Explore and compare the characters, achievements and deaths of Lennie Small Essay

In this essay I will explore and comp be the temperaments, achievements and stopping points of Lennie microscopical, from John Steinbecks Of Mice and Men and Bill Sikes from, Charles heller Oliver Twist.I encounter read both(prenominal)(prenominal) novels and enjoyed them immensely because of the marvelous characters, language and techniques used by the authors especiall(a)y when describing the worlds they conjured inwardly their novels. These twain books too express perfectly the pioneering views of ogre and Stienbeck they both used their writings in an attack to make their socialist views subtly heard by the masses. In the eras of Dickens and also Steinbeck, problems such as, racism, sexism, poorness and the class divide were simply accepted by society. These two authors saw the problems of their social structures, the discriminative attitudes of the tribe and wanted to make the public aware, being greatly frowned upon by whatsoever. Dickens and Steinbeck were sol f lush itrs of the same struggle and that is where the similarities in the midst of Of Mice and Men and Oliver Twist begin.Most of the characters in both novels represent the pauperisation that plagued both countries at the conviction the books were set, especially George and Lennie in Of Mice and Men the epitome of p all overty in the USA. Their lives are an endless trek roughly California constantly looking for excogitate, scratching a buck or two a sidereal day from the back breaking work they do on the ranches. The poverty Oliver lives in (and that Dickens also experienced as a youth) is s advisetily the same, with a una uniform back drop, which is why these novels relate so seeded player up to each other. Where these two stories really raise a lot of similarities, plainly at the same while a lot of paradoxes, are definitely the complete word pictures and the demolitions of the killers themselves. The characters and situations appear to be truly alike, besides on e time you read deeper you can see the differences that sneak through.Lennie Small is a very big, powerful, strong man Steinbeck describes him as a bull. Sikes is also a large burley fellow, but where Sikes is pure evil, Lennie is nipperish, unprejudiced and inhibited, a man who all in all relies on someone else to guide him, like a dog and master their personalities are approximately an antithesis. They are like this to bring out certain emotions in the reader to make us flick, detestation towards Sikes (and planetually satis situationion when he lives), but sympathy, wonder and sympathetic humour for Lennie.Their victims, on the other hand, are closely identical Nancy is a prostitute and, in a way, so is Curleys married woman she holds her clay to Curley in exchange for marriage and money. We engender to quality muddied for Curleys wife when she when she confesses her ungodlinesss to Lennie in the barn and the adverse way she has been mistreated and abused in the past. The blue thing is she is so nave that she doesnt realise. She confesses that she doesnt love or even like CurleyI don like Curley. He aint a nice fella is exactly what she says to Lennie, something she has neer told eitherone. Nancy also repents before she dies and pleas with Bill to do so too let us both exit this dreadful erupt, and far apart lead meliorate lives It is never too late to repent. She even breathes a short prayer of mercy before she dies. In actual fact the whole reason Sikes kills Nancy is because she has been onerous to do the lawful, honest thing and try to work her way out of this life of crime and sin she has lived in for so m both years. We feel a lot more(prenominal) sympathy for Nancy when she dies because of this and for other reasons. To undertake with she is killed by a man contained with pure malice, plague and evil, who is supposed to be her lover. Contrastingly Curleys wifes death is a complete accident or if anything, her fault. A lso Dickens writes Nancys score delineation so graphically and violently it is almost impossible non to feel spoilt for this cleaning lady Beat it double upon her upturned face. She must crap died in agony and timidity when Sikes killed her in cold, bloody blood. Nancy had to wait for her death in absolute terror for a minute or so, knowing she would be violently murdered, which must baffle seemed like an age, she even gets down on her knees and begs for mercy before she is brutally and callously slain. On the other hand Curleys wife dies quickly and painlessly. There is a dim-witted reason why this is.Dickens wants us to feel nothing, but pure, unadulterated hatred for Sikes when he kills Nancy, so when Sikes finally dies we feel justice is done. This is slightly because of Dickens audience, the Victorian public, being so religious and accept themselves to be so good hearted, would have demanded the death of Sikes and enjoyed the novel more without Sikes shadow hanging o ver the proceedings. Dickens being the man he was gives the wad what they want.I prefer the way Steinbeck handles his murder scene purely because I think it is extremely clever. Steinbecks