Theme-Tracker for Of Mice and Men by Alessia Boutin https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts Let's pool our knowledge about the 4 main themes in this novella en-us 2020-09-22 18:25:43 UTC 2025-11-16 21:11:09 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Bigthunderstorm.png Racism, sexism, ageism alessiaboutin https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/769558190
 
Crooks said darkly, "Guys don’t come into a colored man’s room very much." (p. 76 in pdf)
]]> 2020-09-22 18:25:43 UTC https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/769558190 The American Dream: a reality or an illusion? alessiaboutin https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/769558197 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 18:25:43 UTC https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/769558197 Which to choose? Friendship or Isolation... alessiaboutin https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/769558200 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 18:25:43 UTC https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/769558200 alessiaboutin https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/769679289 2020-09-22 18:54:23 UTC https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/769679289 Lennie and George's Dream alessiaboutin https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/769679492  Someday - we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs and -" "An’ live off the fatta the lan’,"Lennie shouted. "An’ haverabbits. Go on, George! Tell about what we’re gonna have in the garden and about the rabbits in the cages and about the rain in the winter and the stove, and how thick the cream is an the milk like you can hardly cut it. Tell about that, George." (page 16 PDF)]]> 2020-09-22 18:54:25 UTC https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/769679492 alessiaboutin https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807055939 “We could live offa the fatta the lan'.”

]]> 2020-10-06 15:09:27 UTC https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807055939 alessiaboutin https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807059362  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’. 

]]> 2020-10-06 15:10:13 UTC https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807059362 alessiaboutin https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807060405 "It ain't no lie. We're gonna do it. Gonna get a little place an' live on the fatta the lan'.”

]]> 2020-10-06 15:10:27 UTC https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807060405 alessiaboutin https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807064245 2020-10-06 15:11:18 UTC https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807064245 alessiaboutin https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807065689 2020-10-06 15:11:38 UTC https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807065689 alessiaboutin https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807068175 2020-10-06 15:12:10 UTC https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807068175 alessiaboutin https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807069074 2020-10-06 15:12:22 UTC https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807069074 alessiaboutin https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807069891 2020-10-06 15:12:33 UTC https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807069891 alessiaboutin https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807073843 2020-10-06 15:13:22 UTC https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807073843 alessiaboutin https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807075102 2020-10-06 15:13:39 UTC https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807075102 alessiaboutin https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807076353 2020-10-06 15:13:57 UTC https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807076353 alessiaboutin https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807080231 2020-10-06 15:14:47 UTC https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807080231 alessiaboutin https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807081306 2020-10-06 15:15:02 UTC https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807081306 alessiaboutin https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807083445 2020-10-06 15:15:31 UTC https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807083445 alessiaboutin https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807084266 2020-10-06 15:15:42 UTC https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807084266 alessiaboutin https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807085783 2020-10-06 15:16:03 UTC https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807085783 alessiaboutin https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807086728 2020-10-06 15:16:16 UTC https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807086728 alessiaboutin https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807088051 2020-10-06 15:16:34 UTC https://padlet.com/alessiaboutin/zc4lc2i7uh4hcnts/wish/807088051