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Example research essay topic: Mice And Men Grapes Of Wrath - 1,936 words

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For years till now America was a country where lots of nations came with hopes and dreams for a better life and successful future. People came to find social status, wealth, respect and certain not the least place in the society. And most of them as well as the Americans themselves hoped to find those things and fulfill their American dream. But what is the American dream, what things influence, it and is it the same for all people who dream about it? John Steinbeck's novels Of Mice And Men, Tortilla Flat, and Grapes Of Wrath, depict the theme of the American. And more over they show the great differences between Native born Americans and immigrants attempting to accomplish it.

Having read these books I realized that the American Dream is a complex of things and it is much easier of a native citizen to reach his / her dream than for a foreign comer to do the same. The idea of the American Dream is hard work and self-reliance that bring you a successful and wealth future. You need to sacrifice the present happiness for the future welfare and prosperity. It is true that most of us can rich wealth, power and success with hard work and desire for it.

But is the American dream an easy thing to reach for immigrants. My answer is no. Of Mice and Men, the first book that I read, started out slowly, and first I considered putting it away. To me, a story about a big guy who plays with mice is not my idea of a great book. But I was wrong. I loved this book because it's novel about fate and its hardships.

The novel depicts some average guys who live an average life. They didn't strike it rich, they weren't famous, they had no talent... they were just two friends, relying on each other. These two men with dreams of someday living on their own plot and living off the land truly had the right idea. The novel shows a view of two outsiders struggling to understand their own unique places in the world. And the author here suggests that humans have the natural potential to seek happiness although the potential can be fatal or harmful.

Analyzing the story Of Mice and Men I came to the conclusion that the American dream of the main characters was a hard task for them. This story takes place around the mid-Thirties over the period of about 2 weeks. During this period many farmers lost their farms and were greatly affected by the droughts and the great depression. The Great Depression was a difficult time for all Americans.

The economy was terrible, no one was making any money, and people were forced to live on the streets or work for food. That is exactly what George Milton and Lennie Small did in Of Mice and Men. This novel shows the dreams of men and how they strove to achieve them. George and Lennie dream of their own plot of land. A couple acres with a garden, rabbits, chickens a house and maybe a cow. When the farmer plows the mouse's home he crushes the mouse's dream and with a single shot to the back of Lennie's head George shatters their dream.

Another idea that we see in this novel is shattered dreams. Although George and Lennie's dreams are crushed George will live on and survive and perhaps even live on their dream. And it proves that we humans can and do our best to stand and fight with all the problems and losses in our lives. Throughout the novel, readers can get an insight into what it is like to live those character's lives.

John Steinbeck portrayed these characters very well within following their dreams in life. The conclusion of the book takes the reader back to the beginning, and I think that all books should. This touching story clearly illustrates Steinbeck's political and social philosophies. In frustration over what he perceived as the failed American dream, and perhaps with intentional Marxist overtones, Steinbeck populates Of Mice and Men with struggling and bewildered heroes - common souls caught up in tragic combats as they innocently pursue the raw and elusive promise of America. The novel's tragic irony serves to pique the conscience of the reader, as well as to spotlight Steinbeck's political concerns for the equality and happiness of all members of the human family. I agree with Scarseths opinion and the way he portrays George and Lennie.

He describes them as personally too limited to make it come true, but they do try. I see eye to eye with him on this because of the reality of the situation. Both George and Lennie are just like the other working men out there who can never really catch their dreams. The novel Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck was written to show the misadventures of six inhabitants of an area outside of Monterey, California called the Tortilla Flat. The book follows the six friends, Danny, Pilon, Page, Jesus Marie, Big Joe Portagee and the Pirate through out their every day lives. Though the groups biggest concern throughout the book is when and how they will be able to get drunk again, it is made apparent by the author that they care very much about each other.

The intent of this book is to give the reader a look into the humorous, yet simple, lives of six friends living in a poor Mexican community in California. The story is about a man named Danny who inherited two houses on Tortilla Flat. He decides to rent one of the houses to his friend, Pilon, even though he knows Pilon has no money for rent. When Pilon starts to feel guilty about never paying rent, he decides to rent the house to their friend, Pablo, though Pablo also has no money. They spend many evenings on Danny's porch with Danny getting drunk, reminiscing, singing and eventually fighting. When Pilon and Pablo start to feel guilty about the rent, they rent the house to Jesus Maria, who has just come into a few dollars.

The rented house burns down and the three are forced to move in with Danny, and they spend much of their time drinking. Throughout the book, two others, Big Joe Portagee and The Pirate move in with them and the six of them spend their time gossiping, helping others and drinking. The book ends with Danny going insane, getting drunk and falling forty feet down a gulch and dying. Simplicity and helping each other is the way of life for Danny, his friends and the inhabitants of Tortilla Flat. Together they coexist to create a society that spends it time drinking and gossiping about one another. The ignorance of the group helps them keep their lives simple, because they dont care about politics or the newest inventions.

