SETTING

Hello again!

I have wrote the setting in the book, here you go...

This book is set during the Great Depression of the 1930s in two places. This was a tragedy where millions of Americans was placed out of work. It was an economic downtown. In 1933, 13-15 millions Americans were unemployed and nearly half of the country´s banks had failed. The book starts beside a stream Salinas River, a few miles south of Soledad California. Lennie and George follow this stream. Then moves to a ranch where the major of the story is set. 

The Great Depression left people all over the country especially men poor and desperate for work. This poverty makes the characters suspicious and distrustful.  Against this backdrop of suspicion and isolation, Lennie and George´s friendship seems even more important and even more doomed.  Additionally Great Depression, it was also segregation during 1930s. We realize this by meeting Crook.  The race segregation on this time was a turbulent time for race relations in America. Racism was as strong as ever in Southern states.

Sources 

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ug02/newyorker/race.html

http://www.history.com/topics/great-depression

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression

-Frida

Character analysis

Hi, guys!

In this post i will analyze the main character in the book. Enjoy!

Lennie Small is George´s companion. He is huge and strong, but a mental disability makes him entirely dependent on George. And he is painfully eager to make George happy. This mental disability makes sure that he forgets things. All most every time George explains something important, he forgets. The only thing he can remember is the big dream between him and George. Lennie is the most innocent, gentle, and kind character in the novel, and his sole dream is to tend rabbits and live on a farm that he and George will own.

In fact it seems like Lennie shouldn´t have many friends at all, even Geroge thinks he´s a little annoying. Lennie doesn’t understand that Lennie provides a need. He needs to be looked after, and George needs someone to care for. I think it is therefore they two were friends, because they both needed each other.  

Lennie is always talking happily because he never understands when a situation is serious. For example after he had killing Curley´s wife and meets George. He was really glad to see George, and forgets all he has done. It means that George must be able to handle it. This time he handled it by killing him.

Lennie also likes soft things. He just can´t keep his hands to himself. All he wants is to pet rabbits, mice, puppies, and women’s dress. All these things he pets, end up dead or accusing him of rape because of his strength. Lennie would never hurt anyone, but he can no fault it.

George Millton is Lennie´s friend and protector. Unlike the giant and strong Lennie, George is small with a quick and resourceful mind. It was always George who came up with good solutions to problems. George is a typical migrant farm worker, a class of poor and lonely men who traveled from ranch to ranch looking for work during the Great Depression. But George is differs from these other men because of his friendship with Lennie.

George is such of caring person. He refers this to Lennie. George shows that he take care of Lennie, even when he´s saying “The hell with the rabbits. That’s all you can ever remember is them rabibits.” He may get tired of the rabbits but he still tells Lennie´s favorite bedtime story about their dream farm, and he still looks after Lennie as much as he can. George knows that the farm is just a silly dream, but with Lennie, George can believe. Lennie makes George can hope and look toward the future.

George and Lennie have each other until they don´t. After Lennie dies, George tells Slim "I'll work my month an' I'll take my fifty bucks an' I'll stay all night in some lousy cat house. Or I'll set in some poolroom till everybody goes home. An' then I'll come back an' work another month an' I'll have fifty bucks more" (5.79-80).

Now George is just like everybody else. He is homeless man traveling from farm to farm in search of menial contingent work. He has nothing to live for. Lennie may have been big dumb, and annoying, but he also made George special. 

-Frida 

Assessment of their own efforts

Hello!

In this post i will tell you about my own assessment of their own efforts in this novel project!

First of all, I think this period was fun and of course educational. I think that i have hosted good at reading the novel "of mice and men" and informed you about events in the book. Perhaps, I should have been better to read little by little everyday and informed you, instead of reading many page on few days. If I had read a little every day, had the blog seen such more structured I think. Otherwise, I think I have worked thoroughly and well with the book. I am also very pleased that I chose "Of mice and men." Highly recommended!

If I should have mentioned another negative thing, I could have taking notes while i´m reading to get a more detailed description.

I hope you guys think it has been a pleasure to follow my blog in this period. And thanks to all of you who have visit my blog!

Bye.

- Frida

CENTRALE THEMES

Good evening! 

I will say that the most central themes in the novel "of mice and men" is friendship, loneliness and  race segregation

Friendship is a central theme in the novel. It is a strong friendship between George and Lennie. In the book Lennie asks George why they´re not like other ranchers, and then George explains that they´re are different because they have each other. It is normal that a ranch is loneliness without family and friends. The others ranch workers think it is weird that George and Lennie is friends and ranches that travel around to find a job. The boss and Curley react on this relationship, and is curious. It is also friendship between the most of the workers on the farm.  

Loneliness is also an important theme. Croock is one of the ranches on the farm that is black.  Crook´s actions show that a person needs somebody to be near him. He is one of the people who experience loneliness and isolation in the ranch. Crook shows that he can do anything to be with others. "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 a guy gets too lonely and he gets sick." (Page 72).  This is an excerpt from the book where Croocks explains this to Lennie.

Race segregation is also a small part of the themes in the novel. Croock is black and loneliness as told. Because he is black he gets his own rom, all alone. Croock is not allowed in he bunk house or play with other white ranchers in that racist period. On page 68 says Croock something that which shows that the theme fits well."Cause I'm black. They play cards in there, but I can not play because I'm black. They say I stink. Well I tell you, you all of you stink to me!" Croocks is totally helpless against the racial discrimination. He is forced to be kept away from everybody

See you guys! 

- Frida