Human Nature In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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Many people believe that humans have a primitive need for companionship, so why do so many people enjoy being alone? Some psychologists say that even if they enjoy being alone right now, that won’t last much longer because of the need for friendship. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck the theme of human nature is repeated throughout the book. Steinbeck explores different variations of the theme such as the need to need to survive, the need for companionship, and the dream for something better. Most of the characters in the book show these qualities of human nature. The main characters expressing these subjects are George, Lennie, Crooks, Curley’s wife, Curley, and Candy. Many of the characters in the book show these qualities of human nature…show more content…
As neanderthals we were not safe so we did what we had to do to survive, like killing people, or running away from them. A lot of what they used to do to survive is no longer seen as moral or okay to do. Steinbeck used Lennie to get his point across. In the beginning of the book Lennie and George had run away from Weed because they were afraid for Lennie’s life. What they did was immoral, but they did it to survive. Just like cavemen running from predators. George was always seen as Lennie’s caretaker, but at the end of the book there are different opinions on whether or not he still was. George said “ No, Lennie. I ain’t mad. I never been mad, an’ I ain’t now. That’s a thing I want ya to know” (106). This shows he loves Lennie and still wants to care for him, but he still shoots Lennie. George knew he would lose his job, all the people he met, and Lennie, if Lennie got caught. George didn’t want to lose everything, so he shot his best friend to survive how he wanted to. People tend to put their own lives and safety above others. Even if they don’t want to, it is human nature to fight back or run when you’re in danger, which is exactly what Lennie did. “Curley’s fist was swinging when Lennie reached for it. The next minute Curley was flopping like a fish on a line…” (63). Even though Lennie was a nice guy and didn’t want to hurt Curley, he did because he wanted to survive. It was in his nature to want to…show more content…
Thomas Edison dreamed of having light in the darkness, so he made it happen. George and Lennie, along with many others, dream of having their own farm. They want a better life for themselves. They want “... a little place… we’ll have a cow… an’ maybe a pig an’ some chickens… an’ down the flat we’ll have a… little peice of alfalfa- for the rabbits” (105). Even though their dream is unrealistic, they dare to dream it just like every other person in the world. Candy has the same dream, in fact he wanted to join them. Everybody hopes their dream comes true, after Candy offers his money to get in on the dream Steinbeck says “This thing they had never really believed in was coming true” (60). Steinbeck is trying to say that the american dream is just a dream, no more. But that doesn’t keep us from dreaming. Steinbeck uses Crooks to emphasize that, he says “ I seen hunderds of men come by on the road an’ on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an’ that same dream in their heads… An’ never a God damn one of ‘em ever gets it.” (74). Along with that point Steinbeck sends the idea that everybody still has a dream of something better, what they really want in life, even if some people believe it’s impossible to
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