work on cultivating another man s crops. Lennie, of

course, would get to feed the rabbits. Another example of man s need of having a dream

is Candy wishing to join in on George and Lennie s dream of getting the farm. Candy is

willing to give up his life savings so he won t have to worry about getting thrown out after

he becomes worthless. Curley s wife also has created a dream for herself. Before she

married Curley she had the opportunity of being in the movies and pictures. Now she

wishes for that to happen once again. All of these people have fantasies they wish to

attain.

Secondly, the topic of man s aspiration for companionship is indicated throughout

the story. Crooks has an immense hunger for genuine fellowship. Being black, he was

separated from the rest of the men, which made him lonely. Crooks said, Sure you could

play horseshoes till it got dark, but then you got to read books. Books ain t no good. A

guy needs somebody- to be near him. (72) Curley s wife is also in need of having

someone to spend time with. Sure she is married to Curley, but it s an intensely poor

relationship. Every chance she gets she tries to talk to someone, but for the most part is

ignored because she is married. Unlike most guys that work on ranches, George and

Lennie have a friendship. The two spend roughly all their time together. They show the

companionship the others characters want.

Lastly, the subject of man s dependability on his fellow man is shown in the novel.

Unlike the other themes, this one is mainly displayed through only two characters. Of

course I m referring to Lennie and George. As they say so many times I got you to look

after me, and you got me to look after you. (14) Lennie s aunt used to take care of him,

but she passed away and George said he would look after him. Since he is unintelligent,

Lennie is greatly reliant on George for all the necessities such as: food, shelter, and

guidance.

Man s need to produce and chase dreams, man s craving for camaraderie, and

man s responsibility to his fellow man are the main themes of the novel. They are

distinctly elaborated through numerous characters in the tale.