ktmeng/mec huggingface dataset:
Topic: of-mice-and-men

“Lennie’s big fingers fell to stroking her hair,” consequently this led to Lennie clinging onto her. Violently Curley’s wife struggled to get free, but Lennie just held on tighter, and tighter – then, he shook her, “and her body flopped like a fish. And she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck. ” The murder of Curley’s wife commanded the murder of Lennie. All the workers were set out to hunt him down and kill him (as if he was an animal). George knew there was nothing he could but kill Lennie himself. He sent the other men on false trail “He – would have went south,” and heads towards the pool where he would find Lennie.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Lennie anticipates George being angry towards him, “Go on George, ain’t you gonna give me no more hell. ” George refuses and proceeds to tell Lennie of their dream the he “raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head. The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger. ” This is ironic, because now George has no one, he has murdered his best friend, his companion, he is now one of the loneliest guys in the world, and has no future: without Lennie. However it is not only George’s hopes that have been terminated, but Candy’s as well.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

He will no longer be buying the farm and living the better life they had always dreamt about. This means Candy has nothing – again, and is to continue his life on the ranch with no future. In a way Curley’s dream is ruined, but not as dramatically as George, Lennie’s and Candy’s. Curley wanted to be boxer and fight bigger me. From the beginning had a grudge against Lennie “He hated big guys, and was all the time picking scraps with big guys. ” This was Curley’s chance – he wanted to murder a big guy. “I’m gonna shoot the guts outta that big bastard myself. I’m gonna get him.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

” Curley was far too interested in murdering Lennie, for he wouldn’t stay with his dead wife. This shows his pride and “tough guy” appearance is more important to him. Another them in “Of Mice and Men” is the isolation and solitude which each character endures. The hopes and dreams are a desperate escape from the everyday sufferings, which is important because it makes the reader realise what real people had to sustain during the American Depression. It gives an understanding of how unbearable peoples lives were, and however hard they hoped and dreamt, the best laid schemes would bring nothing but grief and pain.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

“Of Mice and Men” . written in 1937. is set in America during the Great Depression and tells the tragic narrative of George Milton and Lennie Small. two displaced ranch workers who move from topographic point to topographic point in hunt of occupations. All of the characters in Of Mice and Men are most decidedly non powerless. Curly’s married woman has control over the other ranchers despite being a female. Lennie though unintelligent has power through his physical strength and George. who although has Lennie to take attention of can do his ain determinations and unrecorded independently.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

First and first. Curly’s married woman is non powerless because she has supreme authorization over the ranchers. Although she is a female. all Curly’s married woman has to make is kick to Curly about one of the ranchers and they’re canned. “…Curly possibly ain’t gon na like his married woman out in the barn…” . Subsequently. Curly’s married woman has authorization over Crooks because he is a Black.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Penultimately. George is non disempowered because he can do his ain determinations and be independent. Without a uncertainty George is affected by holding to take attention of Lennie. but he besides could populate mulct on his ain. “…if I was entirely I could populate so easy. ” Additionally. although Lennie is a load in many ways he besides empowers George because he is stupid. George can state Lennie to make whatever he likes. and Lennie will make it. “I turns to Lennie and says. ‘Jump in. ’ An’ he jumps. ” George is unmistakably non impotent in Of Mice and Men.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a realistic novel that depicts the life of two common men over a period of three days. The two main characters, George and Lennie, are practically opposites in terms of disposition and appearance. The author seems to have a variety of themes in the story including loneliness, relationships, and dreams. John Steinbeck uses a wide variety of literary devices including allegory and similes.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Lennie is like Candy’s dog. He is even described by Steinbeck with animal-like qualities. His hands are described as “paws” and he drinks water like a “horse”. Lennie’s passion for animals makes him more animal-like as well. The death of the mouse, puppy, and Curly’s wife all help to foreshadow the death of Lennie. When George finds out that Lennie has killed Curly’s wife he knows that Curly will seek revenge.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

George alone finds Lennie in the brush and assures him that he is not upset about what he did. With Lennie’s back turned, George tells him about their dream one last time. He shoots Lennie in the back of the head in the same manner Candy’s dog was shot and with the same gun. “He never knew what hit him”. However, George was able to shoot Lennie because he did not want to see him killed by Curly while Candy was unable to shoot is dog. This makes George a stronger character.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

1. Does the story involve an epiphany of insight, revelation, or self-realization for the protagonist- or perhaps for the reader? How does the moment of realization contribute to the resolution of the work and/or the development of the protagonist? ?What’s an epiphany? It is the sudden realization or comprehension of the (larger) essence or meaning of something. Insight- perception Revelation- something that has happened Self-realization- realizing yourself Yes, the epiphany is the point when one of the protagonists named Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife in the barn.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

