Crooks Character Analysis

In John Steinbecks novel Of Mice and Men, the character named Crooks was
segregated from the other men because he is black. This caused him to be lonely. He
was forced to sleep in a separate bunk than the others. Trapped in solitude all night long;
he resorts to books as his only companion. Trying to portray himself as proud and aloof
by his own will, but inside is happy to be around the other men. Crooks first tried to
make Lennie leave his room but then he decided that Lennie would not understand and
that he actually wanted someone to talk with. During his conversation with Lennie
Crooks reveals his loneliness on the ranch. I seen it over an over a guy talkin to another
guy and it dont make no difference if he dont hear or understand. Although he is
talking to Lennie about George, he is actually speaking of his own life. He needs
someone, someone to talk with, a friend. After Lennie explains his dream to Crooks, he
says he would work free. Later he decides that he does not want to face rejection. I
dont wanna go to no place like that. Id never wanna go to a place like that
Crooks is also a proud man, sometimes causing him to forget his lack of authority
of the ranch. Crooks grew up on a farm owned by his father where he was respected as
an equal to the white men. Now on this ranch on California he is discriminated against
and segregated. His pride is shown when he defends Lennie against Curleys wife, but
when she lashed out at him, he knows he must back down or face the consequences.
Those consequences would probably be being lynched. Inside he knows he is equal to
every other man on the ranch, but if he expressed these thoughts he would probably be
forced out of the farm, or even worse possibly. Crooks is a bright man. He knows his
rights, but he also knows that being a black man in California his rights didnt mean
anything if he made a mistake and crossed his boundaries.
A third characteristic of Crooks is intelligence. Crooks, unlike the other men,
reads books. He grew up as a free man, an equal to the whites. While he is not a slave on
the ranch, he certainly was not treated fairly. His knowledge only adds to his anger and
loneliness that he feels because he knows what it could be like, he knows that this is not
right. By reading, Crooks occupies his time and gains knowledge, but being with another
human being on the ranch would be much more important to him than any book he could
ever read. When Lennie comes into his room, Crooks knows exactly what to say to make
Lennie upset. However, he was kind and stopped saying that George would not return
when he realized Lennie was genuinely upset.
Lennie's Guilt in Of Mice and Men
Lennie Small, the strong but dull-witted farm hand, experienced a psychotic breakdown near the end of Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. This episode was brought on
by a tremendous feeling of guilt. While Lennie's head was full of the thoughts of the
death of Curley's wife, his burden upon George, and his mental relationship with his aunt
Clara and the giant rabbit, a somewhat confusing portrayal of Lennie's true guilt was
shown.
Lennie feels guilty about the death of Curley's wife. He accidentally broke her neck
while trying to calm her down. He was scared that George would get mad at him and not

let him tend the rabbits. Lennie felt guilty because he knew he had done a "bad thing."
Whether or not it was an accident, Lennie had killed Curley's wife. Lennie liked Curley's
wife, though he was not permitted to associate with her. When he killed her, it was as if
he was losing a companion, leaving Lennie with a sad feeling of loss. Lennie truly does
feel guilty about her death, not only because it was a "bad thing," but because he had lost
a friend.
A few times throughout the story, especially near the end, Lennie realizes how
much of a burden he is on George. George had always taken care of Lennie. Even when
times were rough, George always made sure that Lennie was alright. Although most of
the bad events the had taken place were Lennie's fault, George protected Lennie from
people and things that might have caused him harm. George tells Lennie that he could
have a wonderful time without him. Lennie knows that this is true. George could do
many activities that he cannot do without having to watch out for Lennie constantly. He
could spend his money in cat houses and in pool parlors. Lennie feels guilty because he
thinks that he is holding George back from money and women.
Lennie sees his aunt Clara and the giant rabbit during his psychotic episode. His
aunt Clara took care of Lennie when he was young. Lennie's brain remembers her as an
authority figure. For this reason, Lennie's brain chooses an image of her to place guilt
upon him. In their dream, Lennie tended the rabbits. Lennie's interpretation of this great,
fuzzy creature is an understandable object in which to relay his unaware guilt. The
rabbit, being one of the most important symbols of Lennie's life, is used to show Lennie
that his dream will not come true. This thought is a picture of his dream turning on him.
The thought of rabbits normally makes Lennie happy, but the guilt he feels conquers him.
The images of his aunt Clara and the rabbit are his way of coming to an understanding of
the
guilt in which he is not consciously aware.
Lennie's mental break-down was brought on by a heavy feeling of guilt lingering in
his simple mind. His brain's simple thought process showed Lennie what he was thinking
in the unconscious part of his mind, mainly guilt. This dream was triggered by the death
of Curley's wife, along with the under-lying thought of George's life, Lennie's aunt Clara,
and tending rabbits.
Loneliness is the central theme in the novel Of Mice and Men. Many of the characters
show signs of being lonely, some more than others. Loneliness haunts Crooks deep
inside. Crooks accepts things the way they are though. Crooks does not talk to the other
men and they do not talk to him. This causes the greatest amount of loneliness in Crooks
out of all the characters. Rejection can cause most people to become crazy, as it
did to Crooks. Other characters on the ranch show signs of loneliness also. But what
makes the others different is the fact that Crooks does not have anyone to talk with, the
others atleast have one person to talk to. Crooks actions along with not having any
friends show why he must be the lonelinest character.
Not having any friends is one of the reasons why Crooks is lonely. The other
workers on the ranch take place in fun activities, such as horseshoes and card games.
Crooks never gets invited to play. This resentment is due solely to the color of his skin.
The other characters all have someone to talk to. George and Lennie have each other,
Candy had both his dogs. The other workers are friends with one another. Curleys wife

