Of Mice And Men :: Chapter 3 Notes

Summarization:

Chapter three began with George telling Slim about why him and Lennie left Weed in the first place. Lennie had wanted to touch a girl's dress, he just likes to feel things. But when Lennie wouldn't let go, the girl was frightened and told the law that she had been raped, of course she was not. When Lennie bursts through the door, all remnants of the conversation dissipate and George greets Lennie like he always would asking about his new pup. Lennie had snuck the pup back to the bunkhouse, only to be told to bring it back. "Slim had not moved. His calm eyes followed Lennie out the door. 'Jesus,' he said. 'He's jes' like a kid, ain't he.'" (Steinbeck pg 43). Lennie is just like a kid and he doesn't know what to do or how to handle situations like an adult would. Next, Carlson persuades to "take care" of Candy's old, smelly dog; Candy is incredibly reluctant, but there isn't much an old man with one hand could do. Curley comes looking for his wife once again, which seems to be a recurring problem for him. After Candy's dog is shot and Curley retreats once again, George and Lennie talk about their plans for living in nice ten-acre land with pigs and rabbits and everything else they could ever want. Candy listens in from his spot on his bed and offers to help pay for the place and cook and tend the chickens in return to stay at their future home. Candy confesses that he has no family to go back to and he would leave his will to George and Lennie. The three agree and their agreement is kept a secret for now. Curley is back asking about his wife again and when Lennie laughs at Candy's joke, Curley immediately gets up and starts pounding Lennie in the face. Lennie doesn't react to well, first asking for George's help then breaking all the bones in Curley's hand. Curley is transported to a doctor and swears to not tell a soul about the recent dilemma.

Questions:

Characters: Lennie

Where/When:              

Will Lennie pet his new pup to hard and eventually kill it or will he be able to control himself from hurting the puppy?

Characters: Curley and Lennie

Where/When: The Bunkhouse

Curley picks a fight with Lennie at the end of the chapter and they tell him not to tell his father, the boss. Will Curley be able to stay tight-lipped? What would happen if he didn't?

Characters: Curley's Wife

Where/When: ?

Where is Curley's wife? What is she up to? Will she even play an important role in the novella?

Prediction:

In this chapter, George and Lennie talk about a great, almost impossible, future home for them both to live in.  I predict that this will never happen, that something will come up and the two will have to continue their search for jobs. A book set during the Great Depression can't possibly have a good ending.

Of Mice And Men :: Chapter 2 Notes

Summarization:

 At the start of chapter two, Lennie and George have reached the bunkhouse where they will be staying during this job. An old man, they describe him as a swamper, greets the two men and tells them that the boss is angry that Lennie and George weren't here earlier to start work. This old man seems fairly nice towards the weary men, he also informs them of the other workers currently on the job. The boss then comes in to meet Lennie and George. The boss wants to understand why George takes so much trouble for Lennie,and George tells the boss that they are cousins, he got kicked in the head by a horse when he was a kid, and now he looks out for him. Next they meet the boss' son, Curley, a man short of stature but incredibly pigheaded. He tries to get Lennie to talk, which could mean trouble for the future if Curley gets Lennie alone. Curley's wife comes looking for him after he's already gone. After pointing her in the right direction, George discovers that he has a few choice words for her and her attire and Lennie thinks she's just "purty". Slim, the big tall skinner, introduces Lennie and George to another worker named Carlson and also admits to drowning four of the pups his dog had given birth to.

Prediction:

I predict that Lennie will have another run-in with Curley, but this time alone without any help from George.
George says: "'Look, Lennie! This here ain't no setup. I'm scared. You gonna have trouble with that Curley guy. I seen that kind before. He was kinda feelin' you out. He figures he's got you scared and he's gonna take a sock at you the first chance he gets.'" (page 29)

 Questions:

 Characters: Lennie and Curley
Where/When:                 

Will Curley confront Lennie again? How will Lennie react to this? will the two eventually get along?

Characters: Slim
Where/When:                

Why would Slim drown those puppies?

