Prompt Revision #1

2006. Many writers use a country setting to establish values within a work of literature. For example, the country may be a place of virtue and peace or one of primitivism and ignorance. Choose a novel or play in which such a setting plays a significant role. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the country setting functions in the work as a whole.

The country setting in Of Mice and Men plays an essential role in the story.  John Steinbeck uses the country setting to help set the stage for the events of the story and help reinforce the theme.  The country is used to represent a place of primitivism and ignorance and it also contributes to the theme of loneliness.  

The country is set up as a simple setting that most people can picture easily.  George and Lenny, the two main characters, live a very simple and primitive lifestyle working on different ranches trying to make a living.  John Steinbeck uses this simple rural setting to help convey the theme of the improbability of the American Dream. If the story had taken place in the suburbs, the basic desire to own your own property would seem less relevant. By working on farms for most of their lives, the classic American Dream of owning property seems very realistic and less forced upon the readers.   The constant reminder of this desire emphasizes the meaning of the difficulty to achieve the American Dream.  The ignorance in this country setting also acts as a major barrier blocking George and Lenny from achieving the American Dream.  

The country setting is also a place of ignorance in Of Mice and Men.  Lenny who has mental disabilities is a very strong and productive worker.  George has to constantly protect Lenny and tell him to keep silent to not reveal his ignorance.  The country setting helps create the general feeling that the society where George and Lenny live doesn't accept people like Lenny.  The attitudes of the other characters, especially Curley, show ignorance and intolerance that seem to fit in with the normal perception of a country setting.  One of the main messages of the story is how harsh realities of the world can make it very difficult to achieve success.  In this novel these realities come in the form of ignorance which prevents George and Lenny from owning their own property in the end.  

The loneliness of the country is also portrayed and has a major impact on the story.   Curley's wife instigates many of the problems on the farm primarily because she feels isolated and doesn't have other women to talk to.  If she lived in a city or a setting where there are more people she likely wouldn't have spent so much time wandering around the farm talking to the farm hands.  This ends up leading to Lenny getting in trouble because Curley's wife talks to him and then angers him.  The loneliness of the characters in this country setting is one of the main catalysts for the problems the characters face.  Since the isolation of the characters is a major theme and drives the plot of the story, the importance of friendship becomes one of the meanings of the story. Some of the farmhand are jealous of the relationship that George and Lenny have.  The farmhands realize that a relationship makes George and Lenny's lives more enjoyable and how it helps that to have someone that will look out for them.  By portraying George and Lenny's relationship in such a positive way by comparing it to the loneliness of the country setting, Steinbeck emphasizes the meaning and the importance of friendship.

The country not only exemplifies a primitive, ignorant, and lonely place in this novel, it also helps progress the plot with these themes.  By choosing a particular setting, the author establishes values of many of its characters and emphasizes the themes and meanings.