Literature Anal. #2

Of Mice and Men

1. Lennie and George travel to Soledad, California to work on a ranch, because Lennie who has some special needs, likes to touch anything soft and was accused of trying to rape a young woman when he touched her dress, and they were run out of town. George is the person that watches out for Lennie, and tries to keep him from getting himself into trouble. The two men want to save up to buy the land to start their own farm. They are so close to being able to buy the farm, when Lennie accidentally kills the farm owner's son Curley's wife by trying to stroke her hair. George knows that Curley has formed a mob to kill Lennie and doesn't want him to have to die a horrible death such as that, so George distracts Lennie by having him dream of the farm they are going to have with all the soft bunnies he wants, and then shoots Lennie in the back of the head.

2. The clearly distinct theme of this novel is the impossibility of the american dream. No matter how much Lennie and George try and make their dream become a reality, it can never seem to happen. There was always something standing in the way of that dream of theirs.

3. The author's tone could very well be described as laid-back even though this is a very serious novel.

4.
magery: Language that contains a lot of physical, aural, or other type of detailed description.

"On one side of the river the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan mountains..."

Characterization: The way an author develops/reveals more about a character in a story.

"A little stocky man stood in the doorway. He wore blue jean trousers, a flannel shirt, a black, unbuttoned vest and a black coat. His thumbs were stuck in his belt, on each side of a square steel buckle. On his head he wore a soiled brown Stetson hat, and he wore high-heeled boots and spurs to prove he was not a labouring man."

Motif: An idea or concept that is repeated often in a book.

"Lay out some cards, why don't you? We ain't going to get no euchre played this way."

Foreshadowing: Hinting that something is about to happen by giving clues related to it.

"'Curley's pretty handy. He done quite a bit in the ring. He's a lightweight, and he's handy.'
'Well, let him be handy,' said George. 'He don't have to take after Lennie. Lennie didn't do nothing to him. What's he got against Lennie?'"

Suspense: A tool that is used in books to arouse expectation about what may happen next.

"George brought the cards together tightly and studied the backs of them. The silence was in the room again."

Round character: A character that undergoes change as the book progresses.

Examples: George, Curley's Wife, Candy.

Flat character: A character that undergoes very little or no change as the book progresses.

Examples: Whit, Lennie, Carlson.

Character foils: A set of two characters that contrast each other greatly so that their important features are more prominent.

Example: George and Lennie.

Symbolism: The act of using symbols to represent something else, such as an idea.

Example: Curley's wife wears red on several occasions, which symbolizes the "woman in red," or the woman that may bring about a character's downfall.

Dialogue: In a book, dialogue is where the characters are talking instead of the narrator.

Characterization

1. Indirect: When we are shown as readers how Curley is threatened by Lennie's size and we realize how insecure hw is about his size.
As the reader I get the assumption that Lennie isn't very bright by the way he speaks.

Direct: When the author describes Curley as a short mean, tough, man.
When the author describes Slim as having an inviting personality.

2. Well all of the characters use slang when they speak, but you can definitely tell who is smarter than another character. When the author is having George speak, even though he uses a lot of slang he still sounds like a smart person, whereas Lennie does even put his words in the right order they are supposed to come out in.

3. George is a dynamic character because of the crazy complex relationship he has with Lennie. George is considered a round character because of the many sides he displays of his personality, he can appear tough and mean at times, but he also shows a very compassionate caring side to him as well.

4. I really felt like I had gotten to know Lennie pretty well. I really understood his sweet, gentle personality even though he had some mental disabilities. I really felt like I could hear him talking when he was describing how all he wanted was soft bunnies for himself to pet on the farm he and George were going to buy.