The moment of realization that he has done something wrong, when Lennie says in page 91, “I done a bad thing. I done another bad thing. ” This quote clearly illustrates the evidence that Lennie understands exactly that he is in trouble. The resolution to the epiphany is when George finds Lennie where Lennie promised George to be in the clearing when he gets in trouble and, while retelling the story of life on their farm, shoots him in the back of the head, saving him from certain punishment for the death of Curley’s wife.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

To make the resolution a proper one in the eyes of the people, George tells him the dream, as it helps Lennie feel better, and as people say, dieing happy is like dieing a natural death deserved by someone who has been good to the community. Some might disagree, but if you look at the murder incident through Lennie’s eyes, we can really see that Lennie didn’t mean to do it, but he wanted to calm down Curley’s wife, but accidentally killed her in the process.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

His immature attitude to things makes us sympathize for him, as there’s really no way he can escape and live by himself, as George himself mentions that he isn’t mature enough to look after himself, otherwise the murder wouldn’t have even happened, as George told him to stay away from her in the first place. 2. At what point is the tension highest? How has the author built this tension? Where was it going? Tension- a situation of great suspense. In this question, they are essentially talking about the suspense in the book at the climax (the point in the story where the main character’s point of iew changes, or the most exciting/action filled part of the story. It also known as the main turning point in the story. ) Author- John Steinbeck Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife in the barn- (buildup to the climax) In Of Mice and Men the most obvious and significant climax or even turning point would have to be the murder of Curley’s Wife. To prepare the reader for this, Steinbeck writes about a number of episodes that are tragic, but not as tragic as the main climax, and others to show off Lennie’s strength, stupidity and naivety.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Doing this allows Steinbeck to have the climax without upsetting the reader by making them sad or not understand it was possible for a man to kill without realising it or having any intension of doing so. The first of the mini tragedies, that lead up to the main tragedy was when Candy’s dog was shot. Steinbeck attempts to make the reader feel sympathy for Candy by creating a strong tone of tension in the bunk-house. When George and Lennie first meet Candy, his dog is mentioned in his description as if it was a part of him and clearly states Candy’s admiration of it when Candy says in Page 44, ‘He was the best damn sheep I ever seen”.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Later Candy’s sad in page 61 after his dog gets killed, “I shouldn’t ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog. ” This makes essentially feel sorry for them. 3. Is the protagonist a round or a flat character? If round, what changes are evident? What do the changes demonstrate? If flat, what is the author’s purpose in creating this character this way? Talk about Lennie: (Repetition of things like petting rabbits, rats, getting scared- most quotes are already marked) An example of a flat character is the character of Lennie, who never really changes in the story. ubstantial change or growth in the course of a story. Also referred to as “two-dimensional characters” or “static characters,” flat characters play a supporting role to the main character, who as a rule should be round. (Lennie who never changes his habits) The author probably created the character this way, as back in the Great Depression, most people would travel alone, as seen by Slim’s response to George about Lennie when he talks about men usually travelling alone in page 35, Slim says, “Ain’t many guys travel together. , which was about him travelling with Lennie. Later on he figures out why he did this, so does Crooks in page 71. Even though flat characters are supposed to be minor characters, Lennie is mentioned slightly more than George, as the narrator tends to focus more on Lennie’s character than George, making him another protagonist, making him the exception to the flat character rule in terms of definition. 4. What is the predominant point of view in this story? What are the advantages/disadvantages of this point of view?
Topic: of-mice-and-men

The predominant point of view- Interestingly, although this narrator could tell us everything that everyone is thinking, feeling and imagining, the storyteller chooses not to. We are given a peek into only one character’s consciousness, and even then only once, when Lennie is in hiding by the river and imagines his Aunt Clara and a large, hallucinatory rabbit. This deliberate withholding of insider information was probably a result of Steinbeck’s intention to have the story be more of a play than a novella.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

In plays, the audience can only know what the actors are saying and doing – they cannot have access to their thoughts. This means the narrator of this novella is omniscient (all knowing), but to a rather limited degree. Still, there might be more to Steinbeck’s choice of a “limited omniscient” narrator. The limited omniscient third person narrator almost seems to mirror the characters of the play; in this hard-hitting, straight-shooting story, it simply wouldn’t be fitting to have a narrator gushing about how everyone feels all the time.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

The characters of the novella tend to speak volumes with their silences (like when Candy can’t defend his dog, or Crooks can’t defend his status against Curley’s wife, or Lennie clams up around Curley). The ranch isn’t full of guys who like to wax philosophic. Without personal commentary or a narrator’s insight, the characters’ actions and speech alone do the most honest job of getting at who they really are.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

