GCSE OMAM Themes Help!!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE
PLEASE

A kinda run through on all Of Mice and Men themes?
It would be sooooo appreciated!!! :biggrin:

Reply 1

German123

Original post by FatimaHere

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE
PLEASE

A kinda run through on all Of Mice and Men themes?
It would be sooooo appreciated!!! :biggrin:

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3247555

Reply 2

FatimaHere

Original post by German123

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3247555

I saw that thread, I can't find anything on there! D:

Reply 3

Boundless_x

Original post by FatimaHere

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE
PLEASE

A kinda run through on all Of Mice and Men themes?
It would be sooooo appreciated!!! :biggrin:

Themes for Of Mice and Men:
Loneliness/Solitude
Racism
Status/power
Friendship/loyalty
The American dream
Women
Identity
Death/danger

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 4

German123

Original post by FatimaHere

I saw that thread, I can't find anything on there! D:

It should be there.

Reply 5

JessThomas6

Original post by FatimaHere

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE
PLEASE

A kinda run through on all Of Mice and Men themes?
It would be sooooo appreciated!!! :biggrin:

Women, the great depression, racism, loneliness, friendship, sexism (might fall under women?), american dream

Reply 6

FatimaHere

Original post by Boundless_x

Themes for Of Mice and Men:
Loneliness/Solitude
Racism
Status/power
Friendship/loyalty
The American dream
Women
Identity
Death/danger

Original post by JessThomas6

Women, the great depression, racism, loneliness, friendship, sexism (might fall under women?), american dream

Thaaanks!!!! I'm stuck for examples of each :/ But thank you regardless!! Your help is greatly appreciated :biggrin:

Reply 7

JessThomas6

Original post by FatimaHere

Thaaanks!!!! I'm stuck for examples of each :/ But thank you regardless!! Your help is greatly appreciated :biggrin:

Women would be things like Curley's wife exerting her power over Crooks in his bunk (shocking because women were viewed as lower than men in society, she's racists towards a man kinda thing) and the men discussing her negatively at any point

Racism, any time crooks is discussed negatively, conversely when Lennie talks to him and Crooks is nervous at first but then realises Lennie is innocent, shocks reader that he'd be scared

Great Depression, there's not a lot for this, just it happened and Steinbeck based the book around that time

American Dream anytime they talk about the ranch etc.

Reply 8

FatimaHere

Original post by JessThomas6

Yess!!! Thank you! :smile:

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 9

april1907

Hope/The American Dream is the dream farm and Curley's wife's dream of being a film-star

Loneliness is shown in all of the characters. George and Lennie's relationship is a good example of this because, although George always complains about Lennie, they stick together nevertheless in a desperate plea for companionship. Other examples include Crooks due to his being a different race, Curley's wife because she's a woman, etc. Basically most themes sort of intertwine with this more important one of solitude.

Reply 10

shrl0

In what ways is George a significant character in the novel? -What points would you write for this?

Reply 11

JessThomas6

Original post by shrl0

In what ways is George a significant character in the novel? -What points would you write for this?

I'd focus on the scene where he kills Lennie, or the beginning where he's introduced and he tells lennie off for drinking form the pond, talk about his significance as Lennie's leader, authority and may add a point about the Ranch to do american dream

Reply 12

MahirahKhan

Do u guys think slims coming up?

Reply 13

sabia siddique

Isolation/loneliness
Candy: Left lonely and deserted after losing his life long companion as curley shoots him. 'had him since he was a pup'
Curleys wife: She's always looking for curley, curleys always looking for her. She seeks comfort in other men goes around the ranch giving them "the eye". flirtatious, seeks attention (reflected in the way she dresses "red" fingernails "full rouged lips"
"red ostrich feathers" This quote could be a symbol to show how she has no freedom and is controlled by her husband like an ostrich who cannot fly and has no freedom.
Lennie: Lonely due to his mental disability, he seeks comfort in George, he is simple minded and finds it hard to get along with other people on the ranch due to his mental disability
Crooks: Isolated due to racist society in 1930's America, his not even allowed into the bunkhouse, he is alienated, seen as an outcast, treated like an animal as he was only let into the bunkhouse for the entertainment of others (to fight)

Relationships
George and Lennie have an unusual relationship as no-one at the time of the Great Depression had a companion who they trusted and traveled with. They all followed the ideology of "every man for himself" as the itinerant workers struggled to maintain permenant relationships because they kepy moving around to find work. George and Lennie are strengthened by their relationship they give each other someone to talk to "I got you to look after me and you got me to look after you" (George actually saves him from being lynched and from being given a painful death by shooting him at the back of the head so it's less painful. Proves to be a good friend as he saved him from a very slow and painful death and also committed a huge sin just to save his
friend Lennie.
Carlson: Very unsympathetic character, he kills candys dog very carelessly and doesn't understand that the dog meant alot to Candy. (The dog was very useless and just troubled everyone else by stinking up the place so he had to be killed, foreshadows Lennies death as Candy and his dogs relationship reflect Geroge and Lennies relationship- therefore foreshadowing Lennies death as when he gets troublesome he will also get shot. Forcefully takes Candys dog way from him doesn't give him time to think just gets rid of the "Stinky" dog
curleys wife: "Heavily made up" this could suggest that she is lonely and seeks attention from other men that she doesn't get from curley. OR she wears alot of make up to hide the bruises she may have on her face from her abusive relationship with her husbund OR she tries to hide the real her and who she really is because by wearing alot of make up she is living up to what the other men on the ranch refer to her as ( a "tart")
Curley: Either loving towards his wife and gives her alot if attention in private OR abuses her and tries to heal his hand with the "glove fulla Vaseline"

Fate and Destiny
Title of book taken from Robert Burns poems in which it states " for the best laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley" meaning they often go wrong. This shows that our fate is pre determained and what has been set to happen will always happen no matter how hard you try other wise.
Crooks: He was fated to be born into a racist society in 1930's America where he would be pre-judged based on the colour of skin to be inhuman and would be alienated despite the fact that he may be an educated man - as this is hinted in the book as there is a "Mauled copy of the California civil code" showing his read through it many many times and knows his rights showing his desperation of wanting to make a change but inability to speak up due to racist society. Presented more than half way through the book- reflecting racist society as they didn't acknowledge his presence.
Curleys wife: (Similar to crooks. In a sexist society so much so that she wasn't even given a name in the novella but labelled as curlys wife showing that she is just a possesion for him to show off like his trophies as she is something that none of the other men have on the ranch and to make it very clear Curley symbolises this even further by his "glove fulla vaseline".She was fated to be labelled curlys wife due to society at that time and couldn't achieve her dream of being in the shows.

And of course everyone had the American dream etc. I've briefly touched on some of the themes theres loads more in detail on Mr Bruff and Dominic Salles YouTube pages (they are very useful for revision and five a* examples etc etc) I hope this was of some use and good luck to everyone on Mondays exam!!! (And Friday)