LQ: How does Steinbeck reinforce the themes of loneliness and
unfulfilled dreams in chapters 5 and 6?
Title: The Ending
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Which opinion do you think the rest of the characters on the ranch would
hold and why?
U
N
D
Key Context:
E
Let’s read the newspaper article from 1937…
R
S
T Does knowing this context
A add anything to your
N understanding or feelings
D about:
I
N • George?
G • Slim?
U
N
D
Discussion
E
1. What would be a ‘natural’ reaction to this death, in
R today’s day and age?
S
T 2. Considering the context we have just read, what would
A be the reaction of the men on the ranch? Think
N specifically about individual characters.
D - George’s reaction
I - Slim’s reaction
N - Curley’s reaction
G - Candy’s reaction
U
N
D
Reading on – Page 128
E
R Recap:
S
T
A The men are all
N enjoying their day off,
D playing a game of
I horseshoe outside.
N
G
U
N Page 129 At no point in the novel
does Steinbeck himself
D call Curley’s wife a tart.
• “the meanness and the His descriptions are the
E
planning and the polar opposite to what
R
discontent and the ache the men say about her.
S Even in his description
for attention were all of her earlier on, he
T
gone…” does not pass
A judgement on her.
N • “she was very pretty This is the perfect
D and simple” example of how he
creates pathos – it is
I • “face was sweet and pure genius! We as
N young” readers were tricked
G into believing Candy
• “seem(ed) alive and and George and are now
U Steinbeck’s Letter (AO4)You have a copy of this
N and should refer to it in
D essays as it is key
“She grew up in an atmosphere of fighting context.
E and suspicion. Quite early she learned that
R she must never trust any one but she was
S never able to carry out what she learned. A
natural trustfulness broke through constantly
T and every time it did… her moral training
A was most rigid.”
N Now, she was trained by threat not only at
D home but by other kids. And any show of
fear or weakness brought an instant
I persecution. She learned to be hard to cover
N her fright. And automatically she became
G hardest when she was most frightened. She
is a nice, kind girl, not a floozy.
Recap
What do the following images symbolize in Of Mice and Men?
The colour
red/wome
n
Mice
Lennie’s puppy
Candy’s dog
Rabbits
Same LQ: How does Steinbeck reinforce the themes of
loneliness and unfulfilled dreams in chapters 5 and 6?
U
N Reading on…
D
E
R
S
T
A
N
D
I
N
G
Copy this timeline neatly into your
U
N books
D Thursday
E Friday Saturday Sunday
evening
R
G & L arrive G & L arrive at Do another L kills the
S the ranch.
at Salinas. day of pup. Kills
T Spend the Meet the boss, work. At Curley’s
A night in the Candy, Curley, night, G wife. Runs
brush Slim and goes to away;
N others. Do
because of town with hunted
D bus driver. their first day others. L, down by
I Mouse of work. Slim Candy, the men.
incident. gives Lennie a Crooks and G kills L by
N puppy. Death
Share their Curley’s the river in
G dream. of Candy’s wife in the Brush.
dog. Fight Crooks’
E
Structure: Why does Steinbeck
X show the story over 4 days?
P
L
A
I
N
I
N
G
Analysis of the Brush in chapter
E
X
6
P 1. In paragraph 1, how is the description of the
L river and mountains different compared to
A Chapter 1?
I 2. Who or what do the animals in paragraph 2
N symbolically represent?
I 3. In paragraph 3, what kind of atmosphere is
N created through the weather?
G 4. Explain the hidden or suggested meaning of
paragraphs 4 and 5.
E
Structure: Why does Steinbeck
X use a cyclical structure?
P
L
A
I
N
I
N
G
What did you notice about chapter 6?
E
X A cyclical Not a single
P structure – end dream came true
L where we began.
A Why? The ‘Law of the
I Jungle’ is
N The brush reinforced =
(Eden)is now no survival of the
I
longer a place of fittest, weak die
N off.
safety, paradise
G destroyed
Animal imagery is used to forewarn readers of the ending…
Same LQ: How does Steinbeck reinforce the themes of
loneliness and unfulfilled dreams in chapters 5 and 6?
The themes of loneliness and unfulfilled dreams are reinforced
through Steinbeck’s use of animal imagery as symbolism for the
events.
One such example is when Steinbeck writes ….. (Give an
example from the book, does not have to be a quote!)
This detail foreshadows …. (Give an example from the book,
does not have to be a quote!)
This links to themes of loneliness and unfulfilled dreams because
