Of Mice and Men idea sharing thread

My class has never practised a question! I have never written one out but I will be in the upcoming weeks! Just practice and ask your teacher for help if you need it. Remember there isn't necessarily a fixed right answer, the board want to see individuality with sufficient back up .

The way I see it is that due to the Wall Street Crash economic migrants were so poor and many lived in Hoovervilles (homeless settlements)-They created this idea of the American Dream as a form of propaganda to increase productivity and economic success making people have some form of hope in society and the economy by following their dreams!

Don't you do questions at school? Oh that's good ... That's true how long do you revise for English Literature and how?

You could talk about how the red dress at the beginning of the story symbolises danger and the colour red which curleys wife always wears is a symbolisation of danger. Also the ostrich feathers that curleys wife always wears is a symbolisation of her weakness and how much power she has as ostriches can not fly and always remain on the ground so this shows how she is trapped like an ostrich. You could talk about the American Dream and how important it was back in the 1930s. You could talk about the rights of women and when voting was allowed for women too. You could talk about how the game solitaire that they always played is a symbolisation of their loneliness. There was a part where George was playing solitaire by himself which symbolises his loneliness. You could talk about the theme of racism. There's a part where curleys wife enters crooks' room and she threaten to leech him. At that moment that is the only power or authority she had. She was trying to show her superior she is than crooks as he is black and she knows he won't be able to talk back as she's threatened him. That's the only time in the story which she has actual power. Crooks is educated as he has magazines/books that he reads about black peoples rights. Crooks is also lonely as he has to rub liniment in his back by himself. Curley is scared of Lennie as he is bigger in size and tries to prove to Lennie how stronger he is. At the end of the story Curley doesn't want Lennie killed just because of the fact that his wife is dead, it's also because of that one night where Lennie nearly broke his hand and the fact that Curley has always had a grudge against Lennie since the day he came to the branch.. The snake struggling at the end symbolises how Lennie was killed by George. Curleys wife was flapping like a fish when Lennie was holding on to her. Lennie and George talking about their dream with candy symbolises the amount of hope they had and how significant the American Dream was to the men at that time. Candys dog dying, curleys wife dying and Lennie dying shows the survival of the fittest. Only the ones who are good enough survive. When curleys wife enters into the bunk house she blocks the sunlight which forebodes that she will bring darkness into the men's lives. Slim being the only one to comfort George shows how compassionate he is and his description shows that the ranch workers looked up to him. There are more other things too...


Posted from TSR Mole

Omds dis is a really good idea x

Hi everyone
I though it would be useful if people who study this book came together and posted some deep symbolism they came up with! Maybe we could focus on a different topic everyday? For example, today could be the bunkhouse- here are some ideas I have:
1. The walls are described as 'whitewashed' whilst the floor is covered with 'burlap straw'. Perhaps this mirrors the dullness of the life on the ranch compared to the vivid life in nature.
2. The light shines into the bunkhouse as a 'bar' on the walls/floor which could emphasise how the men on the ranch are trapped in an oppressive cycle- the bar is an image of prison bars.
3. Within the bunkhouse, the workers store their possessions in 'apple boxes'- both George and Crooks use liniment, something that soothes muscles whilst other workers carry medicine. This could reflect the pain such an oppressive life inflicts onto them since they treasure medicine as an important possession.

These are a few of my ideas and it would be great if you guys to share some so we can all mindmap some really good points before the exam! Please also suggest topics for following days!
Thanks

Noticing your comment about light, in the scene that Curley's Wife is killed the light is described as 'slicing' into the barn. This correlates with the way Curley's Wife is described as peaceful and calm after being killed (can't remember exactly what she was described as - haven't studied this for a year now) as though the light acted in Steinbeck's opinion as a slice of optimism and relief. The light contradicts the constant theme of death which is imprinted throughout the novel, as though Steinbeck wants the audience to see this as 'light at the end of the tunnel' in sense - as though for Curley's Wife her story has ended, she has spoken her piece as a microcosm of prejudice against women in 1930's America, and she may now lay at rest with optimism

Hi everyone
I though it would be useful if people who study this book came together and posted some deep symbolism they came up with! Maybe we could focus on a different topic everyday? For example, today could be the bunkhouse- here are some ideas I have:
1. The walls are described as 'whitewashed' whilst the floor is covered with 'burlap straw'. Perhaps this mirrors the dullness of the life on the ranch compared to the vivid life in nature.
2. The light shines into the bunkhouse as a 'bar' on the walls/floor which could emphasise how the men on the ranch are trapped in an oppressive cycle- the bar is an image of prison bars.
3. Within the bunkhouse, the workers store their possessions in 'apple boxes'- both George and Crooks use liniment, something that soothes muscles whilst other workers carry medicine. This could reflect the pain such an oppressive life inflicts onto them since they treasure medicine as an important possession.

These are a few of my ideas and it would be great if you guys to share some so we can all mindmap some really good points before the exam! Please also suggest topics for following days!
Thanks

Wow, these are great ideas.
I'm so stealing them.
Thanks for posting c: