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180410210093 – American Realism Assignment

“The Figure in the Carpet” by Henry James and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck are two
works that provide different themes and nuances of the story. One, “The Figure in the Carpet”,
focuses on telling the story of the character in discovering the true meaning behind the works.
The other, Of Mice and Men, focuses on telling the story of migrant workers looking for
opportunities despite the hardships of life. Both present stories that provide representations of
the kind of reality in society relating to several aspects at a certain period.
“The Figure in the Carpet”, through the character’s journey in fulfilling its goal, serves a
picture of reality which is represented as subjectivity whose point of certainty is difficult to find.
The premise contained in this story reflects how the truth of the intention behind a work is
something that is relative in society; depending on the diversity of points of view and the way a
person adheres to an understanding. This kind of reality can construct another reality that the
influence of a person’s state, especially related to paradigms, becomes the basis for how a work is
interpreted. Even though it is not stated in a clear way, in my opinion, these kinds of realities are
able to lead “The Figure in the Carpet” in exploring the changes that occur in society, especially
those related to social and cultural aspects. Among these changes is a shift in the viewpoint of an
event from a normative and static one to a more open and dynamic one, marked by the
acceptance of an interpretation model that is oriented to individual experience.
After talking about the reality represented in “The Figure in the Carpet”, I am going to
move on to Of Mice and Men. The conflict faced by migrant workers in the story represents the
difficult reality of life in society at that time regarding economic uncertainty; where work
becomes something that is difficult to get so that someone has to migrate here and there to
reach social welfare. The portrait of reality represented in Of Mice and Men also explores the social
and cultural changes that occur in society; one of which is an increase in social inequality.
Moreover, the reality of how difficult it is to reach economic certainty can put pressure on a
person’s psychological state, such as feelings of anxiety and alienation.
As I said previously at the beginning of this essay, the two stories, both “The Figure in the
Carpet” and Of Mice and Men, raise different central themes and nuances. However, both allude to
a similar idea: certainty that is difficult to discover. This can provide a “yes” answer to the
question of whether the reality in one work is connected to the reality in the other. Even though
it is not reflected explicitly, the intention of a work that is difficult to interpret with certainty in
the premise of “The Figure in the Carpet” provides a similar idea to the economic certainty that
is difficult to reach in the premise of Of Mice and Men. Furthermore, the realities depicted in both
lead to the same answer from the stages of discovering certainty: things that end up unresolved.