Critical Analysis: Of Mice And Men Essay

Of Mice and Men Critical Analysis

The supreme irony of life is that hardly anyone gets out of it alive.- Robert A. Heinlein. Although many of the points of this story are plain and dry there are many that are conveyed through the literary device of irony.

Within the story one of the most prevalent examples of situational irony has the thematic message of the pain you have to go through when losing someone dear to you despite what may have occurred in the past. This irony is displayed firstly with Carlson putting Candys dog to sleep, the pain Candy felt was evident through the way he reacted to the situation, and also through his display of anguish towards the fact that it wasnt Carlsons place to do so. The irony is found when George had to shoot Lennie; although it had to be done it was most likely the hardest thing anyone will be put through. Through this situational irony one can see that in both situations it is the equivalent to being put in between a rock and a hard place, but it is an inherently evident truth that to be the one holding the smoking gun has to be a living hell.

A second example of situational irony can be found within the passage can easily be related to the theme You get what you seek the most. Curlys wife was always looking for attention from anyone and everyone and all she wanted was attention. This attention she was seeking lead to a shortened life on Lennies behalf. The attention she received not only lead to her death but the death of Lennie as well, thus showing the irony in this situation. Through the reception of affection which was thought of as a refuge from Curlys abusive and materializing nature she faced a harsher destiny.

The last situational irony I would like to bring to the attention of the reader concerns the setting of both the beginning and end of the story, through this compelling picture that was placed in my head I realized Steinbeck was a man of messages and riddles throughout his story and this was just one more message. The theme produced by this ironic situation was clear, We live life daily never really realizing the beautiful essence of your surroundings.

Now a very important aspect of irony is verbal irony which can be defined by irony shown through conversation within a story.

An example of the later is told through a series of conversations between Lennie and George. The irony is the decisions that George made for Lennie concerning Curley. When Lennie and George first moved on the ranch George was told of a rambunctious little man who liked to pick fights with big guys. George quickly realizes the potential danger this could cause for Lennie so he warns him, If he tangles with you Lennie, were gonna get the can.Look, Lennie. You try to keep away from him. George then proceeds to make Lennie promise him that he wont fight Curly. However, after Curley assaults Lennie, attacking belligerently without any sort of plausible explanation, George quickly decides to give Lennie the go ahead to fight back. This example of Lennies unfaltering obedience is revealed through Steinbeck as a preamble if you will, to the relationship between the odd pair.

At the end of the novel verbal irony was displayed to the fullest with Lennie quoting George. After Lennie killed Curleys wife he ran to the safe spot George told him about, after which George found him there and talked with him. Lennie asked George, Aint you gonna give me hell... Like you always done before. Like, if I didnt have you Id take my fifty bucks the fact that Lennie could quote George was ironic due to the way he is presented in the rest of the novel.

Lastly, dramatic irony is defined as an instance occurring that gives the reader insight to something the other characters in the story dont realize at the time. The story exemplifies this through building upon the obsession Lennie has with soft things. The story first mentioned the mice being pet to death by Lennie and then progressed to the puppy giving the reader a feeling that something was bigger to come and sure enough Lennies obsession was cause of Curlys wifes death.

In conclusion, Steinbeck uses irony as one of his many literary devices to convey messages and themes. The overall theme that can be drawn out of each and every instance of irony within this novel proves what Slim stated, Guy dont need no sense to be a nice fella. Be it George killing Lennie for Lennies best interest, or Lennie being so blinded by innocence and obedience towards George that he would unknowingly kill a girl to keep George from being mad at him. This novel conveys many messages that can be applied to daily life just through irony.