However, if Lennie works hard he will get his dream. This is what society teaches us, Steinbeck is showing how difficult it is to survive and continue following your dream in society. For modern readers this is shown in the importance of working hard in their jobs keeping them motivated, civilised, striving towards feeding their families. George and Lennie travelled and worked together becoming inseparable, this relationship was found to be strange at the time as every migrant worker would have to take care of themselves only. ‘Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

They got no family. They don’t belong no place…. with us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got someone to talk to that gives a damn about us. ’ Steinbeck is expressing the strength between George and Lennie to emphasise the love for family and the feeling for caring for people in the outside society. Steinbeck shows the connection between them is very strong and was found very strange to the people in the ranch because they don’t understand the rule of family and friendship, the reaction from mainly the boss and Curly to this connection was seen as surprise and disbelief.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Lennie is sometimes represented like an animal in several scenes. ‘…and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. ’ ‘Slowly, like a terrier who doesn’t want to bring a ball to its master, Lennie approached, drew back, approached again. ’ Lennie, George’s companion is seen as a big man with great strength, his body and his features are round and undefined. The author use of many techniques such as onomatopoeia, metaphors and similes to show the strange behaviour of Lennie, Steinbeck represents the ranch as the wider society because you get all the elements of society.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Lennie is described as the weak disabled people in society. Steinbeck is showing that due to the society not caring about the weak, he did not fit in due to his lack of mental abilities. The reader feels sympathy for Lennie combined with anger at the society for allowing this to happen. They also ask themselves how they react, in their society, to the weak and also how these people are treated within it. This is what Steinbeck wanted when he depicted Lennie’s situation. Steinbeck has represented Crooks in the ranch as a minority in the society. ‘They let the nigger come in that night’
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Steinbeck’s point about differences in society shows the reader the whole view about racism. Crooks is seen as a low-life, crippled Negro who is under everyone’s standard. Steinbeck is making the reader feel sympathy for Crooks as he is seen as the lowest step in the hierarchy system, and showing that most of the people on the ranch are not educated and even though Steinbeck has made Crooks have the ability to educate himself to a higher standard than the rest he is still at the bottom, we as the reader understand that Crooks knows the law of society.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

In chapter four of the story “Of Mice and Men” we are immediately introduced to Crooks. Through the great detailed description given by Steinbeck the reader can learn many things about Crooks’ character. Crooks’ name itself suggests that there is something physically wrong with him. His physical disability is one of the many ways that he suffers on the ranch. He is not shown much in the first three chapters and this indicates his position in society as very low because he is not noticed, and therefore is not important.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Additionally, his lower status is reinforced again as the “range of medicine bottles, both for himself and for the horses” were placed together highlighting the point that he is treated equally as the animals. Crooks is aware of his low status and knows weather or not the medicines are placed together, this will not make any difference as he will always be a victim of racial discrimination. He decided that he was no different to the horses so he placed both his and the horses medicines together. Also, we as the reader learn that Crooks is a very lonely man as it is frequently repeated of him “being alone”. However, it could be said that this isolation was generated by the racism in his society.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Through out this key chapter it is frequently reminded to us that Crooks was a victim of racism in America during the 1930’s as “he kept his distance and demanded that other people kept theirs.” From this we can determine that he is a very secluded man and he likes his privacy, however we also learn later on that he is very lonely. It is also self evident that he has been hurt deeply by other people’s rejections so therefore rejects others. Living in a harsh environment makes Crooks generate defensiveness and the desire to protect himself from the racial prejudice and inequality towards him by the other workers.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

As the reader we learn that Crook is a proud aloof man as his “room was swept and fairly neat” reinforcing the fact that Crooks is proud of his colour despite living in a racist society. Despite being a poor worker Crooks still manages to keep his room clean and tidy. In addition, his “black wrinkles” and “pain-tightened lips” portray a sense of long and deep suffering that Crooks has experienced. The racist environment in which he lives in may have been the cause for such pain. This also reveals to us that not only does Crooks suffer pain on the outside but also he feels dejected and isolated inside causing him to suffer emotionally.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Overall, in the novel “Of Mice and Men” Crooks is a stable back segregated from the rest of the men on the ranch because of the fact that he is black and perhaps because he is a cripple. It becomes clearly obvious to the reader of life in America during the 1930’s and the racial discrimination at this time. Also due to the detailed description given by the author we are able to put ourselves in this character’s position and see how hard life was for him on the ranch and have empathy towards him.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