is also lonely, but still has Curley. The men sit in the bunk house, talk and have fun on
occasion. Meanwhile Crooks is in his shed all alone. Crooks tries to explain to Lennie in
the shed why he is lonely. A guy goes nuts if he aint got nobody. Dont make no
difference who the guy is, longs hes with you...I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an he gets
sick (80). This is showing Lennie exactly how Crooks is feeling. Also, it explains what
Crooks has to deal with. He is trying to scare Lennie. Crooks is forced to explain that
he needs someone to talk to. The reader now becomes aware of Crooks terrible
loneliness
Readers can infer Crooks loneliness by the way he acts. There are many signs
throughout the novel that support this. Because Crooks stays in the shed all day one can
detect a sense of loneliness. Since Crooks does not ever talk to anyone his social life is
all in books. Crooks reads very much to suppress his loneliness and to When Lennie
comes into the shed a conversation arises between the two. Crooks tries to get Lennie to
see what it is like to be lonely. Spose George went into town tonight and you never
heard from
him again. Spose he took a powder and just aint coming back. Whatll you do
then?...Les say he gets hurt or killed and he cant come back (78). Crooks face lighted
with pleasure in his torture. This shows that Crooks is trying to make Lennie feel lonely
because he is lonely himself. Crooks is also trying to make him feel the hurt that he feels
everyday. By recognizing these actions taken by Crooks anyone can tell he is a lonely
guy.
Crooks actions along with not having any friends show why Crooks must be the
loneliest character. After looking closely at these examples one can conclude Crooks was
the loneliest in the novel. The most significant point why Crooks was the loneliest was
that he had no friends. Everyone else on the ranch had someone to talk to except Crooks.
The readers come to sympathize with Crooks throughout the novel. This is because most
people know what it feels like to be lonely.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
At first glance, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a tale of two best friends traveling
the countryside looking for work. This would seem like the norm for lower class people
trying to survive in the rat race of society. Yet, the story isnt merely George and Lennies
search for jobs. Rather, it is about their all out quest for the American Dream, the dream
of owning their own stake of land and ending their subservience to their bosses. In order
for this to happen, however, George and Lennie had to remain a team. They had to pool
their resources as well as their manpower, something their apparent mutual love for each
other seemed to take care of. Yet, an irrevocable rift between them sent the dream
crashing down. This caused Georges feelings of love and understanding to change from
being existent to non-existent.
Since the passing of Lennies aunt, George felt an obligation to take care of
Lennie as well as to act as his guardian. George fulfilled this role with love and
understanding. We first see change in Georges attitude towards Lennie when they moved
onto the ranch, their place of work. George immediately feels that he is jeopardizing his
relationship with other men in order to defend Lennies actions. George is further
discouraged when he realizes, based on Lennies behavior that he can never be left alone-

even to go to the bathroom. Lennie cant even be trusted not to kill puppies while petting
them. Lennie, in fact, goes so far as to kill the owners daughter-in-law. By this point,
George, a nice yet overly ambitious individual, could no longer control this growing
contempt towards his once beloved Lennie.
As Georges feelings changed, he started vocalizing his frustrations towards
Lennie. Before, George would plead with Lennie with words of love to run away. Now,
George actually suggests it. George relates to Lennie that he feels that he is holding me
(George) back from the good life, and that he could get his own little stake of land if he
freed himself of Lennie and his shortcomings. This is something the old George would
never dream of saying. George further alienates Lennie by scolding him mercilessly after
Lennie innocently told Crooks their future dreams. These comments reflected Georges
sentiments exactly. Lennie had become more of a nuisance than George could even
handle.
Once it becomes obvious that Lennie killed Curleys wife, George knew what they had to
do. There was no place for a retarded man in Georges coarse, hard world. George killed
Lennie for both their own goods. Neither of them could handle the constant fleeing that
Lennies condition caused them to do. Lennie was too much of a trouble for himself, and
for that matter, George as well. George could not deal with the responsibility of taking
care of Lennie anymore. Georges loving feelings towards Lennie changed drastically, so
he killed him and them went on with his life.
George didnt have to bother with Lennie; he could have abandoned him and gone on his
own way. But, he did not do that. He stayed with Lennie watching over him almost like a
parent to a child. Even though Lennie always got George in trouble, George never
stopped loving him and always stood by him. The friendship they shared went beyond
what was transparent. They each shared a dream and both knew they meant the world to
each other. For all their relationship shows for friendship and loyalty, it also shows how
sometimes you have to do things you never thought you would do. When George is
forced to shoot Lennie in the head, we would have never thought he would do that. But,
we can see that under the circumstances, George had no other choice. He only had two
choices. He would have let the other people get to him first and watch them torture
Lennie while he died a long horrible death. Or, George would do it himself and get over it
quickly where Lennie would not know what hit him. This is also true in life. Many times
we are faced with tough choices and even though they maybe the hardest we would have
to go through, we know that that is the only way there is. Suddenly, come to a realization
that everything we thought we were about can all change with a blink of the eye.
Naturalism is a literary style that displays action or thought that is derived exclusively
from natural desires and instincts (The Reader's Digest Great Encyclopedic Dictionary, p.
901). John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men contains several instances of this
element. Some of these are found when Lennie breaks Curley's hand, when Lennie kills
Curley's wife, and when George kills Lennie.
When Lennie breaks Curley's hand, Lennie's honesty is contrasted with Curley's
hotheadedness and arrogance. "Then Curley's rage exploded. . . . He crouched cowering

