Of Mice And Men Quotes Flashcards
loneliness of ranch workers
‘Guys like us, that work on ranches are the loneliest guys in the world’
Curley’s wife loneliness
‘ I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely’
Crooks loneliness + segregation
‘A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody’
‘I ain’t allowed in the bunks house and you ain’t allowed in my room’
Quote that could be analysed to show that Curley is lonely
‘Curley’s keeping that hand soft for his wife’ lack of emotional connection with his wife causes him to act with horror and treat others awfully
Candy feels bad about his dogs death and that he is now even more lonely
‘I should have shot that dog myself’
companionship in George and Lennies relationship
‘I got you to look after me and you got me to look after you’
importance of companionship - crooks
‘A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody’
crooks envies George and Lennies relationship
‘ George can tell you screwy things, and it don’t matter. It’s just the talking’
A quote to show that the other ranch members don’t understand the need for companionship ( the boss )
‘ I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy’
Natural imagery - exposition
‘The water is warm too, for it has slipped twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight before reaching the narrow pool’
Natural imagery - epilogue
‘A water snake glided smoothly up the pool, twisting its periscope head from side to side
Context - 18th century poem
The title originated from Robbie Burns poem ‘To a mouse’ about a mouse who built a nest in a wheat field ready for winter but it gets destroyed by a ploughman. Symbolizes the tragic end of the novella - George and Lennies dream is destroyed leading to pain and suffering
Context - publication
John Steinbeck in 1937, set in Soledad which translates to ‘solitude’ in Spanish meaning loneliness. Steinbeck grew up on ranches so he writes from personal experience.
The Great Depression
1929-39, a period of significant poverty and unemployment. During the peak it was estimated that 13-15 million people in the USA were unemployed - hunger, poverty and disease were big problems
The Wall Street Crash
1929 - start of the Great Depression. It was a result of too many goods being produced with not enough profit being turned over.
The dust bowl
Began in 1930 and didn’t end until 1936 - resulting in the harvest of crops being poor so revenue for farmers was little to none.
Life of African Americas in the 1930s
The Great Depression hit African Americas the hardest - 50% were unemployed. Some northern states ordered black citizens to be fired from their jobs to make way for the white people.
Life of farmers
Small farms were effected as they used to repay their loans used to buy seeds with from crop revenue but the dust bowl stopped this. This led to banks repressing forms resulting in homelessness. Many farmers migrated to California in hopes for work, like George and Lennie. 1.3 million were estimated to have moved
What was Steinbecks purpose for the novella?
To accentuate the need for companionship during times of hardship - economical or social. OMAM tells the story of normal humans with dreams, some of which are driven by moral justice and others by power and greed. He also highlights the need to have dreams and hope, even during the hardest times
Curley’s wife - dream
‘I was gonna be in the movies’
Lennies desire of owning his own farm with George
‘I can still tend the rabbits, George?’
