The Themes of the Novel The novel is a parable that tries to explain what it means to be human Essentially, man is a very small part of a very large universe In the greater scheme of things, individuals come and go and leave very little, lasting mark Yet deep inside all people are longing for a place in nature – the desire for the land, roots, and a place to call ”home” The struggle for such a place is universal, and its success is uncertain

The nature of loneliness Man’s capacity for cruelty Steinbeck’s vision of what it means to be human, touches on several themes: The nature of dreams The nature of loneliness Man’s capacity for cruelty Powerlessness and economic injustices The uncertainty of the future

The Nature of Dreams Humans give meaning to their lives – and to their futures – by creating dreams Without dreams and goals, life is an endless stream of days that have little connection or meaning George and Lennie’s dream is to own a little farm of their own

Loneliness Humans crave contact with others to give life meaning Loneliness is present throughout the novel - the ranch hands go into town to ease their loneliness with alcohol and women - Lennie goes into Crooks’s room to find someone to talk to - Curley’s wife comes for the same reason Crooks says: ”A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you.”

Stage Play

Loneliness... Solidade: The name of the town means ”solitude” or ”alone”

Barriers Despite the need for companionship, people set up barriers that maintain loneliness People sustain (those barriers by being inhumane to each other

Barriers... A barrier based on gender: The real thing that isolates Curley’s wife is that she is a female in an all-male world A barrier based on race: Crooks being an Afro-American must occupy a room in the stable alone. He is not welcome in the bunkhouse A barrier based on age and handicap: Candy is afraid of being thrown out because of his age and handicap. He is a victim of a society that does not value age and discriminates against handicaps.

Powerlessness Steinbeck’s characters are often underdogs He shows compassion (medfølelse) toward them throughout his body of writings

Powerlessness... Powerlessness takes many forms: - intellectual - financial - societal Steinbeck touches them all Which characters represent the different forms of powerlessness?

Idioms An Idiom is a commonly used expresssion that has a figurative and literal meaning EX: Ball is in your court Piece of cake Don't put all your eggs in one basket

Idioms Idioms change by region, date, and culture With a partner come up with at least 5 idioms that you use today.