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Rina Dixon

Miles

Pre AP English

6 February 2017

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Dialectical Journal #1:

“The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong

features. Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose.

Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide,

sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his

paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely” (Steinbeck 2).

Characterization: George and Lennie

This passage characterizes George and Lennie by describing the differences in their

features and comparing to animals. George is described as ‘small and quick’ and also clever in

contrast to Lennie’s huge and slow persona. Lennie is compared to a bear multiple times by

being described as having paws and physical stature like that of a bear. Contrastly, George is

more like a mouse. His features such as his are described as being bony and distinct. However,

even though both are being characterized very differently, they both portray the theme about

human’s animalistic nature. Both men are portrayed more closely to animals than humans, and

their actions later in the novel only further that idea. Respectively, the mouse and bear

foreshadow their actions later on, Lennie being accidently reckless and oblivious of his harmful
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nature, and George’s tendency to avoid tricky situations and also his ability to successfully get

out of them.

Dialectical Journal #2:

“...we’ll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens. And when it rains in

the winter, we’ll just say the hell with goin’ to work, and we’ll build up a fire in the stove and set

around it an’ listen to the rain comin’ down on the roof- Nuts” He took out his pocket knife. “I

ain’t got time for no more” (Steinbeck 15).

Theme: The American Dream

One of the main theme is Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is the unreachability of the

American Dream. George and Lennie’s dream is to “live off the fatta’ the land” and be able to

run their own lives without having to work on countless ranches. Throughout the story, the

possibility of their dream shifts in many different ways. After Candy agrees to chip in, the dream

suddenly becomes a very plausible idea. However, after the incident with Curley’s wife the

dream is once again just a far away fantasy. George’s want for the dream wasn’t as high at first,

but with Lennie constantly reminding him about the rabbits, he became more attached to it, even

though the dream was really Lennie’s. That’s why after Lennie’s death, the dream ceases to exist

for both Candy and George. Every character in the story has a dream, and the one thing in

common with them all is that none of them reach it. This helps create the theme that the

American Dream is something that will never be reached.

Dialectical Journal #3:

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“He was a jerkline skinner, the prince of the ranch capable of driving ten, sixteen, even

twenty mules with a single line to the leaders. He was capable of killing a fly on the wheeler’s

butt with a bull whip without touching the mule. There was a gravity in his manner and a quiet so

profound that all stopped when he spoke. His authority was so great that with his word was taken

on any subject, be it politics or love. This was Slim, the jerkline skinner. His hatchet face was

ageless. He might have been thirty five or fifty. His ear heard more than was said to him, and his

slow speech had overtones not of thought, but of understanding beyond thought” (Steinbeck 34).

Characterization: Slim

Unlike the other characters in Of Mice and Men Slim is the only character that isn’t

classified as either predator or prey. He is shown as having godlike character and unquestioned,

yet sensible authority on the entirety of the ranch. He always seemed to know everything going

on, and have objective advice on how to face that problem. Everyone respects him, and he is

very good with people. In just a few lines of dialogue, he got George to tell him his entire life

story, and explanation of his friendship with Lennie. He could understand everyone’s emotions

and reasons for feeling that way, and through that was able to provide countless amounts of

insight and comfort. Steinbeck describes Slim as having many godlike qualities and skill, which

is awed at by the other ranch workers. He is always taken seriously and is never questioned, and

this passage is a great example of how ‘the gravity in his manner’ is described. Slim is the

constant omniscient outsider from the ranches society, and gives an insight to the situation that

would be from someone in today’s times.

Dialectical Journal #4:

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“During the conversation Carlson refused to be drawn in. He continued to look down at

the old dog. Candy watched him uneasily. At last Carlson said, “If you want me to, I’ll put the

old devil out of his misery right now and get it over with. Ain’t nothing left for him. Can’t eat,

can’t see, can’t even walk without without hurtin’” (Steinbeck 47).

Determine Importance: Candy and Carlson

In addition to be one of the key events in the story, there are also extreme parallels to

George and Lennie’s situation. Here, Carlson kills Candy’s dog, and Candy wishes that he could

have done it himself. Just like Candy, George realizes that it would be better to kill Lennie

himself if he is already going to die. George figures that Lennie dying happy is a better and more

sane way for him to go out instead of getting lynched by Curley’s mob. This scene also helps

characterize Carlson as being a predator like Curley. This also helps set up for Candy’s

involvement with George and Lennie and their dream, making it temporarily a reality with his

financial contribution. This also further characterizes Candy by showing his reaction to the dogs

death, which can help infer how George felt after he had to kill Lennie, even though it isn’t

explicitly given in dialogue or exposition.

