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

I am also going to write about Crooks, Crooks is disabled as he had been kicked in the back by a horse and has a crooked back, this is were he probably gets his nickname from. Crooks also works on the ranch he is the stable buck; and has less respect than all the other men on the ranch. He has no right and is never really talked to, all because he is black, because of the colour of his skin. Unlike the other men he lives in a barn on his own, his is because he is lower than the other men, and no one really talks to him. Out of all the men working on the ranch Crooks is the only black man. Even though nobody likes to talk to Crooks he is has better things to do at the end of the week, instead of going out and spending a night with a prostitute at a whorehouse he reads books.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

This can tell us that he is lonely and has no friends, the books are the closest thing he can get to close to talking to someone. When the men are out at the whorehouse Lennie stays back at the ranch and comes into Crooks barn and starts talking to him, Crooks tries to tell him to go but Lennie does not leave. Lennie lets out the secret to Crooks that him, George and Candy are going to get their own land and Crooks gets interested. A bit later George and the other men arrive, Crooks wants to join in with them, when Curly’s Wife enters the barn looking for Curly, Crooks now has now got a bit of courage and stands up to Curly’s Wife, but she puts him back down when she threatens him that she can get him hung on to the nearest branch, he then tell George and Lennie he was just joking about him wanting to come in with them to get their land.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Candy is also one of the characters I will be talking about, Candy is also disabled, as he has lost his hand in one of the machines, he is the oldest worker on the ranch, and is a swapper, due to losing his hand Candy was allowed to carry on working at the ranch after losing his hand and was given compensation. Candy from the other men is different; unlike them he is not lonely he has a friend, his dog. The other men are jealous of this and can’t take the fact that Candy is not lonely, so they try to take away his dog and they succeed. After the dog had been shot Candy feels that he should have shot his dog himself.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

The most important and last person that I am going to talk about is Curley’s Wife, Curley’s Wife is also lonely. She does not like her husband Curly. She has no real name as once she was married to Curley she had become his property. Curley’s Wife tells Lennie that she was really going to be a Hollywood actress, but her mother hid the letters she waited for to arrive, but she really had been used. She ended up marring Curly because she was angry and annoyed at her mother. This is why she married Curley because she was lonely and needed someone there. Curley’s Wife is a flirty type that is always flirting with every man that she sees, this is probably because se had no real friends and wants to make friends, everybody is afraid to talk to her because she is the wife of Curly there bosses son.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

These five characters I have written about are all looking for more or less the same dream, The American Dream. George, Lennie, Crooks and Candy all wanted to have there own land and maybe farm whereas Curly’s Wife wanted to be an actress and have some real friends and a better husband. Many of the workers on the ranch are all lonely, even if they weren’t they were made lonely by people taking away the one thing they had. A friend. I think that Crooks was the loneliest man on the ranch out of all the workers. But after Lennies death you could say that George was the loneliest of them all.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Candy is also a lonely because he has no family and his dog, his only friend, was shot. Like Crooks, Candy also works alone as a swamper/cleaner. He doesn’t feel part of the group because he does not work in the fields with the others. He is treated like an outcast because he is old and cannot go on brothel visits. Curley’s wife refers to this “they left all the weak ones here” when the others go to the brothel. When he hears about George and Lennie’s dream he offers to join in because he wants somewhere to belong, as it is a basic human instinct to feel wanted.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Another main theme is friendship. This is mainly conveyed through the characters George and Lennie .it is usual for people with their lifestyles to have good friendships as they state many times “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. But we ain’t like that because I got you to look after me and you got me to look after you.” We know this is unusual because Slim says “Funny how you and him string along together”. The boss is also suspicious that George may be exploiting Lennie “I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy”. I think that from George and Lennie’s friendship, Lennie gains someone to look after him and George (even though he always complains about Lennie) seems to get a purpose in his life. They have each other to talk to so they can never get lonely.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Several characters in the novel have dreams. This is another main theme in the book. George and Lennie’s dream is to own a little farm with animals and “live off the fatta the lan’ “. Lennie especially wants to keep rabbits and throughout George keeps promising that Lennie will get to own rabbits someday. This dream keeps Lennie working hard and behaving, I think without it he would have nothing to live for. Candy’s dream is just to belong somewhere. This explains why he offers his savings to join George and Lennie with their dream ” ‘S’pose I went in with you guys. Tha’s three hundred an’ fifty bucks I’d put in”. George and Lennie accept Candy’s offer because it brings them all much closer to making their dreams become reality.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Curley’s wife has a dream of what could have happened “coulda made somethin’ of myself”. She was told she could be a movie star but her dream was ruined by marrying. I think she hopes that her dream is still possible and it keeps her motivated. Crook’s dream is more of a longing for his childhood again. He liked things when he was a boy because everyone was equal. He fitted in because he lived with his family and got to play with white children. He tells Lennie about this “I was born right here in California. My old man had a chicken ranch”. He considers joining George, Lennie and Candy. It looks as if has realised his dream but they are not interested. Both Crooks and Curley’s wife mention that every man has a similar dream “that same damn thing in their heads”. I think all these men need a dream to keep them going, to give meaning to their dull lifes.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

