Authority Flashcards
What are the main ways Steinbeck portrays authority?
George’s authority over Lennie
Boss & Curley
Slim
Curley’s Wife and Crooks
What 4 quotes demonstrate George’s authority over Lennie? State them and their meaning.
‘sharply’ - George takes a paternal role, scolds Lennie like a father
‘Think I’d allow you to carry your own work card?’ - George takes responsibility by taking care of Lennie, takes a position of power over him
‘Lennie looks at George helplessly for instruction’ - Lennie’s incapable of making his own decisions without George’s authority
‘George ain’t gonna let me tend no rabbits now’ - Lennie sees George as the ultimate authority, doesn’t have the mental capacity to see the greater repercussions of his actions
What is the context behind George’s authority over Lennie?
Emphasises vulnerability of mentally ill during the Great Depression
Irony - George is an itinerant worker, has no authority anywhere else
What 4 quotes demonstrate Boss and Curley’s authority? State them and their meaning.
‘high-heeled boots’ - symbol of power, indicates desire to intimidate others and remind workers of their status
‘don’t try put nothing over, ‘cause you can’t get away with nothing - threatening tone emphasises how powerless itinerant workers like George and Lennie were during the Great Depression
“won’t ever get canned” - Curley feels that he has authority due to his father being the boss, not a naturally powerful person
‘terrier’ - Curley is small, vocal and the aggressor, uses his power to intimidate others
What is the context behind the Boss and Curley’s authority?
Landowners had ultimate authority during the Great Depression
Highlights how landowners exploited cheap labour in the 1930s - itinerant workers had to take any job they could so landowners weren’t willing to pay much
What 4 quotes demonstrate Slim’s authority? State them and their meaning.
“Slim don’t need to wear no high heeled boots” - power comes naturally to him
“prince of the ranch” - authority has been appointed to him by a higher power
“Slim’s opinions were law” - has the ultimate respect of everyone
“he ain’t mean” - he is a good judge of character, encourages the reader to agree with him
What is the context behind Slim’s authority?
Highlights how economic power goes against the natural order - Slim is a natural leader but isn’t the most powerful on the ranch
What 4 quotes demonstrate Curley’s Wife’s and Crooks’s lack of authority? State them and their meaning.
“Curley’s Wife” - never given a name, demonstrates how women were seen as the weaker sex
“Crooks” - symbolises his physical disability
“n****” - highlights how racist American society was in the 1930s
“doorway”/”shed” - highlights marginalisation of women and black people, weren’t welcomed
What is the context behind Curley’s Wife’s and Crooks’s lack of authority?
Women were seen as the weaker sex, expected to be at home and domesticated
Racial inequality in the 1930s
