Of Mice And Men Literary Criticism

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Literary Criticism: Of Mice and Men Listening to another’s unique perspectives and opinions results in a deepens the listener’s understanding of the world. In the same way, reading a literary criticism deepens the reader’s understanding of a writing. By reading Brian Leahy Doyle’s essay entitled, “Tragedy and the Non-teleological”, the reader gains a better understanding of John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men. Of Mice and Men was written in the mid-1930s and takes place south of Soledad, California during the 1930s. Doyle argues that, “Of Mice and Men contains a rising dramatic structure that is deceptively simple and seemingly lacking in the grandiose gestures associated with the tragic form. When he wrote the story, Steinbeck employed a non-teleological approach in its composition: in other words, the novel's- and the play's- action does not evolve out of a series of cause-effect relationships” (80-81). In support of his thesis, Doyle asserts that “Of Mice and Men, then, develops a cyclical structure employing a pattern of events which spirals upwards until the play reaches its climax and then abruptly concludes with the shot from George's pistol” (82). Doyle uses the parallel incidents that happen when Lennie feels a girl’s dress while in weed, and when he …show more content…
The reader may have not previously considered this element in their relationship. The importance of George and Lennie’s symbiotic relationship is easily overlooked, but is essential to the novella’s non-teleological theme. Doyle interpretation of the many parallels in the novella is intelligent, however it’s connection to the non-teleological theme of the novella is invalid. The repetition of events in the novella does not imply that these events do not have a cause or effect. By using this repetition of events as evidence to support his thesis, Doyle is suggesting that it

Of Mice and Men Literary Criticism Essay

Steinbeck is smart in that he symbolically has most of the characters crippled in some way. Steinbeck spends a lot of time establishing a strong connection between the two main characters, but there are subtle hints that tie back into the theme of men ending up alone, as it is there fate. While Lennie is positive that George is his friend, there are doubts that George can say the same of Lennie. While George is talking to Slim, he admits that he had just become used to taking care of Lennie and that…

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Historical Criticism In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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Migrant Farm Workers

exposition of the itinerant laborer's lonely life of moving and working, Steinbeck counterposes the dream that George and Lennie share. As mentioned above, it is not just any dream, or even simply the dream of a better life” (Attell). As reflected in Of Mice and Men, farm hands had dreams of having a better life. The characters in the book’s dream, along with their real-life counterparts, are not merely a fleeting aspiration or a simple desire for material wealth, but a coping mechanism to justify their lonely…

Words 2655 - Pages 11

Migrant Farm Workers

exposition of the itinerant laborer's lonely life of moving and working, Steinbeck counterposes the dream that George and Lennie share. As mentioned above, it is not just any dream, or even simply the dream of a better life” (Attell). As reflected in Of Mice and Men, farm hands had dreams of having a better life. The characters in the book’s dream, along with their real-life counterparts, are not merely a fleeting aspiration or a simple desire for material wealth, but a coping mechanism to justify their lonely…

Words 2655 - Pages 11

Essay on Log Entries

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Words 5612 - Pages 23