 Characters: George and Lennie
Where/When:                 

These two obviously do not like this place, how long do they plan on staying? Will Lennie get into other sorts of trouble? Will George be there to help him?



((Sorry this is a few minutes late! my computer is very very slow!))

Naturalism as a Mirror of the 1930's

What aspects or characteristics of the 1930's are being demonstrated to us at those moments in the text?

 Several parts of chapter one demonstrate characteristics of the 1930's and naturalism. Throughout chapter one I noticed that Lennie is most often compared to beasts, him being widely different from average George. "His huge companion dropped his blankets and flung himself down and drank from the surface of the green pool; drank with long gulps, snorting into the water like a horse." (page 3). The fragment of page three shows the comparison between Lennie and a horse; human beings nowadays do not have to go through such lengths to get a drink of water. During this time of unemployment and despair these two men are left walking in the drastic heat searching for work, apparently is was like this for most other Americans during this time period. The simple clothes they wear, the way they talk in an ill-educated way, and the little food they eat are all aspects of the 1930's being demonstrated in this novel.

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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?

I believe that John Steinbeck was attempting to expose the raw nature of people's desperation in those harsh times of need. Through his two characters, Steinbeck tells the story of the 1930's and the hardships that these poor people went through. People were desperate, money was hard to come by, living life was becoming a hardship of it's own. Society must have struggled as well, seeing as the people of this great country were taking the full brunt of the 1930's.

Of Mice And Men :: Chapter 1 Notes

Summarization:

The first chapter introduces two men named Lennie and George. They appear to be scouring for jobs, everything they own is on their backs and the only people to rely on are each other. Lennie seems to have been born with some sort of disability, he is ill-educated and does not know right from wrong. "His huge companion dropped his blankets and flung himself down and drank from the surface of the green pool; drank with long gulps, snorting into the water like a horse" (page 3). After a scolding from George, the two continue their for mile trek for a while, until Lennie asks where they are going, apparently again. Here, I think that the author is trying to tell his readers why George and Lennie are in the middle of nowhere and what they are doing through the words of George on page 4. Next, Lennie confesses to have been keeping a dead mouse in his pocket to stroke as they walked. "'A mouse? A live mouse?' 'Uh-uh. Jus' a dead mouse, George. I didn' kill it. Honest! I found it. I found it dead.'" (page 5). If you read between the lines you could figure out that Lennie had not found it dead, he had actually pet it to hard and accidentally killed it. Awhile after the mouse conflict, The two, mostly Lennie, talk about the future: owning a nice house with acres of land, lots of pigs and cows, a garden, having money, and of course rabbits. The chapter ends with George and Lennie falling asleep under the stars.


Questions:

Characters: George and Lennie
Where/When:                

Why does George still stay with Lennie even though he could do much better on his own? Is it pity? Are they friends?

Why does Lennie have a mental disability? Is it hereditary?

Why does Lennie lie about the mouse in his pocket? Is he afraid that George will be mad at him?


Prediction:

I predict that they are actually very far from the ranch they are trying to reach and that they might not even ever get there. "'Jes' a little stretch down the highway.' he says. 'Jes' a little stretch.' God damn near four miles, that's what it was! Didn't wanta stop at the ranch gate, that's what. Too God damn lazy to pull up. Wonder he isn't too damn good to stop in Soledad at all. Kicks us out and says, 'Jes' a little stretch down the road.' I bet it was more than for miles. Damn hot day.'" I believe that what George says here foreshadows my prediction that theyu may not even be close to this ranch and the story will take another turn entirely.

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. Both wore black, shapeless hats and both carried tight blanket rolls slung over their shoulders. 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!

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 This excerpt from Of Mice And Men reminds me most of the second picture, the one with the man walking down the endless road adorning a duffel bag. The excerpt relates to this picture because they both feature a lone man/men walking down a beaten path with nowhere to go. I also imagine that the men look similar to the one in this photograph. The photograph and text show how life truly was during the 1930's and the hardships that the people living in this time had to endure. From looking at the four photos and reading the text, I now understand how life was depressing, meaningless, and exhausting and how we now take everything for granted.