against the wall. 'You tol' me to, George,' he said miserably,"(Steinbeck 68). This scene
contributes to the novel the knowledge of the full extent of Lennie's honesty. The reader
is shown that Lennie doesn't want to hurt Curley even when Curley is hurting him, and
feels remorse when he is forced to go against his nature and inflict harm upon Curley.
When Lennie kills Curley's wife, it becomes apparent that Lennie's honesty is too
stubbornly childlike for the good of himself or anyone else. "Lennie was in a panic. . . .
And then he whispered in fright, 'I done a bad thing. I done another bad thing,'"(99).
This scene makes the reader aware that Lennie is too honest to fit easily into society and
not smart enough to understand how or why he must stifle his honesty. This helps the
reader to understand Lennie's strength and the childlike openness that drives him. Being
forced to stifle this honesty expedites his death.
When George kills Lennie, the reader sees that George is every bit as honest as
Lennie, but is smart enough to realize that such brutal honesty is impractical. He would
rather deceive and kill his friend than watch him die at the hands of a stranger. "And
George raised the gun and steadied it, . . . Slim's voice shouted, 'George. Where you at,
George?'"(117). George kills Lennie because it has now been proven that Lennie is no
good to himself or anyone else. This scene contributes to the knowledge of George's
honesty, but also shows that George must stifle the honesty of how he feels about Lennie
and get on with his own life.
Naturalism in this novel has the overall effect of making the conflict clearer and
showing more of a contrast between the opposing forces. The three events mentioned
have the overall effect of heightening the conflict and the contrast between Lennie's frank
honesty and brute strength with the other men's stifled honesty and false courage. This
courage appears to be lacking until the climax and final resolution resulting in Lennie's
death.
Of Mice and Men (1937), written in the same genre as The Grapes of Wrath, that of a
story about migrant farm workers and their lives as a reflection on society, was the book
that thrust Steinbeck into the limelight as a national celebrity. He won many awards and
honors including being picked as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Year.
Steinbeck's style is what earned this praise, that of a natural flow of words which are
simple in form but complex in their meaning. He painstakingly describes each setting as
the reader is introduced to it, showing not just the general layout but an "insider's view"
detailing the sensory perceptions evoked by the area ("A few miles south of Soledad, the
Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green. The water is
warm too, for it has slipped twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight before
reaching the narrow pool.") Feelings evoked by Steinbeck's entrances are unable to be
duplicated except by those who know the subject matter personally, a trait that he
possesses having grown up in an agricultural valley in Salinas, California. His upbringing
on the backdrop for many of his books enables Steinbeck to go beyond the paper and
print of a book and create life in his characters. He expresses their joys and pains with
such precision that the reader feels as if the characters were personal acquaintances and
not just fictitious. The following is a brief synopsis of Of Mice and Men. George, a small
man with restless eyes and strongly defined features, is leading his companion Lennie, a
large, clumsy man with a shapeless face and wide sloping shoulders, down a path to a
pool of water. There they drink and camp before heading to a ranch the next day to start
work. George scolds Lennie for petting a dead mouse and overall treats him as a parent

would a child. George tells Lennie that if anything bad happens while at the ranch to hide
in the brush by the pond. The next morning, they reach the ranch and have an "interview"
with the boss who becomes suspicious of Lennie for not answering any questions until
George reassure him that although Lennie is not bright, he is an excellent worker. Curley,
the boss's son and a small "handy" type of man, gives Lennie a hard time which an old
swamper explains is on account of Curley disliking those who were bigger than he was.
The swamper also said that Curley had just gotten married to a "tart." George tells Lennie
to stay away from Curley. Curley's wife comes into the bunkhouse looking for Curley and
Lennie thinks she is "purty." George tells Lennie to stay away from her so they can "roll
up a stake" and buy their dream of their own land with crops of their own and rabbits.
George promises to ask Slim, the jerkline skinner, for one of his dog's puppies for Lennie.
Slim and George talk about Lennie while he pets his puppy in the barn. Carlson, another
ranch hand, convinces Candy, the swamper, that his old, half-blind dog should be shot to
keep it from suffering. Carlson shoots it in the back of the head with his Luger. Curley
comes looking for his wife and hurries to the barn when he finds out Slim is there.
George tells Lennie about their dream again. Candy hears it and offers to give his $350 to
share in the dream. They plan on buying ten acres in a month. Candy thinks that he
should have shot his dog himself. Lennie is smiling about their dream and his rabbits
when Curley and Slim come back with Curley on the defensive ready to lash out. He
picks a fight with Lennie for smiling and beats on him until George tells Lennie to let
him have it. Lennie mauls Curley's hand. Everyone but Lennie, Candy, and Crooks, the
Negro stable buck, goes to Susy's for prostitutes and whiskey. All three end up in Crooks'
room with Crooks revealing his loneliness and asking to be included in the dream.
Curley's wife stops by Crooks' room out of loneliness and finds she is unwanted there.
The next day, while everyone was playing horseshoes, Lennie lay in the barn with his
now dead puppy.(He killed it by smacking it for trying to bite him). He worries that
George won't let him tend the rabbits now. Curley's wife comes in out of loneliness and
lets Lennie touch her soft hair. When she worries about him mussing it, she gets agitated
and starts to yell. Lennie is scared by this and shakes her to make her stop, breaking her
neck in the process. He realizes this is a bad thing and goes to the brush George told him
to go to. When Curley's wife's body is found by Candy, George steals Carlson's Luger
and goes to the brush. He shoots Lennie in the back of the head with it to avoid him
suffering at the hands of Curley and the others who wanted to lynch him. The main theme
of this novel is that "mean" people are not animals but are fragile, lonely people whose
cynicism, regret, and confrontational attitude are the results of their rejection by the
majority. Every character in this novel is depicted on a scale of "meanness." This
assessment is detailed as a recurring motif throughout the novel. "Meanness" directly
correlates to loneliness or being an outcast and vice versa. The following descriptions of
Crooks and Curley's wife are examples of this connection. Crooks does his job well and
"can pitch shoes" better than the others, but he is isolated from any friendship by his race.
Being black, Crooks is forced to live in a small room off of the barn and is not allowed in
the bunkhouse. Thus he keeps to himself and is perceived by the others to be "aloof." He
is so conditioned to his constant solitude that when Lennie tries to "set down with him"
he rejects his unconditional friendship at first with harsh words and a "mean" attitude,
scaring the simple-minded Lennie by suggesting that George might never come back.
Eventually his "meanness" crumbles when he realizes Lennie's uncorrupted views are

