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Colton Conley

Mr. Tlumack

Honors 10 English 4Y

December 12

Buddhism in “Of Mice and Men” and “La Strata”

Life seems to typically have little to no meaning without religion since being devout

usually means to give up everything that is oneself and to follow the divine. People find

themselves in religion mainly because it fills their moral void of questions and concerns, and it

offers a sanctuary of answers to a large number of questions. Most of the wonders of those of

religious background involve a form of afterlife, typically along the lines of what is after death.

Thankfully, religion answers these questions for people, which is why religion is so dear to

people. So much so, that creationists will express their view of religion and the afterlife in their

work via art and literature. Two men, John Steinbeck and Frederico Fellini both shared views on

the afterlife in their expressions, all centered around Buddhist ideas of reincarnation and karma.

Both incorporated a circle-like pattern into the plot of their stories, Steinbeck’s novel “Of Mice

and Men,” and Fellini’s film “La Strata,” and characters attempting to better the protagonist of

their stories. These two authors/directors convey their opinions and beliefs on religion and the

afterlife in their work through representations and symbols of common ideologies of Buddhism.

With the afterlife being the largest concern of most religions, Steinbeck utilized the

Buddhist version of life after death, reincarnation, as a mighty component in his novel. In the

exposition, protagonist George and his companion Lenny are described in a forest setting, being

centered around a green pool, “His huge companion dropped his blankets and flung himself

down and drank from the surface of the pool; drank with long gulps,” (Steinbeck 2). As the
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novel comes to a close, both characters are placed in the same setting as before, again centering

around a green pool, “The little evening breeze blew over the clearing and the leaves rustled and

the wind waves flowed up the green pool,” (Steinbeck 100). This connection between the

beginning and end describes a circular motion for the story. Reincarnation also has the same

effect, with it describing people dying and being placed in a new body, which would be the

setting for the novel, for a second chance. Also, the first instance of George and Lennie is

associated with the green pool, and the death of Lennie is also associated with the green pool

which does paint a circular setting associated with the ‘birth’ and death of the Lennie which

parallels the basics of how reincarnation works. Also, George loses a friend that was very close

to him at the small pool, hinting at a symbol of his mental death alongside Lennie’s literal

demise.

Fellini shared ideas with both reincarnation and Steinbeck as he achieved almost the

exact same effect using both the setting and the ‘death’ of characters. He begins the film with a

shot on the beach containing both Gelsomina and Zampano together. As the movie continues,

they travel along a series of roads until the very end, where, after Gelsomina’s death, Zampano

leaves and breaks down on another beach, this time by himself. The beach seems to be, in this

setting, the beginning and end of life for these two characters, like reincarnation. Gelsomina

begins her new life as Zampano’s indentured servant when she is sold to him on the beach and

Zampano only truly processes her death and its impact when he finds himself on another beach at

the end of the film and begins crying. This does make a bold reference to the system of

reincarnation, with the beach being the Buddhist law’s symbol. Also, Zampano’s personality

does die in a way at the end, as his macho personality crumbles into a blubbering mess as he

comprehends Gelsomina’s death showing that he too succumbs to the circle of rebirth.
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The setting, in both stories, is a huge component of the circular motion that is

reincarnation. Each creator was able to incorporate easy to identify locations, such as the green

pool and the beach, into the plot, and keep it different from all other settings In “Of Mice of

Men” the protagonists are only ever in a forest in the exposition and the resolution, which is the

same as in “La Strata,” where Zampano and Gelsomina are in urban areas for the majority of the

movie except the start and finish. Also, Steinbeck and Fillini both associated their chosen

locations with life and death, by introducing and killing their main characters in their respective

setting. The circular setting choice each author/director made matches the endless motion of

reincarnation, where people begin and end their lives in a constant fashion and where birth and

death are linked together.

Karma has variations found in many different religions, but each version follows the

same principle: where actions in the present determine a good or bad outcome in the afterlife. In

“Of Mice of Men,” Lennie is the safeguard of George’s karma. His job is to check George and

to keep him in line and focusing on moral choices. Steinbeck signifies how important Lennie’s

shield is for George when George rants about all the immoral decisions he could, and would,

make if Lennie was not around to stop him, “God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so

easy...Why, I could stay in a cat house all night...Get a gallon of whisky, or set in a pool room

and play cards, (Steinbeck 10). George has an idea of a perfect life to him, which unfortunately

involves short-term pleasure over long-term happiness. Fortunately, Lennie’s ‘handicap’

distracts George and forces him to spend time with his companion rather than with prostitutes

and alcohol. Lennie also opens George’s eyes up to making wholesome and realistic goals by

exposing him an achievable goal: the rabbit farm. Lennie teaches George that hard work and
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dedication to oneself and one’s future does pay off in the long run with the reward of freedom.

This check on George keeps him in a straight, moral line, keeping his karma intact.

Moral ideas existed in La Strata because of Gelsomina. Fellini used the female

protagonist to show Zapano the light on the other side and to monitor the karma of his decisions.

Some examples would be when Gelsomina attempts to give Zampano meaning by forcing him to

share connections with places and people instead of living a lonely, nomadic life like when she

rejects going inside his vehicle and moving to another area. Also, by having Gelsomina

exaggerate the actions of Zampano, Fellini is able to ensure the viewer that Zampon does, in the

end, understand the consequences of his actions such as Gelsomina becoming completely opaque

after Zampano kills the Fool. Gelsomina, in “La Strata,” attempts to open up Zampano into a

more loving and caring person. Zampano’s life is not the most morally straight, as he frequents

with street hookers and drinks consecutively. Gelsomina sees this, and does not approve of it

and does her best to turn Zampano in the other direction. At first, Zampano fails to comprehend

Gelsomina’s point, but as the film continues Zampano becomes a better person and eventually

shows concern multiple times for Gelsomina’s well being.

Karma is incorporated into both stories as a means of virtuous cause and effect. Both

Fellini and Steinbeck used characters as a means of telling the difference between right and

wrong, marking what was socially accepted. They then used those boundaries to help the reader

establish where each character stands morally. The creator’s both knew that society plays a huge

impact on what people perceive as correct, and used other human beings as a way to address

moral code directly to their main characters. George and Zampano both have trouble staying

righteous, they each frequent with alcohol and women, which is why they both have companions

that check their negatives. The main characters in each story had a partner that aided them
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morally and were each successful in their attempts to do so. This allowed each protagonist to

finally become enlightened in that they understood the role of their partners as well as their

partner’s moral code.

With religion being such an important part of the majority of people’s lives, it is no

wonder why it would influence the art creative minds would make. Which is more than likely

why both Fellini and Steinbeck included properties of Buddhism, one of the most largely known

world religions. Two popular and well-known parts of Buddhism, reincarnation, and karma,

were included in the stories of the creators. Each in a way that stimulated what is morally

correct and why the setting and introduction of characters loops in a perfect circle. The author’s

religious views were conveyed through the consistent use of the two parts of the Buddhist faith,

with each component existing in a way that shared great similarities with the other author’s

choice of application. Such as reincarnation being shown through key components in the setting,

and karma occurring inside the protagonist’s sidekicks. The two writers were able to clearly

outline their beliefs of the world and what lies beyond it in such realistic pieces of literature and

film. They each left behind a simple story with a deep, hidden meaning, much like how the world

exists today.

Works Cited Page

Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. Penguin Group, 2002.