Sample #1
In chapter 5, Of Mice
and Men, John Steinbeck displays Lennie’s thought, actions, and ultimate effect
on others, when Lennie is placed in a pressure situation. Chapter 5 takes the
reader to the barn where we find Lennie has accidentally killed one of the
pups. ”And Lennie said softly to the puppy, ‘Why do you got to get killed? You
ain’t so little as mice. I didn’t bounce you hard.’ He bent the pup’s head up
and looked in its face, and he said to it, ‘Now maybe George ain’t gonna let me
tend no rabbits, if he fin’s out you got killed,” (p 85). That quote allows the
reader to infer that Lennie responds very childishly when presented with a
consequential situation. That inference is made by Lennie blaming the dog for
dying, instead of blaming himself, much like a child does when they do
something bad. The quote also shows everything revolves around the dream farm
for Lennie. Another quote, that shows how Lennie responds in different
consequential situations, comes when Curley’s wife wanders into the barn to
find Lennie still struggling to find a solution for killing the puppy. Curley’s
wife begins to converse with Lennie, but Lennie remembers George’s warning to
stay away from Curley’s wife. ”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.’ Lennie said, ‘Well, I ain’t supposed to. George’s
scared I’ll get in trouble.’ She changed the subject. ’What you got covered up
there,” (p 87). Lennie then proceeds to answer Curley’s wife, forgetting all
about George’s warning. From this excerpt the reader can infer that Lennie can
be easily distracted and is somewhat gullible, very much like a child, these
qualities of Lennie’s lead to trouble for Lennie. The inference is based on
Lennie going from refusing to talk to Curley’s wife, because of George, to
conversing with Curley’s wife the next line. A third excerpt, where Lennie
response to pressure situations is exhibited, comes later in his conversation
with Curley’s wife. Curley’s wife begins to almost seduce Lennie by letting
touch Lennie touch her hair. ”Look out, now, you’ll muss it.’ And then she
cried angrily, ‘You stop it now, you’ll mess it all up.’ She jerked her head
sideways, and Lennie’s fingers closed on her hair and hung on. ’Let go,’ she
cried. ’You let go,” (p 91). From the quote a reader can infer that Lennie
panics when something occurs which Lennie did not foresee. That inference can
be made from Curley’s wife beginning to struggle and Lennie only grips her hair
harder. Also the reader can infer Lennie does not think rationally when in
situations he did not foresee, because Lennie both suffocates and breaks
Curley’s wife’s neck when Curly’s wife becomes frightened and starts to yell
for help.
Sample #2
I liked the imagery and the detail it had. I could picture
the scene unfolding. It helped me imagine the scene taking place. I also liked
the way Lennie and George interact. It reminds me of a Bugs Bunny episode
called "Bugs and Thugs". The scene was easy to follow, there weren't
any bad things to say about it. There was nothing that could have been done
better in my opinion.
Sample#3
The ending of "Of Mice and Men" saddened me a lot.
Lennie was by far the character I liked to the most. He added humour and
sadness into the book. I think George did the right thing in killing Lennie. Lennie would only cause himself and the
others around him more pain. The thing that justified George's choice to kill
Lennie was that he wanted Lennie to be happy when he died. If he had let Curley
shoot him, Lennie's last few moments would have been terrible. Even if Lennie
was simply put in jail, he still wouldn't have been happy. Curley would have
made sure Lennie was miserable in jail. People would have laughed at him and
hurt him. George killed Lennie out of love.
Sample #4
John Steinbeck's award winning book Of mice
and men throughout the 5th chapter exhibit the theme common theme of loneliness
but also violence within innocence. This chapter strongly shows loneliness in
one of the characters that hasn't been shown as much as others. On page 86 the
book takes place in the barn where Lennie sits as Curley's wife appears the two
begin to talk but as the book reaches page 87 Curley's wife opens up like
Crooks did to Lennie and says, "I get lonely. You can talk to people but I
can't talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad." That was the first
display of loneliness in this chapter but also the first time we really see
this side of Curley's wife, she confesses her unhappiness in her marriage, her
lonely life, and her broken dreams. When I read this Curley's wife went from a
character that I didn't care about more specifically she doesn't even have a
name but now knowing about her loneliness she begins to become more of a
in-depth character that i thought could become a main character later on. This
is when the theme of violence comes in. Lennie and Curley's wife have been
talking about how Lennie loves to feel soft things and that why he always pets
the pups and mice, but also so excited about the rabbits that he gets all
worked up. Curley's wife doesn't see the violence within Lennie because he is
such an innocent guy an tries to calm him on page 90 by saying "But my
hair is soft, fine.'Course I brush it lots.That makes it fine. Here feel right
here" as she lets Curley feel here soft hair. Come page 91 she gets angry
for Lennie messing her hair up that she yells freaking Lennie out. Lennie
reacted in a violent matter of shaking hold tightly to her hair until her neck
accidentally snapped and she lie dead. This is really the first time the theme
of violence has happened but to foreshadow I feel it will happen again due to
Curley's rage at Lennie for the murder on his wife.
