...While leisurely conversing in the harness room with Crooks, Candy, and Lennie, Curley’s wife first reveals her suffering, and then expresses it by intimidating and belittling the men in order to feel superior and disguise her own misery. After exposing deep feelings of pain and powerlessness, Curley’s wife conveys this grief by trying to put down the rest of the men to make her situation seem less severe in comparison . She can be compared to a bully, a person that dispenses pain they have felt to others either to gain sympathy or to feel entitlement and belonging. In the case of Curley’s wife, being to only woman on the farm has isolated and excluded her. In attempts to make friend or at least company, Curley’s wife enters the cabin to talk with the men. What seems like a heartwarming conversation turns sour very quickly when Curley’s wife yells, “‘Well you keep your place then, n*****. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain't even funny.’... She turn[s] at last to the other two... ‘Tell an’ be damned,’ she crie[s]. ‘Nobody’d listen to you an’ you know it’” (81). Because she experiences social rejection she feels the need to pass it along to the rest of the men in the cabin. She does this to make them feel the same or worse than she is feeling, or to show that her hurting...
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...John Steinback’s Of Mice and Men is a thought-provoking novel set in the 1930’s during the Great Depression on a ranch. The main characters are two men: Lennie and George. Looking out for one another, these two wander from place to place in search of work. The conflict occurs when the two find work on a ranch in Soledad, California, and Curley, the ranch owner’s son, starts harassing Lennie. Curley’s wife, who is not named in the novel, arouses Lennie, and Lennie’s unhuman-like strength causes him to accidentally kill her. George knows the men on the ranch will brutally kill Lennie once they find out he killed Curley’s wife, so George decides to end Lennie’s life quickly by shooting Lennie in the back of the head. Throughout the novel, the reader can infer that George is protective of Lennie, and his personality exhibits a short-temper, but also, understanding. The author describes George as small and short with sharp features. To begin with, the author shows George’s affection towards Lennie. George feels obligated to watch after Lennie. He feels this because Lennie’s Aunt Clara asked George to take care of Lennie before she died. Although George...
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...If your friend and coworker would die at the hand of a man he didn’t know would you ponder killing him to protect him from suffering at the hands of the other man? The novella Of Mice and Men was set in the midst of the Great Depression. The novella focused around two men; Lennie Smalls and George Milton, two traveling migrants looking for work in the money deprived American financial system. Lennie is mentally unstable and has a troublesome time performing at the level of a stable minded person. Lennie finds himself in a troubling predicament when he kills Curley's’ wife, this brings a very problematic decision for George. George must decide whether to protect or come to the correct resolution and kill Lennie himself. In the novella Of...
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...for. To Lennie, the puppy was “soft and nice”, until the puppy showed aggression to Lennie and he hit it too hard causing it to die. Lennie often retaliates to “aggressive” behavior throughout the novel, such as the mice he tends to as a child. When they show aggression to Lennie, he “pinched their heads”. Lennie’s actions may be accidental, such as the murder of Curley’s wife. However, when he kills her, he notices he’s “done a real bad thing”. Lennie’s choice to hide her body is essential because if anybody found out that he killed Curley’s wife, the consequence would result in his own death. George prevents more trouble for other men on the farm by killing Lennie because he would have been killed anyways. After the fatal death of Curley’s wife, Lennie’s death and there were only 2 ways: the men’s way or George’s way. George and Lennie’s relationship shows a strong correlation to Candy and his dog’s relationship. Candy...
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...Chapter 5 starts with Lennie stroking a dead pup the same way he had at the beginning of the story with the diseased mouse, laying the foundation for an ominous scene. The dead pup resurrects Lennie’s harmful nature within the story, which foreshadows the following events. Curley’s wife enters the stables and begins talking to Lennie. From just this, readers can sense that something bad is approaching. George is not there to sway Lennie’s attention away from Curley’s wife. In this scene, Steinbeck depicts Curley’s wife in a different manner. Rather than characterizing her as the manipulative character she had been portraying throughout the story, her loneliness and depression is highlighted within this scene. She begins to tell Lennie of her dream of pursuing a movie star career that had failed. Her dream differs very little than that of George and Lennie’s, both are held as an image of how life should be, although its conflict with reality. Curly’s...
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...Quote analysis: Pull directly from quote, connect to topic sentence, connect to thesis. Discrimination in Of Mice and Men All throughout American history, minorities have been mistreated. In the John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, prejudice influences the way the ranchers treat others. Curley’s Wife, Crooks, and Candy are excluded because of gender, race, age, or disability. This bias results in these people feeling lonely and inferior. In Steinbeck’s novella, multiple characters experience alienation due to discrimination by other ranchers. Throughout the novella, Curley’s Wife is isolated from the male workers several times due to her gender. This is portrayed when the men in the bunkhouse argue with Curley about his wife, when they try to avoid Curley’s Wife because they view her as a nothing more than a distraction because they think her beauty is her only valuable characteristic. Carlson says, “Why’n’t you...
