How does Steinbeck display the theme of predatory human existence in Of Mice and Men?

The original question had to be edited down.  I would suggest that there is much in the text to depict a theme of predation that exists in the interactions of human beings.  The friendship between Lennie and George is so unique to the other men on the farm precisely because it lacks this predatory element.  Steinbeck shows that the condition of predator and prey underscores the nature of human beings.  In doing so, attention is raised in the hopes of changing such a condition.

In Steinbeck's rendering, the world is shown to be fairly brutal.  Men like Carlson and Curley are in the position of power, looking to exact more for themselves at the cost of others. Curley's need to always pick a fight, demanding respect through confrontation, is a part of this.  Carlson packing a gun and seeking to initiate violence as a part of his mechanism to solving problems is another example.  Both men display a construction of human existence where there is a clear predator and a clear prey.  Candy's dog and Lennie at the end of the narrative become this prey. It acquires meaning that George tends to Lennie at the end, preventing the predatory mob from exacting its perceived revenge on him.  At the same time, Steinbeck displays this theme in chapter five when Curley's wife encounters Crooks, Lennie, and Candy.  They are her prey as her venom strikes at their powerless condition.  This was precededed by Crooks striking at Lennie with constructions of fear and abandonment.  In this predation, Crooks wishes, if only for a moment, to be a predator in a world where his social and economic condition makes him out to be prey.  In an even sadder construction, consider that Lennie's interactions with animals such as mice and puppies is one in which he is a predator and they die as his prey.  Lennie, the embodiment of goodness and purity, is incapable of extricating himself from the cycle of being in which there is a clear prey and a distinct predatory.  Predation becomes a part of Steinbeck's construction of being in the world and a thematic reality of the novel.

Steinbeck's narrative depicts sad people.  One reason they are sad is that they are caught in a state of consciousness where the nature of human existence is one in which there exists a clear and defined notion of predator and prey.  The novel displays how this theme underscores human consciousness.  The social realism to which Steinbeck is wedded demands that individuals see this reality in their own life and seek to change it.

How does Steinbeck display the theme of predatory human existence in Of Mice and Men?

A predator is an animal that preys on other animals weaker than itself. The character in Of Mice and Men who best fits this description is Curley. Curley is the son of the boss of the ranch, and he exploits and abuses this position of power to prey upon the men who work on the ranch. These working men are dependent upon Curley's father for their jobs, and they are thus in a weak position relative to Curley. Through the character of Curley, Steinbeck shows that the predatory nature of humans is directly linked to the exercise of power.

About halfway through the novella, Curley decides to attack Lennie. Curley knows that Lennie is helpless and unlikely to fight back, and so he attacks Lennie with a cruel ferocity. He "slashe[s]" and "smashe[s]" at Lennie. Lennie backs away, "too frightened to defend himself," and Curley, as if hitting a punchbag, continues "slugging him in the face." Curley feels able to act in this vicious, predatory way because he feels that his position as the boss's son makes him untouchable. He knows that the men cannot fight back because if they do, they are likely to lose their jobs, and jobs were particularly hard to come by of course during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Curley feels able to give free reign to his predatory nature because he has so much power over these men.

At the end of the novella, Curley discovers the dead body of his wife. It is obvious that Lennie is responsible for his wife's death. Curley shows no signs whatsoever of grief for his dead wife, but he is instead filled with a predatory thirst for blood. He exclaims, "I'm gonna shoot the guts outa that big bastard myself...I'm gonna get 'im." The palpable sense of excitement in Curley's voice and the conspicuous absence of grief suggest that Curley's desire to satiate his predatory nature far outweighs any love that he ever had for his wife. He is driven by this predatory thirst for revenge. The suggestion here is that Curley's predatory nature is so strong because it has been fed for so long by his position of power on the ranch.

How does John Steinbeck portray society's treatment of people in Of Mice and Men?

Lennie Small, a character who should be treated with a gentle kindness due to his mental challenges in this novel, is instead looked upon by society with scorn and ridicule.

His closest companion is George, who both takes care of him at times and verbally berates him. Consider the following exchange:

"You remember about us goin’ in to Murray and Ready’s, and they give us work cards and bus tickets?”

“Oh, sure, George. I remember that now.” His hands went quickly into his side coat pockets. He said gently, “George . . . I ain’t got mine. I musta lost it.”

He looked down at the ground in despair.

“You never had none, you crazy bastard. I got both of ‘em here. Think I’d let you carry your own work card?”

Lennie grinned with relief. “I . . . I thought I put it in my side pocket.” His hand went into the pocket again.

Lennie looks to George for leadership and an understanding of the world which he himself lacks. He trusts George, which is why his death is all the more tragic. George reflects on their younger days together, further illustrating Lennie's blind faith in him:

"If I tol’ him to walk over a cliff, over he’d go. That wasn’t so damn much fun after a while. He never got mad about it, neither. I’ve beat the hell outa him, and he coulda bust every bone in my body jus’ with his han’s, but he never lifted a finger against me.” George’s voice was taking on the tone of confession. “Tell you what made me stop that. One day a bunch of guys was standin’ around up on the Sacramento River. I was feelin’ pretty smart. I turns to Lennie and says, ‘Jump in.’ An’ he jumps. Couldn’t swim a stroke. He damn near drowned before we could get him. An’ he was so damn nice to me for pullin’ him out. Clean forgot I told him to jump in."

