• Guardianship is immediately seen by him preventing Lennie from drinking the scummy water, taking care of his work card, and preparing his meal
• George’s language is sharp and commanding. It is also logical, ordered and coherent,
• Contrasts Lennie in the fact that he is sullen and bad tempered “He said angrily”. He also swears a lot.
• At first has faith in the dream, “Live of the fat of the land” but loses hope towards the end of the text
• Admired by the audience for sticking with Lennie
• “I ain’t taking it away jus’ for meanness” shows sympathy for Lennie
• Lennie “George won’t go away”, shows his faith in George
• Candy “We’re gonna do it, George says we are”, shows his authority and influence over other characters
• He needs Lennie in order to differentiate himself from the average lonely person. Gives him someone to govern – “Get him Lennie!” (commanding)
• “Crazy bastard” is a stock phrase
• “George never gets hurt” “he’s careful” – Intelligent and streetwise
• Wants to escape the poverty, insecurity and inevitable loneliness of a migrant worker
• “It’s a lot nicer to go around with a guy you know”
• Bond of trust and friendship is tragically highlighted in the closing lines of the novel
• Boss- ‘I said what stake you got in this guy’
• “Curley punk is gonna get hurt if he messes around with Lennie”
• ‘Hardly none of the guys ever travel together’
Lennie
• “the way a bear drags his paws”
• “snorting into the water like a horse”
• Act one attempts to directly contrast him with George
• Lennie’s language is disjointed and he repeats things. He lives in a world of his own.
• “Lennie got up and did the same”
• Good nature and gentleness shown “smiled happily” “looked timidly”
• Brainwashed with the American dream and seems the only motive for his life to seem worth it. This is seen by the fact that the opening scene has George comforting Lennie with the dream and it also ends that way
• The fact that he kills a lady despite having the simplistic aim of stroking something, shows that he is very dangerous considering he is a large strong individual in a world of his own.
• Sees George as role model, “Lennie who had been watching, imitated George initiated”
• Audience generally pities him
• Reminds us that the American dream is flawed
• “Lennie’s lip quivered and tears started in his eyes”
• ‘Don’t you think of nothing but rabbits?’
Crooks
• Addressed as Nigger or Crooks. Shows that he is primarily judged around the fact that he is black or handicapped (racial and handicap prejudice)
• “Cause I’m black”
• “Nobody gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land”. Shows that the American dream is similar to heaven. There isn’t solid proof that it’s possible but it doesn’t stop many people from trying
• Deliberately isolates himself
• Represents loneliness, shown by the fact he seems threatened by Georges friendship with Lennie
• Beaten down by loneliness so much that he doesn’t trust kindness
• ‘This is just a nigger talkin’, an’ a busted-back nigger’
Candy
• Shouting at Curley’s wife’s dead body shows his desperation for a new life
• He is a useless character and he understands that
• He couldn’t stand up for his pet because he can’t stand up for himself
• Represents social discrimination based upon age and handicap. His relatively low position in the social Hierarchy is shown by the fact someone with little social significance like Curley’s wife says “they left all the weak ones here”
• Similar to his dog, he has lived beyond usefulness
• Candy’s relationship with his dog mirrors that of Georges relationship with Lennie. Lennie and the dog depend on their other half and only they understand their friendship. George also ends up shooting Lennie similar to how Candy wished he killed his own dog than let a stranger do it
• Candy adds to the tragedy. As he provides the finance needed for the dream, and George (and now the audience) believe that the dream is possible
• ‘He stood up suddenly and knocked his nail keg over backwards’
Curley's Wife
• Lonely - “You can talk to people but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley else he gets mad”
• Quote shows that she is effectively owned by Curley which represents the lack of respect towards women in the 1930’s
• Targets Crooks, who is the only one lower in the social hierarchy- “I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny”
• “Nasal and brittle” suggests she is easily breakable which is foreshadowing
• Jealous about the fact she is unable to enjoy herself “Ever’body out doin som’pin”
• Introduced as a “tart” by Candy, showing that she generally has no respect
• Manipulative shown by the fact George is worried about her and tells Lennie to “stay away from her”
• Red imagery – red fingernail, red mules. Shows seductive nature.
• Animalistic imagery – “ostrich feathers” “bridled” dehumanises Curleys wife
• Her name is not known (dehumanises her)
• Also has a dream (to be in the movies)
• ‘I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely’
• ‘her body flopped like a fish’
• ‘the discontent and the ache for attention were all gone from her face’
Slim
• “Hey Good-lookin”, even he is attracted by Curley’s wife
• Stands up for what is right (demonstrated in fight scene)
• Seems to be the only one who understands the friendship between Lennie and George
• Involved in every crucial decision (Dog getting shot, deciding to shoot Lennie)
• “Carlson stepped back to let Slim precede him”- shows respect
• Slims character seems stereotypical of a Wild West Hero
• “His slow speech had overtones not of thoughts but of understanding beyond thought”
• “It was Slims calm invitation to confidence”
• Candy describes him as “the jerk line skinner prince of the ranch”
The Boss
• “he’s a pretty nice fella” “Gets pretty mad sometimes” – Candy
• “wore high-heeled boots and spurs to prove he was not a labouring man” – positions himself above everyone else
• Boss has reached American dream. Shows the audience that it is possible and therefore acts as a device to emphasise the tragedy of George and Lennie not being able to reach it
• His language mainly consists of questions, showing authority
Curley
• “You answer when spoken to”- looking for authority
• “He glanced coldy”- Already a disliked character
• “I won’t tell” (after the fight)- Shows he is scared of Slim
• Threatened by Lennie because he is bigger – “He’s alla time picking scraps with big guys”
• “Curley looked threateningly about the room”
The American Dream
• Follows the New York Wall Street stock market collapse
• Harsh poverty and long-term unemployment
• Men, most travelling alone, migrated from ranch to ranch on short-term, poorly paid contracts.
• George and Lennie personify the commonplace dream of the migrant worker
• “Just says ‘gimme my time’ one night, the way any guy would.
No comments:
Post a Comment