Diction & Syntax Chapter 3

Read the following passages about the shooting of Candy’s dog. Then answer the questions about
Steinbeck’s style.

Candy said hopefully, “You ain’t got no gun.”

“The hell I ain’t. Got a Luger. It won’t hurt him none at all.” Candy said, “Maybe tomorra. Le’s wait till
tomorra.”
“I don’t see no reason for it,” said Carlson. He went to his bunk, pulled his bag from underneath it and took
out a Luger pistol. “Le’s get it over with,” he said. “We can’t sleep with him stinkin’ around in here.” He put
the pistol in his hip pocket.
Candy looked a long time at Slim to try to find some reversal. And Slim gave him none. At last Candy said
softly and hopelessly, “Awright—take ‘im.” He did not look down at the dog at all. He lay back on his bunk and
crossed his arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling.

What do you notice about the word choice used to show Candy’s emotions here?
It shows that he isn’t ready and is sad to let his dog die. He is looking for excuses to let the dog not die. The
first part is full of hope and the second part he loses hope and there is no hope.
How and where does it shift?
The middle part when the gun is pulled out and Slim gives the go ahead and the mood changes from hope to
no hope.
How does that impact the mood?
It makes us sympathize with Candy because we realize that this farmer is supposed to be strong and act like a
man but we now see emotions coming through him. Sad emotions that men back in the day were told not to
express.
Candy did not answer. The silence fell on the room again. It came out of the night and invaded the room.

What do you notice about the sentence length?

It gets longer and longer.
What do you notice about the syntax? (order of words)
It goes subject, verb, subject, verb.
How does that contribute to the mood? What does it develop?
It adds more pauses, increasing the tension and suspense.
1)They took places opposite each other at the table under the light, but George did not shuffle the cards.
2)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. 3)The silence fell on the room again. 4)A minute passed, and another
minute. 5)Candy lay still, staring at the ceiling.

What do you notice about the sentence length of each of these sentences? Where is there a shift?
It starts with two longer, compound sentences and then ends with short simple sentences.
What do you notice about the sentence construction of sentences 3-5?
It builds tension to have people on the edge of their seat, waiting to hear thegunshot, waiting to hear the dog
die.
What does shift accomplish here?
Building tension and empathy for Candy and his dog.
George brought the cards together tightly and studied the backs of them. The silence was in the room
again.
A shot sounded in the distance. The men looked quickly at the old man. Every head turned toward him.
For a moment he continued to stare at the ceiling. Then he rolled slowly over and faced the wall and lay
silent.

What do you notice about the length of these sentences? Which sentence sticks out? Why?

It goes from longer sentences, the short sentence of the gunshot then back to longer sentences. The gunshot
sentence because that is what we’ve been waiting for to relieve the tension.
What words evoke emotions from the reader for Candy?
The silence from Candy and Candy not facing toward the men and hiding away.
Synthesize: Look back at each of these passages. Why does silence play an important role at this point in the
novel? Who is literally being silenced? Who is metaphorically being silenced, and what role does each man
play in the silence?
Candy and Candy’s dog are literally being silenced, but the figurative silence is the showing that all the men are
out for themselves on the farm.
Now, let’s look at the passage about the dream.

“An’ we could have a few pigs. I could build a smoke house like the one gran’pa had, an’ when
we kill a pig we can smoke the bacon and the hams, and make sausage an’ all like that. An’
when the salmon run up river we could catch a hundred of ‘em an’ salt ‘em down or smoke
‘em. We could have them for breakfast. They ain’t nothing so nice as smoked salmon. When
the fruit come in we could can it—and tomatoes, they’re easy to can. Ever’ Sunday we’d kill a
chicken or a rabbit. Maybe we’d have a cow or a goat, and the cream is so God damn thick
you got to cut it with a knife and take it out with a spoon.”

What word is used to link ideas together? What is the impact of that?

How are the ideas organized? What is the effect of that organization? What emotions are evoked in doing so?

Finally, look at the fight scene between Lennie and Curly.

Lennie looked helplessly at George, and then he got up and tried to retreat. Curley was
balanced and poised. He slashed at Lennie with his left, and then smashed down his nose
with a right. Lennie gave a cry of terror. Blood welled from his nose. “George,” he cried.
“Make ‘um let me alone, George.” He backed until he was against the wall, and Curley
followed, slugging him in the face. Lennie’s hands remained at his sides; he was too
frightened to defend himself.

What do you notice about the sentences here?

They stay long throughout the entire fight scene, but stay short before and after the action of the fight.
What effect does the length have on the action?
It adds detail and realism to the fight and It shows the action and fast pace in the longer sentences.
Consider how the action is described. What is it similar to?
The action reminds you of an announcer giving a play by play because of the fast voicing and the fast sentence
structure, which makes sense because Lennie used to be a boxer.