Rain is used throughout the narrative as a metaphoric representation of trouble and/or difficulty for Martyn. The connection is established in "Part 1, Wednesday, Section 2" when Martyn's realization that he is in "a sweet mess" is juxtaposed with the beginnings of a rainstorm. Here it's interesting to note that within moments of this juxtaposition, Alex arrives...
Plot Summary
Fourteen-year-old Martyn Pig is faced with some difficult choices in the aftermath of his brutal father's accidental death. While he is relieved at being free from Dad's tyranny, Marty also feels a degree of guilt over that relief and conflicting emotions about the the flirtatious and mysterious quality of the girl next door; the blackmailing machinations of her repulsive boyfriend; and the sudden appearance of a large sum of money. As the narrative explores the moral ambiguities associated with both Martyn' situation and his decisions, it also explores issues related to becoming an adult and the allure of freedom.
Martyn begins the first-person narrative of his story with a description of some of the difficulties that he has faced, including having a drunken and violent father; a mother who disappeared from his life early on because of that father; and a name that has triggered series of taunts and endless bullying. He also sets the stage for the story that follows, describing the events that occur within the week before Christmas Day and an important participant in those events - Alex, the girl next door that Martyn has a crush on.
The actual story begins one night a week before Christmas. During a violent confrontation with Martyn, his drunken father accidentally falls and hits his head. Instead of calling the police, Martyn, afraid that he will believed to be responsible for his father's death and sent to prison, leaves the body where it fell. Later that night, when Alex comes by for one of her regular nightly visits, Martyn tells her what happened. Alex tries to convince him to call the police, but he refuses. The next day, Martyn discovers that his father has inherited sixty thousand dollars. He tells Alex, suggesting that if he goes to the police, there will be no way that he can collect any of the money and telling her that now she is as "guilty" as he is. Still convinced Martyn should call the police, Alex leaves, but returns later that day with her slimy boyfriend Dean, who reveals that he knows everything that happened and that he wants the entire sum of money in order to stay quiet. Martyn agrees to have the money for Dean by the following Monday, but concocts a plan to prevent that from actually happening.
After convincing Martyn's nosy Aunty Jean that Dad is still alive, on the Saturday before Christmas,
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search For other uses, see Of Mice and Men (disambiguation). Page semi-protected Of Mice and Men OfMiceAndMen.jpg First edition cover Author John Steinbeck Cover artist Ross MacDonald Country United States Language English Publisher Covici Friede Publication date 1937 Pages 187pp. Of Mice and Men is a novella[1][2] written by Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck. Published in 1937…
Of mice and men The story “of mice and men” by John Steinbeck is about the great depression times. Times when people worked eleven hours or more. Back when people hustle work when possible, people lived on a hand to mouth life. When Lennie was kicked out of weed, Lennie and George went a few miles south where there are green hillsides, golden sands in the sunlight, and warm waters. George and Lennie worked in a field bucking barley under the hot sun. This area had plenty of sunshine but…
Of Mice and Men Word Count: 378 "Ain’t many guys travel around together," he mused. "I don’t know why. Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other." (38). Of Mice and Men is a genius book written by John Steinbeck. The book itself has many themes. This paper is going to focus on loneliness. Steinbeck does a good job showing loneliness among people. The character Crooks, the stable buck, is lonely. He was black. Because he is black, he doesn’t get to hang out with the other…
In the novella Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck loneliness is a key theme and many characters show this trait. These characters are Curley’s wife, Crooks, Slim, George and Candy. Curley’s wife shows loneliness by always complaining about not being able to talk to anyone and she pesters everyone to talk to her. Crooks shows loneliness be talking to Lennie about what he would do if George didn’t come back from town and he is also the only black person there on the ranch (shows it is what Crooks is…
In Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, friendship becomes very valuable early on. Lennie and George are seen as an odd pair since no two men usually travel together, but as the story goes on their friendship is what so many of the ranch workers long for. The characters that Lennie and George run into are hard and tough men but even though they put up walls against others, they want a friend just like Lennie has George and vice versa. We can see that the friendship Lennie and George bring to the story…
Name- Rusha Srinjayi Sen Grade – 9 Subject – English Teacher – Mr.Kent Date – Thursday 20th, November 2014. Of Mice and Men Summative Essay Question : Explain the value of relationships in this story, and how this contrasts to the problem of loneliness. Be sure to include insight about the value of this idea in society. Written by John Stienback, Of Mice and Men, is a story about two uncommon friends, George and Lennie who travel and work from place to place so that they can earn enough money…
Of Mice and Men Literary Analysis Everyone at some point in their life has been or knows someone who has experienced loneliness. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the author Mr. Steinbeck incorporates many different themes. A major theme is how loneliness affects everyone is some type of way wether it is one of our main characters in George, a female in Curley's wife, or some one of a different race in Crooks. This comes to show loneliness affects everyone regardless of age, sex,…
English- Control Assessment ‘Of Mice and Men’ Of Mice and Men is a short novel written by the author John Steinbeck, in which he explores the themes of friendship and loneliness. Following the lives of the 1930s ranch workers, and the hope of achieving the ‘American Dream’ and how events can conspire against the realization of ones dreams. For, Steinbeck’s characters, the dream of land represents independence and honour, George and…
Aaron Hoenig 11/7/12 4A Loneliness in Of Mice and Men One of the most important themes in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is loneliness. Multiple characters in this book are lonely, and all in very different ways. Lennie is a very lonely character. Because of his mental capacity people do not understand him. Curley’s wife is one of the most obvious lonely characters because the only person she can talk to is her husband. Another lonely character is George even though on the outside he does…
Of Mice and Men Of Mice and Men is a book written by John Steinbeck in 1937. The book Of Mice and Men is about two men named George and Lennie. George is a smart but smaller man, whereas Lennie is very big and strong but has a mental disability. They find work at a ranch but soon find themselves in a dangerous situation when Lennie has accidentally killed the wife of Curley, who is their boss’s son. Curley vows to kill Lennie, but before he is able to do so George chooses to take the life of his…