sincere, revealing a lonely man who only wants someone to talk to. Curley's wife is
regarded by the men as a tart who is only a harbinger of trouble since she is married to
Curley, the boss's son and a very "handy" man. Due to this, she is put off whenever
attempting a conversation with anyone and is seemingly always looking for Curley or
companionship of any form throughout the book. She is "mean" to Crooks and Candy, a
black man and an old swamper, pointing out their inequities, but when Crooks reverses
the situation on to her, she plays the "race card" and reminds him that she "could get
[him] strung up on a tree so easy it ain't even funny." She is the most pathetic character of
this novel. Not only is she nameless, but she is stuck in a loveless marriage, isolated from
all her former dreams of being in "pitchers," and is so lonely that she must seek a
relationship with Lennie, a man she thinks is "nuts" and would normally be below her
standards. Her death at Lennie's hands is ironic because it actually improves her wellbeing, allowing "the meanness and the plannings and the discontent and the ache for
attention" to all leave her, making her "face sweet and young." On the other hand, Lennie,
a simple childlike man of enormous strength, is known by all as a guy who's not mean at
all. He kills everything he loves (the mouse, the puppy, Curley's wife) yet is never
thought to be mean. But without George's constant mantra emphasizing that Lennie is not
mean, Lennie would have been sent to the "booby hatch" where they would "tie [him] up
with a collar, like a dog." Thus, to not be considered "mean," Lennie relies on his
relationship with George to verify his "innocence." But ironically, George has to kill
Lennie and consequentially their relationship in order to maintain Lennie's "innocence."
This pervading theme of "meanness" being a fragile shell of loneliness signifies
Steinbeck's sympathy for the outcasts of society, relating their demeanor to be a product
of their environment and no fault to themselves. The title is also significant for it
symbolizes the circular pattern of the novel. The "mice" of the novel, or the things Lennie
loves to pet (the mouse, puppy, and Curley's wife), are killed by being loved too much,
while the men of the novel, George and Lennie, have their relationship and thus their
lives destroyed by the "mice." Overall, Of Mice and Men, is a masterpiece of American
literature. Its simplicity of style in its freeflowing dialogue veils the complicated nature of
the story, with its statement on society's judgements. This book is a significant piece of
American literature in that it reveals the basic truth that man needs companionship;
without it he loses himself in a cloud of contempt, rejection, and loneliness. I loved
reading this book. I was enticed by its abundance of analogous characters and was
constantly thinking up new ways to interpret them. For me, this is the fun part of reading
and it is what made this book great in my mind. Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men is not so
much a novel of two men and their friendship as it is a strong statement that society's
judgements of people are subject to the position that the majority shares. Thus only those
who know the judged well, their friends, can make such judgements for otherwise we
would all be thrown in the "booby hatch" and be "collared, like . . . dog[s]." Each one of
us has irregularities, but if judged solely on those differences, without explanation of
them, we would all be guilty.
The same gun is used in the same manner to kill two beings, a smelly, old dog and a man
named Lennie, in the novel Of Mice And Men. This story deals with love and death
while displaying an everyday scenario about friends and isolation. The symbols in this
book represent the basic elements of human love.
7