Although George may not directly put Lennie in harm's way after this accident, he doesn't really treat him with kindness or compassion, either. This lack of understanding assaults Lennie from every angle of society. When Curly attacks him, Lennie tries to avoid retaliation, only doing so because George commands it and then miserably repentant of any pain he's caused as he stands with blood on his own face from being attacked.

The only acceptance he seems to find is in comforting small animals, so he craves this sense of relief. When Curly's wife calls him "nuts" and then offers to allow him to pet her hair, Lennie is placed in a situation which he doesn't understand and without his typical means of interpreting the world around him: George.

The world does not understand Lennie's childlike wonder of the world and his inability to reason or predict consequences for his behavior. His entire existence is marked by hostility, anger, and derogatory comments, devoid of acceptance or compassion.

How does John Steinbeck portray society's treatment of people in Of Mice and Men?

In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses his characters to show how society treats people. Lennie Small is mentally challenged. He often makes wrong decisions due to his childlike qualities. He unintentionally harms animals and people due to his childlike desire to pet soft, furry animals. He also is fascinated with soft textures. He is on the run because he touched a girl's dress. He would not let go and the people accused him of trying to harm the girl. He was just interested in her dress fabric, but society interpreted his actions as dangerous to the girl.

Lennie's mental disability is a frowned-upon handicap by society during this time. Lennie has no friends except George and Candy, and George has also been mean to Lennie by playing dirty tricks on him from time to time. Also, Curly is abusive to Lennie because he takes pride in ridiculing him. Curly likes to bully people. He tries to take advantage of Lennie's slow abilities.  

Mentally retarded people always bring out the sadistic potential in certain types of boys and grown men. George himself used to play dirty tricks on Lennie just for meanness.

Crooks is a black man who feels superior to Lennie because of Lennie's mental disabilities. During this story, blacks were inferior to white people. Picking on Lennie makes him feel superior. 

Crooks is at the bottom of the social ladder on the ranch because of his race and his broken body. But he sees in Lennie an inferior who could make him feel one rung higher. 

Because Lennie is so strong, he often unintentionally harms people and animals. He means no harm, but society treats him as if he is an abusive person. When Lennie accidentally breaks Curly's wife's neck, Curly is determined to hang Lennie. Society has no mercy on Lennie, even though it was totally an accident. 

For this reason, George knows he has to shoot Lennie before Curly can find him and torture him. Curly does not care that it was an accident. He has no understanding for Lennie's disability. 

Steinbeck reveals the views of society during this time through his characters' actions and dialogue. 

Steinbeck was a realist. His characters show good and bad qualities, and many of them change, as real people must do. 

How does Steinbeck portray Lennie's animal-like qualities in Of Mice and Men?

Penelope3907 does a great job pointing both to specific instances in the text where Lennie is directly described as having animalistic qualities and to motifs of association wherein Lennie is repeatedly aligned with mice and dogs and a sense of closeness with animals. 

Late in the novel, when Lennie is fleeing alone from the scene of the murder, he is again described in distinctly animalistic terms. 

"Suddenly Lennie appeared out of the brush, and he came as silently as a creeping bear moves."

In this scene Lennie's attitude/behavior at the stream is highly animal-like and he is surrounded by wild creatures - a heron, a small bird and a snake. Here then we have both the associative motif connecting Lennie to animals and a direct description of Lennie's animalistic qualities. 

Given the repeated and insistent connections made in the text between Lennie and a certain animalism, we might ask what this means. What is the significance of Lennie's animalism? 

There are many ways to interpret Lennie's character in this light, but one compelling reading suggests that Lennie's animalism functions as a counter-part to George's social savvy.

Furthermore, insofar as Lennie is attached to George, Lennie's "naturalness," so to speak, hampers any social progress or social integration that George might make. 

The simple dreams that George fosters for himself individually are complicated by Lennie. George's desires for going in to town for a drink or finding a girlfriend are compromised by George's bond with the animalistic Lennie. 

Notably, when Lennie is killed, the first thing George does is to head into town for a drink. He leaves the brook, with its natural life and its avatar/symbol (Lennie), and makes his way toward a socialized world. 

Again, there is more than one way to understand Lennie's significance as an animalistic character. This is just one argument among many.

Another way to see Lennie's animalism is to read his connection to the natural world as a suggestion that Lennie is not "innocent" in a conventional sense. He is capable of real violence - as any animal is - and thus is best seen, not as an innocent victim of circumstances, but as an impulsive being who lives (slightly) outside the bounds of human morality. 

Lennie's death is then a symbolic death wherein the unthinking wildness of nature is quite starkly delimited and severed from a human, social world.  

How does Steinbeck portray Lennie's animal-like qualities in Of Mice and Men?

Steinbeck does a very good job of making readers aware that Lennie is like an animal through context clues. He describes Lennie to be like a bear. He says that he drags his feet the way a bear drags its paws. This gives us a visual image of a big lug with large limbs that hang from his body.

Steinbeck compares Lennie to a terrier. When Lennie has the mouse, George demands it back. Steinbeck writes, "Slowly, like a terrier who doesn't want to bring a ball to its master, Lennie approached, drew back, approached again."

This quote makes it clear that Lennie is not intelligent but is obedient to George the way a dog is to its master. Much like a dog, Lennie doesn't think for himself, but relies on George to tell him how to behave, even when it goes against his instinct (which we understand to be very poor).

It isn't the only time that Steineck compares Lennie to an animal; when Lennie kills Curly's wife and realizes that he has made a huge mistake, he attempts to hide what he has done by covering her body with hay. Steinbeck writes "He pawed up the hay until it partly covered her."

