Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (Marxist Theory)
Text Reference #1 (Chapter 5, Pg.91 & 94): "Don't you go yellin', " he said, and he shook her; and her body flopped like a fish. And then she was still for Lennie had broken her neck."
"Now Candy spoke his greatest fear. "You an' me can get that little place, can't we, George? You an' me can go there an' live nice, can't we, George? Can't we?" Before George answered, Candy dropped his head and looked down at the hay. He knew."
Analysis: George and Lennie had the dream of buying and owning a ranch where they could live off the land. After Lennie killed Curley's wife, George knew that dream could never be reached, with those circumstances. The only reason George believed in the dream, or their "American Dream" is because of Lennie. Without Lennie, it was nothing, and after the murder, George knew Lennie would not get away. According to the Marxist Lens, the American Dream blinds us to its failure, and that is what happened between the relationship of George and Lennie.
Text Reference #2 (Chapter 3, Pg. 60): "He said miserably, "You seen what they done to my dog tonight? They says he wasn't no good to himself nor anybody else. When they can me here I wisht somebody'd shoot me. But they won't do nothing like that. I won't have no place to go, an' I can't get no more jobs."
Analysis: Carlson wanted to get rid of Candy's dog, because he felt it was useless and old in his opinion. His mindset was that the weak do not have a place in life. After his dog was killed, Candy realized he is in a similar position with his job and his boss. Eventually he will be useless and will be without a job, so he would want someone to shoot him so he would not suffer. This supports the idea of classism, where one's value is determined by their social class. Lennie is later shot by the same gun Candy's dog was shot with. This is a symbol of the oppression and destruction of the weak and innocent. The weak and innocent cannot survive in such a cruel society.
Text Reference #3 (Chapter 3, Pg. 62-63): "Curley glared at him. His eyes slipped on past and lighted on Lennie; and Lennie was still smiling with delight at the memory of the ranch. Curley stepped over to Lennie like a terrier. "What the hell you laughin' at?" Lennie looked blankly at him. "Huh?" Then Curley's rage exploded. "Come on, ya big bastard. Get up on your feet. No big son-of-a-bitch is gonna laugh at me. I'll show ya who's yella."
"He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "Get 'im, Lennie!"
"George yelled again, "I said get him."
"Curley's fist was swinging when Lennie reached for it. The next minute Curley was flopping like a fish on a line, and his closed fist was lost in Lennie's big hand."
Analysis: During this scene in the book, Lennie is extremely innocent as he was just thinking about the dream of the ranch. Curley needed to find a subject to attack, so he took Lennie as an advantage, and attacked him showing he had higher authority. Lennie is just a worker and he also is a proletariat which was on the bottom of the hierarchy and Curley is a bourgeois which made him on the top of the hierarchy. When Curley beats up on Lennie, Lennie believe that he is not stronger than Curley and would not ever be. Power struggles are demonstrated since Curley is higher, because of his and George has a lot more say on Lennie as Lennie asks George before he does anything. Curley is a man who believes he has more strength than everyone but Lennie and George have a subtle power too.
Symbolic Character Representation:
-The Boss: Upper Class Authoritarian
-Slum: Voice of Reason
-Carlson: Stock Western Figure
-Candy: The Elderly/The Handicapped
-Crooks: African Americans
-Curley's Wife: Objectification of Women
-Lennie: Mentally Disabled
Citation: "Broderick Crawford and Wallace Ford in Of Mice and Men." Gale Student Resources in Context, Gale, 2010. Student Resources in Context,link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/PC4295800284/SUIC?u=onta42685&xid=b7d99502. Accessed 24 Jan. 2017.
Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York, N.Y., U.S.A: Penguin Books, 1994. Print.
"Now Candy spoke his greatest fear. "You an' me can get that little place, can't we, George? You an' me can go there an' live nice, can't we, George? Can't we?" Before George answered, Candy dropped his head and looked down at the hay. He knew."
Analysis: George and Lennie had the dream of buying and owning a ranch where they could live off the land. After Lennie killed Curley's wife, George knew that dream could never be reached, with those circumstances. The only reason George believed in the dream, or their "American Dream" is because of Lennie. Without Lennie, it was nothing, and after the murder, George knew Lennie would not get away. According to the Marxist Lens, the American Dream blinds us to its failure, and that is what happened between the relationship of George and Lennie.
Text Reference #2 (Chapter 3, Pg. 60): "He said miserably, "You seen what they done to my dog tonight? They says he wasn't no good to himself nor anybody else. When they can me here I wisht somebody'd shoot me. But they won't do nothing like that. I won't have no place to go, an' I can't get no more jobs."
Analysis: Carlson wanted to get rid of Candy's dog, because he felt it was useless and old in his opinion. His mindset was that the weak do not have a place in life. After his dog was killed, Candy realized he is in a similar position with his job and his boss. Eventually he will be useless and will be without a job, so he would want someone to shoot him so he would not suffer. This supports the idea of classism, where one's value is determined by their social class. Lennie is later shot by the same gun Candy's dog was shot with. This is a symbol of the oppression and destruction of the weak and innocent. The weak and innocent cannot survive in such a cruel society.
Text Reference #3 (Chapter 3, Pg. 62-63): "Curley glared at him. His eyes slipped on past and lighted on Lennie; and Lennie was still smiling with delight at the memory of the ranch. Curley stepped over to Lennie like a terrier. "What the hell you laughin' at?" Lennie looked blankly at him. "Huh?" Then Curley's rage exploded. "Come on, ya big bastard. Get up on your feet. No big son-of-a-bitch is gonna laugh at me. I'll show ya who's yella."
"He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "Get 'im, Lennie!"
"George yelled again, "I said get him."
"Curley's fist was swinging when Lennie reached for it. The next minute Curley was flopping like a fish on a line, and his closed fist was lost in Lennie's big hand."
Analysis: During this scene in the book, Lennie is extremely innocent as he was just thinking about the dream of the ranch. Curley needed to find a subject to attack, so he took Lennie as an advantage, and attacked him showing he had higher authority. Lennie is just a worker and he also is a proletariat which was on the bottom of the hierarchy and Curley is a bourgeois which made him on the top of the hierarchy. When Curley beats up on Lennie, Lennie believe that he is not stronger than Curley and would not ever be. Power struggles are demonstrated since Curley is higher, because of his and George has a lot more say on Lennie as Lennie asks George before he does anything. Curley is a man who believes he has more strength than everyone but Lennie and George have a subtle power too.
Symbolic Character Representation:
-The Boss: Upper Class Authoritarian
-Slum: Voice of Reason
-Carlson: Stock Western Figure
-Candy: The Elderly/The Handicapped
-Crooks: African Americans
-Curley's Wife: Objectification of Women
-Lennie: Mentally Disabled
Citation: "Broderick Crawford and Wallace Ford in Of Mice and Men." Gale Student Resources in Context, Gale, 2010. Student Resources in Context,link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/PC4295800284/SUIC?u=onta42685&xid=b7d99502. Accessed 24 Jan. 2017.
Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York, N.Y., U.S.A: Penguin Books, 1994. Print.