The Grapes of Wrath - Steinbeck

Passage

(Steinbeck 96)

Comment

This passage is a description of Uncle John, one of the heads of the family, which can be connected
directly to George from Of Mice and Men. As shown in this paragraph, Uncle John is a middle-aged man,
cut off from the world, the people around him, and his appetites, due to his loneliness. Uncle John used to
be married but when his wife fell ill, he refused to get a doctor which resulted in her death, a death he
regrets. Uncle John comforts himself by binging on his appetites. As said the passage above, when he is
hungry, Uncle John binges on food until he is sick; when he is thirsty for alcohol he binges on jake or
whisky until he was a shaken paralytic with red wet eyes; and when he desires a woman, he goes to a
whore house to spend the night with a whore or even three. Uncle John and George Milton from Of Mice
and Men share most of these traits. Like Uncle John had, George has a person to take of. George cares for
Lennie because he made a promise to Lennie's aunt that he would. Like George, Uncle John made a promise
to his wife when he married her that he would take care of her. Both Uncle John and George broke their
promises. Uncle John didn't save his wife from death and George never helped Lennie when it came to
helping him achieve his dream. Also, both Uncle John and George bottle up all of their emotions only to
release them and take their anger or sadness out the same way every time they release their feelings. George
yells at Lennie and tells him of the great life he would have if he could live without him, and how he would
be able to spend all of his money on whores. George even leaves Lennie at the farm in order to leave with
other men to a shore house, wasting their money and proving that he is not truly dedicated to his task of
helping and protecting Lennie and that he would rather leave him than stay with him. George, like Uncle
John Uncle John, realizes lennie died,that the life he had wished for was not such a great life because of the
lo nines it came with. As Lennie said right before he died, But not us, Lennie cried happily. Tell about
us now, George was quiet for a moment. But not us, he said. Because- Because I got you an An I got
you. We got each other, that's what, that gives a hoot in hell about us, Lennie cried in triumph.
(Steinbeck 104).