This is the way an animal would behave; a dog who made a mistake would realize its error and try to cover it up, though the attempt would be in vain, much like Lennie's attempt to hide the body of Curly's wife. Of course, his rash action is not well-hidden, and George must save Lennie from a painful death the way that a kind owner must end its beloved dog's life when it is sick.

What flaws do the characters in Of Mice and Men have?

It is hard for me to address this because I think the flaws that the character possess in the book are ones all of us have.  In critiquing them, we are really critiquing ourselves.  Having said that, I think that some of the characters possess tragic flaws.  Certainly, Lenny's flaw is his complete and absolute faith in George.  Lenny's friendship with George is predicated on a foundation of dependence on George.  His childlike dream of owning a farm with animals on it is his animating spirit, his driving force.  In Lenny's world, he doesn't understand the duplicitous and inauthentic propensity that exists in human beings.  Perhaps, this is why is so completely tragic.  We want to identify with him because in identifying with Lenny's dreams, it represents hopes for us.  When he dies, dreams seem to die with him.

I think that George's flaw is that he is crushed by the weight of his dreams.  In his desire to develop a life for his own self, where he is able to go to a ball game and enjoy the elements that come with a life of relative security, George believes that his dreams will come true, believes that there is a way to angle things so that he can come out ahead in the end.  He is devoted to Lennie.  He will get much criticism for his actions towards Lennie in the end, and I think one can go two ways on it.  If it is believed that he was devoted to Lennie, then his actions were to spare Lennie a death that was going to be unkind at the hands of the lynch mob.  It is believed that he wanted out of his relationship of taking care of Lennie, then he killed him for his own benefit, for expediency's sake.  I think that you can go either way on it, depending on what you take from the novel as evidence of his characterization.  In the end, George becomes a realist and understands his dreams are only that- dreams.  This might further either reading of him.

Curly's wife is interesting.  I think her flaws are two.  The first is that she is in a loveless marriage.  It might not be her fault, but she certainly could have done more the ensure that this marriage had some foundation, and that she can do less to antagonize Curly with her flirtatious ways.  She's flawed because she is unable to articulate and change her joyless life as a wife.  She also lacks the courage to save Lennie from the mob, preying on his handicap and playing to Curly's anger and irrational ways.

What flaws do the characters in Of Mice and Men have?

For some of the novel's characters, I think you could argue that Steinbeck would not describe their characteristics as flaws but rather as the consequence of living a difficult life.  Here are several examples.

Curley's Wife--she is impulsive.  She marries a man whom she barely knows because she is so desperate to escape her mundane existence.  Because she did not think about her actions, she ends up in a miserable, abusive marriage, in which life is even more tedious than it was before she ran off with Curley.  She is also selfish because she knows that she is bringing trouble to any man she talks to, and yet she risks it anyway to get the attention she so desires.

Curley--he has "little man syndrome." Steinbeck's description of Curley (through Candy) is that Curley is a small man who wears high-heeled boots.  Curley's insecurity about his height and possibly also his desire to do something other than ranch work cause him to bully others.  Almost all of his actions stem from his attempt to make himself "bigger." He verbally and  physically attacks bigger men (Lennie, Carlson, Slim) to show that the is not intimidated by their size--for him, this means that he portrays himself as their equal. He uses his position on the ranch to make others think that he is more important than he is.

George--George's flaw is impatience; although, if I had to endure what George has gone through, I would be impatient too.  George is impatient with life.  He wants the farm dream to come true now; he's tired of waiting for it and simply talking about it. He's impatient with Lennie's inability to control himself. He's impatient with his lot in life but sometimes fails to realize that his lot is not much different from the other ranchhands' lives.

These are just a couple of examples.  For the rest of the characters, you should be able to come up with personality traits that might be characterized as flaws.  I do think, however, that you might find it difficult to find anything that Steinbeck intended to be a "flaw" in Slim.

What flaws do the characters in Of Mice and Men have?

This is a great question. There are many humans flaws in the book. One of the reasons why the book is so powerful is because these flaws are very tragic, and we can relate in many ways. 

First, there is racism. Crooks is the lone black man on the ranch. He lives a life of separation from the others. There is no community or friendship for him. Hence, a flaw in the book is that people cannot see beyond race. 

Second, there is sexism. Curley's wife is not even given a name. She is merely known as Curley's wife. And when she is introduced, the men say that she has the "eye." Her characterization is negative right from the beginning.

Third, there is a sad utilitarian view of humanity. Once a person has given and there is little else to give, they are expendable. This is how Candy, in his old age, feels. 

Fourth, there is a lack of trust among people. No one really trusts anyone else. The idea of friendship is absent. The only friends in the book are Lennie and George. 

There are many more examples, but these should get you thinking. 

Analyze Steinbeck's portrayal of Curley's wife in Of Mice and Men.

Along with the importance of friendship and the American dream, the pain of loneliness is a major theme in John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men. While most of the characters deal with some level of loneliness, Curley's wife is particularly characterized as being lonely. 

Because she is the only girl on a ranch full of men, she is isolated. Most of the men are basically afraid of her, partly because she is young and pretty, but also because of the belligerent nature of her husband. When she tries to talk to them they are aloof and refer to her with derision labeling her with names such as tart, tramp, floozy and jailbait. She is neglected by Curley who is always supposedly looking for her which seems to be just an excuse to terrorize the men who work for his father. He probably mistreats her and even cheats on her as evidenced by the fact she is alone on Saturday night while Curley has gone into town, presumably to a whore house. Because of this she seeks attention from the other men on the ranch. 