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...Analysis of Major Characters Lennie Although Lennie is among the principal characters in Of Mice and Men, he is perhaps the least dynamic. He undergoes no significant changes, development, or growth throughout the novel and remains exactly as the reader encounters him in the opening pages. Simply put, he loves to pet soft things, is blindly devoted to George and their vision of the farm, and possesses incredible physical strength. Nearly every scene in which Lennie appears confirms these and only these characteristics. Although Steinbeck’s insistent repetition of these characteristics makes Lennie a rather flat character, Lennie’s simplicity is central to Steinbeck’s conception of the novel. Of Mice and Men is a very short work that manages to build up an extremely powerful impact. Since the tragedy depends upon the outcome seeming to be inevitable, the reader must know from the start that Lennie is doomed, and must be sympathetic to him. Steinbeck achieves these two feats by creating a protagonist who earns the reader’s sympathy because of his utter helplessness in the face of the events that unfold. Lennie is totally defenseless. He cannot avoid the dangers presented by Curley, Curley’s wife, or the world at large. His innocence raises him to a standard of pure goodness that is more poetic and literary than realistic. His enthusiasm for the vision of their future farm proves contagious as he convinces George, Candy, Crooks, and the reader that such a paradise might be possible...
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...1534668 Of Mice and Men: An Analysis of Shocking Events The Great Depression was an economic crisis and a period of low business activity in the U.S. beginning with the stock-market crash in October, 1929, and continuing through most of the 1930s. John Steinbeck, the author Of Mice and Men, lived through the time of The Great Depression and he suffered through the bitterness and plight of the Depression. He wrote Of Mice and Men in order to inform people how life was during The Great Depression, including how people were affected by the Depression. Steinbeck was well aware of his power to shock the reader, and he depicted certain horrors in specific detail in order to reveal a world of suffering....
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...Michael Emminger Ms. Wanczuk English 9 Honors Period 3 11/21/13 Character Analysis Essay A time of sickness, bankruptcy, and underground liquor runs; the 1930’s were a devastating time in which our protagonists lived. Of Mice and Men is a classic book by John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, this tale shows the adventures of two poor men, George and Lennie, who are suffering in the Great Depression. The book goes through a portion of their life through different places and roads. Lennie, I believe, is the most interesting character. Lennie shows his strengths and flaws from Of Mice and Men by having a big heart but bigger hands, helping keep George sane, and accidentally killing animals and people. Lennie has extraordinary physical strength, but his mind does not have that type of power. His head and heart did not know what to do when Curley started punching him and: “he was too frightened to defend himself… Curley’s fist was swinging when Lennie reached for it. The next minute Curley was flopping like a fish on a line, and his closed fist was lost in Lennie’s big hand” (69). Lennie’s brain could not comprehend the events developing around him and his body initially shut off in the process. If it was not for George yelling at him to fight back Lennie could have been really hurt. Some might say fighting is wrong all together, but if it is not possible to walk away from it then it is important to defend yourself. Even though it took him a while to be convinced to hit Curly...
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...Year group: Title Extended Reading Language Unit 3 A Of Mice and Men 10 Unit description Candidates must make reference to the whole text. Tier ( Higher) Candidates must produce work totalling about 1200 words in a period of up to four hours CA task: Explore the ways sympathy and dislike of ‘Curley’s Wife’ is created in ‘Of Mice and Men.’ CA = Week starting 20 October 2014 (All 4 lessons this week) (Possibility of starting one lesson early at the end of week 6). Level or Grade A*-C Differentiate appropriately for the group that you teach and for individuals within that group th Length 7 weeks (To include CA) Learning objectives AO3 (See mark scheme for band descriptors) Interpretations of texts/understanding significant meanings of the text Engagement with writer’s ideas and attitudes Interpretation of ideas supported with evidence Understanding of features of language and structure Learning outcomes Close analysis of text extracts leading to development of reading skills Consideration of context and writer’s intentions/themes and ideas Speaking and Listening to show understanding of issues and empathy with character Writing a draft essay and set targets for the assessment Produce an analytical essay for CA (New Acronym = SMILE (Structure, Meanings, Ideas, Language, Evidence) Prior knowledge (Enter pre-requisite knowledge and skills.) Analytical essay – Year 9 KS3 reading skills National Framework for Secondary English Strands National Framework for...
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...of Curley’s Wife is the only female character in the novella. Steinbeck uses different methods to diminish the importance of Curley’s wife Steinbeck never gives Curley’s Wife a name. This is done to show that she does not have any identity or position on the ranch. As Curley’s Wife is a representation of all women in the 1930s I feel Steinbeck uses her to show that she does not have any identity or position on the ranch. As Curley’s Wife is a representation of all women in the 1930s I feel Steinbeck uses her to show that most women back then had no identity or position in the working world. Steinbeck uses methods of introduction to show the reader the hardships of women in the 1930s. Steinbeck never introduces Curley’s Wife throughout the novella. I feel Steinbeck does this to show that although to the reader she is an important character, she is insignificant in the 1930s society. However Curley’s wife upon meeting George and Lennie never introduces herself. This shows that the character herself feels insignificant in society. She feels that she is unwanted and no one cares for her so no one would need to know her name. Curely’s Wife is also only introduced to other people as “Curley’s Wife”, I think that Steinbeck does this to show that Curley, her husband, is in possession of her, like so many other women in 1930 in other situations. No characters in the novella care for Curley’s Wife and very little attention is given to her. However many of the men only...
