Justice

Question 1

How is it shown in the novel

Answer 1

• lack of justice for marginalised
• Curley thinks it’s just to kill Lennie
• men call wife a tart, yet go to a brothel, unjust
• skin is a just character
• unjust of candys dog being shot my Carlson

Question 2

Curley picking on Lennie

Answer 2

‘S’pose Curley jumps a big guy an licks him. Everbody says what a game guy curley is. And s’pose he does the same thing and gets kicked. Then Everbody says the big guy ought to pick on somebody on his own size’

• although unjust for Lennie to attack Curley, unjust for Curley to provoke him

Question 3

Slim as just character

Answer 3

‘His slow speech had overtones not of thought, but of understanding beyond thought’

• Steinbeck message: understand eachother
• slim is just

Question 4

Slim being just towards Lennie

Answer 4

‘He ain’t mean, I can tell a mean guy from a mile off’

Suggesting we need to take intention into consideration rather than judge people’s actions, justice

Question 5

Candy dog injustice

Answer 5

‘I shouldn’t have ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog’

• unjust, candy spent whole life with dog
• foreshadows George shooting Lennie

Question 6

Slim threatening Curley

Answer 6

‘Slim smiled wrly. (…) if you don’t tell nobody what happened, we ain’t going to’

• ranch assessor, decides punishments etc.
• protecting Lennie and marginalised, justice for those who don’t get it

Question 7

Slim comforting George

Answer 7

‘A guy got to sometimes’

Absolving George
Just thing to do
Knew it was inevitable, omnipotent