It is in chapter four that she reveals her discontent with Curley and her overt loneliness. She goes into the barn where Crooks, Lennie and Candy have gathered in the black man's room. She is, of course, looking for Curley, but also admits her displeasure with him:

“Sure I gotta husban’. You all seen him. Swell guy, ain’t he? Spends all his time sayin’ what he’s gonna do to guy she don’t like, and he don’t like nobody. Think I’m gonna stay in that two-by-four house and listen how Curley’s gonna lead with his left twicet, and then bring in the ol’ right cross? ‘One-two,’ he says. ‘Jus’ the ol’ one-two an’ he’ll go down.’” 

Analyze Steinbeck's portrayal of Curley's wife in Of Mice and Men.

In chapter 2, Curley's wife first appears. She comes into the doorway and claims she's looking for Curley. Now, she'd come from the house and that's where Curley was headed. This is somewhat suspicious since they would likely have crossed paths. But, Curley's wife is quite lonely, sitting in the house all day, so she might just be looking for company. She is also clearly flirtatious. Slim, having been at the ranch for some time, knows how to deal with her and with Curley.

Lennie immediately thinks she's pretty and George recognizes this as trouble.

Well, you keep away from her, 'cause she's a rattrap if I ever seen one. You let Curley take the rap. He let himself in for it.

Crooks and Candy also see Curley's wife's presence as asking for trouble. Not only will talking to her incur the jealous wrath of Curley, but since she is the boss's daughter-in-law, their jobs are also at stake.

In Chapter 4, Candy tries to protect Lennie (this is after Lennie has crushed Curley's hand). Crooks scolds Curley's wife and asks her to leave. She fires right back, threatening to hang him. Crooks knows this could happen, but Candy defends him as well. As she is leaving, she makes a last effort to connect with Lennie as she clearly sees he is the one she can manipulate.

I'm glad you bust up Curley a little bit. He got it comin' to him. Sometimes I'd like to bust him myself.

Although Curley's wife seems like nothing but trouble here, she is similar to Crooks, Lennie, and, to a certain degree, Candy. Curley's wife is a woman alone on the ranch, while her husband is out at the whorehouse. One can't help but be sympathetic despite her treatment of Crooks in this chapter. Crooks is outcast because of his race. Candy is old and Lennie is always out of place because of his intellect. Interestingly, in chapter 4, the four outcasts find themselves together while the other men are at the whorehouse.

In the end, Lennie is the one Curley's wife gets relatively close to (aside from Curley) and this proves to be disastrous when Lennie panics.

Analyze Steinbeck's portrayal of Curley's wife in Of Mice and Men.

Steinbeck primarily uses dialogue to communicate Curley's wife's ambition. He sets up a scene in which Lennie is alone in the barn with the young wife. Lennie is the perfect audience because he simply wants to gaze at her as a pretty object as she talks. As he cannot fully comprehend what she is saying, she doesn't have to face ridicule or be interrupted.

In this inviting context, Curley's wife fully expresses her frustrations and ambitions. She tells Lennie that she doesn't want to live buried alive on a ranch. She tells him that she could have been something. She relates to him the story of a traveling "show" coming through town and an actor telling her she could join the troupe, but she then says that her mother wouldn't let her go. Curley's wife then, the narrator says,

went on with her story quickly, before she should be interrupted.

This quickness suggests her deep need to express herself. In the second part of the story, she explains that she dated a man who told her he was in the movie industry and could get her into films. He says he will write to her about it as soon he gets back to Hollywood. She never receives a letter and finally decides her mother must have stolen it. She shows her ambitions have not died by saying,

I coulda made somethin' of myself. ... Maybe I will yet.

Steinbeck uses dramatic irony to highlight the pathos of Curley's wife's situation. Dramatic irony occurs when readers know what characters in a story do not. It is clear to the reader, if not to the naive young woman, that the man dangling the "pitchers" before her is simply playing her. It is obvious he had no real connection to Hollywood power and no intention of helping her, but he probably simply told her what she wanted to hear to earn her sexual favors. We feel sympathy for Curley's wife but also realize her desires are as unachievable as any of the other dreams in the novella.

What does Steinbeck say about human nature in Of Mice and Men?

Different characters inOf Mice and Menreact to the harsh lifestyle of the itinerant worker in different ways. Curley, compensating for his small stature and harsh job, acts braver and stronger than he is. Slim seems adept at this life and is therefore able to contain Curley. Slim is also thoughtful. He understands George's sadness when Lennie is dead. Crooks realizes that even on the ranch, removed from mainstream American society, racism still exists. He reacts to this discrimination by keeping to himself. Candy, even though he's quite old, or perhaps because he's quite old and desperate, is inspired by George and Lennie's dream of owning a farm and asks to be a part of it. Prior to this, Candy's main companion and distraction from the reality of his harsh life was his dog. With the dog gone, he needs some other crutch or some other idea to take his mind off of the job.

George and Lennie feel that they are different than all these other itinerant workers but they also represent this class of people. In Chapter 1, George explains this to Lennie.

Guys like us, that work on the ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no fambly. They don't belong no place.

With us it ain't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us.

This is a Naturalist or Social Realist novella. That is, it depicts the social and economic forces acting on human beings. The novella does call attention to the social and economic hardships of these workers during this period of American history. The novella also shows how humans react in the face of adversity.