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...07/10/12 Karla Roman Ms karigian “of mice and men” book summary The novel opens with two men, George Milton and Lennie Small, walking to a nearby ranch where harvesting jobs are available. George, the smaller man, leads the way and makes the decisions for Lennie, a mentally handicapped giant. They stop at a stream for the evening, deciding to go to the ranch in the morning. Lennie, who loves to pet anything soft, has a dead mouse in his pocket. George takes the mouse away from Lennie and reminds him of the trouble Lennie got into in the last town they were in — he touched a girl's soft dress. George then reminds Lennie not to speak to anyone in the morning when they get to the ranch and cautions Lennie to return to this place by the river if anything bad happens at the ranch. When he has to take the dead mouse away from Lennie a second time, George chafes at the hardship of taking care of Lennie. After calming his anger, George relents and promises Lennie they will try to find him a puppy; then he tells Lennie about their dream of having a little farm where they can be their own boss and nobody can tell them what to do, where Lennie will tend their rabbits, and where they will "live off the fatta the lan'." Lennie has heard this story so often he can repeat it by heart. And George emphasizes that this dream and their relationship make them different from other guys who don't have anyone or a place of their own. They settle down and sleep for the night. The...
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...Reading File – Class 5 1. Summary Retell the story in your own words or attach a good summary from the internet (mentioning your source)..... The book Of Mice and Men is about two poor guys, George and Lennie, who travel together to find work. Lennie is a big, clumsy man, who doesn’t know his own strength and he is also childlike, simple and easily forgetful. Lennie goes through life with his fellow George, a smart guy and hard worker who takes care of Lennie. The book starts with them walking down a road, they ran away from their job in Weed because the stupid, innocent Lennie touched a ladie’s dress (because Lennie likes soft things). Lennie and George have a shared dream: having their own farm, where they can keep all kinds of animals, and can live from their harvest when they have saved enough money. When they on their way to a ranch, hoping to find work, they sleep in the clearing (a place near a river) for one night. The next day they come to the bunkhouse and they get a job. Soon they meet the other workers on the ranch, including Curley, the son of the boss. Curley is mean, aggressive and a lightweight-boxer. Because he is so small he doesn’t like big guys, he feels threatened by them. So an aggressive look and a rude attitude is his first reaction when he sees big Lennie. The next day when Curley comes into the room, Lennie is attacked by Curley. But strong Lennie defends himself and crushes (accidentally) the hand of Curley, because he tried to stop...
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...His voice is the voice of rationalism. When Carlson suggests killing Candy's dog, Candy appeals to Slim as the final authority. Slim is so respected and admired on the ranch that even Curley listens to him. When Lennie smashes Curley's hand, Slim is the one who intercedes and tells Curley he will not have George and Lennie fired. Slim understands Curley's fear of ridicule, and he uses that fear to help George and Lennie. Slim also inspires confidences because he is not judgmental. When George first meets Slim, George tells him about Lennie's troubles in Weed. George senses in Slim a person of intelligence and empathy who will not be mean to Lennie, make fun of him, or take advantage of him. Slim is the only one on the ranch who appreciates the difficulty of George's position. He understands the constant oversight George must exercise in watching Lennie and keeping him out of trouble. It is Slim, in the end, who suggests that George did the right thing in killing Lennie mercifully. He explains the alternative: "An s'pose they lock him up an' strap him down and put him in a cage. That ain't no good, George." Slim is present at every crucial juncture in the story: the death of Candy's dog, the smashing of Curley's hand, finding the body of Curley's wife, at the pool after George has shot Lennie. In each case, there is violence or the threat of it. Each time Slim helps make the assessment to do what is merciful or what is right. Read more:...
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...Anon 6.3.15 Per. 2 Literary Analysis: Of Mice And Men In the book Of Mice And Men here are many there are many ropy that take place in this novel, for example the mental health of Lennie. The character Lennie helps the author John Steinbeck, show how people with mental health issue would've been treated in those days by Lennie's childish behavior and the affect it has in his actions , how he's dependent on George and the way he's treated, his forgetfulness and the outcome of the novel. The behavior of Lennie is childish as it's demonstrated in this quote."Lennie who had been watching, imitated George exactly. He pushed himself back, drew his knees, embraced them, looked over to George to see whether he had done it just right. He pulled down his hat a little more over his eyes, the way George's hat was." He's trying to copy George just like a child copies their parent. Since Lennie was watching George, he was trying to copy the position that George was in. When Lennie is copying George's position, Lennie looks over to George to make sure that he's "done it just right." Therefore George treats him like a child. On the other hand, everyone else but Slim and Candy don't treat him like so. An example of that would when Curley mistakens Lennie's smile as if Lennie is making fun of him. But that's not the case because he is smiling over the idea of taking care of the bunnies. Therefore Curley ends up picking a fight with Lennie and loses. In the book it shows that...
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