This shows that Crooks is completely isolated, when Lennie goes into Crooks’s room he is absolutely overjoyed but Crooks has to hide his happiness with the way he is supposed to react when someone comes to talk with him because he has learnt to be cautious because he doesn’t have friends so he acts defensively all the time. ‘I ain’t wanted in the bunk house, and you ain’t wanted in my room. ‘ Crooks is completely and utterly isolated almost so he is becoming nasty when someone is trying to be nice as he is always on his own and everyone is always nasty to him.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

‘A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you. ‘ ‘I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick. ‘ By sick Crooks means mean and Crooks is getting a little mean, you see this in ch4 where he is trying to show Lennie what it is like to be lonely because Lennie has never really been lonely because he’s always had either his aunt Clara or George, but at the same time Crooks is showing his mean side and Stienbeck tells us this by things like; ‘Crooks pressed forward some kind of private victory. ‘
Topic: of-mice-and-men

‘Crooks face lighted with pleasure in his torture’ Lennie is different from the other workers in two ways; firstly he is not quite all there and needs guidance all the time, and secondly he is the only person on the ranch who is not lonely because he has got George and in his mind that is all he needs. The best laid plans ‘of mice and men’ were Lennie’s dream, but in reality all Lennie wanted to do was just tend the rabbits so it was a very simplistic dream which was easily achievable if it wasn’t so hard to get land, ‘… nobody never gets no land. ‘
Topic: of-mice-and-men

The dream was never going to become true because inevitably Lennie would end up in big trouble and jeopardise the dream for George. The time at which the novel is set would make Lennie feel very lonely if he didn’t have George as he would be either locked away into a mental asylum or killed for getting into trouble. George travelling around with Lennie has made George quite lonely, as it is definitely a one-way partnership, with Lennie reaping all the benefits and George not being able to settle down anywhere as if Lennie does something wrong they have to move.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

‘You can’t keep a job and you lose me ever’ job I get’ ‘You get in trouble. You do bad things I got to get you out’ Although the men respect Slim he might be lonely because of his position and the way that nearly all the people that are on this ranch are outcasts in one way or another, and Slim seems to be the only one who is really a average guy that doesn’t have anything holding him back, this might make Slim lonely. However, Stienbeck doesn’t really tell the reader about Slim very much so we can only assume about Slim most of the time.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

The way Whit wants to chat and gossip all the time suggests the normal day to day life of these workers away from the ranch is very lonely, so when they get to know people they want to talk, chat and be with a friend constantly, when they can. As Crooks says in ch4, ‘I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick. ‘ Carlson’s callous indifference reflects this, as he has been too lonely for too long he takes it out on others around him. In ch2 when he keeps constantly pressures Candy into shooting his dog, you see the real Carlson and how mean and callous he is.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

As well as callous Carlson is insensitive and we are shown this in the final chapter after George has killed Lennie Carlson shows no sympathy. ‘An’ you got it away from him and you took it an’ you killed him? ‘ In ‘Of Mice and Men’ all the characters are lonely in one way or another and this loneliness is brought about by other factors, mainly the time and place in which the novel is set. Other ways in which loneliness is brought to some characters is because of racism and sexism, although these two factors are brought about by the time and place in which the novel is set and the culture in which it is set in.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

In the future some characters will get lonelier, like George who is becoming the very thing he has been so different from his entire time with Lennie, George will, ‘… work my month an’ I’ll take my fifty bucks an’ I’ll stay all night in some lousy cat house. ‘ ‘An’ then I’ll come back an’ work another month an’ I’ll have fifty bucks more. ‘ Curley will get lonelier, even if only temporarily, because now his wife is dead he will have no one to talk to, except his farther, as none of the workers like him as he is always mean, callous and nasty to them.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Candy will also get lonelier as he will inevitably get canned and he will have nowhere to go now that the ‘dream’ is shattered. Crooks will not get lonelier or less lonely but stay sort of the same, although I don’t think he could get any lonelier than he already is, unless Slim and the boss stopped talking or interacting with him. The other workers on the ranch will slowly get less lonely as time goes on because they will become closer and closer friends with each other. However they will all probably move on and stay lonely.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

“Of Mice and Men” OF MICE AND MEN by John Steinbeck first takes place a few miles south of Soledad. There were two men by the names of George and Lennie who became life long partners. George thought Lennie needed support because Lennie was mentally retarded. Later, George and Lennie moved to a ranch nearby Soledad. George and Lennie got into trouble a few miles south of Soledad in a town called Weed.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