Each character reacts differently. Lennie is simple and the dream of the farm is more than enough to keep him going from job to job. George is frustrated but generous with Lennie. George also believes in the dream of the farm or at least tries to believe in it, for his sake and for Lennie's. For George, Lennie is a friend but also a burden. He uses the dream, impossible as it might seem, to keep his and Lennie's spirits up. With respect to human nature, one conclusion is that humans find ways of dealing with harsh lifestyles. Human beings' resiliency is admirable and can be tragic, considering the obstacles they might face. Some, like Curley, react by becoming insecure and defensive. Some, like George and Lennie, dream of something better even if they know, deep down, that it is virtually impossible.

What does Steinbeck say about human nature in Of Mice and Men?

The title of Steinbeck's novel comes from Robert Burns' poem "To a Mouse" (the longer version of the title being "To a Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest with the Plough"). It is believed that Burns wrote the poem after discovering a nest of mice that his plough had disturbed. In the seventh stanza (Modern English Version), the speaker tells the mouse that he is not alone, that men's plans are also disrupted:

The best laid schemes of mice and men

Go often awry,

And leave us nothing but grief and pain,

For promised joy!

Lennie and George had the promise (dream) of one day owning their own farm. But those plans go awry for a number of reasons: Lennie's inability to conform to the social world of working on ranches, George's inability to watch Lennie at all times, and the brutal reality of working in those physical and economic conditions during the Great Depression.

In the second stanza of the poem, Burns writes, "I am truly sorry man's dominion / Has broken Nature's social union,"; in the novel, George and Lennie are like the mice. They are living/working on someone else's land: some other "man's dominion." The practical implication is that as long as they work for cash and have no stake in the land and their futures, they are destined to be like the mice: wanderers who will inevitably be disrupted, evacuated, or destroyed by those who "own" the land. Their dream of owning their own land is an escape from this wandering lifestyle that effectively has no future. The entire class of itinerant workers faces this reality. When Candy overhears George and Lennie talk about their dream, he is eager to join them, especially considering that, in his old age, he will become obsolete as a worker:

You seen what they done to my dog tonight? They says he wasn't no good to himself nor nobody else. When they can me here I wisht somebody'd shoot me. But they won't do nothing like that. I won't have no place to go, an' I can't get no more jobs. I'll have thirty dollars more comin', time you guys is ready to quit.

In this context of Social Realism, where the author presents the harsh reality of ranch life during the Great Depression, Steinbeck is not saying dreams are useless; rather, he is making a critique of social and economic realities which make such dreams difficult to achieve.

What does Steinbeck say about human nature in Of Mice and Men?

Throughout the novella, Steinbeck compares Lennie to various animals. Lennie is compared to a bear dragging its paws, a horse drinking water, a disobedient terrier, a terrified sheep, and a dog seeking comfort. Lennie's mental and physical character traits are illuminated by Steinbeck's comparisons. Mentally, Lennie is depicted as subhuman and unintelligent like animals. Similar to animals, Lennie acts on his instincts and does not process situations or thoughts the same way a normal person would. Lennie follows and listens to George like a dog. George even tells Slim that Lennie would jump into a river if he were told to. Lennie's dog-like personality also demonstrates his loyalty to George.

Similar to an animal, Lennie is also physically imposing and hard to control. His animal-like strength, tireless work ethic, and massive physique provide the reader with a visual reference point. Also, Lennie's animal-like personality portrays his innocence, and the reader does not hold him accountable for his actions. Steinbeck's references essentially convey to the reader that Lennie is both mentally and physically comparable to an animal.

How are good and bad presented in Curley and Slim's characters in Of Mice and Men?

On the ranch, Slim is respected and Curley is reviled.

Slim and Curley are both men George and Lennie encounter on the ranch, and they are long-term residents.  Slim is kind and well-respected, while Curley is regarded as trouble.  Slim is mature, and Curley is immature.  In terms of good and bad, it is easy to see how Slim and Curley are opposites.

The men trust Slim almost immediately, just as they distrust Curley.  Both men have a position of authority, but Curley’s comes from his father owning the ranch.  Slim’s comes from his strength and demeanor.

The way each man is introduced is indicative of their positions on the ranch.  Slim is introduced as a good man.

Slim's a jerkline skinner. Hell of a nice fella. Slim don't need to wear no high-heeled boots on a grain team. (Ch. 2)

Candy’s comments about Curley are not as positive.  He is spoken of in crude terms, both for his obsession over his wife and his tendency to fight.  No one on the ranch seems to have any respect for Curley.

Curley's like a lot of little guys. He hates big guys. He's alla time picking scraps with big guys. Kind of like he's mad at 'em because he ain't a big guy. You seen little guys like that, ain't you? Always scrappy?" (Ch. 2)

The point Candy is making is that Curley overcompensates.  He is mean and angry.  When it comes to his wife, he is insanely jealous.  One way or another, Curley is always spoiling for a fight.

The difference between the two men can be demonstrated in their reaction to Lennie.  Curley is angry that George talks for Lennie.  He is ready to pick a fight with Lennie because Lennie is bigger than he is.  Slim, on the other hand, is impressed that George looks out for Lennie.  He likes the fact that the two of them travel together, and he acknowledges that Lennie does not have to be intelligent to be a good person.

"He's a nice fella," said Slim. "Guy don't need no sense to be a nice fella. Seems to me sometimes it jus' works the other way around. Take a real smart guy and he ain't hardly ever a nice fella." (Ch. 3)

On the ranch, most people only look out for themselves.  Slim is one of the few men who can actually make friends.  Curley alienates everyone around him by fighting or accusing them.

How is the world in Of Mice and Men portrayed as brutal and indifferent?

This is a great question. There are many instances where the world is portrayed as brutal and indifferent. In light of this, let me give three examples. 