His dream is destroyed through no fault of his own. He vents his anger on the dead Curleys wife as he realises that his dream will never come true “You God damn tramp, You done it, di’n’t you?” Curley’s wife’s dream is ruined because she dies. Her dream seemed unrealistic but now it can never happen. Some of the characters recognise that these kinds of dreams are unrealistic such as Crooks while most don’t realise this until their dream is shattered like Candy. Crooks mentions that everyone has this dream and that they never attain it “I seen it happen too many times”. John Steinbeck presents dreams to be unrealistic.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Captain Walton is the first narrator of the book. We learn the story of Frankenstein’s monster through his letters to his sister. He is the captain of a ship on an expedition to the North Pole. His ambition is to reach the North Pole where no man has been before. He doesn’t have a good relationship with his fellow crewmates because he is selfish and reckless you know because in the book the crew threaten to mutiny if he doesn’t let them go back home.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

George is a young, migrant ranch worker who is reasonably small and has well-defined features. He is like a father to his mentally handicapped friend. He shares the dream of owning his own ranch with Lennie. George is a quite a quite lonely man because he hasn’t got a real future, can’t have any long term relationship because Lennie takes up mostly all his time. In the book George explain how he would be able to live easily without Lennie “God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could get a job an’ work, an no trouble. No mess at all, and when the end of the mouth come I could take my fifty bucks and go into town and get whatever I want”.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Lennie is a mentally challenged ranch worker. He is a big strong man who is impetuous. Lennie and George are a magnet, Lennie is the north pole and George is the south pole. They are completely opposite however they still attract each other and stay together. Lennie is childish and maybe mentally handicapped however he can still manipulate George. You see this in this quote just after George was complaining about Lennie stopping him doing what he wanted to do with his life. Lennie say “if you don’ want me I can go off in the hills an’ find a cave. I can go any time.”
Topic: of-mice-and-men

And George relied by saying “No-look! I was jus’ foolin’, Lennie. ’cause I want you to stay with me.”. Lennie likes to pet soft things he gets in trouble because of this. Lennie is very lonely because he can’t do what the other men do due to him being mentally challenged and irrational. You can see he is lonely from what he does in this quote ” Ever’body went into town,” he said “Slim an’ George an’ ever’body. George say I gotta stay hear an’ not get in no trouble. I see your light.”. This shows that he is lonely and is searching for a friend because he has been left out. This also illustrates that Lennie is an outcast.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Crooks is a black busted back stable buck. He is called crooks due to having a crooked spine where a horse kicked him. Crooks is lonely and isolated from the rest of the workers, he has to sleep in his own place in the stables because he is black and in the time of the book there was a lot of racism and it was accepted that blacks were inferior to the whites. He is bitter and angry due to the way he is treated, it’s a defence mechanism to try and stop him from getting hurt however when Lennie is left alone and he goes in to Crooks room he doesn’t judge him by his ethnicity still Crooks acts bitter because he doesn’t trust that a white man can be his friend this parallels with Frankenstein. In Frankenstein the monster thinks a kid wouldn’t judge him however the kid does. Even though there are differences the theme of judgement are in both texts.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

The monster in ‘Frankenstein’ is a man made from the severed body parts from dead criminals that Frankenstein put together and brought it to life. He has overwhelming strength and is impetuous. The monster is lonely because he is incredible hideous, repulsive and horrifying which cause people to panic and run away from him. The monster just wants to be loved and have a friend he can talk to; he doesn’t care who it is. In the book he lived in the woods for a while and noticed a family called the De Lacys who where struggling to survive during the winter. He became friends with them and helped the by doing hard manual work. Over time the monster saw what the de Lacy’s had and he fell in love with one of the de Lacys. When he told her his intensions she panic and gave him a look of disgust. Then the monster was mad with anger so he burnt them alive.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Curley’s wife is very lonely, bored and frustrated. She lives on a ranch where there no other women and during the day all the men go to work so she is left on her own being bored because she has no one to talk to. This is shown in this quote “Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while? Think I like to stick in that house alla time?”. She is also frustrated that her life turned out this way. She married a violent man who she didn’t love. She imagined her life to be full of glamour, fame and stardom. In the book Lennie and Curley’s are in the barn. Curley’s wife is flirting with Lennie. Lennie starts stroking her hair softly then he got harder and harder until Curley’s wife screams. Lennie panics, covers her mouth and shakes until she was dead. A similar thing happens in the book Frankenstein, the monster tries to be friends with William however William panics and the monster accidentally kills him.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