The men were hiding out along a river called Salinas, across from the Gabililan mountains. Trouble occurred in Weed when Lennie grabbed a hold of a ladies dress, because he was curious about the texture of the fabric. The woman took it the wrong way and became upset and frightened. Curdling screams caused some men to come rushing to the aid of the woman. Lennie then became frightened and ran away. George was such a supportive and understanding friend that he ran away with him.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Running together, the two frightened men hid out in the Salinas River waiting for dusk to come. When dusk arrived, the two men gathered wood and built a fire. Luckily, George had three cans of pork and beans with him in his backpack. They stayed there until morning to start walking again. George told Lennie that he heard of a ranch that was four miles ahead of them and they could get a job there. George told Lennie that if he would get into trouble at the ranch, that he should come back and hide in the bush.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Sunrise had came and the two men began their walk to the ranch. When George and Lennie arrived, they saw a huge long rectangular building where the bunks were inside, the walls were white and the floor was wood. The old swamper showed Lennie and George to their assigned bunks. While George and Lennie were getting settled in, a stocky man stood in the doorway. He had on blue jeans, a flannel shirt, a vest, a coat, boots and spurs. George and Lennie quickly knew that the man in the doorway was their boss. With a deep voice, the boss asked, “You got your workslips?” George quickly reached in his pocket and pulled out their slips and handed them to the boss. The boss then told them to go out after dinner and help out with the team by picking up
Topic: of-mice-and-men

he displayed his friendship by risking his own life to help when Lennie was in trouble. Also, George let Lennie know that he was never man at him though all that took place that day. The only reason why George shot Lennie himself was because he wanted to make the punishment less severe than it would have been if the men found Lennie first. My evaluation of this book is that I thought it had a nice theme. I believe the book could of been better if it did not use so much profanity. The overall book was above average. I would recommend this to junior high school students as a group reading project, and the principal authorizes it. John Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902, in Salinas, Monterey County, California. He was an American author, who won the 1962 Nobel Prize for Literature. Steinbeck’s best known fiction tells about the struggles of poor people. His most famous novel, The
Topic: of-mice-and-men

(1939) won the 1940 Pulitzer prize. The novel tells the story of the Joads, a poor Oklahoma farming family, who migrated to California in search of better life during the Great Depression in the 1930’s. Steinbeck adequately demonstrated how the struggles of a family reflected the hardship of the entire nation. Through the labor the organizer, Jim Casy, taught the Joads that the poor must work together in order to survive. Steinbeck set much of his fiction in and around his birthplace of Salinas, California. His first novel, Cup of Gold (1929), is based on the life of Sir Henry Morgan, a famous English pirate of the 1600’s. Steinbeck’s next work, The Pastures of Heaven (1932), is a collection of stories about people in a farm community near Salinas. In this work, Steinbeck focused on the struggles between human beings and nature. Of Mice and Men (1937) is a short novel that Steinbeck made into a popular play in 1937. It is a tragic story about a physically powerful man, but mentally retarded farm worker and his best friend and protector. I found this information in The World Book Encyclopedia So-Sz.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

“But how?” he said quietly to himself while he sat alone in the bunk house. He heard an uproar outside and muffled his ears with his hands. He didn’t want to hear anybody or anything. Slim came striding in. “Those guys are fighting again over money. Is that the on’y that matters at this ranch?” George just lay on his bed with his eyes closed and his hands over his ears.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

