'The Half Brothers' and 'Of Mice and Men' Life is Sad, difficult and full of Self Sacrifice.

It is not obvious that these two stories are separated by two hundred years, apart from the way in that th ey are written. The two stories both share life as being sad and difficult. 'The Half Brothers' was written in ........ It is a story of a young widow who's only happiness is of her child (Gregory). B ut by the end of the story her son is dead. Of mice and men ends in a similarly unhappy way. Both st ories, however also show the difference human love can make to our lives. 'Of Mice and Men' is a st ory of loyalty and friendship which focuses on two itinerant workers, (George and Lennie). George ha s taken on responsibility for the mildly retarded Lennie, who constantly seems to fall into trouble of one sort or another. George and Lennie don't plan to travel forever- someday, they will have a li ttle place of their own, and we are reminded of this many times throughout the story. Life is seen t o be sad and difficult in this story because they are itinerant workers, constantly having to move f rom one town to the next because of the 'trouble' that Lennie gets himself into. This makes their dr eam of having 'a little place of their own' seem even further out of reach. Steinbeck wrote "of Mic e and Men' on the edge of the depression in America, many people had to travel from farm to farm to find work as itinerant workers. As an itinerant worker you are not cared about or worried over, beca use there are plenty more workers out there. Itinerant workers were paid low wages for a hard day gr afting. Itinerant workers are normally solo men in search of work; they have low expectations of lif e, and are extremely lonely. This is why it was odd when George and Lennie turned up together. They share a strong friendship, both relying on one another. "If them other guys gets in jail they can ro t for all anybody giver a damm." "But not us! An' why? Because I got you to look after me, and you g ot me to look after you, and that's why." However, Lennie is automatically targeted by the small bru tish Curley, the bosses' son. He is firstly targeted because of his large size, then Curley spots hi s vulnerability as being mildly retarded, Luckily George is there to back Lennie up. From then on Le nnie is targeted by Curley. One of the main themes that run though 'Of Mice and Men' is prejudice. We see this in Crooks the black stable buck. He was kicked in the back by a horse, which has given h im a severely crooked back, hence the name. Crooks are seen as a more permanent member of staff than the other men. On Lennies encounter of Crooks we learn a lot about the hardship of his life. He has to live in the harness room on his own, due to the colour of his skin. He explains to Lennie, "I ai nt wanted in the bunkhouse". Crooks is rather hostile when Lennie first enters his room, but soon re alises that Lennie doesn't understand the problem, that there was of being black at that time. Crook s reveals a lot of his feelings of loneliness to Lennie. He tells Lennie, "Sometimes he talks, and y ou don't know what the hell he's talkin about". "A guy can talk to you an' be sure you wont go blabb in'." He complains to Lennie that even though he doesn't understand what people are saying when they are talking, he can still talk. No-one listens to Crooks he is just, "a busted-back nigger." Life is shown as unfair in the form of Candy and his dog. Candy is the old, one handed 'swamper'. "A guy on a ranch don't never listen nor he don't ask no questions". However Candy is a gossip, he is one o f the first people that George and Lennie meet. Candy tells George and Lennie that when they didn't turn up yesterday, that the boss gave the stable buck (Crooks) hell. He justifies this by saying, "Y a see, the stable buck's a nigger.' This shows the lack of respect that boss has for him. Candy also describes Crooks as, "a pretty nice fellow." We learn more about Candy later on in the story, when his companion his old dog has to be shot by Carlson. Candy explains to George and Lennie, "When the y can me here I wisht somebody'd shoot me. But they won't do nothing like that." In 'The Half Broth ers' life is seen to be extremely sad and unfair in just the first page. The mother marreid at the y oung age of seventeen. She married a man of twenty-one years, who brought a farm which did not prosp er. He died three years later and left the young widow with a young baby. She was left with a farm w ith half the cattle dead, debts to be paid and a baby to feed. To add to her problems she had anothe r baby on the way. Her baby daughter became ill of scarlet fever, and died a week before Gregory was born. The mother has had an excessive amount of bad luck throughout her early years. Her Bad luck doesn't change when Gregory is born. She loses her eyesight, which disables her from finding work. T his made life even harder for her, as she could not make any money for her house or new born. She w as forced to marry William Preston, an old bachelor, one of the wealthiest farmers about. She marrie d him not for love, but for the well-being of her son. What she did not know is that, William Presto n would become to resent, and take a positive dislike towards Gregory. However, when he married her he, "promised to take good charge of her boy," The mother is very isolated, and lonely, this is sho wn at her daughter's funeral, when the only people her mother could 'muster', were neighbours, her sister (Fanny) and one far off cousin. This shows that she doesn't have anyone that she is close to. She has her sister, but it is obvious that they have very different personalities, even though she was described as a, "kind, warm hearted creature, who thought more of her sister's welfare than she did of her own." However, Fanny saw her sister simply, whereas she is actually a much deeper person. This is shown when William asks to marry her, and Fanny can not see that she still misses her late husband and daughter, and does not love William. William soon finds out that Helen does not love hi m, but Gregory. William soon became extremely jealous of Gregory, and became spiteful towards Helen because of it. "He wanted her to love him more, and perhaps that was all well and good; but he wante d her to love her child less, and that was an evil wish." The day that Helen died, William had curs ed and swore at Gregory for getting into mischief. He also shouted at Helen for holding up his naugh tiness. On that very same day a son (the narrator of this story) was born to William. William was sa id to be, "glad, and proud, and sorry, all in a breath;" He worked out that it was all Gregory's fau lt, that Helen died, another grudge that William would hold against him. Williams's son describes hi s fathers dislike towards Gregory, "My father never got over his grudging dislike to his stepson, wh o had innocently wrestled with him for the possesion of my mother's heart." Gregory's lack of love and his mother, made him a quiet, yet sometimes moody child. With his mother's upbringing Gregory is

said to be, patient and good natured, and even after he had been shouted at by people he would try and do a kind turn for anyone. The constant telling off that he received form the people around him just made him a quiet and reserved boy. His Half brother had a very different upbringing, he was sh owered with love form all around him. He was always the centre of attention, which left Gregory cast in the shadows. He had been looked after by Fanny since birth and she loved him like her own. Willi am loved him to, and was proud of him, and so he prospered. He describes himself, "I was a clever la d; at any rate, I always got plenty of praise; and was, as we called it, the cock of the school." He was modest to. "I am ashamed- my heart is sore to think how i fell into the fashion of the family, and slighted my poor orphan step-brother." He would copy what, he had heard others shout at him, an d Gregory was said, to turn sullen and sulky. Fanny described it as 'stupid', she sees Gregory, like she saw her sister as a simple person, but it is obvious, that Gregory's feelings have been hurt by his half-brother. It also re-enforces how Gregory was not a cross or angry person, as we never hea r of him retaliating. We do hear however, of his act of love and self-sacrifice towards his half-br other. Gregory finds his half-brother on the lonely fells, in the blistering cold. He tries to take him safely home, but his half-brother is weak and can no longer go on. He tells him to lie down behi nd a rock to shelter him from the snow. Then he takes his top off, leaving him in just a shirt, and wraps it round his half-brother. He then lies close to his half-brother, and places his arm around h im to keep his half-brothers warm. Gregory died that night, but had saved his half-brothers life, d ue to his self sacrifice. As I said 'Of Mice and Men' ends in a similarly tragic way. The strength t hat Lennie possesses, and his simple mind, leads to him killing Curley's wife, this was done by acci dent, but it wouldn't be seen that way from Curley, who already does not take a liking to Lennie. L ennie had run to the hiding place, where George told him to go, if he were to get into any trouble. When the workers find the body of Curley's wife, a search party is sent out to hunt Lennie down. Geo rge finds Lennie in the hiding place, he repeats the story about when they are going to get a little place of their own, and Lennie will tend the rabbits. George shot Lennie in the back of the head, w hile telling him the story. He did this to save him from being shot in the guts by Curley. half brot hers mice life difficult full self sacrifice obvious that these stories separated hundred years apar t from that they written stories both share life being difficult half brothers written story young w idow only