Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Of Mice and Men The End Analysis Essay
ââ¬Å"What happens at the end of this novel shows that Steinbeckââ¬â¢s view of life is a pessimistic and negative one.â⬠By the end of the novel tragedy struck the hopeful couple Lenny and George, as once again Lenny have ââ¬Å"done a real bad thing.â⬠He accidentally killed his little puppy, not knowing that it would ââ¬Å"get killed that easilyâ⬠. It really wasnââ¬â¢t his fault, for it ââ¬Å"ainââ¬â¢t little as miceâ⬠, though it ââ¬Å"wasnââ¬â¢t big enoughâ⬠of a puppy either to be kept outside its motherââ¬â¢s reach. And if that wasnââ¬â¢t bad enough, on that same day he viciously killed Curleyââ¬â¢s wife. In the barn she was consoling her loneliness by talking to Lenny in a ââ¬Å"passion of communicationâ⬠. With pleasure she talks of her dreams and of her life, about how her life would be if she ââ¬Å"made somethinââ¬â¢ of herselfâ⬠. How she was said to be a ââ¬Å"naturalâ⬠in movies and how her ââ¬Å"olââ¬â¢ lady stoleâ⬠letters from a guy she knew that ââ¬Å"was in pitchersâ⬠. Her dream dies as with her body as Lenny tries to shut her up. Not knowing his own strength he breaks her neck after she struggles to break free, and ââ¬Å"her body flopped like a fishâ⬠, as Curley did when he tried to let go of his hand from Lennieââ¬â¢s strong grasp. As soon as Candy and George discovers the unlawful act that Lenny has done, they try to reason with his actions and find the best action that should be taken against him. Pessimistically George wants to ââ¬Å"get ââ¬Ëim anââ¬â¢ lock ââ¬Ëim upâ⬠, for his own good so he wonââ¬â¢t ââ¬Å"starveâ⬠to death. In the end George decided to kill Lenny, for he thinks that if anyone should lynch Lenny, it should him that would kill Lenny, mercifully. I agree with the statement that Steinbeckââ¬â¢s opinion on life by the end of the novel is a pessimistic and negative point of view. By pessimistic I mean that he has a tendency to stress the adverse aspects of a situation, in this case expecting the worst possible outcome in life. Negative, meaning he expresses denial, refusal, prohibition, bad, or evil things in general. The ending of this novel in my opinion is very tragic, having three deaths occur in one day which not only does it represents physical death, but also emotional death. I see death as the negative side to life, but then again death can be seen as something positive, as religion tells us of something called heaven, which for Lenny might be ââ¬Å"tending rabbitsâ⬠and ââ¬Å"live off the fatta the land.â⬠On page 112 where George describes the perfect life: ââ¬Å"Everââ¬â¢body gonna be nice to you. Ainââ¬â¢t gonna be no more trouble. Nobody gonna hurt nobody nor steal from ââ¬â¢emâ⬠, it is all positive things. But the fact that Lenny had to imagine it means that he canââ¬â¢t see it with the naked eye, therefore it does not exist in reality, leaving reality with the opposite of that imagination of the perfect life which is the negative things. I believe the puppy represents the death of trust and responsibility in the companionship between Lenny and George. George trusted Lenny to take care of his puppy, but once again Lenny acted irresponsible, not listening to Slimââ¬â¢s and Georgeââ¬â¢s advice to not take away the pup from its mother. This is why Lenny was very nervous after the dog gets killed. He was afraid ââ¬Å"maybe George ainââ¬â¢t gonna let me (Lenny) tend no rabbitsâ⬠, that George would lose his trust on Lenny. He was afraid that George would pass a negative judgement on Lenny. The death of Curleyââ¬â¢s wife I say would mean the death of the innocent. I thought she was caught in the middle of life in the 1930ââ¬â¢s where her gender was discriminated against, and as a wife she should stay at home ââ¬Å"where she belongsâ⬠. I feel pity for her living on a ranch where there arenââ¬â¢t many other women around. As her husband prohibits her to talk to other men, people might find her as ââ¬Å"troubleâ⬠, ââ¬Å"jail-baitâ⬠, one that ââ¬Å"conceals nothingâ⬠. Lennieââ¬â¢s death, the climax of the novel situated at the end of the novel is very important. His death expresses the death of true friendship between George and Lenny, unlike the other migrant workers relations. The death of Candyââ¬â¢s dream of having a place he can call his own, the death of Crookââ¬â¢s hope to be treated as equal, as a human being and also as a friend. The relationship between George and Lenny are different from other guys. ââ¬Å"We got each otherâ⬠, not like other guys who ââ¬Å"ainââ¬â¢t got nobody in the worlââ¬â¢ that gives a hoot in hell about ââ¬â¢emâ⬠. Lenny and George get a sense of security out of this. This may be considered a luxury for any other migrant workers. Candy who is old and weak also yearns for security. ââ¬Å"Jusââ¬â¢ as soon as I canââ¬â¢t swamp out no bunk ââ¬â houses theyââ¬â¢ll put me on the countyâ⬠, shows how he is afraid of his future, how if heââ¬â¢s unemployed with no permanent residence and what would happen if he would be left out in the streets. He was deeply stricken with sadness, as ââ¬Å"his eyes were blinded with tearsâ⬠and how he just ââ¬Å"lay down in the hay and covered his eyes with his armâ⬠. Crooks who tries to ââ¬Å"conceal his pleasure with angerâ⬠as Candy and Lenny both were guests at his bunk, is a man who lost all his pride and dignity because of racism. People degrade him in a level so low that he has no more self-confidence or even self-respect. With the coming of Candy and Lenny he gained them piece by piece. For a moment he felt to be part of something in Lennieââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"dreamâ⬠, how he hoped to live a better life where people would treat him with the respect that he deserves. All is but a memory once Lenny is killed, no chance the dream would come true. Iââ¬â¢d think everybody would just go their separate ways, living their lives in a straight line, hardly ever cross. Steinbeckââ¬â¢s style of writing noticed in the description of nature on chapter 6 is far more violent than described in the beginning of the novel. ââ¬Å"A silent head and beak lanced don and plucked it out by the head, and the beak swallowed the little snake while its tail waved frantically. But one could argue that his negative view on life already started from the beginning of the novel. The title ââ¬Å"Of Mice and Menâ⬠which is taken from a poem by Robert Burns says that no matter how you plan something, something always goes wrong. George expected the worst possible outcome, being pessimistic of Lennie, by foreshadowing him to get in trouble. If you look in the positive way, the end can also mean a new beginning.
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