Theme/ character

Nature versus human

Quote
Evening of a hot day started the little wind to moving among the leaves. The shade climbed up the hills toward the top. And then .came the sound of footsteps on crisp sycamore leaves. The rabbits hurried noiselessly for cover. A stilted heron labored up into the air A water snake slipped along the pool, its head held up like a little periscope

Where Technique found?

Sec 1 Pg 19 Personification The shade climbed Connotations of Evening of a hot day Sec 1 Pg 19 And then sudden Interruption, change and contrast

Effect Themes
Something positive for future as going up. Evening Coming to an end. Hot day dustbowl. Makes humans sound bad as animals get scared

Link to theme/ character

Nature will always be present. Humans come and go. Nature is like paradise and a dream but humans are like hell" and reality Humans have more power over animals as animals hide when they hear humans.

Link within story

Something positive for future could mean that Lennie and Georges dream might come true Animals feel in danger when they are at that place, Lennie died there and was always compared to an animal. Foreshadows Lennies death. Lennie is useful but cannot fight verbally so possibly could die.

Link to context
Hot day dustbowl.

crisp sycamore leaves very dry conditions as dustbowl N/A

Sec 1 Pg 25 Sec 3 Pg 71

Survival of the fittest

He aint no good to you, candy. An he aint no good to himself. Whynt you shoot him, candy?

Allusion to Bible of snake Simile like a little periscope Repetition of aint no good

Tells the reader there might be danger in the near future. Useless things are just not thought about.

Nature gives humans warnings that they just ignore. Only the things that are good and can fight survive. Other things are just killed

A water snake glided smoothly up the poolA silent head and beak lanced down and plucked it out by the head, and the beak swallowed the little snake while its tail waved frantically.

Sec 6 Pg 140

Violent verbs lanced down, plucked, swallowed Allusion to Bible, snake came back after coming in section 1

Portrays violence and torture. Foreshadow

Survival of the fittest is can become very harsh and violent.

Foreshadows Lennies death.

The condition were really harsh because of the Wall Street Crash therefore people could only afford to look after themselves. N/A

Power and powerless

Give the stable buck hell? he asked. Sure ya see the stable bucks a nigger.

Sec 2 Pg 40

Racist term nigger said as if it was just a normal term

said as if it was just a normal term so we can see racism was not such a big thing.

The nigger is powerless therefore she can shout at him. He is even lower than her.

She shouts at the stable buck and causes trouble for him could cause trouble for George and Lennie. Curley might show his power to Lennie which could cause trouble.

He wore high-heeled boots.

Sec 2 Pg 46

Metaphor highheeled

Above the rest, has power. He thinks he can do what ever he likes to people including not respecting them. An animal crawls not a human makes Lennie seem like an animal. Shows this place makes Lennie feel unsafe.

Curley has power and wants everyone to know who is not of working class.

Animal imagery

Lennie crawled slowly and cautiously around the fire until he was close to George. Lennie cried out suddenly I dont like this place, George. This aint no good place. I wanna get outta here.

Sec 1 Pg 30

Sec 2 Pg 55

Animal imagery crawled Lennie is feeling scared like the animals in opening paragraphs Place repetition

Lennie is compared to an animal.

Lennie uses his instinct like animals do as he cried out suddenly.

Lennie doesnt feel safe there and doesnt like being on his own this fore shadows the end. Foreshadows Lennie might get in trouble.

Racism was not seen as a bad thing it was a normal thing and black people hardly had any rights. People during the 1930s who werent of the working class wore high heeled shoes to show their identity. N/A

Loneliness and isolation

A guy needs somebody to be near him he whined. A guy goes nuts if he aint got nobody. Dont make no difference who the guy is, long hes with you. I tell ya

Sec 4 Pg 105

Repetition of a guy

Makes the statement general telling the reader that nearly everyone is lonely.

The ranch workers are very lonely and hardly have anyone to talk to but the stable buck is even more lonely as he is kept in a separate room.

George and Lennie are different as they are not alone so their dream might come true.

The harsh conditions forced people to do things they didnt want to do but had to do to earn money to live. During 1930 there was loneliness as the widespread depression caused unhappiness for lots of people. Women were just

Think I dont like to talk to

Sec 4

Repetition of Think,

Puts the reader in her

She is always lonely and no

She might cause

somebody ever once in a while? Think I like to stick in that house alla time? Friendship I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you,

Pg 110

like Two rhetorical questions Parallelism

shoes. Makes them sympathetic towards her. There are both there for each other during the happy and the sad times. Slim finds it very hard to believe however thinks its a good thing. Her dream is broken it is not possible anymore.

one talks to her as they are scared of Curley.

problems as she has an angry tone.