Some of the characters in this novel, such as Lennie, Crooks, and Curleys wife,
epitomize loneliness. Lennie, bearing his retardation, has trouble fitting in with the
current workers at the ranch. Even though all the ranch hands praise Lennie for his hard
work, they leave him out of nightly activities such as horseshoes. George, Lennies
traveling buddy, is smart and fits right in with all of the employees of the ranch, adding to
Lennies isolation. The black stable hand, Crooks, sleeps alone in a tiny room in the
stable and is disliked by everyone except for Lennie. Since he is black, segregation is the
ultimate reason why no one tries to like or befriend Crooks. Lennie, who, as an innocent
person, has no bigotry in him, visits Crooks one night when everyone else is in town.
Even thought Crooks does not show it, he enjoys Lennies company, and it seems that he
and Lennie form a small friendship that would had developed more has the book been
longer. Another soul not included with the ranch clique, Curleys wife, whose name is
not mentioned in the book, is new to the ranch as well. She married Curley just weeks
before Lennie and George arrived. The ranch hands do not accept this lonely soul into
their social group because she is new. However, the ranch hands also do not accept
Curleys wife because she obviously is so lonely that the only way she can get attention is
by flirting. The only one who does not dismiss her when she flirts is Lennie who is
obviously trying to make a friend with another lonely person. These lonely individuals
make this novel into a very sad story of real life situations of when people really do not
fit in.
The idea of obtaining a little farm with animals and crops raised by George and Lennie,
and later joined by Candy, an old man, shows how dreams may cause a man to do
anything to fulfill that dream. Lennie is the most enthusiastic and determined to gain the
small farm and the all-important things -- the rabbits. Lennie repeatedly states that he
wants to take care of the rabbits. One reason that Lennie wants the rabbits is because he
loves soft things, but he also wants to prove George that he will not mess up by forgetting
to feed them. George is halfhearted about the idea, but fakes his enthusiasm just to
satisfy Lennie. To get away from his nomadic way of life, George supports the farm idea.
From his intimations given in the book, George ultimately is searching for a wife and to
settle down and start a family. The only way he thinks he can do that is via a small farm.
Candy, an older man, wants the farm as a nice place to await his coming death. Candy
offers his life savings towards the purchasing of the farm. Since he had a lot of money
saved up, the story suggests that Candy has been waiting for an opportunity like this for a
long time. Everyone has his or her perfect dream, whether it is a house on the
countryside, or a mansion in Beverly Hills.
Many of the characters epitomize friendship in each of their different pairs or groups of
friends. The friendship between Lennie and George is the strongest in the book and they
both watch for each other in different ways. George obviously is the smarter one of the
two and handles everything that Lennie cannot comprehend, which is most of the day-today events. Georges faithfulness to Lennie may be due to a huge promise to Lennies
aunt or he really loves Lennie enough to take really good care of him. In return for
Georges watchful eye, Lennie provides protection and security to George. Lennie looks
up to George, much like a younger brother would look up to a big brother. The

relationship between George and Slim, although not as developed as the relationship
between Lennie and George, is still important. When George first arrives at the ranch,
Slim instantly befriends him and advises him to keep an eye on Lennie. Also when
Lennie kills Curleys wife, Slim comforts George and again advises him to find Lennie
before Curley catches him. This type of friendship symbolizes a sort of father-son
relationship, with the parent watching over the children, or in this case, the new
ranch hands. Lennie, George, and Candy together demonstrate another small friendship
that mainly falls out of pity for the old man Candy. When Candy hears of George and
Lennies idea to buy a small farm, he jumps right into the planning and financing. This
friendship is the kind that develops over time due to common interests and convenience.
There are many types of relationships strong and weak ones but most result in the
comfort and happiness of the friends.
In summary, Of Mice and Men is a powerful story about human relationships that uses
Lennie to symbolize pure intent while using the others to demonstrate that many have
hidden reasons for their behavior. The murder of Lennie by his best friend in the end and
the killing of the dog give proof of the love that friends have for each other. In this case,
the love George had for Lennie was enough to put him out of his misery, instead of being
tortured and hanged by Curley. Pure trust and love in adult relationships is an ideal that
may be the sole domain of the child-like charm of a retarded adult.
Of Mice and Men, a novel written by John Steinbeck, clearly develops three themes:
mans desire to create and seek dreams, mans desire for companionship, and mans
responsibility to other members of society.
First, a persons want to pursue their dreams is expressed through many of the
characters. The primary example of this would be George and Lennies 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 mans crops. Lennie, of
course, would get to feed the rabbits. Another example of mans need of having a dream
is Candy wishing to join in on George and Lennies dream of getting the farm. Candy is
willing to give up his life savings so he wont have to worry about getting thrown out
after
he becomes worthless. Curleys 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 mans 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 aint no good. A
guy needs somebody- to be near him. (72) Curleys wife is also in need of having
someone to spend time with. Sure she is married to Curley, but its 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 mans 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 Im 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) Lennies 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.
Mans need to produce and chase dreams, mans craving for camaraderie, and
mans responsibility to his fellow man are the main themes of the novel. They are
distinctly elaborated through numerous characters in the tale.
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is a story which shows how weak the human trait
of loyalty can be if put through the test of time. It shows how people can turn on their
family, best friend, and even their life-long companions if they are presented with the
opportunity for advancement in life. This novel shows the reader the true animalistic
nature of all humans through the use of highly developed characters as well a thoroughly
developed story line.
George is not a strong man physically, but what he is lacking physically he makes
up for in his mentality. Although his abundance of mental strength does not become
apparent until later in the story, it is fairly obvious from the beginning that his physical
strength is lacking. Lennie, on the other hand, is physically strong as a bull(22),
according to George, but mentally is a weak as George is physically. Together, as they
travel from place to place looking for their chance at making their dream a reality, they
use each others strong points to help them complete the task. Without one another the
two characters would have absolutely no chance at success, for what one is lacking the
other has an ample amount of. George and Lennie are the perfect example of how
opposites attract.
The two of them have spent the majority of their adult lives together and know
each other better than they know anybody else in the entire world. They share their hard
times and the good, their victories and their defeats, but most importantly they share a
common dream. That dream is of having a little house and a couple of acres an a cow
and some pigs an live off the fatta the lan(14), where Lennie can take care of the
rabbits just as George has been taking care of him over the years. This is Lennies chance
to pay George back for all of the kindness that he has had bestowed upon him out of his
true love and loyalty towards George.
When they arrive at the ranch where they will be working the first person that
they meet is an older gentleman named Candy. Candy has lived a long and hard life on
the ranch and has nothing to show for it. During his time on the ranch he has lost his
hand, grown old, and feels that he has become worthless. The name Candy is an
interesting one for this character though. When you think of candy you see children
eating it while running around in the yard having a good time without a care in the world.
This is the exact opposite of what the character in the novel is. The restless demon of age
has caught up with him and he is not able to move as fast as he once did; even his dog is
unable to ward off the negative effects of time.

