In last week's blog response, I asked you to select a theme that "hit home" with you the most. Now that you have set your sights on a theme you would most like work with some more, it is time to test your skills of analysis. Scan through the last chapter (6) in Of Mice and Men and see if you can pull out a moment from the text that, upon close reading, says something about your selected theme.
For example, imagine that I am a student who was most interested in the theme of "The American Dream." When scanning chapter 6 I came across this moment in the text:
"A water snake glided smoothly up the pool, twisting its periscope head from side to side; and it swam the length of the pool and came to the legs of a motionless heron that stood in the shallows. A 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."
Next, try to analyze how this moment is somehow connected to the theme you have chosen. It mights sound something like:
One of the final images of setting that Steinbeck offers us in Of Mice and Men involves a snake being eaten unexpectedly by a taller, silent bird. The snake "gliding smoothly up the pool" is similar to an American citizen in the 1930s attempting to work their way towards a goal of prosperity. The snake moves its way around obstacles as it sees them, just like a hardworking citizen has to jump some hurdles in the pursuit of their dream. However, the unfortunate truth of the matter is that "The American Dream" is beyond the grasp of most people because of unforeseen enemies to their progress. The tall heron might be a symbol for the more powerful upper or dominant class of society silently waiting in the shadows. The heron ultimately swallows the snake, and in the same light, many Americans dreams are snatched from American people in ways that they do not suspect.
"'I tol' you, 'Min' George because he's such a nice fella an' good to you.' But you don't never take no care. you do bad things."Mental illness site
And Lennie answered her, "I tried, Aunt Clara, ma'ma. I tried and tried. I couldn' help it."'
In this image in Of mice and Men Lennie is hallucinating and seeing his Aunt Clara while he is in the bush. This is discrimination against Lennie which is a form of racism. She is telling him that he should have done things for George. She didn't care that he mentally do what she wanted him to do. Lennie was left out with many things. He wanted to be apart and help George, but he couldn't. He felt bad that he couldn't do anything for George. Aunt Clara picked on Lennie like that because of his illness.
Mental illness site
Summary: I the final chapter in Of Mice and Men Lennie goes to the bush where he is supposed to go if he ever got in trouble. When he was there he had visions of his Aunt Clara and a giant bunny. They told him that he was a bad boy and that George does so much for him and he does nothing in return. Then he saw George come to him. He told George to tell him about how they are poor and have no family but each other and how will get the farm. Lennie keeps telling him to go on about the farm. As this is happening George gets the gun out of Lennie's pocket because he told him to look across the lake and Lennie listens to him. The last words Lennie heard were,"Sure, right now. I gotta. We gotta." (pg 106).
Questions: In the last few pages George goes over to Lennie in the bush and shoots him. Why did George do that? He loved him didn't he? Did he shoot him because the guys told him to? Why did he not cry or have emotion when he was prepping for this? Why? George and Lennie were best friends. I can't believed he did that!
Reflection: "And George 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." (pg 106.) When they said these words I was in shock. I couldn't get over the fact that George was going to kill Lennie. I believe Steinbeck wrote this book to show different aspects from the 1930's. For example, racism, how poor the people were, and how hard it was to have a family and provided for them. Racism is a big theme that is shown through the story. Crooks was left out because he was black and Lennie was left out because he was mentally ill. Overall I thought the story was excellent. It was a nice story about two men who were trying to find a job and keep it, but with a twisted ending. It was a great book. There isn't much to change about the story to make it better. I would just add something in the end to say what happened with George and everybody else.
We have investigated many captivating themes that exist in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men over the last few weeks. You have explored the desperation and poverty of the American 1930s through pictures and video. You have witnessed how John Steinbeck used naturalism to portray certain characters as "human beasts" acting on impulsiveness and instinct for self-preservation. You have examined how the author used literary devices such as sentimentalism, diction, tone, parallelism, and foreshadowing in order to propel these themes. You have close-read and analyzed the text digging deeper and deeper for evidence of themes such as Power vs. Powerlessness, Individual vs. Community, The American Dream, Euthanasia, Racism, Loneliness, and maybe even a little Sexism. Pat yourself on the back! You have been critically thinking about this novella on so many different levels.
For this week's blog response, you need to make some pretty serious decisions! We are quickly approaching the time where you will be expected to write your Research Paper based on a topic of interest from Of Mice and Men. If you have been keeping up with your reading, completing your notes, participating in conversations and activities during class on the various themes, and completing your blog responses this choice will be fairly easy! If not, you may be in for a struggle....
What topic or theme that we have touched on during this unit has "hit home" with you the most? Which theme or topic has a personal connection for you? Which did you find most captivating or interesting to discuss and investigate during this unit? Select a topic/theme from the list above that peaks your interest, and, in this week's blog response, discuss why you find it fascinating, which moment in the story you think about when reflecting on this theme, and how this theme is relevant in today's world.
Racism really hit my heart as we were reading Of Mice and Men. This is because there are so many different ways that Steinbeck put it in the story.I had a connection with loneliness. I felt connected to this because I know what it is like when you have no one to turn too.I really liked talking about the american dream in class. This is because it was interesting to see how people back then couldn't always reach their goal but know we can.
Racism really peaks my interest. I find it fascinating because so many other themes tie into it. Racism excludes so many people. From skin color to people with disabilities. I really think about racism in chapter 4. In this chapter we really are introduced to Crooks "THE NEGRO"(pg 67). He has to sleep in a barn like he is an animal. It he gets to close to someone he gets in trouble for it. He has to keep his distance from people and people have to keep theirs (pg 68). He doesn't have as many options in life as the white people do.
