Words Are More Treacherous and Powerful Than We Think". Evaluate the Extent to Which the Characteristics Sartre Claims for Words Affect - Negatively or Positively - Different Areas of Knowledge.

World literature; self taught language Hungarian:

After reading the two books for my world literature, of mice and men and the outsider I decided I will compare the two books on the topic choice; portrayal of society in the literature studied. This includes points such as: Meursault and Lenny not being accepted in society for who they are because they are different then others; another point would be there is a lot of violence within societies.

The rest will be presented further on in my essay. But before presenting my points id like to give you a brief idea of the two books and their writers.

The book of mice and men is a fiction written by john Steinbeck (1902-1968). John Steinbeck writes mainly short stories and novels, he was born in Salinas California, which is the same area where the book of mice and men is set. He is became widely known thanks to his peace: tequila flat. Steinbeck's novels have themes of social criticism in them, a lot about the economic problems in rural labor. Good examples of books written by John Steinbeck: dubious battle (1936), of mice and men (1937), the long valley (1938) and east of Eden (1952).

The story line is written in the beginning of the 1930's during the great depression. George and Lenny are two drifters seeking for a job so they will have enough money to pursue their dream. They found a work on a farm in California's Salinas valley where their hopes and dreams were shattered as Lenny was struggling against extreme cruelty, misunderstanding and feelings of jealousy.

Lenny is a retarded person who is very strong and big in size and is quite innocent since many things in the world are new to him, especially new experiences. Lenny had a soft spot for petting animals and soft things and was totally oblivious to the fact that he was much too big and strong for such delicate creatures, and even some humans. "Lenny's fingers fell to stroking her hair... he stroked harder... "Let go!" she cried... She struggled violently... and then she was still; for Lenny had broken her neck." (Page 91 of mice and men). In innocence of his own strength, Lenny had killed a woman and suddenly traded his innocence for guilt.

Lenny however wasn't the only main character in the book. His drifting companion George was always there to protect Lenny from people who were smarter then him. He was a smart person as well and knew how to keep away from trouble and to get along with the other people in the farm. But having to take care of someone like Lenny is a big responsibility and has some consequences.

The book of mice and men tries to make the reader feel pain towards Lenny's bad luck, but at the same time throughout the book the author helps us feel the ups and downs of leading a life like that of George and Lenny. Steinbeck was really keen on describing the settings of every scene in details so that we can see the place where the story takes place. He uses very old type of southern American language, to make the fact that the book is set at that certain time period more real and also to make us understand what kind of people George and Lenny are. This is quite similar to Steinbeck's writing style when compared to other books written by John Steinbeck, when looking at the themes that Steinbeck often likes to use in his books.

The outsider is written by Albert Camus (1913-1960). Albert Camus was a representative of non-metropolitan French literature. His origin in Algeria and his experiences there in the thirties were dominating influences in his thought and work. His works had strong revolutionary tendencies and had a lot of philosophy in them. After moving to France Camus joined the resistance movement during the occupation and after the liberation was a columnist for the newspaper Combat. He was a member of L'Equipe, an Algerian theatre group, whose "collective creation" Rйvolte dans les Asturies (1934) was banned for political reasons. Some examples of Albert's work: the stranger (1942), the plague (1947)

First published in 1942 the outsider is a fiction based on a certain individual called Meursault who is prepared to face the indifference of the universe courageously and alone. Meursault leads an unremarkable bachelor life in Algiers until he commits an act of violence. His response to the incident challenges the fundamental values of society. A set of rules so binding that any person breaking them is condemned as an alien, an outsider.

Albert Camus portrays Meursault the book's narrator and main character, as aloof, detached, and unemotional. He does not think much about events or their consequences, nor does he express much feeling in relationships or during emotional times. He displays impassiveness throughout the book in his reactions to the people and events described in the book. After his mother's death he sheds no tears and seems to show no emotions. He displays