Remake of Remake of Theme-Tracker for Of Mice and Men by Gemma Tartaglia https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers Let's pool our knowledge about the 4 main themes in this novella en-us 2020-09-22 13:32:56 UTC 2026-01-20 17:33:02 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Bigthunderstorm.png Racism, sexism, ageism 3803699 https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/768050134 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)
]]> 2020-09-22 13:32:56 UTC https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/768050134 The American Dream: a reality or an illusion? 3803699 https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/768050143 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)
 
]]> 2020-09-22 13:32:56 UTC https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/768050143 Which to choose? Friendship or Isolation... 3803699 https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/768050161 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)
]]> 2020-09-22 13:32:56 UTC https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/768050161 3803699 https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/768104637  Quote:
George said, "I want you to stay with me, Lennie. Jesus Christ, somebody’d shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself. No, you stay with me. Your Aunt Clara wouldn’t like you running off by yourself, even if she is dead." 
(page 14 from pdf)]]> 2020-09-22 13:43:27 UTC https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/768104637 3803699 https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/807430998 Quote:
“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.”
(page 75 from pdf)]]> 2020-10-06 16:33:06 UTC https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/807430998 3803699 https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/807439969 Quote:
“We could live offa the fatta the lan'.”
(page 59 from pdf)]]> 2020-10-06 16:34:59 UTC https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/807439969 3803699 https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/807443872 Quote:
"It ain't no lie. We're gonna do it. Gonna get a little place an' live on the fatta the lan'.”
(page 70 from pdf)]]> 2020-10-06 16:35:49 UTC https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/807443872 3803699 https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/807450130 Quote:
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’. 
(page 74-75 from pdf)]]> 2020-10-06 16:37:10 UTC https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/807450130 3803699 https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/807456792 Quote:
“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.”
(page 74 from pdf)]]> 2020-10-06 16:38:31 UTC https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/807456792 3803699 https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816417036 Friendship:
“I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why.”
(page 15 from pdf)

]]> 2020-10-09 12:05:25 UTC https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816417036 3803699 https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816420206 Isolation:
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.”  
(page 73 from pdf)]]> 2020-10-09 12:07:13 UTC https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816420206 3803699 https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816627325 Friendship:
“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.”
(page 36 from pdf)]]> 2020-10-09 13:25:32 UTC https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816627325 3803699 https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816630440 Isolation:
'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.”
(page 15 from pdf)]]> 2020-10-09 13:26:24 UTC https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816630440 3803699 https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816638445 Friendship:
“They fell into a silence. They looked at one another, amazed. This thing they had never really believed in was coming true.”
(page 61 from pdf)]]> 2020-10-09 13:28:38 UTC https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816638445 3803699 https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816641701 Isolation:
“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 then they go inta town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they’re pound-in’ their tail on some other ranch. They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to.”
(page 15 from pdf)]]> 2020-10-09 13:29:28 UTC https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816641701 3803699 https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816649477 Isolation:
‘’A guy on a ranch don’t never listen nor he don’t ast no questions.’’
(page 25 from pdf)]]> 2020-10-09 13:31:30 UTC https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816649477 3803699 https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816653581 Discrimination - disability :
'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.”
(page 42 from pdf)
]]> 2020-10-09 13:32:37 UTC https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816653581 3803699 https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816658697 Discrimination - racism :
"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."
(page 80 from pdf)]]> 2020-10-09 13:34:08 UTC https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816658697 3803699 https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816661649  Discrimination - racism:
“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.”
(page 81 from pdf)]]> 2020-10-09 13:35:02 UTC https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816661649 3803699 https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816763530 Discrimanation - 1. racism 2. disability :
“This is just a nigger talkin', an' a busted-back nigger. So it don't mean nothing, see? 
(page 71 from pdf)]]> 2020-10-09 14:03:15 UTC https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816763530 3803699 https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816768195 Discrimination - disability :
 ‘’His body was bent over to the left by his crooked spine, ..’’  
(page 68 from pdf)]]> 2020-10-09 14:04:36 UTC https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816768195 3803699 https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816774265  Discrimination - disability:
‘’Good boy! That’s fine, Lennie… Oh, I ain’t saying he is bright..’’
(page 16 from pdf)]]> 2020-10-09 14:05:53 UTC https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816774265 3803699 https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816782675 Discrimination - ageism :
‘’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.’’
(page 46 from pdf)]]> 2020-10-09 14:08:10 UTC https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816782675 3803699 https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816806095 Discrimination - disability :
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.’’
(page 61 from pdf)]]> 2020-10-09 14:14:28 UTC https://padlet.com/3803699/wqacns4ad748rers/wish/816806095