Of Mice and Men 1 gr. B
Gr. B :
Section 1
from page 2 ("They had walked...") to page 3 ("...Look what I done.")
This passage comes right after a description of the natural landscape. There's a characterization process here, we meet George and Lennie for the first time. They are complete opposites, or maybe they complete each other.
George = "sharp," "defined," "quick," but also "dark" and "restless."
Lennie = "shapeless," sloping,", "heav[y]" and is also described as an animal (compared to a bear, he snorts like a horse, and he has paws).
Lennie also acts like a child ("Look what I done"). Innocence, truthfulness, cluelessness.
George seems taciturn and broody. Adult, protector ?
Innocence vs experience
Truthfulness vs forgetfulness
Section 2
Candy = old, has a dog
Slim = described as a "temple dancer," almost like a priest.
Crooks = stable buck, black, Californian
Carlson = kills Candy's dog
Curley = hates big guys, aggressive, "cruely"
Curley's wife = looks for her husband
George is described playing cards (a solitaire game), and he asks Lennie not to forget to stay away from Curley.
There's a theatrical element to this passage (unity of place and time and action) ; it also presents us with the cast of characters.
p. 32 "George laid down..." to p. 33 : "...I won't say a word."
George keeps repeating the same pieces of advice to Lennie, because Lennie forgets almost everything.
Section 3
p.53 : "during the conversation..." to p.54 "...into the darkness."
To sum it up, Carlson insists on killing Candy's old dog, and goes out with him to shoot him.
1. Candy had a duo going on with his old dog, they were similar. No that he's killed, he's just like the others, all alone. For Carlson, the dog has outlived his usefulness. It's a means. But for Candy, the dog is more than just a tool, it's a person, or maybe a part of himself = it's an end (means & end = Kant).
2. Slim is given a special role : he is an "authority" figure, and the other characters see him as a moral guardian, almost like a priest.
3. Candy's dog = a rehearsal to things to come ? (into the darkness, hopeless)
4. theatrical tension (diegetic sounds, and stage directions - didascalies).
Short point :
on
page 62, George plays a solitaire game "almost automatically," and
Lennie studies a face card, turning it upside down. He then says to
George : "Both ends the same." This line echoes the very structure of
the novel : the first paragraph of the first section and the first
paragraph of the last section share some exactly similar words and
expressions. Likewise, p. 62 is set exactly in the middle of the novel.
To crown it all, face cards might evoke tarot cards used in cartomancy. Lennie as an oracle ?
Section 4
from p. 85 ("Crooks said darkly...") to p. 87 ("...any boys seen Curley?")
I. Outcasts
this
section features all the outcasts of the ranch society : Crooks
(because he's an African-American), Candy (because he's old), Lennie
(because he's childlike and dumb), Curley's wife (because she's a
woman).
Interestingly, this section amplify George and Lennie's separation (George is in a brothel with the other men, Crooks says).
II. The dream
this
section introduces yet another description of the dream. This time,
Candy joins Lennie enthusiastically, only to be "brutally" stopped by
Crooks, who doubts the dream :
"hell" / "you won't get no land" / it's all "in the head" and not "in the hand."
He
also prophetizes that Candy will never go away but "out in a box", and
that Lennie will "quit and be on the road" very soon. He also visualizes
George joining the macho society of the ranch in their gambling, and in
"the whore house."
But
Crooks lets himself be persuaded by the others, and "hesitates." Maybe
the dream can be true. It's interrupted by a line of dialogue by
Curley's wife.
Section 5
from p. 101 ("She asked, "what makes you so nuts with rabbits?") to p. 103 ("...Lennie had broken her neck.")
(pour le gr. B : p99, Lennie stroked... p101...heads of the horses?) Gr. A :
Section 1
p. 15 "Lennie spoke..." to p. 16 "...not the same if I tell it."
In
this excerpt, George tells Lennie a story, this is about what they'll
do, their dream. Lennie is excited, he knows the story very well, but
wants G. to tell it anyway.
What makes them different is that they're together (I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you). The novel starts by the entrance of the two men, disturbing natural peace.
The
story has "rhythm" and it's been "repeated many times before." It's
"deep," and George has an audience in Lennie. It sounds like theatre,
where George has a role to play, like a second narrator, or a modern day
aede (Greek storyteller). It also feels like this dream is a bedtime
story ; Lennie behaves like a child, and George as his guardian.
Finally, this dream feels like a ritual.
Section 2
from p. 36 ("Lennie still stared...") to p. 37 ("...the guys'll be coming in.")
1. Charaterization in Steinbeck's novels
He
introduces names only when these names have been introduced through
dialogue. Here, George calls Curley's wife a "jailbait," a "poison," a
"rattrap" and a "bitch," but no character in the novel will ever call
her by her name. Objectification ?
2.
