Of Mice and Men:
Literary Essay
A book like Of Mice and Men is powerful and--for me and the English-y types like me—it seems to ask for us to
ask questions, to delve beyond the surface of the story to discover more about what Steinbeck is saying. In this
essay, I’ll ask you to explore one of the possible themes in Of Mice and Men and comment on what you think
Steinbeck is suggesting about the big questions in life.
When we write the essay, I’m going to be pretty specific about how you organize your ideas. Part of this is to
make sure that you can focus on the ideas and worry less about the format. Let’s start with the themes. Here
are some of the possible themes your essay can comment on.
Possible Themes
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The Fragility of our Dreams
Loneliness and Friendship
Powerlessness and Fate
My Brother’s Keeper: Our responsibility to others
Nature
The cruelty of men
We’ll use the quotation worksheet on the back to explore the them you are interested in. Afterwards, we’ll try
to decide what we think Steinbeck’s opinion of the theme is. This is where we write the thesis statement.
Thesis statement:
In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck suggests that (insert theme) is (insert what you think Steinbeck
believes).
In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck suggests that our dreams are often impossible to achieve no matter how hard
we try to achieve them.
In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck suggests that friendship is so important that people are willing to do almost
anything to maintain it.
In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck suggests that most of us are powerless to resist the fate that awaits us.
In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck suggests that although we should be responsible to our fellow man, too often we
neglect to help those who need it.
Write your thesis statement here:
____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Body Paragraphs:
All body paragraphs will follow the same basic pattern.
Topic Sentence: A one-sentence description of what this paragraph will show about the thesis.
Set-up of Quote: An explanation on where the quote you’re about to give shows up in the novel and what’s
happening so that we’ll understand the quote when we read it.
Quote: The actual words from the text. At least one sentence but not more than 70 words.
Interpretation and Discussion: The place where you discuss how the quote demonstrates Steinbeck’s
opinion of the thesis. This should be the longest part (4-6 sentences).
Example:
The men at the bunkhouse often have big dreams but no one they truly believes they have a chance of
achieving them. In chapter four, Curley’s wife finds Crooks and Lennie deep in conversation about buying
their own ranch, but she seems skeptical of their chances.
two
"Baloney," she said. "I seen too many you guys. If you had two bits in the worl', why you'd be in gettin'
shots of corn with it and suckin' the bottom of the glass. I know you guys." (98)
Curley’s wife might sound cruel and unfeeling as she dismisses what the men dream about, but even the men
question their own ability to be successful. She has had experience with men talking big and leaving broke. In
fact, Curley’s wife later in that scene complains that she could have been in the movies if she had been smarter
and hadn’t married Curley. Steinbeck seems to be saying that the characters in his novel all suffer from the
inability to either control themselves or overcome the obstacles fate puts in their way. Despite the best
intentions of the men, their own desires for whiskey often get the better of them.
Introduction and Conclusion
Your intro should be pretty short, mostly explaining that you are going to talk about OMM and ending with the
thesis statement. Your conclusion should restate your introduction and end with a question or statement that
collects your thoughts on the subject of the theme.
Grading
2-page, 5-paragraph essay (intro, body paragraphs, conclusion). Double-spaced (except for long quotes)
3 x 10 points per
10 points
10 points
Body paragraph (topic sentence, set-up, quote, interpretation)
Conventions
Thesis + Intro/Conclusion
50 points
Total
Quotation Worksheet
Theme:__________________________
Summarize Quote
Quotation 1
Quotation 2
Quotation 3
Quotation 4
What does the quote have to say
about the theme?