First, when Candy's dog was too old, the men in the bunker wanted to kill it. They said the dog was too old and too smelly. Candy said that this dog was the best and served well all his life. In the end, the men's opinion prevailed and the dog was shot. The deeper meaning is that when an animal or person has passed the age of "service" it should be put out of its or his misery. Life is cheap and utilitarian. Candy is now an old man. He is also expendable. 

Second, the world is also racist. Crooks is the sole black man on the farm. No one talks with him, and he has no community. He is alone socially and spatially. He just exists. 

Finally, when it comes to Lennie, it is clear that no one really cares about him, except George. There is no compassion for those with mental disabilities. No one seeks to understand him or give him a chance. All of these points show that the world is a brutal place.

How is the world in Of Mice and Men portrayed as brutal and indifferent?

What quote from Of Mice and Men shows the world as cruel?

I am not entirely certain that there will be a direct quote, word for word to reflect the cruelty of reality.  Steinbeck presents characters in the novel who do not ruminate on being in such a manner.  You might be able to find particular moments, quotes that reflect instances where cruelty is a part of what it means to be a human being.  These moments can be seen in the discussion where Candy's dog is planning to be executed, and the cruelty in Carlson's sweet voice to lure the dog to his own death.  Cruelty is evident in the conversation between Curley's wife, Crooks, and Candy.  At a moment when there is hope, there is the idea of collectivity and unity, Curley's wife undercuts it with venomous cruelty.  Consider also the ending of the novel itself.  When George shoots Lennie, it is a moment where there is care as George does not want to see Lennie at the hands of the mob that is coming for him.  Yet, the act itself is cruel, regardless of how one tries to spin it.  The taking of another life is a cruel action, and this is something that George knows, needing to be steadied after it.  When Slim tells him that George "did what he had to do," it is a reflection of how cruel the world can be and how much the power of rationalization plays in our actions that reflect such cruelty. 

What is Steinbeck's message behind each character based on "good and bad" in Of Mice and Men?

In Of Mice and Men the characters consists on rogue, lonely, wandering men from the Great Depression who, due to the situation that the world is in, have to make due with whatever way they can find to make money.

In the farm, they get a place to live, payment, food, and even a shot at camaraderie. However, each man is plagued by his own past, or by his hopes for the future. Whatever side is taken, whether that of good or evil, the men pretty much all live in the daily purgatory which is Soledad.

Each character would be representative of some weakness or flaw in the everyday man. Let's look at them from both sides of the spectrum.

George- George is the embodiment of kindness, regardless of how he treats Lennie. He has known Lennie from a very young age, and has chosen as his path of life to remain with Lennie as a protector. He claims that Lennie is his cousin for the sake of defending him from Curley. He even defends his friendship and protection of Lennie when he speaks with Slim. When George is "too rough" with Lennie, he is sure to acknowledge it

I been mean, ain't I (Ch. 1)

He also continues to bring up the dream that he and Lennie have built for themselves by saying "they are not like us", meaning, George and Lennie have each other. Even his choice to kill Lennie at the end was a sacrifice born out of morbid kindness: He would have rather killed his friend mercifully than allow him to be lynched by an angry mob.

Lennie - Lennie represents the basic Id proposed by Sigmund Freud. That primitive and impulsive nature in all humans that renders us wild and uncontrollable. As much as he tries his (self-monitoring) Ego to kick in, his cognitive dissonance makes him unable to regulate his emotions and actions. That being said, Lennie is unable to be good or bad, because those are choices. He can only be Lennie, and respond to what his nature dictates his body to do.

Slim - At the center of it all, stands Slim. Balanced, focused, even handsome. Slim is the epitome of the man that is "put together" and is aware of his surroundings, the people about him, and himself. He is so balanced that George feels comfortable opening up to him. Curley does not even dare to mess with Slim either. He is the balancing force among the men.

Candy - Represents subjugation. He cannot make choices either, as he is a slave of his own life. He is someone who needs support at all times. He needs the company of his sick, old dog, or Lennie and George, in fact, anything would do. Candy is too dependent on everything to be considered a bad person; that would require initiative. He has waited long years, knowing that he has some money in the bank, living on the shadow of the ranch. Makes one wonder, why did it take for Lennie and George to go there for him to awaken to a better potential life?

Crooks- Vindictive, cynical, cruel and antisocial, Crooks has at least one excuse to be each and every one of those things, twice over. He is a victim of circumstances that range from physical, to financial, to social, to racial. Anyone in his situation would become a "Crooks". We know that his behavior does not stem from malice, but from deep pain. We know as much when he buys into Lennie and George's dream and asks to be allowed to work with them, even if it is for free.

Carlson- Carlson represents "blind America", as in oblivious, clueless, and careless. He does have a streak of sociopathic behavior that manifests in his absolute disconnect with the emotions of others. Concerned only for his own opinion of things, he may even be narcissistic. The non-challant way that he demands that Candy's dog is killed, and the carelessness with which he regards the life of the dog may even upgrade him from sociopath to psychopath. That would still be far-fetched based on the few things we see him do, but Carlson is not a good man.

Curley- Curley is even worse than Carlson because he KNOWS when he is hurting people , but does it anyway. He takes pleasure in abusing others. He is a bully, insecure, and an overall small, coward man with a complex. As the son of the owner of the ranch, he feels that he is above everyone. Therefore, Curley and his father represent the very real culture of nepotism that permeates so much of our society.

Therefore, there are not so many black/white characters. There is a degree of complexity with each of them that makes them quite human, thus impossible to judge under the parameters of "good and bad". There is, after all, good and bad in every one of us.