George grabs Lennie by the ear : parent / child relationship. The ear
is the temple of comprehension. George regrets the lack of comprehension
in George. (Memory). But....
3. George doesn't listen when Lennie speaks the truth.
Children
are said to be truthful ; Lennie says something that's almost prophetic
: this place is "mean" and they should "go away." He's told to "shut
up."
4. George and the solitaire game.
When
he's with Lennie, George plays a special kind of card game = solitaire.
Freudian slip ? Does he secretly desire to be alone ? Solitaire is also
a highly structured game, but he never quite finishes his games.
Section 3
Short point :
on
page 62, George plays a solitaire game "almost automatically," and
Lennie studies a face card, turning it upside down. He then says to
George : "Both ends the same." This line echoes the very structure of
the novel : the first paragraph of the first section and the first
paragraph of the last section share some exactly similar words and
expressions. Likewise, p. 62 is set exactly in the middle of the novel.
To crown it all, face cards might evoke tarot cards used in cartomancy.
Section 4
from p. 85 ("Crooks said darkly...") to p. 87 ("...any boys seen Curley?")
I. Outcasts
this
section features all the outcasts of the ranch society : Crooks
(because he's an African-American), Candy (because he's old), Lennie
(because he's childlike and dumb), Curley's wife (because she's a
woman).
Interestingly, this section amplify George and Lennie's separation (George is in a brothel with the other men, Crooks says).
II. The dream
this
section introduces yet another description of the dream. This time,
Candy joins Lennie enthusiastically, only to be "brutally" stopped by
Crooks, who doubts the dream :
"hell" / "you won't get no land" / it's all "in the head" and not "in the hand."
He
also prophetizes that Candy will never go away but "out in a box", and
that Lennie will "quit and be on the road" very soon. He also visualizes
George joining the macho society of the ranch in their gambling, and in
"the whore house."
But
Crooks lets himself be persuaded by the others, and "hesitates." Maybe
the dream can be true. It's interrupted by a line of dialogue by
Curley's wife.
Section 5
from p. 101 ("She asked, "what makes you so nuts with rabbits?") to p. 103 ("...Lennie had broken her neck.")
(pour le gr. B : p99, Lennie stroked... p101...heads of the horses?)
there's
a progression in the novel in things Lennie kills = a mouse, a puppy,
and Curley's wife. There's a supreme irony in that they are all depicted
as pets, and killed as such.
When
the men talk about the murder, Curley says he wants to join the hunting
party. Right until the end, Curley's wife is an object, a means to Curley's end. The
text explains she is "flopping like a fish," just like Curley when
Lennie was crushing his hand : he was "flopping," and "flopping like a
fish on a line." There's cruelty in this juxtaposition, because they
share a common destiny, whereas they're never in the same scene
together, but always apart. Ironically, they're only together once she's
dead, and even then, Curley won't stay with her, Candy will (as an
outcast).
E.
Kant : "Man is not a means, he's an end" = For Carlson, Candy's dog is
just a means, he's a tool, and it's not useful anymore, so it should be
shot. For Candy though, the dog is an end, a companion, an extension of
himself. Killing the dog feels like killing a part of himself.
Before
dying, Curley's wife shares her own dream with Lennie. This confession
helps characterizing her even more, giving her depth and feelings.
The context of the murder is very poetic. The introduction to the section depicts the barn as in a still life : "there was the buzz of flies in the air, the lazy afternoon humming." The humans are oblivious to this simple, direct beauty. When Lennie leaves the body behind, the same description is given once again, and another time at the end of the section ("Both ends the same").
Destiny and Tragedy :
The
murder is hinted at in the very first section (on page 12), when George
reminds Lennie of the incident with a young woman's dress. Just like
Ancient Greece's Oracles, the reader already knows how the story is
going to end. Lennie and George are characterized as tragic heroes who
can't escape their fate. The only freedom they have is to retain some of
their dignity.
Innocence ? Experience ? Crime ? Accident ?
Is Lennie innocent ? By innocence, we mean free from corruption. It applies to characters who have not yet experienced evil.
Section 6
1. Succession of events
a. a peaceful place (valley of the beginning). Animals.
b. Lennie arrives and drinks.
c. Lennie thinks about Aunt Clara, the rabbits, and George.
d. George arrives and joins Lennie.
e. Lennie makes George tell the dream.
f. George tells the story and kills Lennie in the back.
g. the men from the ranch arrive. George and Slim get away for a drink.
In this passage, Steinbeck makes it clear that Curley and Carlson don't understand the significance of Lennie's death. As he dies, the novel ends. There's no point going on. Slim got the importance of George's deed (=action), and we did too, as readers. We are witnesses to this ultimate sacrifice.
As Carlson and Curley try to make sense of what happened, George keeps looking at "his right hand that had held the gun." This is a reccuring theme in the book : Curley's hand was smashed by Lennie's paw, the hand that Crooks evokes when he dismisses the dream as being an illusion, and the "solitaire hand." The hand that George is looking at here is reminiscent of all these moments in the novel, like a condensed version of all that took place.