The structure and style of both texts are very different. Mary shelly told the story of Frankenstein through letters that captain Walton wrote to his sister and at the end of the book we hear the monster’s side to the story. The style of Frankenstein is gothic horror. It is dark, gory and intense. Steinbeck’s is written in a more traditional structure in the third person. It is an emotional drama. Steinbeck uses description of scenery and animals to build characters however Mary shelly focuses on developing characters.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Of Mice and Men is set in California during the 1930s. This is an important time in US history because it was the time of the Great Depression, which did not end until the start of the Second World War. During this period of failed businesses, harsh poverty and long-term unemployment, many migrant workers came to California from other parts of America in search of work. The ranch workers in the book are all examples of people who have been affected by the Great Depression, as most of them are itinerant worker.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

He’s the only character who seems to be at peace with himself. Steinbeck also describes him as something of a living legend “he moved with a majesty only achieved by royalty and master craftsmen”. There was gravity in his manner and a quiet yet so profound, that all talk stopped when he spoke, as I he had mystical powers. His hatchet face was ageless. Slim is not only respected for his skill as a ranch hand as they say ‘he could kill fly on the wheelers butt with a bull whip without touching the mule’ but he is also seen as a man who thinks things through especially before speaking when it says ‘his ear heard more…’
Topic: of-mice-and-men

His authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject, be it politics or love. Slim lingers in the shadow of his overwhelming description throughout the novel. He serves as the fearless, decision-maker when conflicts arise among the workers and wins the confidence of George, offering advice, comfort, and quiet words of wisdom. Steinbeck from the start makes Slim above the other men and this is continuous throughout the whole novel till the end of the story.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Slim’s presence is first noted in the bunkhouse. Even though it is here that he is introduced in a proper manner, we are already aware of the fact that he is an agreeable and pleasant man through certain statements made by other characters previously. For example, Candy states that Slim is a “Hell of a nice fella”. Furthermore, we learn that he is a likable and attractive man on account of Curley’s wife, “Hi, Good-lookin'”. Steinbeck’s use of biblical light imagery immediately emphasizes the fact that Slim’s character signals a sense of hope and a way out of the darkness. For example, as the text states, “Slim reached up over the card-table and turned on the tin-shaded electric light. Instantly the table was bright with light, and the cone of the shade threw its brightness straight downward, leaving the corners of the bunkhouse still in dusk.” I think not only the description implies to the light and hope of Slim’s character, but also the importance of Slim’s presence, as the light is the brightest at where Slim is, and darker as it gets further away from Slim. I think there is an underlying hint of Slim’s status as the “core” on the ranch.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

One of the most distinctive contributions Slim brings is when George confides in him about how he and Lennie travel round together. Slim is clever in the way he brings this topic up as he says ‘”funny how you an’ him string along together”. But he says it calmly and invitingly to George, also the tone Slim uses offers confidence to George to talk. Slim does not prey or resort to bullying tactics when extracting information about George’s past, rather he exudes a “calm invitation to confidence”. The effect of this is that George appears to feel comfortable and at ease, and he is able to expand his relationship with Lennie. George does not appear to hold back when describing the close and loving relationship he shares with Lennie. For example, George states, “Him and me was both born in Auburn. I knowed his Aunt Clara. When Aunt Clara died, Lennie just come along with me out workin’. Got kinda used to each other after a little while”. .
Topic: of-mice-and-men

When George and Lennie arrive together at the bunkhouse people think it is strange for men to travel together. This shows that society is use to people travelling alone. So through Slim, Steinbeck uses him as a way of criticising society. With all of Slim’s God-like features it is hard for us to understand why he is there at the ranch until this scene as it opens up the story a little bit more. Slim’s calm and gentle presence allows George to reveal these intimate personal details about his shared history with Lennie. George also mentions the incident that took place at Weed and this shows how much integrity Slim has and how he now acquired Georges respect. It is as George’s voice takes on the tone of a confessor. The fact that George feels he is able to reveal these details to Slim allows the plot to appear more realistic.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

During the novel Slim is respected and trusted by his fellow ranch workers and even has Curley following his orders. Slim advises George and becomes George’s confidant. As he acts as George’s confidant he subsequently becomes the moral arbiter of the play, he is the main character who can recognize things from right and wrong. Slim is a special character because he speaks to everyone from Crooks to Candy and even Curley’s wife. In the novel the idea of hierarchy is important, as Slim is trusted by the whole ranch he is the one who is at the top, this is shown in the novel with his authority. However during the play he is the character who represents the noble ranch worker. Slim represents a sympathetic influence in the otherwise hostile nature of everyday life on the ranch. When the reader first meets Slim in the novel he is presented as being high in the hierarchy in the novel. Slim is presented as a respectable man which is why the other ranch workers trust him, this consequently leads him to becoming the man who George can confide in about Lennie, as Slim realizes that Lennie has the mentality of a child.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

This shows how Slim is presented as a man who is very wise which leads people to trusting him. This is shown when it says, “his tone was friendly. It invited confidence without demanding it.” This illustrates how people can trust because of Slim’s gentle nature. The ranch workers are shown in to respect because of the hierarchy and because he is the noble ranch worker when it says, “they precede him.” This shows his authority within the ranch as they respect him and because of his position in the hierarchy of the ranch. As Slim is part of the hierarchy of the ranch he described as when moving “with a majesty only achieved by royalty.” This is shown to emphasize his position within the ranch hierarchy and this presents the idea that he is like the prince of the ranch. As slim is skilled he is called a “Jerkline skinner” which shows he is very noble. This gives the impression that as he has great skilled and a great depth of perception he almost emanates calm and understanding.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

In the novel Slim is shown to have a personality which is very unique compared to the other workers on the ranch. Slim is described as having a “hatchet face” which is “ageless.” This gives the impression that Slim has a sense of immortality around him, which is described as being extraordinary. This illustrates how Slim as he is ageless is almost like a piece of furniture for the ranch as he is high up in the hierarchy which further enforces the fact that Slim is a noble ranch worker who is trusted by the men. Steinbeck uses slims “ageless” and “hatchet face” to employ the use of similes to show the character of Slim. He employs similes when Steinbeck writes that Slim’s hands are “delicate” and are “those of a temple dancer.” Steinbeck uses similes to show Slim’s elegance within the novel, which also represents his persona as a character who is able to tell right from right from wrong which is a skill in itself. This is also illustrates how he has great skill with his hands. Furthermore, Slim is a character who is “capable of killing a fly on the wheeler’s butt with a bull whip without touching the mule.”
Topic: of-mice-and-men

This shows how Slim is trusted among the workers; this also emphasizes how Slim is character who is very powerful but controlled. Steinbeck presents Slim in the novel as a character who is almost like a father-figure for the other ranch workers. This is shown when Steinbeck wrote that Slim has a “understanding beyond thought.” This illustrates how Slim is the father figure as he is the wise man of the ranch and is the person who is also very perceptive. This shows that his measured way of living gave great hope to the other ranch men and gave them inspiration and a friend who they could talk to. Steinbeck uses positive adverbs to show his kindness towards Lennie and George. As Slim is wise and very clever he realizes that Lennie has a mind of a child. This is shown when he uses the adverbs “kindly” and “Gently.” This shows how he has a caring attitude towards them as George has almost looked after Lennie his whole life. In this way he is almost sympathetic towards George because he realizes how much George has had to deal with because of Lennie, which is why Slim becomes the confidant of George.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Steinbeck makes the character of Slim become the confidant of George. He uses this so Steinbeck can relate back to the original story of George and Lennie. This is shown when it said, “Slim neither encouraged nor discouraged him, He just sat back quiet and receptive.” This illustrates how Slim gained the trust of George because of his gentle nature and because he is the father figure. This shows how he is in touch with other ranchmen although according to the hierarchy he is much higher than them, this shows how he is a very noble and wise man because he considers himself as one of the common men. So he is able to listen to them with their problems like they are the same his. As Slim becomes the confidant of George, in the conversation with George he says that Lennie is “a nice fella” and that “He ain’t mean” This shows how Slim has a different attitude towards Lennie as if he is looking after him as well as George. This is why the reader becomes sympathetic because Slim is sympathetic towards Lennie which encourages the reader to become sympathetic.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

This creates a key role for Slim because without Slim the reader would not have been encouraged to become as sympathetic to Lennie. Slim is pivotal towards the treatment Crooks because he is one of the only people in the ranch to treat Crooks with the respect he deserves. This is shown when he says, “He’s plenty good.” This illustrates how Slim is fair and compassionate because it shows how he knows the difference between right and wrong which shows how he is unprejudiced. This is because during the 1930s it was normal for black people to be treated very badly because to many people they were still known as slaves, which is shown through the isolation in which crooks lives. This is further enforced when Slim is the very first character to address Crooks by his actual name instead of the name “nigger” which is a black slave or “stable buck.” This shows how he treats him with more respect than the other characters do. This gives the impression that Slim clearly seems to have a conscience during the novel, this shows why men trust his judgment. Through this it gives the impression that Slim could be the metaphorical voice of Steinbeck presenting his views on prejudice and the way people are treated and how they should be treated.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

