OMAM Flashcards
“I been mean aint it?”` (George)
Although he talks in impatience and anger towards Lennie, he is still emotionally aware enough to realise how his words might make a man like Lennie feel - this is shown through the use of his rhetorical question.
“You do bad things and I got to get you out” (george)
- George expresses the fact that Lennie is a burden towards him and holds him back in multiple ways.
- Despite this, George still feels obligated to protect Lennie allowing the readers to notice George’s loyal and compassionate character even if these behaviours could have a mental toll on him or create burden
“Just a dead mouse Goerge. I didn’t kill it. Honest!” (lennie)
Here Lennie’s childish behaviour and innocence is proven to be dangerous - he tells George that he didn’t kill the mouse not understanding how serious his actions are claiming that it was fluffy making him want to play with it like a child would. Then the use of the word “Honest,” with a defensive tone further emphasising his childlike behaviours
“Lennie dabbled his big paw” (lennie)
Here Lennie is compared to a bear - zoomorphism is used to paint out some of his key qualities:
- Big and large - as a bear
- He isn;t the brightest - Lennie dabbles his “paw” instead of his hand - suggests Lennie lacks grace and precision in his actions
- “Dabbled” - creates sense of unintention or somewhat floppy movement - this is the way which Lennie moves
“Why do you got to get killed? You ain’t so little as mice. I didn’t bounce you hard.”
(lennie)
- Reflects Lennie’s childish behaviour - he unintentionally kills a dog and then proceeds to blame the dog saying it’s not that little, being unaware of what he is clearly capable of doing.
“George gonna say I done a bad thing. He ain’t gonna let me tend no rabbits.” (lennie)
- Rather than being concerned over that fact that he has just killed a puppy with his own two hands, Lennie is worried about him getting the rabbits he wants and Goerge being mad at him
- Again reflects Lennie’s childlike behaviours - he is worried about ,if Goerge who is like a parent to him, getting mad and he is selfish and only cares about himself and whether he will get rabbits
“We’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres” (dreams)
This is the dream of Lennie and George
How does this quote relate to context?
In this time it was very desired to have land in America - It was part of the american dream
“An’ live off the fatta the lan”
(dreames)
Lennie tells George how they will eventually be independent and live somewhere in which they make decisions for themselves.
context?
This was particularly significant during the time this book was set as ranch workers, like George and Lennie, often moved from one place to another looking for work on ranches, which was temporary. Wages for these men were very low and they depended on work to support themselves. This is why Lennie and George’s dream to live alone, independently was so important to them; the significance of this dream as a result brought George and Lennie together due to their desire to live the American dream
“Coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes—all them nice clothes like they wear. An’ I coulda sat in them big hotels, an’ had pitchers took of me.”
(dreams)
- Curley’s wife expresses her regret on missing out on her opportunity to become an actress, which was her dream - this dream would have contrasted to how she ended up, in an unhappy marriage on a ranch were she is constantly sexualised and marginalised by men
“But not us! An’ why? Because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.”
(lonliness)
Despite George and Lennie having practically opposing personalities, they are able to come into agreement that if they stick together they will persevere - this is aided by the fact that they have a shared dream and by sticking together they believe they will eventually achieve their goals.
“Lennie, who had been watching, imitated George exactly.”
(Strength / Power / Disability / Weakness)
- Shows Lennie’s weakness and disability to to the fact he feels the need to copy all of George’s actions showing his complete lack of independence and inability to do anything alone by the means of his own rational thought process
“Hell of a fella, but he ain’t bright. I’ve knew him for a long time, and he gets in trouble alla time because he’s so God damn dumb.”
(Strength / Power / Disability / Weakness)
- George explains the idea that Lennie is a kind hearted man but whats explained as his extreme stupidity brings him down
“Well, Curley’s pretty handy”
(curleys wife)
- Curley’s wife is always referred to as his wife or his “pretty hand” etc
- Never referred to as her own name
- Steinbeck is trying to tell the readers that she is thought of as the property of Curley through the objectification of Curley’s wife.
Context?
highlights the gender inequality at the time of the great depression, in which women were thought of as inferior beings. Her constantly being referred to as Curley’s belonging reflects that women during the great depression were simply seen as objects that belonged to their husbands who were powerless and useless.
“Well - she got the eye”
(curleys wife)
- Curley’s wife is being called a “loose woman” despite just marrying her husband
- Shows that she isn’t well respected by the men in the book, as she is being described as someone who is somewhat “promiscuous” just because she looks at the men
Context
- Further adds on to the idea that women weren’t equal to men, as they were easily misjudged and disrespected by men despite not doing anything to deserve the titles which they are given by men.
“Well, I think Curley’s married… a tart.”
(curleys wife)
Reflects men in ranches’ negative opinion of curley’s wife calling her a “tart” implying she is flirtatious with men despite being married - she is called a “tart” without even showing up in chapter 3.
context
Reflects misogyny in 1930s - Curley’s wife is objectifies and reduced to a stereotypes which was common for women at the time
- Described as promiscuous highlighting her role as an outsider, like all women were in ranches in 1930s
“I had ‘im ever since he was a pup. God, he was a good sheepdog when he was younger.”
(candy and dog)
- Reflects candy’s connection with his dog and his fear of him eventually being useless and replaced due to old age like his dog who is expected to die soon because of his age.
context?
discrimination towards old - during time of great depression once workers were no longer able to be productive, they would get kicked out of ranches, reflecting that society only valued people based on their labour
“They’ll can me purty soon. Jus’ as soon as I can’t swamp out no bunk houses they’ll put me on the county.”
(candy and dog)
- Shows Candy is aware of the risk of him being removed from the ranch due to becoming useless from old age
context?
- Again, in ranches, once people became old and less productive, they would be replaced by younger, more useful men showing people’s values came from labour