How does Steinbeck reflect violence and oppression in Of Mice and Men?

One distinct way in which Steinbeck is able to reflect the themes of violence and oppression in Of Mice and Men is in the killing of Candy's dog.  The entire sequence when Candy's dog is killed is one where violence and oppression emerge.  Steinbeck establishes that violence in the time period is predicated upon power.  Carlson possesses the power of suggestion, something towards which the other men in the bunk house either actively or tacitly voice agreement.  There is no voice of dissent.  Even Candy who "searches the face of the men" and who understands that "Slim's word was law," ends up acquiescing to power.  In the time period of the Great Depression, poverty and economic disenfranchisement established that power rests in the hands of the few.  Economic disempowerment impacted so many that those who have something, anything, are able to exert power.  Violence becomes immediately an extension of such power.  Carlson's power is enhanced because he owns a Luger pistol, reflective of how violence is an extension of power.   Carlson is able to demonstrate how violence and power are linked to one another.  As he kills Candy's dog, it is clear that there is not much in way of democratic inclusion and a validation of voices.  Rather, power and violence end up reflecting the setting of the 1930s, and help to establish a major condition of the novella's setting.

How does Steinbeck develop George and Curley's wife as good or bad in Of Mice and Men?

• Curley's wife

A flat character who undergoes no development or change, Curley's wife is less a person than a genitive of Curley. With no name given her, Curley's wife is a stock character: The Temptress, an Eve. (2) With her red lips, red nails, and seductive stance in the doorways of the bunkhouse and barns, she stands literally and figuratively in the way of the men's development of fraternity, a condition that the Socialist Steinbeck felt was the remedy to men's alienation and disenfranchisement.

George immediately identifies the danger attached to this very attractive female who is the sole woman on the ranch. After he realizes that Lennie has instinctively been drawn to this woman who has thrown her body forward in the door frame before them, George warns Lennie,

"Listen to me....Don't you even take a look at that bitch [negative metaphor for woman]. I don't care what she says and what she does. I seen 'em poison metaphor for the vamp, seductress] before, but I never seen no piece of jail bait  [metaphor] worse than her. You leave her be."

(2) George knows that an attractive woman can cause fights and resentments among men--even killings. He is also aware of the danger to Lennie, who has already been easily seduced in Weed, and he wants no more trouble or for them to lose their jobs again.

But, in her loneliness [Loneliness and Alienation are themes], Curley's wife takes advantage of Lennie's diminished mental capacity and she lures him into giving her attention. But, when he pets her too strongly, she becomes frightened and starts to scream. Merely trying to get her to be quiet, Lennie inadvertently breaks her neck. killing her, and she is symbolically victimized just as Candy's old dog who was killed. [The devaluation of human lives--another theme--also occurred during the Great Depression.]

• George Milton

A round character, small George Milton at first seems to be a rather abrupt and uncaring person, but it is really his circumstances that have made him brusque and selfish. At times, Lennie is a burden because of his child-like mind and his unthinking actions, causing them both to lose their jobs. Unhappy that they are mere bindle-stiffs and distrustful of others since he is in competition for work with all the other displaced men of the Depression, George shields his real feelings in order to protect himself. His anger at Lennie about the man's request for ketchup on his beans as they camp in the clearing outside Soledad is really George's frustration over their social condition of having no friends and no security. He recites the dream of owning a farm, not because he believes it, but for the sake of his friend Lennie, who childish heart does not comprehend the factual realities.

That George loves Lennie is evinced in his refusal to let the cruel Whitson and others track him down and kill him or take him so that Lennie will go to prison. George shoots Lennie in a mercy killing; he cannot picture Lennie locked up, hopelessly alone and innocent of any malevolent intentions.

That George is really humane is revealed when he relates an incident to Slim in which gave up teasing the gullible Lennie, who is "jus' like a kid." [simile]

"Tell you what made me stop that. One day a bunch of guys was standin around up on the Sacrmento River. I was feelin' pretty smart. I turns to Lennie..., 'Jump in.' An' he jumps. Couldn't swim a stroke. He damn near drowned before we could get him. An' he was so damn nice to me for pullin' him out. Clean forgot I told him to jump in...."

Further, he and Slim discuss the aloneness of bindle stiffs and agree that being so alienated makes a man mean. "They get wantin' to fight all the time." 

How does John Steinbeck present ideas about the good and bad in people in Of Mice and Men?

In Steinbeck's novella filled with male characters, Curley's wife is pronounced an Eve, a temptress who disrupts the fraternity of the men.

Certainly, George perceives her as an interloper, a threat to them personally, just as the girl in Weed has been. He warns Lennie, "I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her. You leave her be." This remark upsets Lennie, and he tells George, "I don' like this place...I wanna get outa here," unconsciously presaging the tragic events to come. Shortly after this exchange, Curley enters and asks if anyone has seen a girl. George tells him that she has been there about thirty minutes ago.  Curley leaves, but because he is suspicious, he pokes his head into the bunkhouse in a few minutes, hoping to catch her coming out from a hiding spot.

Later George learns from Whit that Curley's wife often says that she is looking for him, or she thought she left something and she is looking for it.

"Seems like she can't keep away from guys. An' Curley's pants is just crawlin' with ants, but they ain't nothing come of it yet."

This news worries George more. "She's gonna make a mess." He thinks for a while, then adds,

"They's gonna be a bad mess about her. She's a jail bait all set on the trigger. That Curley got his work cut out for him. Ranch with a bunch of guy on it ain't no place for a girl, specially like her."

