Learning Goal: To explore the role of Curley’s wife. To understand and comment upon the techniques Steinbeck uses.
Why does Curley’s wife not have a name? Think about the role of women? Are they important in this novel? The men visit the whore houses – apart from Curly’s wife and Aunt Clara these are the only women mentioned.
How does Steinbeck arouse our sympathy for Curley’s wife in this section?
Can you still sympathise with Lennie even though he is a killer? Death Is this a big surprise? Can you still sympathise with Lennie even though he is a killer? How has Steinbeck prepared us for the killing of Curley’s wife? How does Steinbeck manage to preserve the reader’s sympathy for Lennie?
Curley’s Wife 1. Re-read the section that describes her death. 2. Read the boxes that describe the techniques that Steinbeck uses. 3. Draw an arrow from the boxes to the example in the description and fill in the boxes explaining what effect the techniques have. 4. Glue the sheet into your books.
Discussion question In a letter, John Steinbeck wrote of Curley’s wife: ‘she‘s a nice girl and not a floozy’. Draw up a chart that explores both sides. Focus on Steinbeck’s description, characters’ opinions, her dialogue, her attitude towards men or Crooks, her actions and her body language. Look at her dream, her confessions to Lennie, her loneliness or despair, and any other things she experiences that the reader might be able to sympathise with. How straightforward a character is she? How realistic do you think Steinbeck has made her seem? How successful do you think he was in his aim to present her as a ‘nice girl’ rather than a ‘floozy’? Floozy Victim
Shattered Dreams What is the mood at the end of this chapter? How does Steinbeck create suspense and foreboding? What has George done? What will happen next?
If ‘Shattered Dreams’ is a title for Chapter 5, what would the titles be for Chapters 1-4? Titles must be short, catchy and usefully summarise the key events/ themes of the chapter – these will help you navigate your way around the text.
In silence, record your thoughts and feelings by noting words and phrases into your books. 2 MINUTES ONLY
Discuss the following; Are you surprised or not? Was it an inevitable ending? Was it the right thing for George to do? Is the ending satisfactory?
Was George right?
What do you think Steinbeck’s motivation was in writing the novel? What points/messages did he want to convey?
Steinbeck uses his novel to show that… Pick 4 that you agree with and state why they are important, in regard to the themes in the novel Dreaming of a better way of life and having economic independence is futile: dreams never come true. Having a dream is important to morale. Puppies and mice don’t make good pets. Everyone has an appropriate place in society and people should know their place and not try to improve their status – doing so will only lead to trouble! Steinbeck is critical of the society in which he lived and disagrees with the way people treated each other e.g. discrimination against black people and prejudice against women. Life is tough for itinerant workers. Soledad is not a place you’d want to visit. Working hard does bring rewards. Every man should look after himself. Steinbeck has a very pessimistic outlook on life in 1930s America.
In ‘Of Mice and Men’ Steinbeck tries to show the reader what it would have been like to have been an itinerant worker in 1930s America. His account of this way of life is very bleak. Do you agree? Agree The men are rootless and drifting and have no real goals or purpose. Itinerant workers often feel very lonely and worthless. Itinerant workers are cold, hard, suspicious, private people. Itinerant workers have no home comforts or luxuries; their lifestyle is quite primitive and they have few possessions. The world of an itinerant worker is aggressive and violent. Itinerant workers lead a very uncertain life. Disagree Lennie and George enjoy a close companionship: not all itinerant workers are isolated. George and Lennie have dreams and ambitions that give them hope. Slim is an understanding character who George is able to confide in.
P) One reason why the men’s lives are so miserable is that their jobs and futures are very uncertain. Many of the men do not know how long a job will last or where they will go to next and can only live from day to day. E) Candy tells George and Lennie of his fear that due to old age and ill health he will soon be sacked and will have no where to go, ‘When they can me here I wisht somebody’d shoot me….I won’t have no place to go, an’ I can’t get no more jobs.’ E) The fact that Candy puts such little value on his life shows how desperate life can be for itinerant workers. Candy thinks his future is so bleak he would rather die. Even though Candy has been at the ranch for some time, he is completely alone, without even the companionship of his dog.
Do you agree? Find evidence for or against. Homework: ‘George considers his responsibility to Lennie, their friendship and shared dream to be more important than the good times he complains of missing.’ Do you agree? Find evidence for or against. Homework:
Funny character video http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/english_literature/prosemicemen/prosemicemencharact.shtml