Common Themes In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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The Great Depression was a period of time when men lost jobs, making them and their family move to other places to look for any job possible. The novella Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, published in 1977, is a story about two people two really close friends looking for a job, but are having a struggle because one of them doesn't think as fast as normal people, which later turns into a bigger conflict, involving death. The movie Places in the Heart , directed by Robert Benton, which was released in 1984, is about a struggle that a widow had to face after her husband died, but was helped by her two new friends even though one was colored and the other on had disabilities as well. A common theme in Depression-era storytelling is friendship, …show more content…
First, knowing the disabilities Lennie has, he still always helps him and also shares the same dream “We're gonna have a little ranch a couple of acres and an a cow and some pigs.” (14 ). This shows how much George and Lennie are attached that they have a dream that they both thriving for, that also includes both of them. It is important to know and realize that during those times it was really rare to have a friendship because of always being on the move. Next, “When Lennie’s Aunt Clara died, Lennie just come along with me out workin’, got kinda of used to each other after a little while.” (40) This shows that even though of Lennie's illness, George still let him join him even though he knew he might never get a job or a own place to stay at. This proves that for George, friendship will always come first to him, which was really rare back in the depression-era. Last, when Lennie ran away because he killed Curley's wife, George’s last words to Lennie were “You...an’ me. Ever’body gonnabe nice to you. Ain’t gonna be no trouble. Nobody gonna hurt nobody nor steal from ‘em.” (106) This shows that before killing Lennie, George tells him all about the the “good” things that will happen after. This quote is really powerful because, instead of letting the squad kill him, George kills him by himself to not go through what Candy had to go through when they killed his one and only friend. During the book I …show more content…
During the depression-era in 1935, the most uncommon thing is to have a friendship that was unique. Edna excepted Mooses inside and offered him a place to stay even though he stole her silverware. Back during the depression-era,being nice to a colored person was really rare especially if you are a widow like Edna for example. Racism towards colored people was a really huge problem and knowing that someone who is caring and loving like Edna, was just as rare too. When Mozes and Edna agree to work together and go try to buy cotton, Mozes proves himself as a loyal friend by noticing and pointing out that they were about to pay more money than they were supposed to, even though he knows how dangerous and risk taking it is to talk back to a white person. Sexcsism and rasicim were two huge problems back during the depression-era. Being a widow was a hard thing back then because, no husband ment no money and if you have no money or land. Next, when the huge storm came, instead of hiding and running away for safety, Mozes helps Edna bring the horse in and save her. This shows just how much Mozes and Edna start to care for eachother even though they started off with the wrong foot. Even though Edna is colored and Mozes is colored, they both have a similar problem, which is being judged by race or gender. Last, when the kkk tried to kill Mozes because of his race, Mr. Will came to his aid even
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