1. Analyzing Textual Evidence

2. Organize your evidence & brainstorm
“You seen what they done to my dog tonight? They says he wasn’t no good to himself nor nobody else. When they can me here I wish 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” (Steinbeck 60).

3. Why is analysis important?
In your life as a student of literature and informational text you will, on many occasions, have to analyze quotes from the text you are studying. You might be doing this on a test or in an academic paper. Either way, there are a few things that need to be done.

4. Step #1
Introduce the quote, state who said the quote and to whom it was said. If the quote was part of the narration and not dialogue say so.
For example:
In the novella, Of Mice and Men, Candy, the old swamper, says this to George.

5. Step #2
Step 2: State what is happening in the plot when the quote takes place.
For example:
Candy is telling George that he wants to join in on their dream of “living off the fat of the land.”

6. Step #3
Explain why the quote is important and how it is proves your thesis statement. This can be done in many ways depending on the quote and the topic you are addressing. Here are some examples of how you could begin.
This quote illustrates that this character (state their name) feels_______due to the fact_____.
This quote illustrates the theme of the novel because…
This quote is foreshadowing….
This quote demonstrates _____________about this character because…

7. Step #3 (continued) For example:
This quote illustrates that Candy feels lonely due to the fact that Carlson shot his dog. The dog has been Candy’s only companion and friend on the ranch. Without his dog Candy is lonely and friendless. In addition, this quote also reveals Candy’s helplessness on the ranch. His age coupled with his physical disability will make it difficult for Candy to get another job if he were to get fired. These two forces contribute to Candy representing the theme of loneliness and thereby clinging strongly to the idea of achieving the American Dream.

8. Example of a body paragraph
For example:
Topic Sentence: To begin, Candy embodies the theme of loneliness in the novella.
Quote/Evidence:
“You seen what they done to my dog tonight? They says he wasn’t no good to himself nor nobody else. When they can me here I wish 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” (Steinbeck 60).
Analysis:
In the novella, Of Mice and Men, Candy, the old swamper, says this to George. Candy is telling George that he wants to join in on their dream of “living off the fat of the land.” This quote illustrates that Candy feels lonely due to the fact that Carlson shot his dog. The dog has been Candy’s only companion and friend on the ranch. Without his dog Candy is lonely and friendless. In addition, this quote also reveals Candy’s helplessness on the ranch. His age coupled with his physical disability will make it difficult for Candy to get another job if he were to get fired. These two forces contribute to Candy representing the theme of loneliness and thereby clinging strongly to the idea of achieving the American Dream.