Of Mice and Men

Class Notes

Soledad – loneliness in Spanish, the name of the setting.

American Dream: that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.

·       In our first meeting with Lennie, Steinbeck makes it clear that he is inferior to George and to most other human beings. This is achieved through the repetitive use of animal imagery when Steinbeck writes of Lennie. He is compared to a ‘bear’ and a ‘horse’ in the very first few lines of our introduction to him. Just as a bear is an animal, considered wild and can cause serious damage so Lennie is an animal, untamed and has the potential to hurt those around him.

·       From what we know of society at that time there was a lot of poverty and unemployment, yet the environment is described as a sort of paradise with: “golden foot slopes” and “yellow sands”, etc. Contrasting this are the willow trees described as “recumbent” which means to be lying down. Perhaps Steinbeck is suggesting through his word choice of “golden” and “yellow” the idea of wealth, richness and gold – hence he is saying that there is wealth in the area, but as he points out in the text, this wealth was not shared and enjoyed by all. Perhaps also Steinbeck hints to the idea of the American Dream, yet also contrasts the idea of its presence with the reality that his text provides of it not being a possibility for all in society.

·       “On one side of the river…strong rocky mountains” are contrasted with “golden foothills”, this contrast in the surroundings lends to the idea that nature can be beautiful but also dangerous.

·       As we are slowly introduced to Lennie, he seems to look up to George and within the pairing, George is highlighted as the leader of the two: “even in the open one walked behind the other”. When we are introduced to Lennie we see him as childlike, primitive and simple minded, due to his weak mental state he looks up to George as a parent. The relationship between them is introduced and maintained throughout as a parent child relationship with clear hierarchy involved.

·       George is portrayed as Lennie’s father figure, as when going over instructions for meeting the boss, George comments to Lennie: “Good boy, that’s swell”, using language that is parent like and patronising, however Lennie does not pick up on the patronising nature further highlighting the power imbalance between them.

·       Whenever Lennie speaks to George he always addresses him by name, perhaps this highlights the respect Lennie has for George.

·       The word choice of “dabbled” when describing Lennie at the water has connotations of childlike behaviour, further highlighting Lennie’s role as the child, he is also fascinated by the water’s movement – showing his lack of understanding and basic knowledge. This evokes in the reader a caring and pity towards Lennie.

·       The relationship between the two protagonists is clearly unbalanced as George reminds us: “I could get it so easy and so nice if I didn’t have you on my tail.”, this shows that George must look after Lennie and that Lennie is a hindrance to George achieving the American Dream. However this also shows that George clearly loves Lennie, as he does look after him despite Steinbeck informing the reader at the start of the text of the great difficulties and responsibilities endured by George in order to protect Lennie.  The relationship between Lennie and George contains so many elements that were devoid from society: love, care, protection. The two were not the norm, it was not normal that two people travelled together and looked after each other.   Lennie’s desperate attempts to follow George’s orders show Lennie’s love for George.

·       Even though Lennie is childlike and primitive, he is not necessarily stupid as shown through his cunning behaviour with the mouse. This also highlights his desperation for human kindness and affection, at the same time this highlights the coldness of the society in which the characters (and Steinbeck) found themselves in.

·       “He paused in relish of the memory”: the word choice of relish suggest the enjoyment of gratuitous violence. Highlights the cruelty and barbarity of the bunkhouse and therefore society at large. Again highlights that the margins of society do not help each other, but rather abuse each other.

·       “the guys went into Soledad and raised hell”. Reference to hell suggests evil but also further highlights the barren and hopeless world they live in.

·       “he wore high heeled boots and spurs to prove he was not a labouring man”. Highlights the hierarchical society and literally he towers over the other men, and metaphorically does also. There is also something humorous about this though as Steinbeck is highlighting the ridiculousness of the situation as he is a: “little stocky man”.

·       Milton – John Milton. Author of Paradise Lost and one of Steinbeck’s favourite writers.

·       “playful finger” – suggests it is a game to the boss, and that he is toying with Lennie. This further highlights the cruelty of the world inhabited by the characters.

·       “Strong as a bull” – more animalistic imagery, highlighting Lennie’s lowly place in society but his potential danger also. Just as a bull is…

·       Candy’s dog – the description evokes sympathy from the reader. This is important as Steinbeck wants the reader to have sympathy for the marginalised. The dog is a symbol of all of the marginalised.

·       “I’ve had him ever since he was a pup” – loyalty is not rewarded in this cruel, capitalist society. Even though the dog performed his duties well and contributed, now that he deserves society’s respect and care he will not get it, instead the dog is now useless and so will be shot. The dog and its fate highlights the cruel, unjust and hardened society of the text and of America in real times. His description evokes sympathy in the reader showing Steinbeck believed this treatment to be unjust.

·       The juxtaposition of “thin” Curley and “huge” Lennie and their initial interaction highlights the unfairness of society and ridiculousness of the situation, where Curley  - simply due to his position on the ranch and his familial connections, is able to quickly reduce a large man to twist “with embarrassment” and “squirm”. Their interaction shows the callousness between those in power and those powerless, their physical makeup indicates Steinbeck’s belief that those in power were undeserving.

·       Those on the margins of society are not easily united, the environment in which they live is full of fear and mistrust, and so lacks hope for change. There is a lack of unity and human empathy between the marginalised factions of society. This is highlighted when Candy and George: