how does steinbeck present george and lennie in chapter 1
HOW DOES STEINBECK PRESENT GEORGE AND LENNIE IN CHAPTER ONE? We are first introduced to the characters George and Lennie in chapter 1 (page 4.)'Of Mice and Men' our first meeting of the characters automatically give away key themes and ideas of what is to come later in the book. "They had walked in single file down the path, and even in the open one stayed behind the other." Even early on in the book we see that one follows the other, as even in the open, one leads the way and the other follows. Steinbeck then moves onto tell us of the two character's appearances, again this gives detail of the lives the characters live and the cultural context that the book has, "Both were dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats with brass buttons. Both wore black, shapeless hats and both carried tight blanket rolls slung over their shoulders" This is significant as during the time of the Depression (1930s) denim was only worn by men who worked with their hands, so instantly we can denote that they are workers with hardly any possessions as they carry bindles which carry all of their belongings on their backs; Steinbeck goes on to tell us more of the two mysterious characters... "The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose. Behind him walked
Of Mice and Men – How does Steinbeck use symbolism to reflect the characters relationships with each other and the society in which they live?
Of Mice and Men - How does Steinbeck use symbolism to reflect the characters relationships with each other and the society in which they live? Throughout 'Of Mice and Men' the author, John Steinbeck, uses symbolism to reflect some of the characters motives and their relationships with one another. Steinbeck uses particular extracts, to relate to the different characters in the book, each of them representing a wide range of people in society at that time. One of the first aspects that Steinbeck uses as a source of symbolism, is the title. 'Of Mice and Men' is actually the title of a poem written by the famous Scottish poet and writer of folksongs Robert Burns. The poem is about a mouse whose nest is destroyed by a plough. The best laid schemes 'O Mice an Man gang oft agley,' meaning things often go wrong. The poem and title basically mean that plans don't always go as they were meant to. The title is symbolic to the book, as, certain characters are metaphorically ploughed: Many of the characters in the novel have dreams, in the sense that they have hopes and ambitions. Lennie and George have a dream of living on a farm together, where they would be free. The 'dream farm' represents the ambition and possibility to escape from the itinerant workers' loneliness and poverty. George's dream is destroyed by Lennie, as Lennie is always getting himself into trouble, and George
Crooks' Importance In Of Mice And Men
Crooks' importance in "Of Mice and Men" In "Of Mice and Men" Crooks is a black stable back segregated from the rest of the men on the ranch because of the fact that he is black. Crooks' name suggests that there is something physically wrong with him. His physical disability is one of the many ways that he suffers on the ranch. We see Crooks mostly in chapter four. He is not shown much in the first three paragraphs and this indicates his position in society as very low because he is not noticed, and therefore is not important. At the begin of chapter four we see Crooks in a room of his own from this we see he is separated from all the other men. His room is simple and small to suit his needs: "Crooks' bunk was a long box filled with hay" The fact that his room is so basic shows that he is lower than rest of the men on the ranch. Although that he is seen as less of a person, he looks after his room which shows he is "a proud, aloof man." Although he is separated from the other men, he still has many personal possessions. Like the other men on the ranch his possessions say a lot about him. In his room he has "rubber boots", "a big alarm clock", and "a shot gun" which shows that although he is a cripple he is very active and practical. He also has many tools; here John Steinback is trying to show that although he is black he is very skilled and capable with his hands. This
OF MICE AND MEN
Alex Mayne-Nicholls How effectively has Steinbeck created tension during the incident with Candy's dog? The killing of Candy's dog in Steinbeck's novel "Of mice and men" is a very important incident. The author makes this scene very tense using different techniques. Everything starts because Slim considers the dog is useless and has a bad smell. "He ain't no good" (p70). And as he just got five puppies he believes Candy could make good use of one of those. Candy, very nervous and doubtful, finally accepts that killing his dog, which has been with him for a very long time, will be the best to do. Even though he knows that he will miss him. Carlson, described as "thick bodied" (p70), goes out of the ranch and kills the dog. These moments in the ranch are of absolute silence, and nobody is able to break this silence. "Silence fell" (p75). Time seems to pass very slowly; every sound scares everyone, until we can finally hear a shot from outside. The poor old dog was killed, we knew he should die, but didn't want it to happen. After this death, everything came back to normality in the ranch, or the men were at least talking to each other again. In these pages, Steinbeck uses different techniques to achieve tension and time passing slowly. Time passing slowly can be shown when he starts sentences with a conjunction. "And slim ..." (p74). "And the silence ... " (p75). This
Of Mice And Men
Many of the characters in 'Of Mice and Men' have dreams. What are their dreams and how near are any of them to achieving what they want? Many characters have dreams and aspirations in the story "Of Mice and Men" and try to achieve them in different ways. Many characters have dreams and I will be discussing the dreams of: Candy, Crooks, Curley and his wife. Candy, Crooks and Curley wife all have similar dreams, which is to have freedom and equality. All three characters are treated with very little respect and are seen as lower class due to race, gender, age or disability. Dreams are very important to the characters as they help them to escape from reality even if only for a short while. Their dreams are also significant as they are hope that things will get better and are vital to keep spirits high. However, many people's dreams were affected by the economic downfall that America experienced. The story is set in the 1930's, which was when America experienced the Wall Street crash. This was when the stock market collapsed and many Americans lost thousands of dollars they had invested. This caused mass homelessness and led to the great depression. During this era there was lots of prejudice and discrimination against black people, women, the elderly and the disabled. This affected them the worst as any time when life was getting tough they were hit much worse and were the
How is Curley's Wife presented in 'Of Mice and Men'? Do you find her portrayal a sympathetic one?
How is Curley's Wife presented in 'Of Mice and Men'? Do you find her portrayal a sympathetic one? In of mice and men, Curley's Wife is presented in many various ways. At first impression, she comes across as the seductive, troublemaker the ranchers see her as. However, as the story progresses, we learn that this is only one of many sides to a very lonely woman. The readers sympathy for this character also changes throughout the novel, as her secrets are revealed and the real Curley's Wife is found. Curley's Wife is a very complex character. The reader's first impression of her is created before she actually appears in the book. We find out what the workers think of Curley's Wife through Candy when George and Lennie first arrive at the ranch. Candy, who considers Curley's Wife to be the reason for everything wrong in the whole of Soledad, creates an image of Curley's Wife in the reader's mind as a flirtatious tramp who's "got the eye." Candy calls her a "tart" and warns George against her, causing George, Lennie and the reader to see Curley's wife through Candy's eyes on their first encounter. When she finally appears for the first time, she certainly seems to live up to the image the reader expects from Candy's gossip. "She had full, rouged lips and wide spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red.... She wore a cotton house dress and red mules, on the insteps of
Compare Chapters 1 and 6 of 'Of Mice and Men'.
English Essay - Compare Chapters 1 and 6 Steinbeck uses the opening of his novel to introduce to us the main characters of the novel and also to hint at the forthcoming events that are yet to come in the novel. In the opening Steinbeck describes the setting as a tranquil and peaceful scene, which is almost like the Garden of Eden this, is almost too good to be true this also describe George and Lennie's dream. Everything in the setting is natural, 'the deep green pool of the Salinas River' and 'a far rush of wind sounded and a gust drove through the tops of the trees like a wave. The language creates a feeling of light and brightness, particularly the "twinkling" water. The leaves are 'deep and so crisp' so that a lizard 'makes a great skittering' as it runs through them. The sycamore leaves turned up their silver sides, the brown, dry leaves on the ground scudded a few feet'. By these descriptions we have an image of a delightful place which is calm and peaceful almost like heaven. Steinbeck then writes about the animals that live there and presents them as belonging in this pastoral scene, the rabbits 'sit on the sand' and the deer come to drink at the pool. The animals feel safe and secure as we see form the rabbits 'sat as quietly as little grey sculptured stones', they also feel unthreatened by people because they are used to a lot of people walking past in the valley
How is the theme of insecurity developed in the novel 'Of Mice and Men' through the use of characters, language and setting?
How is the theme of insecurity developed in the novel 'Of Mice and Men' through the use of characters, language and setting? 'Of Mice and Men' was written in 1930's America during the Great Depression. The story begins with Lennie and George fleeing there previous work place, the ending is tragic. During the novel we learn about the friendship that Lennie and George share, along with the dreams and ambitions of the other characters. The story is told in third person, this provides us with a clear unbiased view of all the characters. 'Of Mice and Men' was set during The Great Depression, this can show us that most of the characters are insecure and lonely, as they are Itinerant workers, they have no permanent place of work and no house security after the wall street crash. The unemployment rate was high so there was an extreme lack of job security. They have no time build relationships, and no trust for other people. Many of the characters experience insecurity for a variety of reasons. Crooks, the black stable buck feels insecure about his race, this makes him feel he is segregated from the rest as he is the only black person on the ranch, 'Crooks the negro stable buck'. Because of his race he is discriminated against, no-one ever goes into his room or talks to him 'I'm black, they say I stink'. Crooks is cruel to Lennie 'You got no right to come in my room' this shows a
Of Mice And Men Curley's wife
Name: Thanos Emmanuel Date: 10.01.2011 Class: 4 White Task Number: 3 Title: 'Of Mice and Men' Number of words excluding quotes: 1100 "Well, stick around and keep your eyes open. You'll see plenty. She ain't concealin nothing. I never seen nobody like her. She got the eye goin' all the time on everybody. I bet she gives the stable buck the eye. I don't know what the hell she wants". Discuss the way in which you as a reader respond to Steinbeck's presentation of Curley's wife. You need to look closely at the way in which he uses language to achieve effect. Steinbeck in his book "Of mice and men" has predominantly used animals to present the other side of human beings that is normally found in animals. He clearly brought in the common characteristics of animals that are possessed by men and each character in this book gives the imagery of an animal. For the purpose of this assignment we shall explore the various characteristics and methods that the writer uses to describe Curley's wife. "Well, stick around and keep your eyes open. You'll see plenty. She ain't concealin nothing. I never seen nobody like her. She got the eye goin' all the time on everybody. I bet she gives the stable buck the eye. I don't know what the hell she wants". The writer has made use of language in several occasions to draw meaning and give more sense to the piece of work and the most notable and
Of Mice and Men - character study of Curly's wife.
Of Mice and Men The novel ' Of Mice and Men' is set in America and is about two travelling workers who have been chased off one ranch because Lennie, one of the men did not know how to behave himself. Lennie is large, heavy and ponderous and George is small quick, dark, sharp and restless. Another tragedy happens on the ranch like in weed because Lennie used his strength to kill Curley's wife. I can sympathise with Curley's wife although she was a flirt with the other men she was not expecting to be killed by Lennie. We first meet Curley's wife in chapter two. She is described as heavily made up and wears tarty red shoes. She poses her figure outlined in the doorway of the bunkhouse and is always aware that men are looking at her. This makes me think that she is just looking for attention from the men. George shows the reader that he does not like Curleys wife because George tells Lennie that she is jailbait and for Lennie to stay away from her. Lennie see's her as an attractive young lady but she is really just a threat to the men on the ranch. In chapter three there is a big fight involving Curly and Lennie. Curley has not liked Lennie since he was looking at Curleys wife so Curley just lost his rag and started punching Lennie but then Lennie just reached for Curley and just grabbed his hand and started squeezing his hand and his hand crumbled in Lennies hand, George told