His prayer was answered with a nightmare. George was in a glass box, and Lennie was hunched over in a ball on the other side of what looked like a large pond. The box kept shrinking and shrinking and shrinking until George couldn’t breathe anymore and with on dying breath his eyes opened to find himself surrounded by ranch workers all talking. Slim pulled me out of the bunkhouse in a hurry, grabbing me by my elbow.
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So that night in the dead of night, he packed his things silently and got up to leave. As he opened the door he heard somebody waking up and then realised it was just Carlson turning over. He stood in the door way creating a breath-taking silhouette of him looking out at the moons glow. He set of on his journey north. He had a picture in his head of what he was going to do. He was going to travel north for as long as his legs could carry him and when he could not go anymore, that’s where he would find his true life’s work. He had convinced himself that his theory will see him through. So he started on the dirt path with a sign post saying; San Francisco. In his head he thought that from there he would try and find a way to get to New York. Where he would fulfil his dreams, or so he thought.
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In the end he got to San Francisco. And stayed in San Francisco, where he met Robin. She was standing on the beach. She says she was listening to the waves. The two of them sat on that beach for hours and talked. George learnt that her husband had died in a fight with the town’s bad boy. He was shot. She had never found anybody else to love after that. And George poured his heart and soul out to her.
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Over the next few months he began to grow a trusting friendship with this girl. George asked her out. She agreed. This dating went on for over a year. And on the anniversary of Lennie, George proposed to Robin. She said yes right away. George told her that there might be a bit of a wait before they got married because he didn’t have enough money as he was working on a little cottage out in the country which he and Robin would move into in a few weeks.
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Another person who is tormented from isolation is Curley’s wife. She is tormented from a different kind of isolation caused by her husband. All the workers at the ranch are scared to talk to and interact with Curley’s wife as, his dad owns the ranch. Therefore we don’t even know Curley’s wife’s name as in the book as she was never asked. Curley is described as a jealous man but really he does not pay any attention, or give any time to his wife.
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Thirdly there was Crook’s who had a dream of being treated equally as all the others. He wanted people to not take in to consideration his colour and just allow him to interact with others like anyone else. This also was an unfulfilled dream as he was never accepted by the white community and constantly treated like an outsider. Finally there was Candy who was involved in George and Lennie’s dream which was also incomplete and therefore unaccomplished. The setting of the book “Of Mice and Men” was set in the 1930’s.
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A good quality indication of how the times were in those days is that in the book Slim is a man who is given a lot of respect. He is superior to all the workers, but in a special way as he is liked by everyone unlike he other leaders. Slim in the book is a great man who is a great worker, a great friend, a good listener, a good peace maker. Nevertheless he still is not running his own business. This shows that you have to be really rich or extremely special to be a business man. Basically I believe the book states that loneliness is an inevitable fact of life which not even the strongest can avoid.
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George, on the other hand, was “small and quick and dark of face”. The book joins our characters on their way to a new job on a ranch in the Salinas Valley. They are hot and tired and bothered after being duped by a bus driver into walking about four miles. At this point they stop for a drink and a rest at a little at a watering hole (the Salinas River actually). At this point we discover that Lennie has a weakness for soft things.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Their goal was to own a shack and an acre of land that they can call their own and to live of the “fat of the land’ and Lennie wanted to rasie rabbits. This telling of the their dream was greatly loved by Lennie.. especially and only when George told it to him (altough he knew it word from word). George also blames his current situation of down and out luck on Lennie because he has to always keep a look out on his behalf. Knowing that there was a great possibility that something like the incident in Weed would happen in the new ranch, George tells Lennie to run like the wind and return to this place near the water and hide in the bushes for George to come.
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After spending a night at the riverbank… Lennie and George head up to the ranch where they had found work. Post being introduced to their quarters and some of their bunk mates.. they meet the boss and they excecute the tension filled process of the interview for the job. George does most if not all of the talking obviosly for fear of Lennie saying something that would cost them the emplyment which they badly needed. Luckily, they manage to land the jobs. Not long after, Lennie has his first run-in with Curley, the bosses son but nothing happens. They learn about Curley’s tarty wife and her exploits with the “eye” and George realizes that the potential trouble makers are Curley and his wife.. they both could make Lennie do something bad and George warns Lennie about this. The following scenes are insignificant introductions to the smaller less important characters. They feel their dreams start to materialise after Candy decides and is allowed to join them. While they discuss the financial aspects of purchasing the land, the rest of the bunkers come in the form of Slim and Carlson along with Curley. There was a disagreement between Slim and Curley and he (Curley ) had all this mounted stress and tension that he unloaded onto Lennie for no reason. After a few minutes of passive resistance to Curley’s beatings and George’s encouragement to hit him back, Lennie grabs a hold of Curley’s fist and breaks it. This was their last confrontation as Curley had no choice but to back down or be embarrassed.
