Aiden Gwilliam 411 Theme-Tracker for Of Mice and Men by Aiden Gwilliam https://padlet.com/aidengwilliam/cfaw4fx76ny0o1j5 Let's pool our knowledge about the 4 main themes in this novella en-us 2020-09-24 16:13:01 UTC 2020-10-20 18:40:34 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Bigthunderstorm.png Racism, sexism, ageism aidengwilliam https://padlet.com/aidengwilliam/cfaw4fx76ny0o1j5/wish/776475202 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)
]]> 2020-09-24 16:13:01 UTC https://padlet.com/aidengwilliam/cfaw4fx76ny0o1j5/wish/776475202 The American Dream: a reality or an illusion? aidengwilliam https://padlet.com/aidengwilliam/cfaw4fx76ny0o1j5/wish/776475220 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)
 
]]> 2020-09-24 16:13:01 UTC https://padlet.com/aidengwilliam/cfaw4fx76ny0o1j5/wish/776475220 Which to choose? Friendship or Isolation... aidengwilliam https://padlet.com/aidengwilliam/cfaw4fx76ny0o1j5/wish/776475233 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)
]]> 2020-09-24 16:13:01 UTC https://padlet.com/aidengwilliam/cfaw4fx76ny0o1j5/wish/776475233 aidengwilliam https://padlet.com/aidengwilliam/cfaw4fx76ny0o1j5/wish/779426196 "Well," said George, "we’ll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit
hutch and chickens. And when it rains in the winter, we’ll just say
the hell with goin’ to work, and we’ll build up a fire in the stove
and set around it an’ listen to the rain comin’ down on the roof 
(p.16 pdf)]]> 2020-09-25 14:38:33 UTC https://padlet.com/aidengwilliam/cfaw4fx76ny0o1j5/wish/779426196 aidengwilliam https://padlet.com/aidengwilliam/cfaw4fx76ny0o1j5/wish/779454115 "Sure. Ya see the stable buck’s a nigger." 
(p.21 pdf)]]> 2020-09-25 14:44:48 UTC https://padlet.com/aidengwilliam/cfaw4fx76ny0o1j5/wish/779454115 aidengwilliam https://padlet.com/aidengwilliam/cfaw4fx76ny0o1j5/wish/779523909 "Well, I tell ya what - Curley says he’s keepin’ that hand soft for
his wife."
 "Well, I think Curley's married . . . . a tart." 
(p.29 pdf)]]> 2020-09-25 15:01:47 UTC https://padlet.com/aidengwilliam/cfaw4fx76ny0o1j5/wish/779523909 aidengwilliam https://padlet.com/aidengwilliam/cfaw4fx76ny0o1j5/wish/779576267 George looked over at Slim and saw the calm, Godlike eyes
fastened on him. "Funny," said George. "I used to have a hell of a
lot of fun with 'im. Used to play jokes on 'im 'cause he was too
dumb to take care of 'imself. But he was too dumb even to know he
had a joke played on him. I had fun. Made me seem God damn
smart alongside of him. Why he'd do any damn thing I tol' hits. If I
tol' him to walk over a cliff, over he'd go. That wasn't so damn
much fun after a while. He never got mad about it, neither. I've
beat the hell outa him, and he coulda bust every bone in my body
jus' with his han's, but he never lifted a finger against me."
George's voice was taking on the tone of confession. "Tell you what
made me stop that. One day a bunch of guys was standin' around
up on the Sacramento River. I was feelin' pretty smart. I turns to
Lennie and says, 'Jump in.' An' he jumps. Couldn't swim a stroke.
He damn near drowned before we could get him. An' he was so
damn nice to me for pullin' him out. Clean forgot I told him to
jump in. Well, I ain't done nothing like that no more." 
(p.41 pdf)]]> 2020-09-25 15:14:04 UTC https://padlet.com/aidengwilliam/cfaw4fx76ny0o1j5/wish/779576267 aidengwilliam https://padlet.com/aidengwilliam/cfaw4fx76ny0o1j5/wish/832962049 She turned on him in scorn. "Listen, Nigel," she said. "You know
what I can do to you if you open. your trap?" 
(p.81 in pdf) ]]> 2020-10-15 16:12:32 UTC https://padlet.com/aidengwilliam/cfaw4fx76ny0o1j5/wish/832962049 aidengwilliam https://padlet.com/aidengwilliam/cfaw4fx76ny0o1j5/wish/832979470 "I get lonely," she said. "You can talk to people, but I can't talk to
nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad. How'd you like not to talk to
anybody?" 
-curley's wife
(p.86 in pdf)]]> 2020-10-15 16:16:23 UTC https://padlet.com/aidengwilliam/cfaw4fx76ny0o1j5/wish/832979470 aidengwilliam https://padlet.com/aidengwilliam/cfaw4fx76ny0o1j5/wish/843239495  Don't make no difference who the guy is, long's he's with you. I tell ya," he cried, "I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick." 
-crooks
(p.73 in pdf)]]> 2020-10-20 01:19:46 UTC https://padlet.com/aidengwilliam/cfaw4fx76ny0o1j5/wish/843239495