Clearly, Curley's wife has men on edge as they do not know "what the hell she wants" and the men are apprehensive about being too rude to her out of fear for Curley, while at the same time, they do not want to engage in any conversation with her since she may think they are interested in more than talking. Therefore, Curley's wife is a very disruptive force when she interrupts the camaraderie in the bunkhouse. She causes men to become nervous and edgy. The potential for fights is certainly a factor; indeed, Curley himself comes at Lennie, and then Lennie hurts Curley.

That Lennie would not have done anything after this is probable, but Curley's wife again reappears and the tragic events follow. Truly, she is a negative force, disruptive to the camaraderie that could develop among the men, affording them a fraternity that would enrich their lonely lives if she were not present. She antagonizes Crooks and tempts Lennie, causing him to harm her and then to lose his own life. 

How does Steinbeck present ideas about the good and bad in people Of Mice and Men? 

Steinbeck’s ideas of the nature of good and bad is told best by a character in another of his books (The Grapes of Wrath) as “just what people do.” There is no standard definition, independent of a person’s conscious being or intention, yet there is a system that will impose its ideas on others’ actions, especially those of the innocent and helpless. An example in Of Mice and Men is Lennie, the mentally handicapped companion of George. Lennie has very little notion of good and bad. He just knows what he likes. He likes to pet soft things, but he has no idea of how this affects people who see it as aggression. The petting is what Lennie does; the aggression is what people view it as. Lennie’s actions often result in death (the mice, the puppy, Curley’s wife), but this death is not seen as a crime by Lennie or George, even though they may call it a “bad thing". It is just what happens when Lennie’s actions are too overwhelming. In this context, it is the result, not the intention or the person himself, who is considered “good” or “bad".

How does Steinbeck portray Crooks and Curley's wife in Of Mice and Men?

John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men depicts life during the Great Depression in the 1920's. Life during this point in time were very different than today.

Blacks were not looked at as being equal citizens. They were still referred to by the "N" word. White women were looked at as having more rights, but they were still seen as below men.

Steinbeck used the characters of Crooks and Curley's wife to illustrate the ways in which both blacks and women were not held up in the same way as white men. The characterizations have provided many critics to examine the text from both feminist perspectives and Critical Race theory perspectives.

As for how he created the characters, no one knows the truth behind the actual reason other than Steinbeck himself. The only thing critics and analyzers can do is make educated guesses or assumptions about the "hows."

One could easily justify that Steinbeck wanted to show how women existed without true identities (they were part of their husband's identity) and how blacks were treated (could not stay with white workers and were treated badly by whites).

How does Steinbeck portray Crooks and Curley's wife in Of Mice and Men?

Like the others on the ranch, Crooks and Curley's wife are alienated from the others, a condition which produces an animosity and meanness born of fear. With these two characters, their fears are, perhaps, enlargened by their singular positions; Curley's wife is the only female on the ranch, and Crooks is the only black.

Ironically, it is often the lowliest who are cruelest when provided the opportunity. Just as the Ewells of To Kill a Mockingbird charge Tom Robinson, a black, with criminality when he has done no wrong, so does Curley's wife, the greatest misfit of all on the ranch, deprecate with vituperation the "negro stable buck." For, imbued with a new confidence after the white men have included him in their conversations, Crooks tries to remove her from his area,

"You got not rights comin' in a colored man's room.  You got no rights messing around in here at all.  Now you jus' get out, an' get out quick.  If you don't , I'm gonna ast the boss not to ever let you come in the barn no more."

Enraged that Crooks has far overstepped his social bounds, Curley's wife who has the advantage of being white and in a higher social position, turns her wrath and scorn upon him: 

"Listen, N---,...you know what I can do to you if you open your trap?" [Implying she can get him hanged]

Suddenly reduced again to the lowest stratum of society, Crooks backs up against the wall and says subserviently, "Yes, ma'am."

This exchange between Crooks and Curley's wife demonstrates the inherent cruelty of the human being, who, even as he writhes in his own misery, will yet vituperate against others if afforded the opportunity. For the author, John Steinbeck, these two characters underscore his theme of alienation and the theme of man vs. man.  

How does Steinbeck present the good and bad in Curley's wife and Crooks in Of Mice and Men?

What I'll do to help answer your question is outline the ideal structure of an introductory paragraph and then correlate it specifically to your prompt:

• Hook: The opening line of an introduction paragraph should be one that "hooks" your readers' interest in the overall themes or arguments found in your paragraph. A hook could be a question, a quotation, a statistic, a hyperbolic claim, or another attention-grabbing sentence. Given that your essay addresses the ways in which Steinbeck uses his characters to illustrate and comment on "good" and "bad" people, I would encourage you to focus on that theme: what makes someone good or bad? 
  
  
• TAG: A crucial element for your introduction paragraph is to provide your readers with literary context: the title, author, and genre of the work in question. For your purposes, you want to make sure that your intro. paragraph reveals that you will be discussing John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men. 
• Context: You'll want to take a moment to offer a brief overview of the ideas that your essay will touch upon. This is different than providing a preview of your argument; it is more important for your readers to understand the types of ideas that they will be reading about than to know about the order of paragraphs in your essay. As I don't know what your essay is going to argue, I can't provide much guidance here. 
• Thesis Statement: A solid introduction paragraph ends with a definitive argument. Keep in mind that your argument is not about which characters are good and which characters are bad, but that it should be an argument that seeks to explain how Steinbeck illustrates characters as good and/or bad. 

Good luck!