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Candy loves his dog with all of his heart; it has been his best friend for years and
according to Candy he has Had him since he was a pup. I herded sheep with him. (44)
Even though he cannot run as fast as in his prime or herd sheep like he did when he was
younger Candy loves him just the same. He appreciates all of the joy and loyalty that his
once great dog has brought to him during his life and is ready to let his friend now live
out the rest of his natural life. Unfortunately that is not the way that some of the other
people in the room see it. Carlson feels This ol dog jus suffers hisself all the time. If
you was to take him out and shoot him right in the back of the head right there, why
hed never know what hit him(45). Carlson even offers to give him a new dog to replace
the one that he is about to destroy. The way that Candy sees it is that he is not hurting
anyone and that there is no reason to have to end his life prematurely. Even though
Candy loves his dog more than anything else in the world he chooses to let someone
shoot his dog in the back of the head. After all that they had been through and all the
years of loyal service that his supposed best friend had performed for Candy, when
pressured into a decision, he chose to defy his loyal companion and make the decision on
when he should die. This leads one to wonder why he made the decision that he did.
What drove Candy to defy the trust his loyal companion of years? Candy knew that his
pet had limited time left in his life, and after he passed, who would Candy have to call a
friend? He let Carlson kill his dog in hopes that the other workers would then give him
the friendship and loyalty that his dog had provided him for years. If this happened,
Candy would not have to spend the rest of his life alone and desolate in his old age; he
would then have friends and people who he could talk to. He had been lacking this for
years and wanted to obtain it desperately, even if it meant betraying his oldest friend.
George and Lennie have the same relationship that Candy and his dog have shared
for so many years. They are as close to each others hearts as any two people can be in
life. George has given up his chance at a somewhat normal life to help Lennie live as full
of a life as he is mentally capable of doing. As the story progresses you see that George
starts to resent the fact that he is being held back by Lennie: crazy son-of-a-bitch. You
keep me in hot water all the time(11). After George said this His anger left him
suddenly. When George blows up on Lennie he then remembers that although he does a
lot of Lennie, Lennie does a lot for him. Without each other both would be lost in life
and have nobody else to turn too. This all changes once the two characters get their jobs
on the ranch together. George fits in very well with all of the other workers on the ranch
and sees that for the first time in his life, he has a chance to live a typical life. He
becomes almost infatuated with the idea of being able to have friends and not have to
travel all over the place running from the trouble that Lennie has got them into. As time
goes by on the ranch where the two characters are working, George starts to become a
little slack on looking out for Lennie. He knows that Lennie cannot take care of himself
and that it is hard for him to stay out of trouble, but he still leaves him alone more than he
has before. It seems that Georges priorities have been switched around and that he is
more concerned with having a good time with the guys than he is about making sure that
his life-long companion is safe and not getting himself into trouble on the ranch. This is
shown rather clearly when George goes into town and leaves Lennie behind to do as he
pleases. He is not worried about what kind of trouble Lennie may get in to; all he is
thinking about is having the chance to go out with the guys and have a good time. This is
something that he could not have done in the past because he had to worry about Lennie

11

and make sure that he was not going to get into any trouble that would endanger himself
or George. For some reason he does not seem to worry about this when he makes the
decision to leave. Is it because he is happy that Lennie is not going to be around him this
time and that he can go and do as he pleases without having to have Lennie tag along and
put George in an awkward position with the rest of his fellow workers? It seems that this
is exactly what he is thinking when he totally disregards the idea that Lennie could make
a mistake which would lead to dire consequences.
Later in the story George once again puts his new found friends in front of the
obligation to take care of his best friend in the entire world. While George is outside
playing horseshoes with all of his coworkers from the ranch he lets Lennie wander
around and do as he wishes, which he knows can lead to trouble. While outside having
fun with the others he never even seems to worry about where his traveling partner is or
what he is doing. George is preoccupied with his other life, the one spent away from
Lennie and his responsibilities.
When George finds out that his neglecting to supervise Lennie has led to a
tragedy he never once blames himself. If he would have been watching Lennie and taking
care of him as he promised to do, none of this would have happened and nobody would
be dead. Now, due to Georges lack of loyalty to Lennie and his promise to take care of
him, Lennie is doomed to suffer the consequences of an action that could have been
prevented had he not been left alone.
George knows that the workers from the ranch will kill Lennie when they find him and
gives only a half-hearted effort to try to persuade them from pursuing this act of
destruction and murder. As the story closes, George, in a somewhat noble act of kindness,
makes the effort to find Lennie before any of the workers from the ranch can. He has a
choice to make after he finds Lennie: he can run away and hide as he has done in the past,
therefore insuring the safety of his onetime closest companion, or he can take Lennies
life himself. Due to his lack of loyalty to Lennie and his selfishness he chooses to take
Lennies life. It is significant to the story how George decides to kill his friend. He does
not even give Lennie a chance to get away from his pursuers but instead he shoots him in
the back of the head just like what had been done to Candys dog.
After all of the loyalty and love that both of these creatures had given to their
respective friends, both of the superior creatures decide that they dont need them any
more and choose to end the dominated creatures lives in a less than honorable manner.
When given the chance to gain something that he wanted, George chose to alienate and
kill his most loyal friend in the world in the same manner that dogs and other less than
human creatures are disposed of when they are no longer needed. This display of
Georges animalistic nature when presented the chance for advancement in life shows
that loyalty, when put to the test, is never as strong as the persons desire to achieve his
own dreams.
Although Steinbeck is not trying to say that you can never trust the people that
you call your friends, he is saying to be careful of those who call you a friend but only
think of themselves while saying it. Even after spending the majority of his life calling
Lennie a friend, George still betrayed him for the chance to become who he wanted to be.
The animalistic nature of people tends to come out when they have the chance to seize
what they believe is rightfully ours. So dont trust everyone who can trust you because
everyone has got an agenda in life that shows us where they want to be. If you stand in