During the novel the pragmatism of Slim is shown when he acts like a leader and guide because the dog has been shot. This is shown when he says “Take a shovel,” to Carlson. The use of an imperative shows Slim’s commanding nature and authority. Furthermore as he is commanding, he is also a realist which is why he understands that the dog needs to be shot for the better of the dog. The short syntax creates an effect because it shows Slim’s commanding nature. Slim has a very commanding nature which is why Slim is the moral arbiter during the novel and which is why he knows that Candy’s dog has to die. This is shown when “Candy looked helplessly at him, for Slim’s opinions were law.” This enforces the idea of Slim being the moral arbiter because it shows how it is an emphatic idea which is strengthened by the fact that it is a statement. In the novel Slim has a lot of power and different personas to his character. As he is kind to many characters, not many ranchmen know what he really would do. This is shown when it says, “Nobody don’t know what Slim can do.”
Topic: of-mice-and-men

This illustrates how Slim does have a bad side which known wants to get on the bad side with. This idea that no one’s what he can do implies that Slim is capable of great violence. This is shown when he “drowned four of em right off.” This is because his “bitch” could not feed them which shows that he will only do violence if it is necessary and so for the better not the worse, this emphasizes his overwhelming power Slim has. Slim’s position in the hierarchy is high because he is able to make Curley stop what he is doing. This shows his assertiveness when he says, “you lay offa me.” This implies that due to the hierarchy and Curley’s fear of Slim, he is prepared to do what Slim tells him to. However when Lennie is getting beaten up by Curley, it shows how Slim is very peaceful but at the same time threatening and always looking out for people who are not in the wrong. This is shown when “Slim jumped up,” this shows how Slim is protective over Lenny which makes the reader feels sympathetic towards Lennie. On the other hand his aggression is shown when says, “get um myself.”
Topic: of-mice-and-men

This illustrates how Slim has a hidden strength, and almost acts like a noble dark horse. When Curley’s wife dies, the character of Slim reveals that he did care about Curley’s wife which is why he is respectful and caring during her death. This is shown when Slim tells Curley “stay here with your wife.” Slim uses an imperative to show how he knows that Curley needs to stay there for his own benefit but for Lennie’s as well. But, as the situation escalates Slim realizes that “we gotta get im.” As he takes control of the situation he does not do because he wants to kill Lennie but because he wants them to go easy on Lennie and not hurt him. This is because Curley wants to, “strap him down and put him in a cage.” This illustrates how Slim cares for Lennie and does not want him to die. When Lennie dies he has to act as a confidant where he goes to George and not the opposite way round because he has to reassure him because otherwise he knows that George will be feeling very bad after. He uses his realistic look on life to show how in life that is a harsh life, this is shown when he says, “A guy got to sometimes.”
Topic: of-mice-and-men

This illustrates how he has to keep George calm and does this by the use of repetition, which is shown when he says, “you hadda George. I swear you hadda.” He is exonerating George so that he feels better which is further enforced when Slim “twitched George’s elbow.” So Slim uses positive encouragement to cheer up George. This is in contrast to when Slim had to cheer candy up for when they killed his dog, it is like Lennie is George’s pup and so Slim has to now cheer up George. While confronting George about killing Lennie Slim says to him to sit down and so “sat down beside him, sat very close to him.” The repetition of the word “sat” shows how he Is again using the idea of repetition to calm him as they are friends and Slim is the father figure for George, the way George was for Lennie. This creates a physical proximity which is created by the calming and repetition.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

The author uses Darwin’s theory to present a theme to the reader that only the strongest can survive in the world and the weak must die, which is why Lennie must die. This is because Lennie is like the sick pup because it would be “cruel to keep him alive” like Carlson said. Overall Slim is presented in “Of mice and men” as the father figure of the ranch and so the leader to whom everyone respects and can talk to in times of need. As he is the father figure of the ranch he is very noble and sees himself as one of the common workers, this is why he is the moral arbiter during the play who voices the opinion of Steinbeck. As George never really had anyone talk to, Slim becomes the confidant for George helping him through George’s grief when he kills Lennie. Slim provides a pivotal role in the Novel because he is the character who is unprejudiced and is one of the common men who is high in the hierarchy.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