characterisation of these two characters has been leading up to this morsel and it comes together perfectly. He intends us to feel down(p) for Curleys wife, but no hatred of any kind towards Lennie. Even though we have just heard of all the false promises she has been made in her life along with her failed ambitions, her belief they could still come true, all the times she has been sexually abused and the fact that she is still oblivious to all of this, we still can strongly empathise with Lennie.He is as innocent as the day he was born, a child trapped in a mans body. Lennie doesnt have a scratch of malice in him and we could never feel anger toward a character we have come to love. After reading this scene I actually found myself almost as sorry and sympathetic towards Lennie as Curleys wife, but not only Lennie, Candy and George too because I knew that any hopes of their long awaited dream had now been shattered. finally in the two murder scenes to makes us feel complete hatred for Sikes and sympathy for Lennie the two authors both use similar metaphors to give the final impression that the two confessed and repented women are forgiven. With Nancy she is released from this world in the bounce of one of her hairs being cremated above the glowing embers and symbolically having her soul rise to Heaven.The scene after Curleys wife is killed is heavenly enough, with the soft light of the mid-afternoon lie penetrating between the planks of the barn and the golden stalking almost ceremoniously spread across the go maidens body, utter peace. A single dove, the messenger of God, move in through the open barn opening circles, almost giving the site its blessing, and exits with Curleys wifes soul on a move around to the heavens.Now I will move on to Lennie and Sikes deaths . In wrinkle to Nancy, when Sikes dies he go continuous to hell. His death is showered in chaos and cultism twice that of what Nancy felt. It is a chase through the lowest and darkest place of London. A mad displace of crazy large number screaming for Sikes blood, holding torches aloft like a crazed lynch mob. This hue and cry of gentlemen, policemen, thieves and citizens of all kind all share a hatred and loathing of Sikes and what he has done. The way Dickens describes this scene is superb. When reading I could hear the shouts and screams of the gathering, feel the heat of the torches and feel Sikes fright a waving crowd in the outer darkness like a field of corn moved by an angry storm is probably one of the best pieces of rendering he uses and it really does make you feel the sand of chaos and vengeance that spurs on this hue and cry.The enjoyment that it gives the reader when Sikes accidentally kills himself is enormous. In his efforts to escape he ties a rope aroun d his waist and falls 40 feet as it moves to his neck and hangs him. Sikes dies in more agony than anyone else in either novel not from pain, but fear. In the time he falls, his body experiences sensory overload a panic and fear so great it is enough to kill a man on its own.He falls towards the crowd of flames and symbolically hell, the complete antithesis of the deaths of Nancy and Curleys wife. Hanging would also have greatly contented the puritan state of Victorian England as hanging was the accepted outstanding punishment of the period, perfect for Sikes. To eradicate completely any emotion for Sikes his loyal dog also jumps for his master, shattering its head on the ground below. Any empathy we may have is transferred to Bullseye. This is probably the most dramatic of the wide novel.If one scene in Of Mice and Men could learn the pure drama and latent hostility of Sikes death it would have to be the final chapter Lennies death. The build up of tension in the scene is li teral genius. When George produced Carlsons Lugar I was on the edge of my seat right up until the end of the novel. Sikes death had to be quick to give a real sense for the excitement of the chase. Lennies death had to be draw out and milked for all it is worth, not solely for tension, but to give a character we have become so familiar with and very fond of, a memorable and proper throw off. Thanks to Georges skill with words and his love for him, Lennie could not be more content when he dies.The last thing I wanted was for Lennie to die, but it is inevitable. I found myself sating dont do it George, but it is much better that he dies like this than face the men from the ranch. He must die he cannot go on being rack by what he has done. Lennies death shares some similarities to Curleys wifes they both die quickly and painlessly and like Curleys wife his soul is take to heaven. The gunshot rolling up the heavenly hills of Salinas makes you feel that Lennie has been released.To summ arise, these to classic novels have umteen things in common, but also sharply contrast each other. Its this that makes comparing the two so fascinating, as you new things they share and interesting differences both time you read them. It seems strange, but pleasing that two such comparable novels could come from opposite centuries, different, different countries, but share the same messages and morals.