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Everyone except Lennie then decides to go to Soledad ( a nearby town) to help Curley fix up his hand and Lennie goes to have a chat with Crooks, the black stable-boy about the precious puppies, one of which had been given to Lennie by Slim. The next day is the moment of truth.. sitting alone in a barn, mourning the death of his puppy which he killed because it tried to bite him, Lennie is approached by Curley’s wife. Remembering that George said not to talk to her.. Lennie tries his best but ends up doing so in his own childish manner, telling her about his rabbits that George won’t let him have if he found out about the dead puppy. Curley’s wife then begins to tell her tale of woe to Lennie, about how she wanted to be a
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and how she had married Curley solely as a method of revenge against her mother and didn’t like him one bit. She then finds out that Lennie has an affection for soft things and puts his hands atop her head to feel her soft locks… after feeling her hair about for a bit, she complains to Lennie that he is messing up her hair but he obviously doesn’t listen because he had given into his sensual self. Curley’s wife begins to yell for him to let go and Lennie goes into a state of panic and covers her mouth with his huge hands and begins to rustle about when suddenly she “flopped like a fish” for Lennie had broken her neck. For a moment he seemed bewildered that she wasn’t moving when he realises that he has done a bad thing and George would be very angry at him. All Lennie cared about was how it would affect George and what George would do to him.. Covering her in hay, Lennie runs off to his secret hide out near the river that he and George had worked out earlier.
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After the men had lost their pre-occupation, Candy comes into the barn looking for Lennie and finds Curley’s wife sprawled out, half-covered by hay and he realises what has happened. Candy informs George first about the tragedy. George studies the situation and knows where Lennie has run to and the results that would ensue if Curley and his mob caught Lennie.. so he (George) formulates a plan to buy Lennie some time. George got Candy to scream at Curley’s wife as if he had just found her there and that atrracted the attention of the men who were outside playing a game of horseshoes and all of them ran into the barn. Slim checks her pulse as Curley erupts into a fit of rage and starts to organise the lynch mob to pursue Lennie. At this time Carlson realises that Lennie has stolen his Luger and everyone considers Lennie to be armed and dangerous.
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All this time Lennie sat greiving at the riverbank and had visions of his Aunt Clara and giant rabbits cursing him and condoning him. Then George finds him and Lennie is worried about George giving him hell, and how George always said that Lennie weighed down his future. George was surprisingly calm and had to do what he could to save Lennie from the mob. Taking the stolen Luger from Lennie, George tells Lennie one last time about their dream place and how they would live of “the fat of the land” and Lennie begs to go to that paradise of his with his heard of rabbits to tend. George then aims the gun at Lennie’s head as he (Lennie) is looking out to the other side of the river and pulls the trigger…. As soon as he kills his friend and lifelong brother. the mob arrives and George tells them what he did. Slim realizes what George goes through and tries his best to console him over a drink.
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Have you ever felt so left out or unwanted that you approach anyone available whether they care about you or not? When a person needs someone to talk to but there is no one there, what does one do? In John Steinbeck’s, Of Mice and Men, Curley’s wife is very lonely and feels extremely useless. She feels that the only way she can get attention is by going around and flirting with guys. Although everyone see’s Curley’s wife as a “whore” who just wants to seduce guys, her true desire is to have someone she can go to who makes her feel loved.
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Instead of calling Curley’s wife by her name they say “Curley’s woman”, “a tart” , “the new kid”, etc. If men talked to her more and started calling her by her name Curley’s wife wouldn’t flirt as much and would feel way more valuable than she did. In conclusion, even though people don’t see that Curley’s wife has more to her than being a flirt, she only wants attention, and grabs it when she has the chance.
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Steinbeck personifies the actress stereotype through Curley’s wife. On top of being isolated by the men on the ranch, she is also a dreamer. As most of the characters in the novel, she has her version of American Dream. In 1930s, the film industry based in Hollywood, California was growing. Curley’s wife was dreaming to become a movie star. “Of Mice and Men” is a novel written like a play. Steinbeck uses light and darkness as a stylistic technique to create visual effects.
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The author uses one more time the red colour that represents danger – the only colour mentioned in the book. We don’t know anything else about the second women, only that she is a “tart”. This reinforces once again the writer and men attitude to women during the Great Depression. There are two different visions of women in the novel: the writer’s view of women and the men’s view of women. Steinbeck is an invisible author. He masterfully combines the narrative and dialogue styles to create detailed descriptions and characters through which he expresses his attitude to the 1930s society.
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Curley’s wife is introduced using a dialogue between George and Candy, but when she is seen for the first time by the men on the farm the writer uses a narrative description. We also understand the writer’s vision from the way in which the characters act and speak or from the way in which he uses symbolism and imagery to create scenes, for example, the imagery of sunlight and darkness. Generally, men tend to see women through the novel with contempt and fear considering them as dangerous sexual temptations. Women are often referred to as “tarts”, a word with a very negative connotation that means “tramp”.
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Curley’s wife is introduced by Candy as a “tart’ who “got the eye” (page 31). Lennie and George have a childhood friend who is in prison “on account of a tart” (page 63). Also their own troubles result from a tempting attitude of two women: the woman in Weed and Curley’s wife. Being called “tart”, “tramp” and “jail bait” from the first time when they are seen or mentioned in the story, it is a sign of prejudice. Men judge them from the first sight without knowing them well. Men assume that Curley’s wife is a “tramp”. “Jesus, what a tramp” (page 35) says George when he sees her in the bunk house.