The hand can also be linked to the idea of cartomancy, reading the future in cards. As George throws the Luger in the pile of ashes, we revisit the whole novel, giving all these moments (the campfire in section 1, the shooting of the dog and the hand smashing in section 3...) a new meaning, tainted with tragedy and death and loneliness.
Like Oedipus, the only free act George opposed to the predestined logic of the plot is killing Lennie on his own, instead of Curley and Carlson butchering him.
1. Innocence
Lennie doesn't understand
Lennie is dangerous
Lennie is forgetful
multiple personality
2. Experience
Lennie knows right from wrong (Genesis)
George as proxy
Lennie is manipulative
Groupwork
1. Write a presentation for all characters, including quotes (especially when first introduced).
Crooks = a black man, a stable buck. only black family in the village.
George = is small, intelligent / he worries about something.
Slim = temple-dancer, the chief of the ranch. Slim and tall. "Hatchet face" is "ageless."
2. Write about the importance of nature, how it is represented, and when in the book. Use quotes.
- Dustbowl
- Water
- heavenly nature
- Green scenery
- cunning /intelligence
- Lennie and George use nature (Lennie = nature, George = culture)
- Garden of Eden
- Lennie as an animal
- Ranch is demonized /
- the dream is located in nature
- rich details
- bestiary
3. Using both the novel and the course, try and highlight the different themes explored in the novel.
Death
Working
Justice vs Revenge
The farm / dream
Destiny
4. Try and find at least 4 different excerpts that could be used for an oral presentation/analysis. These passages should not have been seen in class.
- illustration of the most perverse thoughts / Murphy's Law
- they're gay / a gay reading of Of Mice and Men.
- 20th century version of a Greek Tragedy / an American version of a Greek Tragedy
- George always has two cards and chooses the wrong one to please Lennie.
2. Tragedy
In
the novel, there are countless instances (examples) of foreshadowing
what will happen in the end (to foreshadow = prévoir). Indeed, when
Lennie tries to convince George to leave the ranch, he says this place
is "mean" and that it's going to end badly. Similarly, Crooks evokes the
future of George, drinking in "whorehouse[s]," and Candy never leaving
the ranch, but only "in a box." He also predicts Lennie will be "on the
road" very soon.
The
theatricality of the novel is emphasied by the unity of time, space and
action that characterizes the sections (each one beginning and ending
in the same way), the pity and awe exemplified by the characters, and
the inescapibility of Fate. Lennie is going to die, the novel makes in
abundantly clear. But like Oedipus, George taunts (se moque, provoque)
Fate with a free act : he kills Lennie himself, to avoid a terrible
ending with the men of the ranch butchering Lennie.
Ironically,
the "dream" also evokes what George will eventually become : a man
eaten by regret and solitude, just like the others.
esth. murders / head / hand
3. oblivious / caught by evil
mental troubles / acts = angry reaction / fault, responsability / unconscious
aware or not of the importance of the deed / only actions matter
troublemaker / not with malice / naive / inadvertent / normal vs acceptable
doesn't know / he knows it's bad / complex /
Innocence vs guilt
consciousness / child, baby / dream only / oblivious to the rest
Lennie
committed the crime, no doubt about that. But the real question is, has
he experienced evil? Does he feign being innocent? Is he aware of what
is going on ?
Pro
Lennie
forgets everything, and is described by the text and by characters as a
baby or an animal. He doesn't defend himself against Curley. He's
smiling in the face of danger. Like lost children, he's attracted to
soft things. He's presented like a magnet for others. He's too good for
this world.
forgets
everything. Dream, baby, animal = doesn't defend himself. Smiling in
the face of danger. soft things. Magnet for others = sunlike and magnet
for evil = not fit for this world.
Con
Lennie
is prone to fits of anger (the puppy). In the end, his imaginary
conversation with Aunt Clara suggests that he remembers and understands
everything. this is also what George says in the end. He can manipulate
George (he does it twice, "craftily"). He's gifted with an animal-like
intelligence (cunning). He also predicts what will happen early in the
novel (section 3). He gets mad with Crooks precisely when the latter (ce
dernier) suggests that George might go away or be hurt.
anger / the puppy / Crooks / realization (A. C.), craftily, superpowers, crooks = g away.
Yet
Why
do these changes occur by section 4? Is he becoming evil, or corrupted
by evil? Was he always aware of the situation ? Or does he act according
to his nature, like the heron that kills the snake at the beginning of
section 6? What the novel entails is that he doesn't belong in this
world, he needs to go away, and he understands this perfectly well
("I'll fin' a cave so I won't be no more trouble").
becoming evil? change ? or nature (heron?). solution cave
But, Mousie, thou art no thy-lane,
In proving foresight may be vain;
The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!
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