happiness child gregory story dead mice ends similarly unhappy both stories however also s how difference human love make lives mice story loyalty friendship which focuses itinerant workers g eorge lennie george taken responsibility mildly retarded lennie constantly seems fall into trouble s ort another george lennie plan travel forever someday they will have little place their reminded thi s many times throughout life seen difficult this because they itinerant workers constantly having mo ve from town next because trouble that gets himself into this makes their dream having little place their seem even further reach steinbeck wrote edge depression america many people travel from farm f arm find work itinerant workers worker cared about worried over because there plenty more there were paid wages hard grafting normally solo search work have expectations extremely lonely when turned t ogether share strong friendship both relying another them other guys gets jail anybody giver damm lo ok after look after however automatically targeted small brutish curley bosses firstly targeted larg e size then curley spots vulnerability being mildly retarded luckily there back then targeted curley main themes though prejudice crooks black stable buck kicked back horse which given severely crooke d back hence name crooks seen more permanent member staff than other lennies encounter crooks learn about hardship live harness room colour skin explains aint wanted bunkhouse rather hostile when firs t enters room soon realises doesn understand problem being black time reveals feelings loneliness te lls sometimes talks know what hell talkin about talk sure wont blabbin complains even though doesn u nderstand what people saying when talking still talk listens just busted nigger shown unfair form ca ndy candy handed swamper ranch never listen questions however candy gossip first people meet tells d idn turn yesterday boss gave stable buck hell justifies saying stable buck nigger shows lack respect boss also describes pretty nice fellow learn more later companion shot carlson explains here wisht somebody shoot nothing like half brothers seen extremely unfair just first page mother marreid young seventeen married twenty years brought farm which prosper died three years later left young widow w ith baby left with with cattle dead debts paid baby feed problems another baby daughter became scarl et fever died week before gregory born mother excessive amount luck throughout early luck doesn chan ge gregory born loses eyesight disables finding work made even harder could make money house born fo rced marry william preston bachelor wealthiest farmers married love well what know william preston w ould become resent take positive dislike towards married promised take good charge mother very isola ted lonely shown daughter funeral only could muster were neighbours sister fanny cousin shows have a nyone close sister obvious very different personalities though described kind warm hearted creature thought sister welfare than fanny simply whereas actually much deeper person shown william asks marr y fanny still misses late husband daughter does love soon finds helen does soon became extremely jea lous became spiteful towards helen wanted perhaps well good wanted child less evil wish helen died c ursed swore getting into mischief also shouted holding naughtiness very same narrator said glad prou d sorry breath worked fault grudge would hold against williams describes fathers dislike towards fat her never over grudging dislike stepson innocently wrestled possesion heart lack made quiet sometime s moody child upbringing said patient good natured after been shouted would kind turn anyone constan t telling received form around just made quiet reserved brother different upbringing showered form a round always centre attention left cast shadows been looked since birth loved like loved proud prosp ered describes himself clever rate always plenty praise called cock school modest ashamed heart sore think fell fashion family slighted poor orphan step brother copy heard others shout said turn sulle n sulky described stupid sees like simple person obvious feelings been hurt brother enforces cross a ngry person never hear retaliating hear self sacrifice finds lonely fells blistering cold tries take

safely home weak longer tells down behind rock shelter snow then takes leaving shirt wraps round li es close places around keep warm night saved self sacrifice ends similarly tragic strength possesses simple mind leads killing wife done accident wouldn already does liking hiding place where told wer e trouble find body wife search party sent hunt down finds hiding repeats going little will tend rab bits shot head while telling save shot gutsEssay, essays, termpaper, term paper, termpapers, term pa pers, book reports, study, college, thesis, dessertation, test answers, free research, book research , study help, download essay, download term papers