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In the contrary, Curley’s wife assumes that men are useless. “I seen too many you guys. ” (page 89) This reveals that men and women didn’t understand each other in that era. Each character through the book can be seen as symbolizing a broader population. The two characters of Lennie and George are practically opposite both physically and mentally. Lennie is symbolizing the wise fool – the powerful man who hasn’t grown up mentally, a childlike man who is not aware of his physical power and is not able to control himself.
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In the contrary, George is symbolic of the everyday man – the type of normal person, reasonable smart, who is found everywhere and whose feelings and actions are not exceptional or terrible. George’s attitude to women in the novel seems to be very basic and biased. He is convinced that women are always the cause of men’s problems as they tempt them to behave in such a way that they wouldn’t act without being provoked. He uses very unpleasant metaphors when he talks about Curley’s wife, such as “jail bail” and “rat-trap”. Using the word “jail bait” (page 58), George recognises her as a trouble-maker right from the start.
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The word “rat-trap” (page ?? ) is also another harsh metaphor to describe her. The hard sounds of the “t” and “p” added to the harshness of the words show how George uses cruel words to degrade the women. He expresses respect only for one woman in the book. This represents the maternal figure personified by Aunt Clara, whose charge to take care of Lennie he takes on as a responsibility. He seems to respect the prostitutes as well. As himself states, “you pay for what you get” (page ?? ) and seems to be pleased with this lifestyle, but he also dreams at a girl for himself. “I could live so easy and maybe have a girl. ” (page ??
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) According to the prejudice at that time, she is expected to comply with the 1930s rules of being a submissive wife but also she is seen as an innocent and beautiful woman. Lennie is the only character who is innocent enough not to realize the danger that the women can represent. In contrast with George’s attitude, when Lennie sees Curley’s wife the first time, his ”eyes moved down over her body” (page 35) and “watched her, fascinated”. (page 35). In his innocence, Lennie often speaks honestly where others won’t. “She’s purty” says Lennie “defensively” (page 35) in reply to George’s words after she left the bunk house.
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He tries to listen to what George says about ignoring her, but his curiosity is too strong and the consequences of his innocent mistake cause his once again unexpected trouble. After he accidently kills her, he is more worried that he did another “bad thing” and George will be disappointed of him more than being aware of the seriousness of his action. This reveals how less important were women for the men. By contrast, Lennie’s aunt Clara has a huge impact on him. Although he hardly remembers about her early in the story, when he talks to her it is in a respectful way.
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We can see that Lennie respects Aunt Clara from the way he talks to her in his dream in the last pages of the novel. He calls her “ma’am”. Curley symbolizes the anxious little man who may feel inferior because of his physical appearance and who tries to overcompensate by inflating and showing off his power. He wants to be the big bad boss, but this is just a dream. He doesn’t like anybody and nobody likes him. His attitude to women is unflattering as well. He treats his wife more as a possession than as a human being. We find from Candy that Curley’s glove is “fulla vaseline.
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” (page 31) This represents a “dirty thing to tell around” as George says. This shows that their marriage is not happy and Curley sees his wife more as a trophy than as a woman. He is possessive but disinterested in the same time of his wife. He goes in town at ‘Susy’s place’ on weekend nights and nobody on the ranch criticizes him for spending the nights in a brothel even the couple have been married for only two weeks. The only time when they are in the same room is when Curley’s wife is dead, which is just for a short time as Curley is more interested in searching for Lennie rather than being with his wife.
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“I’ll kill the big son-of-a-beach myself. ” (page 109) He is more furious because that “huge” guy broke his possession than his wife is dead. The only man who is not afraid of Curley and his wife is Slim. Introduced by Steinbeck using a narrative description, he is “the prince of the ranch” (page 37) who is respected by everyone. He symbolizes the leader – that a few men who are very skilled, have a great authority and a good understanding of the way in which life and death work. His attitude to women is more calmly and relaxing that the other men on the ranch. He greets Curley’s wife with “Hi, Good-lookin’”.
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(page 35) recognizing in front of the men that Curley’s wife is a beautiful woman. Also he is a handsome man and Curley’s wife seems to be specially attracted by him. He is the only man that she calls by name in the story. ”I’m trying to find Curley, Slim. ” (page 35) Slim is also a trustful man who gains Geoge’s respect and he confesses him their problems with the woman in Weed. As most of the men on the ranch, a visit to the Susy’s brothel is enough of women for Slim and he has no desire for a female companion or wife. He seems to be accepted him status as a worker on the ranch and be pleased with his life.
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Candy is symbolic for people who are discriminated because of their age. Similar to other men on the farm, his attitude to Curley’s wife is hostile and fearful. He expresses his negative opinion towards her from the beginning. ‘Well, I think that Curley has married… a tart’. (page 31) Also he is an old and weak men who is afraid of the consequences of having her around. When Curley’s wife come into Crooks room, he says: “You gotta husban’. You got no foolin’ aroun’ with other guys causin’ trouble. ” (page 88). Crooks is symbolic for people who are discriminated because of their race.
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He represents the weakest men in the American society of 1930s. His attitude to women is completely different to others in the novel. He is afraid of everyone, men or women, just because he is black. Even though she is a woman, Curleys wife has more authority over Crooks. ”Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny. ”, she says in Crooks room in the barn. Lennie, Candy and Crooks represent three discriminated categories of people in the 1930s society. They don’t go to the whorehouse with the other men on Friday evenings.