Of Mice and Men: Themes (Edexcel IGCSE English Literature)

Themes

In the exam, the essay question may ask you to consider any thematic topic, so it is crucial to have a good understanding of the most important themes in the novella. In this question you will need to demonstrate that you understand the relationship between the text and its social and historical context (AO4). That means you are rewarded for writing confidently about the cultural influences on the text and how it may be interpreted.   

Here are some of the key themes:

• Dreams 

• Loneliness 

• Discrimination  

• Power

Dreams

In essence, Of Mice and Men, set during the Great Depression in America, is a short novel about the futility of human dreams and aspirations in the face of more powerful external forces.  

Knowledge and evidence: 

• Steinbeck explores the concept of the American Dream, a belief that anyone can achieve success and improve their lives through hard work

• A right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” was ingrained in American culture following the Declaration of Independence in 1776

• Steinbeck deliberately contrasts or juxtaposes dreams with the novel’s harsh physical setting and the characters’ poverty and suffering 

• Dreams also represent a form of escapism: 

  • George and Lennie dream of independence and freedom on their own farm

  • Curley’s wife hopes for a future of fame and to escape her oppressive, loveless marriage

  • Crooks dreams of a life of acceptance and dignity, free from prejudice

  • Candy dreams of a refuge, a “little piece of land” 

• Dreams are presented as having a physical dimension, for example, they dream of their own farm:

  • This highlights the characters’ sense of displacement

• Dreams give the characters purpose and a feeling of agency, offering respite from the daily misery and repetitiveness of their lives:

  • George and Lennie repeat, chant-like, their dream to own a farm

  • The novel highlights the hope that comes from a shared dream:

    • Candy is desperate to work with George to get their own farm

• With the final, tragic deaths of Curley’s wife and Lennie, the reader understands that even modest dreams are unattainable or impossible in this setting 

What is Steinbeck’s intention?

• Ultimately, Steinbeck’s message is of the failure of the American Dream: it is an illusion, little more than a fantasy

• The novella examines dreams that regard independence as the ultimate version of success

• Steinbeck examines the impact of the Great Depression on itinerant workers and highlights limitations for displaced individuals 

Loneliness

Of Mice and Men explores the dangers of isolation and the significance of companionship and support, especially when desperate circumstances force individuals together. 

Knowledge and evidence: 

• The novella is set on a remote ranch called Soledad:

  • This translates from Spanish as “solitude”

• The novella examines the isolation caused by displacement:

  • Characters like Candy, Crooks and Curley’s wife are isolated on the ranch

  • Each represent a minority group in society and are alone and ignored as a result of their differences

• George and Lennie, itinerant workers, are displaced, but are introduced as a pair:

  • They arrive on the ranch together

  • They have a history (they share stories from their past)

  • They have a shared goal that separates them from the others

  • This friendship is a source of comfort

• In order to examine societal values and attitudes of the time, Steinbeck portrays characters who work toward their own individual success:

  • The rancher, Slim, explains that everyone is “scared of each other”

  • Candy and Crooks want to work with George to achieve the dream farm

• The tragedy exemplifies the impact of other individuals on friendships:

  • The companionship Candy finds with his dog is taken from him

  • Curley’s wife attempts to find friendship with Lennie, but is killed

  • George and Lennie’s friendship is ruined as a result of other characters

What is Steinbeck’s intention?

• Steinbeck explores the circumstances of itinerant or migrant workers as the Great Depression forced individuals to travel in search for work 

• Steinbeck examines the idea of the American Dream through characters who are desperate for companionship, yet focused on individual happiness 

Discrimination

Of Mice and Men is set in 1930s America at a time of social inequality. Steinbeck raises questions about racism, sexism and ableism in order to portray the damaging effects of discrimination and marginalisation. 

Knowledge and evidence: 

• Steinbeck creates a microcosm of society on the ranch to highlight aspects of discrimination in 1930s America

• Each character represents a marginalised group:

  • Curley’s wife is isolated on the ranch as the only female:

    • Steinbeck highlights that she does not adapt to her environment 

    • She is viewed suspiciously, seen as a sexual object or threat

  • Crooks is segregated from the other ranchers as a result of his race:

    • Steinbeck exemplifies the casual and explicit racism of the time by including racial slurs in the characters’ dialogue 

• Steinbeck shows the hierarchy of society:

  • Crooks, the most intelligent character, is “reduced to nothing” by another minority character, Curley’s wife

• Candy, an old man working on the ranch, represents the lack of social care at the time as Steinbeck depicts his limited autonomy and struggle to survive

• Lennie, a man with learning difficulties as a result of a head injury, is perceived as the main threat on the ranch, and is the source of the novella’s conflict 

• Steinbeck’s unresolved ending suggests there is little hope for marginalised groups 

What is Steinbeck’s intention?

• Steinbeck examines the impact of discrimination and oppression 

• By setting the novella at the time of the Great Depression, Steinbeck illustrates connections between the struggle for survival and marginalisation

• Steinbeck explores how prejudice stems from fear and distrust as a result of uncertainty 

Power

Of Mice and Men explores the powerlessness of man against nature. The title relates to the futility of making plans and suggests that, ultimately, weaker individuals have little autonomy. 

Knowledge and evidence: 

• Steinbeck’s novel takes place in a remote and rural landscape:

  • His cyclical structure, starting and ending at the “brush”, represents the limited impact individuals have on their environment, yet the disruption humans cause

  • The setting highlights the struggle for survival in harsh conditions

• Steinbeck creates a hierarchy of power on the ranch to represent society

• The novella depicts individuals in a struggle to gain autonomy and control

• While Slim and Curley have economic freedom, there is still a power struggle between them:

  • Steinbeck shows how real respect and power must ultimately be earned 

• Other characters have little control over their lives:

  • George is paranoid about losing the job on the ranch, leaving him constantly suspicious and reliant on Lennie’s behaviour 

  • Lennie is unable to control his own impulses, making him intellectually powerless against George

  • Curley’s wife is not free to follow her pursuits, but Curley is equally unable to control her actions

  • Candy is powerless to stop the other stronger men from taking his dog, and is also unable to find his own “piece of land”

  • The other itinerant workers live fruitless, repetitive lives

• Steinbeck’s ending suggests that freedom and autonomy are impossible for those who have little power in society 

What is Steinbeck’s intention?

• Steinbeck examines the impact of the Great Depression on individual lives

• The novella illustrates the powerlessness of individuals made desperate by external forces and circumstances beyond their control