What is the tone of Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck?

Answer 1

The atmosphere is one of trying to find happiness despite the adversities of present despair. The whole story takes place during the Great Depression in America (1930s) when work was scarce and laborers would walk miles, often sleeping rough, just to find work, and then they often had to accept very menial tasks.

Each character has a different background but they are all drawn together, by past circumstances, to the tough life on the ranch, working and living in close proximity with total strangers.

In the absence of real hope, each character has their own dream of something better. It is their dreams which sustain them.

Despite the fact that all are 'trapped' by the adversities of life, there is a general tone of acceptance and optimism, though each one, in their heart, seems secretly to know that the chances of their dreams actually coming true diminish as time passes.

Of course, the underlying 'message' of the novel, adding together all the incidents that take place, is that things in life often go wrong, despite all the hard work and good planning that people may have done, and all the apparently reasonable hopes and expectations they may have held before calamity struck.

The novel is relatively short. So, rather than relying on a reviewer's appreciation of the story, it would be a good idea to read it for one's self, and then to compare one's own view with that of another.

Answer 2

The tone of "Of Mice and Men" can be described as bleak and melancholic, with elements of loneliness, hardship, and a sense of inevitability. Steinbeck's writing evokes a somber mood as he explores themes of the American Dream, friendship, and the struggles of marginalized individuals during the Great Depression.

Answer 3

tone · Sentimental, tragic, doomed, fatalistic, rustic, moralistic, comic source: sparknotes