12

the way of obtaining their goal they may be likely to step over you to get to it. As George
has showed us, the human trait of loyalty can become very weak if put through the test of
time, so avoid trying to test it so that you may not end up as Lennie did, being treated no
better than an old mans dog.
In Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" the characters struggle with loneliness and loss of
dreams. These themes are highlighted by the use of parallels that tie the novel together.
The relationship between Candy and his dog parallels that which exists between George
and Lennie. There are also parallels between the outcasts and Lennie which emphasize
the pain of lonliness. The opening scene mirros the final scene.
The relationship between Candy and his dog parallels that which exists between
George and Lennie. To the men who live in the bunkhouse, Candy's dog is nothing more
than a "dragfooted sheep dog, gray of muzzle,...with pale, blind old eyes," (p. 24) but
Candy sees him as a companion. To George, Lennie is more than a "big guy" (p. 25) who
can't speak for himself. On the ranch Lennie is suspected to be of no value because of his
lack of intelligence, and Candy's dog is thought to be of no importance because he has no
teeth, can hardly see and can't eat. The dog is "no good to [Candy]" (p. 44) and he is "no
good to himself" (p. 44). After Lennie kills Curley's wife, he's no good to George or
himself. Carlson's luger, which is used to shoot Candy's dog in the back of the head, is
also used by George to shoot Lennie in the back of the head. Slim had said earlier that he
wished "somebody'd shoot [him] if [he] got old an' a cripple" (p. 45) and he also
acknowledges that George has to shoot Lennie, telling him that he "hadda" (p.107). Both
Candy's dog and Lennie are killed out of love. Candy feels that his dog no longer needs
to suffer and George never wants Lennie to suffer for a crime he did not mean to commit.
The parallels that exist between the outcasts and Lennie emphasize the harsh pain of
loneliness. Crooks tries to shut out another outcast, telling Lennie that "[he] ain't wated
in the bunkhouse and [Lennie] ain't wanted in [his] room" (p. 68). Curley's wife, an
outcast herself, sees Crooks, Lennie, and Candy as "a nigger an' a dum-dum and a lousy
ol' sheep" (p. 78), but she is not even wanted there with them. All the outcasts have been
left at the ranch while the other go into town. This further shows their separation from all
the ranch.
The opening scene of the book mirrors its final scene. In the beginning the pastoral
settin symbolizes the opportunity and hope that lie before George and Lennie, while at
the end of the story the calm setting is a reflection of a find of heaven. Lennie's blissful
ignorance is present both times. A heron and a periscope-like snake are there in the
beginning and the end. George speaks of his living off the fat of the land in both
instances to pacify Lennie. The rabbit motif is seen in the beginning and the end, but its
meaning has turned. In the opening Lennie wants to tend rabbits, and in the end the giant
rabbit crushes his dreams by telling him that he is not good enough. The opening scene is
an exact reflection of the closing scene, yet this time the dream has been crushed.
Dreams are a train of thought or images passing through ones mind. Of mice and mens
two main themes consist of dreams and pipe dreams. Dreams can lead to problems,
success, or neither. Dreams can also lead to new dreams as well. Some individuals can
carry out their dreams, others cannot. Dreams involve commitment and one can never
achieve it if youre not dedicated in following through. This goes with just about any
goal or dream. Each individual character has different and specific pipe dreams. These
pipe dreams help to go more in depth in understanding each individual character. The
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pipe dreams shape the characters behavior and affect the way the character makes his/her
decisions. Throughout the story, Of Mice and Men, focus a lot on pipe dreams. The
title of the book relates to Burns poem when it states:
But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o mice an men
Gang aft a gley
An leae us nought but grief an pain
For promised joy
This also states that others encounter problems as well when they look into the future and
try to make plans. Others as well, find that their planning might be futile and fruitless as
time goes on.
George and Lennie both fit into the category of wanting to carry out their dreams
and be different than everyone else by taking care and looking out for one another.
Although, many of their individual pipe dreams followed a different view, but there were
still some in which they shared. George was the base of his and Lennies friendship and
loyalty. He was the root or leader so to speak. George would be the one who would
keep things going on properly and more in order, to an extent. George had to be the
base since Lennie was not strong enough. Proof of this is when he stated:
If George dont want me, Ill go away. Ill go away. (Page 110)
Lennies pipe dreams were more selfish and related to himself rather than Georges.
Lennie wished for rabbits, and furry creatures to satisfy his urges. This showed his lack
of control, intelligence, and his liking towards soft things. George and Lennie did share
their goal about the farm and both wanting to succeed at it. They also knew that they
would be different from the others because they had each other to rely on. Their dream
of the farm in the future and the pipe dreams symbolized their security. Even though
problems arose between George and Lennie, George had to always be the leader and this
helped preserve both of their hope. Still, Georges loneliness doesnt really begin until
the end.
Candys loneliness is similar to Georges loneliness at the end of the book because
of their relationship to their close companions is lost. Candys close companion is his
dog and Georges is Lennie. Both relationships involved loyalty and friendship. Candy is
extremely attached to his dog, the way Lennie was attached to George. A part of Candy
dies when his dog is put down.
Candy looked a long time at Slim to try to find some reversal. And Slim gave
him none. At last Candy said softly and hopelessly, Awright-take im. (Page 52)
Candys dreams shifted in the story when his dog dies and he suddenly becomes
interested when George gives him the idea to come and start a ranch with him and