Dialectical Journal #5:

“They took places opposite of each other at the table, under the light, but George did not

shuffle the cards. He rippled the edge of the deck nervously, and the little snapping noise drew

the eyes of all the men in the room, so that he stopped doing it. The silence fell on the room

again. A minute passed, and another minute. Candy lay still, staring at the ceiling. Slim gazed at

him for a moment and then looked down at his hands; he subdued one hand with the other, and
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held it down. There came a little gnawing sound from under the floor and all the men looked

down toward it gratefully. Only Candy continued to stare at the ceiling” (Steinbeck 49).

Rhetorical Analysis: Silence

This passage uses silence to portray many different rhetorical devices like syntax,

personification, and imagery. The syntax used in this passage is used to draw out the time that

the men were waiting for the shot from Carlson’s gun. A time like this would seem very

extended and that length is heightened by the long sentence structure. Personification is also used

here to give the silence its own entity so that it can weigh in on the tense mood created by the

suspense of the death of Candy’s dog. As silence ‘fell on the room’ the feeling shown by the

other men changes to a more somber and on edge tone. Finally, imagery is used to very detailed

description of each person in the room as they are waiting. This also helps draw out the time like

the syntax to help build up to the suspense. Passages like this that utilize multiple rhetorical

devices are used all throughout the novel to help develop the scene.

Dialectical Journal #6:

“It was Sunday afternoon. The resting horses nibbled the remaining wisps of ahy, and

they stamped their feet and they bit the wood of the mangers and rattled the halter chains. The

afternoon sliced in through the cracks of the barn walls and lay in bright lines on the hay. There

was a buzz of flies in the air, the lazy afternoon humming. From outside cam the clang of

horseshoes on the playing peg and the shouts of men, playing encouraging, jeering. But in the

barn it was quiet and humming and lazy and warm” (Steinbeck 84).
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Rhetorical Analysis: The Barn

This passage from Of Mice and Men utilizes imagery, juxtaposition, and foreshadowing

to help develop the setting and future events. The imagery is developed by this through intricate

descriptions of everything in the barn, and outside. Steinbeck juxtaposes the inside and outside of

the barn. Inside the air is stuffy and everything seems very enclosed and man made. Contrastly,

the outside is shown as lively and energetic. The outside is completely unaware of the congested

inside and the outside is doing its own thing versus the inside. It is also foreshadowing the events

that would soon perspire with Lennie and Curley’s Wife. After Curley’s Wife dies, the aroma in

the barn is drastically changed to be more tense, even though it is still very different from the

outside. Even after the men from outside enter the barn it is still not as lively as outside or the

same level of tense as it was a few moments before.

Dialectical Journal #7:

“She struggled violently under his hands. Her feet battered on the hay and she writhed to

be free; and from under Lennie’s hand came muffled screaming. Lennie began to cry with fright.

“Oh! Please don’t do none of that,” he begged. “George gonna say I done a bad thing. He ain’t

gonna let me tend to no rabbits.” He moved his hand a little and her hoarse cry came out. Then

Lennie grew angry. “Now don’t,” he said. “I don’t want you to tell. You gonna get me in trouble

jus’ like George says you will. Now don’t you do that.” And she continued to struggle, and her

eyes were wild with terror” (Steinbeck 91)

Determine Importance: Curley’s Wife’s Death

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This scene in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is a key part to the plot. Lennie’s

mistake and cluelessness of what’s going on, changes many characters mindsets and fates. First

of all, George stops pursuing his dream with Lennie because it doesn’t seem right after this

without Lennie. This also lowers Candy’s hopes because of his dependence on their dream. This

also Curley and his mob to chase after Lennie and attempt to lynch him. It also finalizes Lennie’s

character as being unaware that what he is doing is not good. Curley chasing after Lennie also

leads to the eventual fate of Lennie, getting killed by George. Even though he killed him as

mercy, it is still extremely painful for George, and Slim seems to be the only one that

understands his pain. The plot point is truly the most important plot point that sets the most

things in motions and changes the most characters.

Dialectical Journal #8:

“The voices came closer now. George raised the gun and listened to the voices. Lennie

begged, “Le’s do it now. Le’s get that place now.” “Sure, right now. I gotta. We gotta.” And

George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it closer to the back of

Lennie’s head. The hand shook violently , but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the

trigger. The crash of the shot rolled up the hills and rolled down again. Lennie jarred, and then

settled forward in the sand, and he lay without quivering” (Steinbeck 106).

Theme: Male Friendship

The theme demonstrated here is one of male friendship. Even though without context it

looks like murder this is the best thing that George could have done for Lennie. With an angry

mob pursuing Lennie, George gave Lennie the best death that he could have received. This
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friendship between them is one of the main themes in the novel. Their brotherhood and intense

bond is abruptly cut off in the nicest way that he possibly could. This shows that even through all

of the bad things, and no matter how bad things are, a friend will always be there to try to make

the best of it. George and lennie really do care for each other, even if the other people at the

ranch can’t understand why. However the world that they are living in can’t provide a

relationship like this, so it is cut off by the nature of the other men. Even after Lennie dies and

George is obviously devastated, Curley and Carlson can’t understand that bond that George felt.