Of Mice and Men Theme Analysis Essay

Topic of Essay Write a five paragraph literary analysis essay. Choose which theme you want to analyze: Loneliness or the American Dream. Once you have chosen a theme, brainstorm what you think the author’s attitude is regarding that theme, and different characters that represent the author’s attitude. Brainstorm Techniques: Cluster, Spider and Outline

Option #1 for Essay Analyze the theme, the inevitable failure of the American Dream, in Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men. Analyze the dream of living off the “fatta of the land” and how it influences the characters in the novel (George, Lennie, Candy or Crooks). What does Steinbeck say about the impossibility of the American Dream through any three of these characters? Use direct quotations and specific examples to support your views.

Option #2 for Essay Loneliness is a dominant theme in Of Mice and Men. Most of the characters are lonely and searching for someone who can serve as a companion or just as an audience. Analyze the examples of character loneliness and the efforts of the characters in search of companionship. What do you think John Steinbeck is saying about loneliness and isolation based on any three characters in the book? Use direct quotations and specific examples to support your views.

Writing Your Thesis Once you have chosen option 1 or option 2, make sure you have at least 3 characters you want to focus on. Each of these characters is going to be the focus of a body paragraph, so choose characters you can write a full paragraph about.

Writing Your Thesis Thesis: Your thesis should consist of a topic and limiting ideas. It must be a controversial statement you have to prove. It should never be a question. It should be the last sentence of the introduction paragraph. The thesis should make it clear what theme you are concentrating on and which characters are the best examples of the author’s message relating to that theme. Example: In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck explores the theme of loneliness and uses the characters of_____________, __________________, and _________ to demonstrate _______________. Or One of the major themes John Steinbeck writes about in his novel Of Mice and Men is the American Dream and he uses _____________, ______________, and _______________ to illustrate his point that ____________________.

Body Paragraphs – Paragraphs 2-4 Body paragraphs should follow TIQA: You will have two quotes to support each assertion. Avoid a summary of the story at all costs in the body paragraphs.  Topic sentence: a topic sentence has a topic and a limiting idea, or a focus. Your topic is the theme you have chosen. Your limiting idea is how that character relates to your theme.

Body Paragraphs – Paragraphs 2-4 Introduce quote using a LEAD IN: Before you supply the quote that supports your topic sentence, you need to introduce it. What this means is that you give some context to the quote. Example: If I am asserting that Lennie is naive: When George and Lennie are at the river in chapter one, Lennie plays in the water  Quote: Provide a quote that supports the topic sentence. Use proper MLA parenthetical citation “Direct quote from novel” (Steinbeck 75). One example that shows Lennie is naïve can be seen when George and Lennie are drinking water at the river and he says, “Look George, look what I done.” (Steinbeck 3)

Body Paragraphs – Paragraphs 2-4 Analysis/commentary: After the quote, spend about 2 to 3 sentences discussing how this quote proves your thesis idea.   Transition: Use a sentence or half a sentence to transition into a second quote for support. Example: Another time the reader sees Lennie’s naiveté is when he . . . Introduce quote Quote Analysis

Sample Paragraph One of Crook’s most dominant characteristics is his competitiveness, which is demonstrated in the way he plays horseshoes. A prime example is when Carlson complains to the bunkhouse, “Jesus, how that (stable buck) can pitch shoes.” (Steinbeck 44). After the hands are finished with a hard days work, they unwind playing horseshoes and Crook’s almost always wins, as if it is more than just a game to him. While this frustrates the rest of the farm hands, Crooks won’t back down from dominating his competition. Steinbeck later shows us why Crooks is so competitive. In the scene in Crooks’ room after most of the hands go to town, he expresses his frustration to Lennie, when he says, “S’pose you couldn’t go into the bunk house…Sure you could play horseshoes till it got dark, but then you got to read books” (Steinbeck 72). Crooks is hurt that he is not welcome to hang out with the other workers and play cards with them, so he takes his frustration out by beating them in the only game they let him play, horseshoes. If Crooks let other workers win sometimes, it would help him fit in, but his competitiveness and pride don’t let him do that. While playing horseshoes may seem like an insignificant background activity in the novel, Steinbeck uses it to illustrate Crooks’ competitive nature and why this game is serious for him.

Introduction - Paragraph 1: When writing an introduction, follow ANT.  Attention getter – get the reader’s attention. rhetorical question relevant quote from an outside source relevant quote from the story fact or statistic description of initial response to the work shocking or amusing generalization Whichever method you decide to use, make sure the attention-getter is relevant to the topic of your paper. The attention-getter should relate to the topic of your paper.

Introduction - Paragraph 1: Necessary information: author’s full name Title of story Brief plot summary – in three to five sentences briefly remind your readers what happened in the story and connect it to Hook and thesis. Highlight the major action of the story, especially those parts that are relevant to your analysis. Make sure to include the two character’s names. If your focus is George, then the summary should concentrate on George. He should be the subject of most of your sentences.

Conclusion – Paragraph 5: Reword your thesis. (You may want to start the rewording of your thesis with a signal word: e.g., thus, therefore, in short, as one can see, it is obvious then, and then.)   Tie all your points together. In 1 – 3 sentences, tell your reader the significance or importance of the ideas you have been analyzing. You might want to tell your reader what they should learn from the ideas you analyzed in the body paragraphs. (Warning: do not use you.) Clincher: try to end your paper with a short sentence that reinforces your argument. This last sentence should do one of two things. It should either include some words from your attention-getter or it should include most words from your title. This gives a sense of closure to your paper.