basic revision Flashcards
What is the theme?
Loneliness
Why is Candy lonely?
he has no family. He is left out of work activities with the other men as he is disabled, and social activities because he is old, so he is mostly alone except for his dog. When is dog is euthanized he has no company.
Why do we feel sorry for Curley’s wife?
She is the only woman on the farm, which is very isolated. Her husband gets angry if she socialises with the other men, so they are afraid to talk to her. Her marriage is unhappy. She has unfulfilled dreams. The man call her nasty names. She is seen as Curley’s property so never gets her own name. When she is killed the men blame her for her own death.
Why do we feel sorry for Crooks?
He cannot socialise with the other men as he is the only black man on the ranch. He is disabled. He is picked on by the boss. He has to sleep and work in a separate place from the other men. he never gets called by his own name, only “nigger”
Why are the itinerant workers lonely?
They move around for work so can never make lasting friendships or get married and have children.
Why are George and Lennie different from the other men?
They have a close and long lasting friendship. This highlights how lonely an isolated the other men are. When Lennie dies George will be the loneliest as he is used to having a friend.
Why does George shoot Lennie?
To ensure that he dies happily and painlessly. If Curley had caught up with him he would have made Lennie suffer.
Why does Curley hate Lennie from the first moment he meets him?
He is jealous that Lennie is big and strong while he is a little smaller than average.
Why does Lennie keep getting in trouble?
He is very big and strong but has the mind of a child. He doesn’t know his own strength. He forgets everything. When he panics he clings on to things.
How was Curley’s wife’s death foreshadowed earlier in the book?
Lennie accidentally killed a puppy and we are told he accidentally killed mice. We are told he recently escaped a lynch mob who thought he had assaulted a woman because he grabbed her dress to feel it.
Why do the workers want to shoot Candy’s dog? Why won’t he let them?
Because it is old, stiff, half blind and in pain and obviously has a poor quality of life. It also smells. But if the dog dies Candy will lose his long time (and only) companion.
Where is the book set and why is this significant?
Soledad, which is Spanish for solitude. Solitude means to be alone, which relates to the theme of the book.