This theme is relevant in today's society because not everyone has the same opportunities. Just because they are different they can't do everything that "normal" people can.
Here is a link about racism--RacismNoWay
Summary: In chapter 5 Lennie is outside in the barn petting his dead puppy. Then Curley's wife came into the barn and saw him. She started to talk to him. Lennie kept telling her that he can't talk to her, but she keeps talking and tell him that she can't talk to anyone and she just wants to talk to someone. So they start talking about the rabbits that he is going to tend, but he won't be able to anymore because he killed the puppy. Then he gets mad at her and shakes her to hard and snaps her neck. He knows he did wrong and ran away to the bush. When the guys find out they go looking for him.
Questions: When Lennie killed Curley's wife he ran away. Did he go to the bush where George told him to go if he got in trouble? Also the guys found out and started to look for him. Will they find him? Are they really going to kill him? What is going to happen to George? Are their dreams never going to come true?
Prediction: I predict that everyone will find Lennie. Then they will try to kill him, but then Lennie will kill them first because he is scared and he doesn't know his strength. He will kill George to by accident. This will make him really mad. Then he will have to learn how to do things by himself. He won't be able to do anything like this.
Chapter 4 in Of Mice and Man, paints a very realistic portrait of racism in the 1930s. Discuss at least two ways in which racism is explored in this chapter. Include quotes and your own analysis of key moments in this chapter that clearly demonstrate the racism that existed in the American 1930s. What do readers understand about racism as a result of reading this chapter?
Check out this article titled, "Racial Segregation in the American South: Jim Crow Laws" to gain a better understanding of the timeline of racial segregation in America.
In chapter 4 on Of Mice and Men there is a lot of ways racism is put in. On page 68 Lennie appears in the doorway of Crooks house. Crooks is the negro at the bunkhouse. He gets mad that Lennie is there. He says that he isn't wanted at the bunkhouse so he isn't welcome in his. Lennie asks, "Why aren't you wanted?" Crooks response is,"'Cause I'm black. They play cards in there, but I can't play because I'm black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, all of you stink to me." This shows racism because everyone else there is white except for him. They tell him that he can't hang with them or sleep with them. Everyone is excluding him.
Another way that racism is incorporated into the story is how people treat Lennie. They try to make fun of him and tell him that hes crazy as well as pick. He knew he would get scared. He picked him out because he knew he wasn't smart. Because of that he was messing with him in a not so nice way. It was a joke to him, but to Lennie it wasn't.
After reading this chapter the readers understand that racism was cruel and everyone picked on everyone. Blacks picked on whites and mentally ill people and whites picked on blacks and anyone else possible. It shows that no matter who you were you were being picked out.
Check out this link about what is was like for the blacks during the great depression- Blacks and the Great Depression.
Summary: In chapter 4 Lennie goes to visit Crooks. He was looking at his pup, but not petting him. When he saw the light in Crooks house he went to the door way and stood there. "'You got no right to in my room. This here's my room. Nobody got any right in here but me.'"(pg). He starts talking to Lennie about what he would if George didn't come back. Lennie didn't like it so he started talking about the bunnies he was gonna have soon. Candy also joins that conversation. Later into their conversation Curley's wife comes in looking for Curley. They tell her that they don't know where he is. When she doesn't leave Candy starts to giver her an attitude. She then back fires because she has something big against Candy that he doesn't want to get.
Questions: In the chapter Crooks doesn't like the fact that Lennie and Candy came into his room. He is upset because of racism. Is he scared that people are only pretending to be nice to him so that way they can turn their backs on him later? Does he have trust issues? Did something happen in his past that cause such trauma to not trusting anyone? Did he do something to someone and is scared that someone will find out?
Prediction: I predict that George will get hurt when coming back to the bunkhouse. Lennie wouldn't know what happened and get scared. Then he would blame what happened to George on Crook. I believe this because Crook was asking Lennie what he would if he got hurt or never came back. I think Steinbeck was trying to foreshadow the future of the story.
Choose one of the following questions that interests you most to respond to in this week’s blog post:
1.) What different forms of power exist in Of Mice and Men? What kind of power does Lennie have? What kind of power does George have? What kinds of power or powerlessness do other characters possess?
2.) What kind of relationship do George and Lennie have? Is their relationship a friendship? How does this relationship express Steinbeck’s position on the individual versus the community?
3.) Is the American Dream a real possibility in the story? If yes, what characters, symbols, events, or other details from the story confirm that the American Dream is within reach? If not, what characters, symbols, events, or other details from the story represent the American Dream as out of reach?
Check out the info History.com has to offer about the American 1930s! Who had power in the 1930s? Who did not? What kinds of power existed then? What important relationships were formed in the 1930s? Was the American Dream still alive in the 1930s?
2) Lennie and George have a realtionship where they rely on the other. George relies on Lennie for protection. Lennie on the other hand relies on George to tell him what to do. Without eachother they woudn't be able to survive.
This is a true friendship becuase if George didn't want to be Lennie's keeper he could have left him years ago, but instead he has stayed with him for all these years. They both need to be with eachother otherwise they wouldn't succeed in their goals.
Steinbeck's expresses this relationship by having Lennie to keep asking George what their doing and where they are going. He has George tell everyone not to mess with Lennie or him becuase Lennie will beat them to the pulp. if they were by themselves they would ahve no goals and they would be lonely. By doing this it shows how they both rely on eachother.
To know what loneliness me means click here--Many definitions to loneliness