14

Lennie. It almost seemed as if Candy had no reason to go on after his dog died. Having
new dreams arise to him made him look ahead and kept him more interested in life.
Curleys wife had a similar form of loneliness as Candys when his dog was put
down. Curleys wife didnt feel as if she had anything to live for. She seemed to have
raised nothing but trouble and temptation between the men. Curleys wife didnt lose all
that much in the end because she had nothing ahead of her, nothing to look forward to,
and she was effected and suffering with her dreams and loneliness.
I get lonely, she said. You can talk. (Page 95)
Even her marriage was admitted by the author as a mistake. Curley, on the other hand,
was the opposite and took his problems using anger and frustration.
By Christ, hes gotta talk when hes spoke to. What the hell are you settin us
into it for? (Page 28)
Curley is more antagonistic and it seems hes angry when his own thoughts or dreams
arent happening the way it wants it to. Basically, he gets angry when he doesnt get his
way.
Crooks dreams on the other hand, are not selfish. He just wants to fit in with
everyone else. Crooks dreams are more involved in receiving self-respect, and fairness
from the rest. Hes different from everyone else on the ranch and because of this, he is
singled out and not treated the same due to his race and color. An example of this is
stated:
I aint wanted in the bunk house, you aint wanted in my room. (Page 75)
The three main themes in the novel are similar in many different ways. All the
different dreams and pipe dreams of the characters reflected their behaviors and decisions
throughout the story. Dreams are similar to pipe dreams just by the fact that the goals of
a character reflect on his/her decisions and attitudes towards problems or issues.
Georges life was most changed by the end of the story because of the fact that he is now
finally starting to really be alone. Its somewhat ironic. Throughout the story, all the
characters different types of loneliness is described with George and Lennie being one
of the prime examples. However, in the end, George is back at square one, maybe even
behind square one since Lennie is gone, and now he doesnt have a companion to take
care of him, help him get through problems or anything. George killing Lennie at the
ending of the story was more proper because it at least gave Lennie the decency to die
with some peace, loyalty, happiness, reassurance, and comfort rather than by the workers
in which Lennie would have been scared, confused, and killed with no dignity. In respect
to Burns poem, mice are the individuals that dream their dreams but men actually carry
out their dreams
Of Mice and Men Essay

15

If you try hard you can achieve anything, That is what most people say and think it is
true. But thats not the case all the time. Sometimes you cant achieve everything you
work for. Achieving what you want, such as a goal or a dream mostly comes true to the
common hard worker. Yet there are some people left out into the cold. This relates to The
Novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. The characters, such as George, Crooks and
Curleys Wife prove that not all dreams come true.
In the book Lennie killed Georges dream to having his own farm. The dream George had
was to have a farm of his own one day and live off the fat of the land. With this Dream he
allowed Lennie to help with the dream since he always has to do things with him. Later
into the book one of the men also working at the farm decided to join to insure their
possibility of getting the farm since George wouldnt be able to do it by himself. But as
luck would have it nothing worked out the way it should have. Lennie, being the not so
smart person he is killed Curleys Wife unintentionally by snapping her neck. From this
George knew that the dream would not be accomplished and had no choice but to shoot
Lennie. This is one perfect example of how not all dreams come true.
Crooks had his dream shattered by Curleys Wife to keep him from dreaming at all. In
Chapter 4 of the book Crooks found out about the dream that Lennie and Candy had put
together and thought about join them in the farm. At first he was skeptical about the
whole situation because he thought that Lennie was acting crazy. Being in the time he
was and the color of his skin he thought that there would be no hope for him. But after
talking to Lennie he began to think of how nice it would be if he had a farm of his own
since he wouldnt ever be able to have it actually happen. While in this state of mind
where he thought that he could do anything, Curleys Wife comes in to give him some
discriminating words. This brought Crooks back down to Earth and allowed him to think
realistically. Crooks soon realized to forget about dreaming because he would never have
a successful one anyway. This is a great example on how a made dream can yet be
achieved.
Curlyes Wifes Dream would never come true not leaving her with anything at the end.
She dreamed of being and actor and living in the big times. She was never able to be
successful through it. The directors said they would give her a role but never did. With
never being able to be an actress she saw Curley and decided to marry him since she
knew she wouldnt be able to achieve her dream. From this she had to settle with a
husband she didnt like leaving here with a very unhappy for the rest of her life. Not
having any of her dreams accomplished she thought it was over with her, no one would
talk to her or care about her. She was down to her last resort. From this she was
unfortunately killed by Lennie, having her neck snapped. This is a perfect example on
how dreams that are set dont always happen.
George, Crooks and Curleys Wife, are three good examples of what happens to dreams
sometimes. This book deals greatly on dreams. With these three characters I dont see any
one of them to be able to rebuild his or her dream. I dont see George being in charge of a

16

farm with no one big to help him out. Crooks wont ever be respected to leave him with
being an outcast for the rest of his life. Last is Curleys Wife, who is dead so that explains
it right there. Dreams come true a lot, they even come true every day. People achieve a
lot, get metals and do extraordinary things. But there are some people who dont achieve
much leaving them with nothing such as bums. This is why I say; even the hard worker
wont achieve everything he or she has hoped for.

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