Year 10 English Text Response
Who are the ‘Mice’ and who are the ‘Men’ in Steinbeck’s novel? 500-600 words
Due: Friday 11th April (Day 5)
· Characters can belong in both categories
· Also, just because a character is placed into the ‘Mice’ category does not then mean that the character is weak
· The findings in the table below will form the foundation of your essay plan
· You may agree or disagree with the way I have divided characters into categories
Mice / MenLennie is like a mouse that seems harmless. His simple yet innocent child-like mind also gives him mouse-like characteristics. Interestingly, his surname is “Small”. Lennie also had a pet mouse before he crushed it by mistake. / Lennie has the strength of two or more men as evidenced by his strong work ethic. However, this manly strength has got him into trouble in Weed with a woman who wore a red dress and Lennie would not let go; in a fight whereby Curly’s hand was crushed; & finally he accidentally snaps the neck of Curly’s wife.
Curly is the boss’ son and also a noted fighter in the district. Throughout, he comes across as a bullying character that trusts no one. He continually appears to be looking for his wife. He is suspicious of her movements due to her flirtatious nature. He bullies Lennie believing that he is a soft target, but soon discovers that he picked on the wrong person when Lennie crushes his hand. Curly remains vengeful and when he discovers that Lennie has killed his wife he leads a posse of men to hunt down and kill Lennie. There is much to dislike about Curly and his cowardly actions which make him more a mouse than a man. / George is like a brother and guardian to Lennie. In a society where people do not fully understand Lennie’s mental disability George for the most part tolerates and guides Lennie through life as part of promise that he has made to Aunt Clara. Unlike other lesser men, George does not waste his money on “booze and hookers”, but instead has a dream to one day own his own property. A place that he and Lennie can call home. George also makes the hardest decision…to end Lennie’s life.
Crooks is isolated and lonely via his racial segregation from the men in the bunk house by living in the barn. When he is threatened and spoken harshly at by Curly’s Wife he cowers as if he has been reduced to a mouse. Crooks is also bitter of the way he has been treated and threatens Lennie by telling him that something has or might happen to George. Clearly Crooks is jealous that both Lennie and George have a strong friendship and that he has nobody. / Crooks is a negro ‘Skinner’ who lives in the barn. He allows Lennie to enter his room and soon makes a friend. Candy later enters the room and observes that in all the time that he had worked on the farm he had never once been in Crooks’ room. Their presence is significant in terms of people co-existing together regardless of their colour or disability. It’s a form of desegregation. Each individual has some type of perceived flaw. Crooks is a Negro, Candy has a physical handicap and Lennie has a mental disability.
Carlson shoots Candy’s dog with his Luger even after Candy pleads with him not to. The same Luger is a later stolen by George to execute Lennie. / Slim is respected by all including Crooks who labels him as a real “team man”. Slim’s kindness is also noted when he gives Lennie a pup from his bitches litter. Slim’s understanding and support is best displayed after George shoots Lennie. As Slim ushers him away Slim remarks, “you hadda, George. I swear you hadda”.
Candy is unable to stop Carlson from shooting his dog and later confides in George remarking that he should have shot the dog himself (a clear precursor to George later having to shoot Lennie himself). This weakness stems from his old age and his physical handicap of having only one hand. / Candy had become less than a man through his physical handicap and old age. He’s worried that when he becomes too old he will suffer the same fate as his dog. It’s no wonder then that when he overhears George and Lennie talking about the farm he offers to give them a sum of money and in doing so forms a partnership. This gives Candy hope. The way he boasts to Curly’s Wife in the presence of Lennie and Crooks is evidence of a man who has regained his integrity and now has a purpose or reason to live. Unfortunately this is short lived when Lennie accidentally snaps Curly’s wife’s neck, Candy then returns to mediocrity.
Curly’s Wife is like Crooks in that they are characters we feel sorry for. Like a mouse, no one hears her cry of loneliness. She is a solitary woman trapped on the farm surrounded by men. To her detriment, she is a flirtatious woman desperate for attention. This is due to her husband not being around enough, preferring to treat her as a trophy wife.
The all important how to begin and end your essay???
Introduction
Begin by clarifying what constitutes a ‘mouse’ and a ‘man’ in the context of the novel. For example, clarify why some characters belong in both categories. Also, clarify that just because a character is placed in the ‘mouse’ category does not necessarily mean that they are then weak. Etc…
Conclusion
Why do you think there are more ‘mice’ than ‘men’? What social comment is Steinbeck making? (See below for sample conclusion)
A written example of a conclusion
Steinbeck’s novel is set in a mans world. It’s no wonder that Curly’s wife remains nameless. However, the men are few compared to the mice that inhabit the novel. One may exclaim, “where have all the good men gone?” Those who remain are seemingly defeated. Most are beaten down by the economic Depression, limited by their race or colour, physically handicapped or underpaid and undervalued by their boss. But not Lennie and George who form a partnership and dare to dream of getting a “…little place of their own…an’ live on the fatta the lan.’” (97 words)