The antics of Danny and his friends make it an enjoyable book for any reader, but the sudden death of Danny adds the hopelessness of life for some people that is a common theme in a John Steinbeck novel. Grapes Of Wrath is a novel about fight and change and describes the exodus of a family clan from Oklahoma to California. What seems to be the Land of Promise turns out to be a land of deepest misery, conflict and disillusion. Grandfather Joads chased away the Indians and annexed the land to be the Joads property. After generations and crop failures the Joads have to sell more and more of their land to survive until they are only tenants of their former land. As other poor farmers and tenants the Joads have been brought to miserable ruin because of the forced development of machinery.

After the Joads lost the farmland and their house was torn down by a modern tractor, the family decides to leave and to migrate to California. Thirteen people set forward for their journey to an unknown Eldorado. Handbills distributed in their native country promise plenty of work and good wages. Fruitpicking is what they are supposed to do.

Fruitpicking also promises no more hunger or malnutrition. Coming to Californian to pick the fruits and thus reaching their American dream Joads dont know anything about all the problems and peculiarities of the Californian agriculture. They have sold everything unnecessary or what they simply cant take anymore on their truck. Actually their vehicle is not a real truck, its more of a makeshift. Perhaps Steinbeck's most popular and true-to-life novel, The Grapes of Wrath exposes the grinding hardships of the "Okie" migrants. With brief yet descriptive passages moving quickly from one scene to another, he conveys a sustained air of urgency.

The novel is heavy with religious symbolism: Can offers himself to suffer for Tom's crime, Then later dies uttering, "Father forgive them... "; the family meets up with fathers and sons throughout; the stillborn baby is placed in a wooden box and set adrift, Moses-like, on the river; the name "Rose of Sharon" comes from the Song of Solomon... and the list goes on and on. As a portrait of a family being destroyed by nature, mechanization, greed, and changing times, and as a sometimes sentimental yet powerful indictment of our capitalist economy, this book is a masterpiece. However, it can be argued that even through all of the appallingly harsh events the load family endures, the book promotes optimism; a "milk-of-human-kindness" theme; a journey from "drought and despair" that ends in "water and hope. " Though capricious nature - and human nature can not always be depended upon to alleviate human misery, Rose's act of mercy symbolizes the need for all of us to develop within ourselves a genuine responsibility and compassion for each other.

Overall I felt that these novels are of the great importance. They help a lot to show younger generations the fight that their ancestors as well as many immigrants had to overcome to make it in those days. They give the readers a great perspective of the times and a true story about the American dream on the whole. References Attend, Kevin. (1998) An Overview of Of Mice and Men. Exploring Novels. Gale.

Scarseth, Thomas. (1993) A Teachable Good Book: Of Mice and Men. Censored Books: Critical Viewpoints. Edited by Nicholas J. Karolides, Lee Burgess, and John M. Kean, Scarecrow Press, pp. 388 - 94.

Steinbeck, John. (1965) Of Mice and Men. New York: Bottom Books. Donald, A. Ball. (1995) Critical review of Tortilla Flat. Boston: Irwin McGraw-Hill.

Eastwood, Atwater. (1988) Tortilla Flat. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Kobe, Bryant. (1997) Works of John Steinbeck. New York: The Guilford Press Burks, Susan L. (1994) Criticism of J. Steinbeck works. New Jersey: Humana Press. John Steinbeck (1939): The Grapes Of Wrath.

Agnes McNeill Donohue (1968): A Casebook On The Grapes Of Wrath. Nina By (1994): The Norton Anthology Of American Literature. San Diego: Green haven Press, Inc. Emory Elliott (1988): Columbia Literary History Of The U. S. New York: Random House Benson, Jackson J. , ed.

The Short Novels of John Steinbeck: Critical Essays with a Checklist to Steinbeck Criticism. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1990. Benson, Jackson J. (1984) The True Adventures of John Steinbeck, Writer. Viking.

Bloom, Harold, ed. (1987) John Steinbeck. New York: Chelsea House. MARKS, Lester Jay. (1969) Thematic Design in the Novels of John Steinbeck. The Hague/Paris: Mouton. PRATT, John Clark. (1970) John Steinbeck: A Critical Essay.

Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans. web web web List, Peter. (1981) The Wide World of John Steinbeck. Staten Island, NY: Gordian Press.


Free research essays on topics related to: grapes of wrath, george and lennie, mice and men, john steinbeck, tortilla flat

Research essay sample on Mice And Men Grapes Of Wrath

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