Locations Flashcards
How is the brush described at the start of the novel?
“A few miles south of Soledad… golden foothill slopes.”
➤ Peaceful and natural — a symbol of safety and simplicity
‘A few miles south of Soledad… golden foothill slopes.’
Why is the brush a significant location?
“A path beaten hard by boys coming down from the highway… willows fresh and green with every spring… and sycamores”
➤ Symbolizes both refuge and fate; a full-circle moment.
Symbolises both refuge and fate; a full-circle moment.
How is the bunkhouse described to reflect ranch life?
“A long, rectangular building. Inside, the walls were whitewashed and the floor unpainted.”
➤ Stark and impersonal — reflects loneliness and instability
‘A long, rectangular building. Inside, the walls were whitewashed and the floor unpainted.’
How does the description of Crooks’s room reflect his isolation?
“A little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn.”
➤ He is physically and socially separated due to racism
‘A little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn.’
How is the barn symbolic of both hope and destruction?
“The hay came down like a mountain slope to the other end of the barn… a little pigeon flew in through the open hay door and circled and flew out again.”
➤ A place where vulnerability is exposed — dreams and lives are crushed
It’s where the puppy and Curley’s wife die.
What does the dream farm symbolize in terms of place?
“We’d have our own place where we belonged and not sleep in no bunk house.”
➤ An idealized location — but it remains imaginary and unreachable
It’s imagined as a place of freedom and self-reliance.
What does Soledad mean and why is it important?
Soledad, meaning ‘solitude’ in Spanish, is the nearby town where the story is set.
➤ Reflects the novel’s focus on loneliness and isolation
It means ‘solitude’ in Spanish.
How is Crooks’s room filled with personal belongings?
“A tattered dictionary and a mauled copy of the California civil code… a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles.”
➤ Suggests he’s educated and values independence — but still segregated
‘A tattered dictionary and a mauled copy of the California civil code.’
What does the riverbank at the end represent?
“A few wisps of wind blew over the pool so that the water crinkled… Already the sun had left the valley to go climbing up the slopes of the Gabilan mountains.”
➤ The peacefulness of nature contrasts with the tragedy about to occur
‘A few wisps of wind blew over the pool.’