The character of Slim, unlike the others doesn’t have any real ambition; he has nowhere to go and no American Dream. I think that Slim even with his wisdom and perfect like characteristics still, has nothing to call his own and will, by every indication, remain a migrant worker until his death. Slim differs from the others in the fact that he does not seem to want something outside of what he has, he is not fooled by a dream, and he has not laid any plans like the others. I personally think that Slim still has ideas and a dream inside but one that he has control over unlike the others. Slim just seems to have somehow reached the sad conclusion that dreams rarely work in a world full of obstacles.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Slim is a contrast to Curley. Slim only uses his strength when it is necessary whereas Curley’s uses his openly. For example when Curley attacks Lennie for thinking that he is laughing at him, Slim wants to end the fight but George stops him. Slim only decides to jump in after Lennie attacks Curley. Afterwards Slim shows his cleverness when he thinks of a plan to keep George and Lennie on the ranch. When Lennie breaks Curley’s hand George says to Slim, “Slim, will we get canned now?’…Slim smiled”. George and the reader think that George and Lennie will be sacked but Slim makes a massive impression on the readers in this scene as he thinks of an intelligent plan. He says to Curley, “I think you got your hand caught in a machine.” Otherwise Slim would have told the truth and Curley’s would lose his pride.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Slim’s plan is important because I think that nobody else would have thought of it as they all stood in shock. Both of the characters use their authority differently. Curley has authority because he is the boss’s son, while Slim has the friendship of all around him. Curley’s uses his power to bully people but Slim has on certain occasions used his against Curley. This happens when Curley pesters Slim about where his wife is. Slim says, “you lay offa me.” And Curley reply is, “I didn’t mean nothing…I jus’ thought you might of saw her.” Curley is threatened by Slim because he does not know what Slim is capable of. Whit said, “Nobody knows what Slim can do.” This shows that Slim has never lost his temper to the extent that it would end up in a brawl. This is an example of the wonderful power Slim possess in the ranch.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Slim is quite unlike any other character in the novel. I feel that Steinbeck uses Slim to show the extent of the Great Depression. Slim comes across as being civilized and educated but as I have said earlier Slim is only a jerk line skinner and nothing more. We also get the impression that he will become nothing more. This shows that even characters of Slim’s status could not find work. Through out the book it is made to sound that Slim is the hero where infact it is more so the case that he is not the hero everyone else is just a failure.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

The story “0f Mice and Men” was written by John Steinbeck and set in America in the late 1920’s early 1930’s, in California near Soledad. The story is based around migrant workers in California usually male with no roots a very solitary existence. Migrant workers life was hard. It was gruelling, challenging, and often unrewarding. Just as George and Lennie dream of a better life on their own farm, the other migrant farm workers dreamed of finding a better life in California.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Most of the characters admit, at one time or another, to having a deep sense of loneliness and isolation. . George sets the tone for these confessions on page 15 “Guys like us, that work on the ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place.” When he reminds Lennie that the life of a ranch hand is the loneliest of lives. Men like George and Lennie who migrate from farm to farm rarely have anyone to look to for companionship and protection.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Curley’s wife admits to Lennie that she is unhappily married on page 87 , and Crooks tells Lennie that life is no good without a companion to turn to in times of confusion and need on page 72 he say “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.” They are all helpless in their isolation, and yet, even at their weakest, they seek to destroy those who are even weaker than they. Crooks shows this cruel and nasty tendency when he criticizes Lennie’s dependence on George and their dream of the homestead, their farm where they can work or not work just as they please, be their own boss. Having just admitted his own vulnerabilities-he is a black man with a crooked back who longs for companionship-Crooks homes in on Lennie’s own weaknesses, I think this mainly was to make him feel better and less of a failure somehow. Being alone and lonely and pushed out has made him bitter and mean in some ways.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Everybody needs some kind of relationship, someone to call their own in some way whether it is a platonic, sexual or for instance a relationship between man and pet. This makes the difference between merely surviving and thriving and flourishing everyone needs some form of love and care in their lives. Candy had a relationship with his dog, George with Lennie, Curley with his wife but still Curly and his wife’s relationship is pretty dysfunctional, there is no comradeship between them no love or trust no affection. Candy is keeping his dog alive for purely selfish reasons so that he isn’t left alone even though the dog is old infirmed, in pain, unable to eat, and Lennie and George’s relationship is not an equal relationship either. Since Lennie cannot offer an equal adult relationship he needs a father figure, a caretaker where as George needs a friend a mate as such.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

The main characters in the book are George Milton and Lennie Small. George has a much stronger character he’s portrayed as more of a smaller wiry type of man strong fit body and a quick thinker, lives by his wits almost, which comes across on pages 23-24 when he is talking to the boss he lies about distanced walked saying “We hadda walk 10 miles” to cover them not arriving until late when they only walked 4 miles and they had arrived at the pool the night before.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

