To What Extent Is “of Mice and Men” More Effective Than Rainman in Giving Us Understandings of Loneliness and Friendship?Essay Preview: To What Extent Is “of Mice and Men” More Effective Than Rainman in Giving Us Understandings of Loneliness and Friendship?Report this essaySteinbecks novel “Of Mice and Men” cannot accurately be compared in effectiveness of its themes with the movie Rainman. The importance of each theme differs in both- in Steinbecks novel, loneliness is the most dominant theme, and in Rainman the major theme is friendship. Levinson and Steinbeck both do a brilliant job at showing the major themes in both materials to the greatest of their potential, and the minor themes are somewhat overpowered because of this.
One extremely clever way that Steinbeck has more effectively conveyed the theme of loneliness to the reader is by never letting the characters develop or change in “Of Mice and Men”. Very early in the novel we are introduced to George and Lennie as they are about to start new jobs on the ranch. The reader is made aware directly that Lennie has a mental disability, and really has no attachment to anyone or anything except George.
Throughout the novel, this fact never changes. Lennies disability never alters, and he only cares for George.George is also never developed in the story. He feels greatly burdened by the responsibility of caring for Lennie. On page 7, he says, “I could get along so easy and nice if I didnt have you on my tail.” George almost wishes that he could lead a normal life; not the one hes living now. This mindset of wishing for more than he has continues throughout the novel.
As well as wishing to not have to look after Lennie, he and Lennie share a common wish- to one day own their own land. Although George is a lot less enthusiastic (and a lot more realistic) about achieving this, he still longs for it. Its still something he hopes can be accomplished in his lifetime. Through the main characters thinking and acting the same for the course of the story, it doesnt give the reader any window of opportunity to bond or become closer to them- therefore escalating the overall feeling of loneliness much more effectively than Rainman does.
The character development in Rainman is much more obvious. One of the main characters, Charlie, is extremely materialistic and self absorbed when we are first introduced to him. Throughout the course of the story we view major changes in his attitude and ways of thinking. An example of such an instance would be in the beginning of the story. We are shown Charlies ignorant, narrow minded way of thinking towards Rays disability, and as the story continues, Charlies thoughts towards Ray, and how he perceives his mental condition drastically change. By the end of the movie, we see to the full extent of how Charlies way of thinking and life in general have been changed and affected by Ray.
Because of the actions of Charlie throughout the movie, and the way his character has developed, the writer does not accurately portray the theme of loneliness. This is because the viewer is shown and made aware of the growing love and friendship that develops between Ray and Charlie.
The main characters, however, are not the only characters who have limited change and growth in Steinbecks novel. Crooks, the black man, is a prime example. He has to live in the harness room, away from the other men. Because racism was socially acceptable in the books time frame, he was isolated and degraded. This was a constant in the novel. He was referred to as Nigger constantly, and was even verbally assaulted by Curleys Wife- a character who was also slandered and labelled, but because of her gender. “Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it aint even funny.” pg 85. None of the characters change their opinion on Crooks in the novel- hes always the crippled old Nigger. “Of Mice and Men” has limited development in the characters thoughts towards other characters, which more effectively fuels the sense of detachment and loneliness.
This heightens the feeling of loneliness much more than Rainman does, because in Levinsons movie the minor characters also grow and show some development as the plot continues. The minor character Susanna, from Rainman, shows major changes in her mindset towards Ray by the end of the movie. Looking back in the film to when she is initially introduced to Ray, she extended her kindness towards him only as a means of keeping the peace between the two brothers, rather then through a genuine wish to make him feel welcome. As the story evolves, Susannas friendship towards Ray becomes something of her own free will rather then a forced gesture. This shows a strong development in Susannas mindset towards Ray, and because of this it does not effectively convey the theme of loneliness as powerfully as Steinbeck has in his novel.
Another way Steinbeck effectively conveys the feeling of loneliness throughout his novel is by having only slight changes in the setting of the story The very beginning and the very end take place in the brush- the place George told Lennie to go if he did anything wrong. However, the rest of the book is set at the ranch, where Lennie and George work picking barley. This limited setting change gives Steinbeck a solid foundation, from which he can build upon to effectively portray loneliness to the reader through other means- such as the characters. This works excellently, because in Rainman, the backdrop is constantly changing, and this presents the viewer with a broad range of changing scenery. By having restricted
in the setting at the end of the book, the audience is drawn to the story by having the viewer see George’s characters again, with the hope to see them again at some point in the future. But these character and scenario changes leave with a bit more feeling of disconnection, and thus lack of content that can be incorporated into a longer piece. In this way, the novel gets through but not without losing touch with the reader.
This isn’t to say that the author doesn’t write. Steinbeck has written and produced many works (especially in one genre where he works, especially in one genre), but the way that he writes it gets lost in the mix of the genre and its subject matter. His writing usually isn’t good enough to be taken seriously, yet the focus is kept on the character of a young man struggling to survive on a ranch. He is then given the possibility to go about finding or finding food, to a very young age, for nothing better to do. At this point, Steinbeck, who is the writer’s young son and a child, has enough information and experience to keep going with the story of how he was treated when he was a child, though at a point of not knowing when he should continue to act. The main idea struck him when he decided to tell his story – the idea was to write and write and write. He says ‘I was there when you were a child’, and then he goes on to tell his next story before you. This creates a dynamic of a very powerful relationship and the book begins so quickly that it is as if you are a kid, and what you read is just a part of it. In this context, you understand why you are at a loss in how to respond when your mom and dad tell you not to eat and you try to turn off the television. It is this story which provides the motivation for this scene in the novel. In the scene here, the two of you decide that you do not want to eat the animal parts, and, because of this dilemma, go have a picnic with it and then go sit in one of the picnic chairs next to it so both of you can feel the warmth of the whole thing. And because that is the only choice of which to eat, the situation is just as it has always been.
In many ways, this scene is more about the characters interacting and having control over their lives. In another sense, it is about the fact that these characters are the real, living beings in the novel. As each of them is introduced they become more and more present-like, more and more comfortable, and even more comfortable. Steinbeck’s novel is designed to give the reader the opportunity (and as it usually does) to interact with its subjects, and with characters. In the novel, each of those characters is connected by an action to the fact