Sec 1 Pg 32

They both support each other and have a strong friendship.

Hardly none of the guys ever travel together. I hardly never seen two guys travel together. American Dream Coulda been in the movies, an had nice clothes all them nice clothes like they wear.

Sec 3 Pg 65

Hardly none hardly never contradiction

Their friendship is unusual and people like it however there could be jealousy. This is shown by crooks. What makes all of these dreams typically American is that the dreamers wish for untarnished happiness, for the freedom to follow their own desires. Wished for untarnished happiness, for the freedom to follow their own desires typically American The dreams and plans never work out

There friendship is one positive thing in the novel and makes the reader believe that their dream might just come true. Might mean that as its hardly none that there friendship might not last. George and Lennies dream might not come true either.

possessions at that time and where just supposed to stay in the house. It was really rare at that time to have someone that was so close. Friendship was very rare especially as there was the great depression. N/A

Sec 5 Pg 125

coulda past

an theyd been a pig and chickens .an in the winter the little fat stove an the rain comin an jus settin there. The best laid schemes o' mice an' men Gang aft agley, An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain, For promised joy!
(The best laid schemes of mice and men Often go wrong And leave us nothing but grief and pain, Instead of promised joy!)

Sec 5 Pg 132

Lots of caesuras

Crying as dream is now broken.

George and Lennies dream doesnt come true. Foreshadows the end.

Title

N/A

N/A

depression was almost impossible for ranch workers to own a farm N/A

Someday. We gonna get the

Sec 1

we are going its

They have full hope

Their dream is all about their

The dream seems

It depression

jack together and were gonna have a little house.

Pg 32

future not conditional

and passion for their dream

own desires and freedom like the American Dream.

achievable from their enthusiasm and gives the story some positive attitude to it. She is angry at the stable buck could mean her anger could result in something bad.

Racism

Where the hell is that God damn nigger?

Sec 2 Pg 50

Racist term nigger God damn insulting

Racist terms used as something usual makes reader feel sorry for the stable buck.

Its not a theme that is looked into a great deal however it is there to show how it was just a usual thing that people did not really think about.

when it was almost impossible for ranch workers to own a farm Racism was not seen as a bad thing it was a normal thing and black people hardly had any rights. Racism was not seen as a bad thing it was a normal thing and black people hardly had any rights.

This is just a nigger talking, an a busted-back nigger. So it dont mean anything, see?

Sec 4 Pg 103

just implies

He Has no value why should they listen

Its not a theme that is looked into a great deal however it is there to show how it was just a usual thing that people did not really think about.

He is not treated very well whenever he says something people ignore it, he said about their dream not coming true but they didnt listen and got their hopes up. When she does open up and tries to tell someone her story and feelings she just gets ignored. When she gets out of the house she causes trouble.

Sexism

Curleys wife

Name

possession

She is only a property not independent and is only recognized by her husbands name. He can order her around and she has to listen to him

She is graded so low that her name isnt even mentioned

Whynt you tell her to stay the hell home where she belongs?

Sec 3 Pg 90

Tell her its an order

She doesnt have any freedom she has to stay in the house

Women were regarded only as a property in those times and had very low value. Women were regarded only as a property in those times and had very low value.

Characters
George The first was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part of him was defined. An I aint so bright neither, or I wouldnt be buckin barley for my fifty and found. Sec 1 Pg 19 List of features. sharp George is clever, quick thinker and knows his plans defined. Emphasis his situation that he is in at the moment He is the leader as he walks in front of Lennie. He knows his dreams and his dreams are achievable He knows he has to do this job to get some money so doesnt complain like Lennie N/A

Sec 3 Pg 65

Alliteration buckin barley fifty and found

He doesnt boast and regrets his life. He is patient

Lennie

Lennie dabbed his big paw in the water and wiggled his fingers to that the water arose in little splashes; rings widened across the pool to the other side and back again.

Sec 1 Pg 20

Metaphor for him acting like a child but also for the problems.

Lennie nodded to show that he understood.

Sec 2 Pg 42

Words nodded understood This quote as a metaphor

I never done nothing George.

Sec 2 Pg 54

Never done nothing not proper order

splash and back again. These words suggest that Lennie is responsible for splashes which are the effects of the trouble that he causes and back again shows that Lennie consistently makes trouble. These words show that Lennie is less capable of answering questions verbally. This also relate to his animal like features. Dogs respond in a similar way. He is like a child

Lennie is like a child unaware of the world and causes trouble without meaning to.

This suggests that Lennie will be the central causes of troubles which spreads rings of devastation which will hurt many people.

