Of Mice and Men - Carlson Flashcards
Main points for Carlson
- Cruel + luger
- Practical
- Attitude to solving conflict
- Misogynistic
Cruel: ‘Why don’t you get Candy to shoot his old dog and give him one of the pups to raise up?’
Dismissive/lack of empathy
Incapable of understanding Candy’s emotional attachment to his dog -> void of sentiment
Cruel: ‘Now what the hell ya suppose is eating those two guys’
Incapable of understanding why Slim and George are upset over Lennie’s death
Emotional detachment to others + disregard to human life
Cruel + luger: ‘Luger Pistol’
Repeated reference to Carlson’s luger pistol
Cruel: Context
Human nature is to be cruel
Due to unemployment -> only aim of life was survival
Luger: Context
Maybe Carlson was a WW1 veteran - explains his lack of empathy for life
Nazi Germany basis was social darwinism -> justified large killing
Carlson represents this brutal part of history
Practical: ‘You ain’t being kind to him keepin’ him alive’
His intentions are not cruel, but is concerned for the impracticality of keeping the dog alive
Links to Slim killing his dogs for practicality
Practicality: ‘If you was to take him out and shoot him right in the back of the head.. he’s never know what hit him’
Carlson doesn’t want to cause pain -> wants to be merciful in his execution
Link to George killing Lennie
Practical:
Social Darwinism left no room for compassion, and the struggle of the weakest of society was considered the natural order of things
In such times, the only attitude was to be practical
Attitude to solving conflict: ‘I’ll kick your God damn head off’’
Resorts to violence to maintain dominance over Curley, when Curley accuses Slim of having an affair with his wife
Contrasts Slim, who used manipulation
Attitudes to solving conflict: Context
Being a man - masculine traits
Patriarchal society
Misogynistic: ‘Why don’t you tell her to stay the hell at home where she belongs’
Mirrors stereotypical image of women - stay at home, obedient to husbands
What does Steinbeck use Carlson to do?
- Cruelty of mankind
- Rise in social darwinism
- Suffering breeds cruelty
