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Which to choose?  Friendship or Isolation...

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Which to choose?  Friendship or Isolation...

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In this novella, George and Lennie represent THE ideal male friendship.  They don’t talk about how they feel about each other or why they should stay loyal – they just stand by each other, and that’s that.

In contrast, everyone else is isolated from one another.  Everyone seems to get along quite well together by talking about how isolated they are, even though the men on the ranch are constantly together and chatting.

Although they are always together, George and Lennie are isolated from the rest of the world. Friendship is a negative relationship in the novella; every time any character gets close to any other, something goes wrong.

Friendship:

LENNIE exclaimed, "But I wouldn’t eat none, George. I’d leave it all for you. You could cover your beans

with it and I wouldn’t touch none of it." (p.13 in pdf)

Isolation:

LENNIE whined, "If you don’ want me I can go off in the hills an’ find a cave. I can go away any time." (p. 14 in pdf)

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The American Dream:  a reality or an illusion?

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The American Dream:  a reality or an illusion?

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Of Mice and Men captures the feel of rural America during the Depression. Different outlooks are presented:
--the never-will-be starlet trying to make it to Hollywood,
--the isolated black man born and raised in California,
--a ranch full of men that like to go to whorehouses, play pool, and drink away their earnings
--men that are constantly bouncing from job to job just shy of making ends meet.

The America of Of Mice and Men is populated with dreamers who are constantly struggling to achieve their dreams.

This novella argues that there is no single America. Rather, there are many different groups

(women, blacks, farm workers, farm owners), each with their own unique struggle.

Quote:

GEORGE complained, "…If I was bright, if I was even a little bit smart, I’d have my own little place, an’ I’d be bringin’ in my own crops, ‘stead of doin’ all the work and not getting what comes up outa the ground."
(p. 40 in pdf)

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Of Mice and Men deals with many of America’s age-old, hot-button issues, including sexism, racism, ageism, and discrimination against those with disabilities. Most importantly, this prejudice isn’t ever explicitly noted or fought against – those who are discriminated against accept the prejudice against them as a way of life.

Prejudice is a fact of life on the ranch because it was a fact of life everywhere in America at

that time.

Crooks said darkly, "Guys don’t come into a colored man’s room very much." (p. 76 in pdf)

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p.15 pdf

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“Ain’t many guys travel around together,” he mused. “I don’t know why. Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other.”

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“Ain’t many guys travel around together,” he mused. “I don’t know why. Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other.”

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p.36 pdf

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“They fell into a silence. They looked at one another, amazed. This thing they had never really believed in was coming true.”

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“They fell into a silence. They looked at one another, amazed. This thing they had never really believed in was coming true.”

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p.

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A guy needs somebody―to be near him. 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. I tell ya, I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick.”

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A guy needs somebody―to be near him. 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. I tell ya, I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick.”

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p.73 pdf

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'Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place. They come to a ranch an' work up a stake, and the first thing you know they're poundin' their tail on some other ranch. They ain't got nothing to look ahead to.”

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'Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place. They come to a ranch an' work up a stake, and the first thing you know they're poundin' their tail on some other ranch. They ain't got nothing to look ahead to.”

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p.15 pdf

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‘’A guy on a ranch don’t never listen nor he don’t ast no questions.’’

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‘’A guy on a ranch don’t never listen nor he don’t ast no questions.’’

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p.25 pdf

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“Just like heaven. Ever’body wants a little piece of lan’. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It’s just in their head. They’re all the time talkin’ about it, but it’s jus’ in their head.”

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“Just like heaven. Ever’body wants a little piece of lan’. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It’s just in their head. They’re all the time talkin’ about it, but it’s jus’ in their head.”

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p.75 pdf

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“We could live offa the fatta the lan'.”

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“We could live offa the fatta the lan'.”

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p.59 pdf

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 an’ every damn one of ‘em’s got a little piece of land in his head. An’ never a God damn one of ‘em ever gets it. Just like heaven. Ever’body wants a little piece of lan’. 

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 an’ every damn one of ‘em’s got a little piece of land in his head. An’ never a God damn one of ‘em ever gets it. Just like heaven. Ever’body wants a little piece of lan’. 

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p.74-75 pdf

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“They come, an' they quit an' go on; an' every damn one of 'em's got a little piece of land in his head. An' never a God damn one of 'em ever gets it.”

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“They come, an' they quit an' go on; an' every damn one of 'em's got a little piece of land in his head. An' never a God damn one of 'em ever gets it.”

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p.74 pdf

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'Course Lennie's a God damn nuisance most of the time, but you get used to goin' around with a guy an' you can't get rid of him.”

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'Course Lennie's a God damn nuisance most of the time, but you get used to goin' around with a guy an' you can't get rid of him.”

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p.42 pdf - Discrimination: disability

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"I had enough," he said coldly. "You got no rights comin' in a colored man's room. You got no rights messing around in here at all. Now you jus' get out, an' get out quick. If you don't, I'm gonna ast the boss not to ever let you come in the barn no more."

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"I had enough," he said coldly. "You got no rights comin' in a colored man's room. You got no rights messing around in here at all. Now you jus' get out, an' get out quick. If you don't, I'm gonna ast the boss not to ever let you come in the barn no more."

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p.80 pdf - Discrimination: racisim

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“Well, you keep your place then, nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.” Crooks had reduced himself to nothing. There was no personality, no ego—nothing to arouse either like or dislike. He said, “Yes, ma’am,” and his voice was toneless.”

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“Well, you keep your place then, nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.” Crooks had reduced himself to nothing. There was no personality, no ego—nothing to arouse either like or dislike. He said, “Yes, ma’am,” and his voice was toneless.”

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p.81 pdf - Discrimination: racisim

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“This is just a nigger talkin', an' a busted-back nigger. So it don't mean nothing, see? 

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“This is just a nigger talkin', an' a busted-back nigger. So it don't mean nothing, see? 

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p.71 pdf -   Discrimination:
1. racism 2. disabillity

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‘’His body was bent over to the left by his crooked spine, ..’’

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‘’His body was bent over to the left by his crooked spine, ..’’

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p.68 pdf - Discrimination : disability

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‘’Good boy! That’s fine, Lennie… Oh, I ain’t saying he is bright..’’

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‘’Good boy! That’s fine, Lennie… Oh, I ain’t saying he is bright..’’

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p,16 pdf -

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‘’Carl’s right, Candy. That dog ain’t no good to himself. I wisht somebody’d shoot me if I go old an, a cripple.’’

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‘’Carl’s right, Candy. That dog ain’t no good to himself. I wisht somebody’d shoot me if I go old an, a cripple.’’

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p.46 pdf -  Discrimination: ageism

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Candy said, ‘’I ain’t much good with on’y one hand. I lost my hand right here on this ranch. … I got hurt four years ago. … Jus’ as soon as I can’t swamp out no bunkhouses they’ll put me on the county. … When they can me here I wisht somedy’d shoot me. I won’t have no place to go, an, I  can’t get no more jobs

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Candy said, ‘’I ain’t much good with on’y one hand. I lost my hand right here on this ranch. … I got hurt four years ago. … Jus’ as soon as I can’t swamp out no bunkhouses they’ll put me on the county. … When they can me here I wisht somedy’d shoot me. I won’t have no place to go, an, I  can’t get no more jobs

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p.61 pdf -  Discrimination: disability