He is short-tempered but a devoted friend, whose frequent protests against life with Lennie never weakens his commitment to protecting his friend. George at some point early on in their relationship used to abuse and make Lennie a laughing stock and seems to be atoning for his sins ever since. He mentions his earlier bad treatment of Lennie on pages (40-41) telling Slim “Funny” said George. “I used to have a hell of a lot of fun with ‘im. Used to play jokes on ‘im ’cause he was too dumb to take care of ‘imself”
Topic: of-mice-and-men

He did this because it “Made me seem so god damn smart alongside of him”P41. So George definitely is no angel and can be petty and nasty as much as the next person, but he genuinely cares for Lennie. George’s first words, a stern warning to Lennie not to drink so much lest he get sick on page 5, set the tone of their relationship. George may be snappy and impatient at times, but he never strays from protecting Lennie.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Due to his learning disabilities, Lennie completely depends upon George, his friend and travelling companion, for guidance and protection. Lennie nevertheless does not understand his own strength. His love of petting soft things, such as small animals, dresses, and people’s hair, leads to disaster. Lennie is very childlike; he has a naï¿½ve childlike innocence usually found in the very young which is shown in his utter helplessness in the face of the events that unfold. Lennie is totally defenceless. He cannot avoid the dangers presented by Curley, Curley’s wife, or the world at large.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Despite his hardened, sometimes harsh exterior George also wants to believes in the story of their future farm that he tells and retells to Lennie, but I think deep down he knows it all just a dream. He longs for the day when he can enjoy the freedom to leave work and see a ball game. More important than a ball game, however, is the thought of living in safety and comfort with Lennie, free from the people like Curley and Curley’s wife, who seem to exist only to cause trouble for them. Lennie is largely responsible for George’s belief in this safe haven, George needs to feel needed too and that he has somebody close to him. Lennie gives George a purpose to carry on.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

In their relationship they are both intensely loyal to one another, dangerously so in Lennie’s part as he could harm someone because of his obsession with George and his need for him to be around, George is more like the protector, the father figure, he pretends he’s put out by it but he knows exactly how lonely his life would be without Lennie, Lennie also knows this, the way he tried to manipulate George when he got angry over the mouse shows this. Lennie being there stops George living the life the way other ranch hands do, he points this out in anger at Lennie when he was whinging about ketchup on page 12 saying “If I was alone I could live so easy, I could go get a job an’ work, an’ no trouble”
Topic: of-mice-and-men

This relationship fulfils their immediate needs for companionship, they both need someone else there on the long lonely road they travel for work, and through life but the relationship can never be equal or enough since Lennie’s intelligence cannot match George’s he would hardly get intelligent stimulating conversation from Lennie, Lennie couldn’t look after George if the need arose and where as George would survive without Lennie albeit a lot lonelier, Lennie could never survive without George. George would then just be a plain old ranch hand like the rest without Lennie and the need to keep him safe and out of harms way. George would eventually need someone else in his life to provide what Lennie can’t but I don’t think Lennie would have the same problem since he would always need a father figure to protect him and care for him and his needs.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Lennie on the other hand would end up in an institute at best or hounded and lynched eventually at the worst, he couldn’t survive without George, he doesn’t even have the basic survival skills to keep him alive. He would “pet” someone or something he shouldn’t and be lynched for it, people didn’t understand simple learning disabilities in those days, feeling it was better to lock them away out of harms way or sight than actually dealing with the problem at hand. There just wasn’t the care and attention given to people with learning disabilities in the 1920 – 1930’s people didn’t want to know, was much easier if they pretended they didn’t exist or where got rid of in the institutes.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

The other person in the novel to have an alleged caring relationship is Candy The old swamper, aging and left with only one hand as the result of an accident, worries that the boss will soon decide he is useless and demand that he leave the ranch. Candy has a dog, once an impressive sheep herder but now toothless, foul smelling, and rheumatic through age. He was very proud of his dog, it was “The best damn sheepdog I ever seen” page 45. The dog just shuffles through the day barely existing too ill to eat even, yet, Candy still keeps him alive when it would be a kindness to have had him put down years ago and spared the dog the pain and suffering he now felt. It is a needful relationship in as much as the dog needs caring for and feeding etc and Candy needs something or someone in his life and in this case the dog is it, the dog can hear whatever Candy says but cannot have a conversation with him, he can nuzzle Candy and follow him around offering what form of love and attention a dog can, but he cannot substitute for another human being.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

