Essay
Your introduction should include: title, author, brief summary of the novel, major themes/imortant elements of the text, plan for your essay or thesis statement.
Soledad means loneliness. Why is this significant in the novel Of Mice and Men?
The book of Mice and Men by the award winning American author John Steinbeck traces the steps of the main characters George and Lennie as they live the life of the migrant worker in California during the 1930s during the Great Depression in America. Major themes in the novel include dreams, friendship and loneliness. The novel takes place in a ranch in Soledad which means loneliness in Spanish. This term is significant as the novel shows not only the loneliness of the itinerant worker of the time but also the loneliness of most of the characters in the book many of which are outcasts including: Candy, Crooks and Curly's wife. The main characters Geoge and Lennie are different from the other characters in the book as they travel together and as such are not as lonely as the other characters who envy their unusual relationship and common dream.
Candy the "old swamper" is a very lonely character as he is old and disabled and feels useless. He is especially lonely after the killing of his old dog which seems to remind him all the more of his precarious situation and his greatest fear that of being fired and having no where to go and more importantly no one to take care of him. "You seen what they done to my dog tonight? They says he wasn't no good to himself nor nobody else. When they can me here I wisht somebody'd shoot me." Candy speaks with certainty saying "when" rather than "if " when he says "when they can me here" showing he is sure of the inevitabililty of this. Candy feels like he is in control of nothing in his life. He did not want to allow Carslon to shoot his dog but felt powerless to protest. "Candy looked helplessly at him, for Slim's opinions were law. 'Maybe it'd hurt him' he suggested. 'I don't mind takin' care of him." and again "Candy looked for help from face to face." The repetitio n of Candy searching for someone to help him save his dog as he is powerless to stand up alone is heartbreaking. The use of the adverb helplessly embodies how Candy feels. Candy feels that his own situation is just as precarious as that of his dog which of course is also reflected in the title of the novel taken from the poem by Robert Burns from which Steinbeck draws the parallel that the plans of men are no more certain than those of mice. Candy is so lonely that he offers to give his life savings that he was given after loosing his hand in an accident so as to be part of George and Lennie's dream of owning their own farm "He leaned forward eagerly. 'S'pose I went in with you guys. Tha's three hunderd an'fifty bucks I'd put in. I ain't much good; but I could cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some" "I'd make a will an' leave my share to you guys in case I kick off, 'cause I ain't got no relatives nor nothing. You guys got any money? Maybe we could do he r now?." Candy shows a great amount of excitement when he hears about George and Lennie's dream. The use of the adverb eagerly shows this as does his willingness to give all his money; over half of the needed sum to acquire the little farm coupled with the offer to leave his share to them when he dies. His excitement is shown further when he says "maybe we could do her now. Candy is indeed all alone in the world as he has no relatives or anything and he is seeking a way to insure that his final days will be peaceful as he lives in constant fear of being fired and finding himself completely alone.
II. Crooks
III. Curley's wife
Conclusion: Briefly sum up the points you have made. Include a personal response or final thought.
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Text Analysis
Your introduction should include: title, author, brief summary of the novel, major themes/imortant elements of the text, place the extract in context(where in the novel does the extract takes place) plan for your essay or thesis statement.
From page 34 "both men glanced up" to page 36 "I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her." Comment on how the author prepares the reader for future events through the introduction of Curley's wife.
The book of Mice and Men by the award winning American author John Steinbeck traces the steps of the main characters George and Lennie as they live the life of the migrant worker in California during the 1930s during the Great Depression in America. Major themes in the novel include dreams, friendship and loneliness. This extract takes place towards the beginning of the novel which takes place over the span of one weekend. In this extract we are introduced to Curley's wife. Steinbeck skillfully prepares the reader for future events through the provacative description and introduction of this charcater, the violent reaction of George and the contrasting appreciative reaction of Lennie to her.
The introduction of Curley's wife takes place after the reader has already been introduced to most of the other ranch workers including the boss' son Curley who took a particularly strong dislike to Lennie from his first introduction to him. This makes Curley's wife seem to be all the more a dangerous person for Lennie and the reader pays special attention to the introduction of Curley's wife knowing that Lennie has already been in trouble because of an incident where he touched a girl's dress and he seems particularly tempted by soft things and women. Steinbeck introduces Curley's wife with a rather negative description "She had full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her finger nails were red." The description of her having "full rouged lips" makes one think of a temptress. She is described as heavily made up and one wonders why she would be wearing so much make-up on a ranch if it is not to attract the attention of the male workers. Her finger s nails are red and she is wearing red shoes with "little bouquets of red ostrich feathers." The repetition of the word red draws the readers attention and flags a warning. The reader understands from the first description of Curley's wife and the ensuing reactions of George and Lennie that she will cause trouble. Curley's wife pretends to be looking for her husband but it is rather obvious that she has come to check out the new workers "She put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward." The fact that she appears to intentionally put her body into a position that "[throws] her body forward" makes the reader once again think of her as a temptress. In addition she is extremely provacative when she says to George "Nobody can't blame a person for lookin."
II. George's reaction
-use of adverb brusquely
-Jesus, what a tramp
-Bet she'd clear out fo twenty bucks
-George looked quickely down at him and then he took him by an ear and shook him (violent behavior)
-Don't you even take a look at tha bitch. I don't care what she says and what she does . I seen em poison before, but I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her. You leave her be.
(repetition).
-George tells Lennie to stay away from Curley's wife much in the same way that he told him just a few pages before to keep away from Curley. This parallel forwarns the reader of the likely trouble to come.
III. Lennie's reaction
Conclusion: Briefly sum up the points you have made and how language is used to illustrate these points. Include a personal response or final thought.