The author of the 1937 novella Of Mice and Men was John Steinbeck. The Novella story is about these two characters; George and Lennie. They travel to a ranch and get jobs but as fate has it, Lennie gets in trouble and George probably thought this was a never ending cycle. The central conflict of this story Character Vs Fate, as George speaks of what others fates are as his own will be different with Lennie.
“Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place. They come to a ranch an’ work up a stake and then they go inta town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they’re pound in’ their tail on some other ranch. They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to.”
“With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don’t have to sit in no bar room blowin’ in our jack jus’ because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us.”
The fate of which George speaks in this quote, talks about how others are like that and as George said they aren’t. This was his first step with Lennie to defying their fate, but in the epic attempt it failed dramatically. The part in which they defy fate was at the second paragraph of this quote when George said “With us it ain’t like that…”.showing their fate will be different from others but their fate was made and was only changed a bit. But as George said “They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to.” which was a truth that George and Lennie did not want to accept. It was another part of which they tried to defy the fate of which they were set on at this period of time. This quote is significant though as it shows the mind of everyone. Attempting to be special in anyway, so if you apply this to daily life, there is a sad truth behind this fate in which almost everyone ends up with.
The next example of the central conflict of Of Mice and Men has to do with the illusion of the human mind showing how simple George and Lennie are.
They were silent. They looked at one another, amazed. This thing they had never really believed in was coming true. George said reverently, “Jesus Christ! I bet we could swing her.” His eyes were full of wonder. “I bet we could swing her,” he repeated softly.
This quote talks about the illusion George, Lennie, and Candy has in mind of how they think they will actually get the land. But they did not think ahead of what they might endure or what would happen, blinded with the idea, they did not think ahead of any of the intrusion of other variables will have on there plan. Even so, a strong part of this quote was the second and third sentence. “They looked at one another, amazed. This thing they had never really believed in was coming true.” This is a particularly clear example of the struggle against fate. It’s a very common idea though, even probably back then, but it very significant in its own way as no one really ever pays attention to this saying “It’s better to be safe then sorry.” concluding that if ill prepared and your going up against fate, do not expect great results.
One of the very last quotes of Of Mice and Men that support the thesis for George and Lennie, how they were against fate till the very end.
And George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head. The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger. The crash of the shot rolled up the hills and rolled down again. Lennie jarred, and then settled slowly forward to the sand, and he lay without quivering.
This last and final statement, sad as it was, finally brought up the idea that George can accept his fate and Lennie being himself, did not know how to even go about this. It felt like George had Lennie fate in his hand, since George was the one that killed Lennie when he did the action “He pulled the trigger”, showing that Lennie had no choice to begin with. Uniquely enough though this quote is an important example of how life is basically controlled by others in a endless chain, indirectly or directly which is basically what I think this quote meant.
The conclusion was significant, as it was told by two people who have been together for a long time and during the great depression too. They also talk about their dreams, a simple dream which was nearly impossible at that time. But they still worked towards what they dreamt, towards the ranch fighting off the fate they did not want to accept. This was how they said how others were to travel all over the place, work their wage, take their money, and then spend it at bars so in the end that’s what George ended up doing. Of Mice and Men also shows how on a daily basis that we all go up against fate, as we fight for the path we want, not what fate gives us and as we constantly do so, only some succeed while most others fail.
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