Education was very hard to get at that time but was valued as he said that if he was educated than he wouldnt be working here. There were already so many problems with the Great Depression that Lennies problem did make a big difference. N/A

Metaphor for Lennies inferior personality and the fact that because he his mentally retarded, he has to rely on George for support.

Lennie is a person who takes orders from George because he relies on George to survive.

Lennie is an innocent character.

Lennie doesnt want to cause trouble even tough he sometimes

N/A

Candy

I had him so long. Had him since he was a pup. I herded sheep with him. Candys face had grown redder and redder, but before she was done speaking, ha had control of himself. His glance was at once calculating and pugnacious.

Sec 3 Pg 71

Repetition of I and him

His only company is his dog.

He is very lonely and old

Sec 4 Pg 112 Sec 2 Pg 46

redder and redder repetition and colour connotation calculating pugnacious adjectives

He gets angry with her but knows not to say anything Suggests Curley always weighs up people, the same as a boxer does.

Curley

He is helpless but has found some hope and doesnt want to lose that therefore he doesnt say anything to her. Curley has a boxing instinct; he always looks at people and sees if he would be able to beat them in a fight. This is one of his habits.

A head of tightly curled hair.

Sec2 Pg 46

tightly and curled

Suggests that Curley is wound up like a spring that is just about to unleash his destructive power. Suggests that Slim is highly respected. Implies that Slim is a very precise character who takes pride in his work and personality Suggest that she wants people to see everything.

Curley has a wild temper which suddenly unleashes when he is unhappy

Slim

There was a gravity in his manner quite so profound that all stopped when he spoke. His hands, large and lean, were as delicate in their action as those of a temple dancer.

Sec 2 Pg 56 Sec 2 Pg 56 Sec 2 Pg 53

profound and manner delicate

Slims personality is such that he gets natural respect He is a great worker and has valuable skills and abilities. She is very lonely and goes to desperate measures (showing off her body) to try and gain attention from other male

does The way the pup is close, Lennie is close to George and Lennie died the same way as the dog. He gets angry at her when she dies as because of her his dream got destroyed. Curley is a very alert character, but one who also seems to be looking for fights wherever he goes and whoever he comes across. This is what people dislike about him. Curley is an unpredictable character that has a violent temper could cause trouble for Lennie. Other people get on with him unlike Curley. Its Slim that consoles George. He is good at his job and is very gentle but firm character. She could cause problems by going to desperate measures.

People during the 1930s had pets as companions. N/A

During this time people had to be alert in order to survive- every man for himself.

N/A

Curleys wife

She put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward.

Body and thrown

In that time people who were skilled craftsman were respected. Women during that time had to use their femininity to

The rectangle in the doorway was cut of.

Sec 2 Pg 53

Rectangle is a metaphor for peoples hopes and dreams and sunshine for their motivation dirty spectacles

Therefore means peoples hope and dreams which were blocked out.

workers as Curley ignores her. She ruins dreams and destroys them.

She could be the source of trouble which will result in George and Lennies dreams being totally destroyed. As he is the only black he needs to know his rights and therefore he reads a lot He says a lot of right things like dream not becoming true but people dont listen to him. She makes Lennie realize his mistake in the hallucination. She gave him mice but Lennie killed them foreshadows death when she appears again. Killed the dog, Lennie got killed in a similar way The same gum used for both the dog and Lennie He takes care of his possession and values them.

Crooks

a few dirty books on a special shelf over his bunk. A pair of large-gold rimmed spectacles hung from a nail. his eyes lay deep in his head, and because of their depth seemed to glitter with intensity.

Sec 3 Pg 99

Suggests that he reads lots of books

He is interested in education

survive. In 1930s many people had dreams and these were usually destroyed because of other people. Education was not that widely available in the 1930s. N/A

Sec 3 Pg 99

deep intensity

intensity implies that he thinks a lot about everything in a lot of depth. Respect is given to her. Like a mother figure telling off her child.

He is very intellectual

Aunt Clara

Aunt Clara, maam. her hands on her hips, and she frowned disapprovingly at him.

Sec 6 Pg 142 Sec 6 Pg 141

maam Alliteration

She is a kind person as she looked after Lennie She used to care a lot about Lennie

N/A N/A

Carlson

Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin them two guys? luger

Sec 6 Pg 149 Sec 3 Pg 74 Sec 3 Pg 73

Colloquial language

He is friendly with Curley. Sounds violent Its his possession

Doesnt really think a lot about other people Carlson is well prepared for self-defense. He thinks of himself

A gun his hold

In 1930s every man worked and earned for themselves N/A People only had few possessions so looked after

Whit

but he did not surrender his hold on it.

them.