By the time we meet Candy’s dog in the story it is purely selfishness on Candy’s part that has kept the dog alive and I think fright, Candy is scared to be utterly alone and in that the dog is better than nobody. Candy needed people this showed in his eagerness to become part of George and Lennie’s dream they way he tried to buy himself in, in a way not daring to rely on a blossoming friendship between them, he was hedging his bets knowing money might swing things his way.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Making it quicker for them to realise their dream as well. Candy seems to be ignoring the fact that you cannot buy friendship, they are generally built up over time and experiences together, but he is a weak lonely old man frightened of his future or lack of one and he thinks investing his lifesavings to secure him a future and friends into the bargain. On page 59 he says “I ain’t much good with on’y one hand. I lost my hand right here on this ranch. That’s why they give me a job swampin’. An’ they give me two hundred an’ fifty dollars cause’ I los’ my hand.” Then he proceeds to ask if he could come in with them by trying to bribe them with his lifesavings.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Candy is too weak to put his dog down and out of his misery, to offer his faithful companion even this last final kindness, so Carlson has to do it, Carlson comes across almost heartless and devoid of feeling when he does this, Candy seems to shrink in on himself feeling very sad lying in his bunk turning his face away from prying eyes. On the other hand Carlson may seem cruel and heartless but I think in his own strange way he was doing a kindness based on selfishness in a way, he couldn’t stand the sight or smell of the old dog, but a kindness non the less, since no one else was willing to put the old dog out of his misery. It was the right action but for all the wrong reasons.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

The boss’s son, Curley wears high-heeled boots to distinguish himself from the field hands. Rumoured to be a champion prize-fighter (p54), he is a confrontational, nasty minded and aggressive man who compensates for his smallness of body and mind by picking fights with larger men. Recently married, Curley is plagued with jealousy perhaps because he himself is incapable of faithfulness and doesn’t really love or know his wife, she is more of a trophy to him, and he is extremely possessive of his flirtatious young wife. Curley’s wife is never given a name and is only referred to in reference to her husband. The men on the farm refer to her as a “tramp,” a “tart,” and a “looloo.(P51)” Dressed in fancy, feathered red shoes, she represents the temptation of female sexuality in a male-dominated world. Curley’s wife is not a bad person, but rather a victim. Like the ranch-hands, she is desperately lonely and has broken dreams of a better life. It seems to me that Steinbeck comes across with the opinion woman are just there to serve men and are devious temptresses.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Neither trusts each other and Curly has no respect for her, telling the other ranch hands about their sex life. Curly’s wife confronts Lennie, Candy, and Crooks in the stable, she admits to feeling a kind frustration with her life. Her vulnerability at this moment and later when she admits to Lennie her dream of becoming a movie star makes her much more human not just a hussy in red shoes. She’s just a young girl married too early to a man she doesn’t even like let alone love she tells this to Lennie on p87 when she tells him of her dreams of the movies, and Hollywood and her dislike of Curly and his nasty ways. Perhaps she felt she didn’t have any other way out, but marriage to this stranger, she felt trapped at home by her mother and totally unhappy with her life and simply jumped out of the fat straight into the fire since her relationship with Curly just wasn’t in anyway what she dreamed marriage would be like.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

In the 1930’s there was not a lot of work offered to woman and single woman didn’t have the same social standing as married women, many may have felt it was better to be married and married to anyone than being on their own and struggling to survive, women didn’t have the resources they now have, and where never encouraged to feel on equal terms to men as they are now.. I think Steinbeck also tries to depict woman as low, flighty people corrupting men with their sexuality, they where either merely caretakers of men there just too look after them or sexual objects, not human beings in their own rights.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Steinbeck had nothing nice to say about this girl, when really she is just a poor misguided young girl, who thought marriage would be the answers to her prayers, and that she would have a handsome attentive young husband, when in reality she got the aggressive nasty bully whom no one really liked, and whom she found she didn’t like either. I think she was flirtatious because she needed company and since there was just men on the ranch she flirted, probably not knowing how to have any other kind of relationship with a man, and too young to work out that if she had just been friendly without flirting she might have made a few friends, that is if Curly’s jealousy allowed it. Although the men think it is wrong of her to flaunt herself sexually and flirt, the men all visit a whorehouse for sexual gratification and momentary companionship.
Topic: of-mice-and-men

Another lonely character was Crooks the stable buck. Crooks is an even lonelier character than Candy, because not only is he a cripple, like Candy, but he is also black. Most of the men have a lot of prejudice against Crooks, referring to him with derogatory terms such as ‘nigger’. And because he is a different colour, he has to stay in a room on his own. Crooks is yet another victim of the times. We are told by Candy that the Boss takes his anger out on Crooks, though Crooks does nothing wrong. And Candy also relates an incident in the past when one of the ranch hands picked a fight with Crooks. It is to Crooks’ credit that he won the fight, although the other man did have his feet tied.