Chapter 3 Notes

Question: During the third chapter of "Of Mice and Men," Carlson starts to tell Candy again about putting down his dog. In the process, Candy becomes fed up and caves in, allowing Carlson to shoot the dog in the back of the head, receiving one of Slim's pups in return. Why couldn't George step in and tell Carlson to stop harassing Candy about his dog? Does he not care of dogs or pets in general fondly?

Prediction: Because Candy let Carlson kill his dog of many years, I have a feeling that even though he will get to choose one of Slim's puppies to keep, he will still have regretted of letting anyone lay a finger on him in a bad way. In addition, I hope that Candy will have a better future when he fleas off with George and Lennie to their new "ranch," considering that contributed his life saving to help pay the down payment on the land.

Reflect: So far, I have being enjoying the book as the plot moves on, although I think that there should be just a tad bit of extra suspense thrown just to "wow" the readers and myself, of course. I think that Steinbeck  is trying to tell that the American Dream may be impossible in some cases, considering that George has to deal with Lennie, a mentally-challenged man who doesn't know what his actions are most of the time!

Chapter 2 Notes

Question: At this point of the story, the dramatic duo have finally arrived at the ranch which is to become their new workplace. In the process of getting used to their new work environment, Lennie and George meet  a few new people, such as Candy: and old and aging handyman, and the boss: the "big man" of the entire operation who starts to become suspicious of George and Lennie after Lennie decides to talk after all the times George has to told him specifically not to. Will the boss continue to be suspicious of the two men? Will George try to get the boss on his good side to prevent any future conflicts?

Prediction: Due to the fact that Curley (the bosses son) wanted to see what Lennie was really like on his bad side, I think that Curley and Lennie will eventually get into a physical fight that may affect George's and Lennie's reputation to not only the boss, but the entire ranch in a negative or positive way. I also believe that sometime in the future, Curley will find out that his wife has been constantly flurting with the other men in the ranch, or maybe even catch her in the act of having an affair with another man!

Summary: In the second chapter of "Of Mice and Men," George and Lennie finally reach their intended destination, being the new ranch where they're going to be working. The men start becoming introduced to their new co-workers and their new boss, who becomes suspicious of them after Lennie's mental disability becomes slightly revealed. George and Lennie also meet the boss's son, Curley, who is an ex-boxer and has quite the temper. Slim, the skilled mule driver, has a conversation with both men, and admires their friendship and how they have each other's backs. After having dinner, George expresses his hatred for Curley, and says that he may even have a "tangle" with Curley himself.

Naturalism as a Mirror of the 1930s

Literature is often a reflection of the time period in which it was written or, in the case of historical fiction, of the time period it is focused on.  Authors will often find sneaky little ways to demonstrate the dominant characteristics of the time period by blending in details, that, at a closer glance, reveal these hidden themes.

     In class, we viewed several videos (in the LitByFleming blog video bar) that gave us a look at some major events and common themes or characteristics of the 1930s.  John Steinbeck certainly considered these elements when writing Of Mice and Men.  In fact, it might be said, his writing style intentionally made use of naturalism in order to capture and expose some of the attitudes and characteristics of the American 1930s.

Let's see if you can make the connection!  Think about some of  the naturalistic elements we identified in class (Chapter 1).  What aspects or characteristics of the 1930s are being demonstrated to us at those moments in the text?  What do you believe John Steinbeck was trying to show us or expose about the way people, life, or society was during this time in American history?

Well, just by reading the first section of the book, you can tell that there are multiple characteristics being shown. One being that times were pretty tough back then. Most people were unemployed, homeless, looking work, or trying to make a living with the job they already have. In the ending part of the chapter George goes off on Lennie, ranting about how he's so useless and that he forgets everything. I think that this part of the chapter shows that Steinbeck is trying to tell how sad and upset or how people were so fed up of all the misery that they've been through throughout the years.

Look at this link I found on Naturalism!
http://www.naturalism.org/

Chapter 1 Notes

Question: Two boys, George and Lennie, are in rural California looking for farm work. On their way to their destination, both boys take a bus. When the drives drop them off at there "stop," what they though was going to be their new workplace turned out to be in the middle of nowhere. Why didn't the bus driver take Lennie ans George to where they need to go? Did the driver have some suspicion against they boys that made him take those actions? Afterwards, as George is reminding Lennie of the movements over the past few days, he discovers a dead mouse in Lennie's pocket, in which he has been petting with his fingers ever since he found it and picked it up. Why did Lennie choose a mouse out of all animals to become his "pet?" Did he need a companion that doesn't always argue and actually "cares" for him?

Prediction: I predict that George will actually think of what he is going to say if it is anything negative to Lennie more often, considering that he felt sorry for giving a long speech about Lennie's ungratefulness, in which he told a uplifting story to make up for it. I also hope that they boys finally arrive at the ranch and look foward for things to come in their lives.

Reflect: Having read just the first section of "Of Mice and Men," I believe that Steinbeck is trying to show how little actions can affect and long friendship. This chapter also makes me think that the author is also attempting to tell the reader to never give up on your dreams, since Lennie and George are still looking for work, even though they have been kicked out of their previous setting, Weed.

Picturing the History Behind Of Mice and Men

For a moment the place was lifeless, and then two men emerged from the path and came into the opening by the green pool.
     They had walked in single file down the path, and even in the open one stayed behind the other. Both were dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats with brass buttons. 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 his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely.
     The first man stopped short in the clearing, and the follower nearly ran over him. He took off his hat and wiped the sweat-band with his forefinger and snapped the moisture off. His huge companion dropped his blankets and flung himself. (1.2-4)

Sound familiar? Kind of like the pictures, right? In writing, compare and contrast this opening section from Of Mice and Men to the pictures you analyzed in class. What does the text and the photographs show us about the 1930s?  Be specific!





The opening section above reminds me of the picture of what seems to be a homeless man walking down an empty road. I can compare to this photo from the text due to the specific descriptions used in the excerpt above. "Both were dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats with brass buttons." If you look at the picture closely, it looks as if the man walking is indeed wearing denim trousers and though not a coat exactly, but a denim blazer just as it was described in the quote. The quote after the one I have just told, explaining how both men look and seemed to have completely opposite features, reminds me of some cartoon shows that was aired when I was younger, such as Dexter's Laboratory, or even Invader Zim, where there is one strong and smart character, but there's also a weak and dull character.

I believe that the author of Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck, as well as the pictures show that times were pretty tough in the 30's and life was miserable. The economy was horrible, with most people completely out of jobs and searching for new ones if possible, and agriculture was almost the same, having farmers looking for land to work off of, and then taking of what seemed to be lifetime to produce goods to finally start up business and make a profit!

I found this webpage that has a few more pictures as well as a graph charting the poverty rates during the Great Depression. Check it out here!!