Of Mice and Men Ending

•How do you feel about the ending?
•Do you think it was appropriate?
•What did you like about the ending?
•What did you dislike about the ending?
•After reading the book and the poem “To A Mouse,” why do you think the book is called Of Mice and Men?
•What does the title suggest about the overall message of the book?
•What is Steinbeck saying about life in general?


The ending of Of Mice and Men is really dramatic and sad. Readers did not expect that George killed Lennie by himself. However, after finishing the book, we are able to find out that Steinbeck used a lot of foreshadowing to give the idea that George is about to kill Lennie. For example, the death of Candy's old useless dog, and George purposely asked Candy to lie and he left first to get the gun. I think the ending was appropriate. George killed Lennie by himself; he thought he had to do it because he was Lennie's good friend. If another people killed Lennie, the ending would be totally different. Steinbeck purposely choice George to kill Lennie, and he used a lot of foreshadowing in the second last section. On the other hand, the ending is quite realistic. It shows how the life in 1970's was really hard and cold; things were always ended with a result that you do not expect. I like how Steinbeck ended the story although it was really sad. It is too sad that I don't want the story to be ended that way. However, it is a really good ending. After reading the poem To A Mouse, I think Steinbeck was influenced by the poem, so he started the book. There is a line saying "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men". I think probably Steinbeck was strongly influenced by this line, so that he used "Of Mice and Men" as the book name. There is a lot of zoomorphism through the whole book. And also, Lennie had petted mice before. On the other hand, I think probably Steinbeck was comparing Lennie and George to mice. As To A Mouse says, mice are scared; nature's social unions are broken by human. Mice are dying, In the book, George and Lennie did not have their chance to choose their life. Lennie had to be killed because he accentually killed Curley's wife. And George choice to kill Lennie by himself with pain. The title suggests the main idea of the book. I think the title is also what Steinbeck purposely used as foreshadowing. It is sending an idea to readers that the book is comparing mice to the main characters. The main characters have similarities with mice. In general, Steinbeck is sending an idea about life that life is always hard; you never know what is exactly going to happen in life. Most of time, things end with a result that you do not expect. 

The Turning Point (Page 58-65)

i. "He learned forward eagerly. 'S'pose I went in with you guys. Tha's three hundred an' fifty bucks i'd put in. I ain't much good, but I could cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some. How'd that be?'"
I think this quote shows the turing point for the book. Old Candy got two hundred and fifty dollars because he lost his right hand. Including how much he saved in the bank and money coming at the end of the month, Candy got three hundred and fifty dollars in total. Candy knows that he is old and quite useless and he is going to lose his job. So, he decided to join George and Lennie with his money. He knows that George will agree him to join although he is quite useless because George and Lennie really need money and they want their dream to come true. Candy's money makes George and Lennie's dream possible to reach pretty soon. 


ii. Juxtaposition: the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect


iii. I think Steinbeck is showing that George and Lennie's dream is not easy to come true. Candy's money seems make George and Lennie's dream become possible in few months. However, they still need more money from the ranch to get their own land. There is possibility for George and Lennie to lose their jobs and not able to get enough money. It is actually quite easy for George and Lennie to lose their jobs. The fight scene shows how George and Lennie is about to lose their jobs just because Lennie hurt Curley, the boss's son. The juxtaposition of these two scenes strongly shows my opinion how George and Lennie's dream is still quite impossible.

My Dream

I want to be a type of person like my father, having a good job and a wonderful family. However, in my dream, I am a artist who just have a huge art studio in a mountain. I spend my life traveling and recording what I see all over the world with my pencil and paint brush. I love playing really loud music while I am painting. I don't have a lot of money, but I sell my art pieces to earn money for plane tickets. I can choose to stay anywhere for a long time and I am always feeling nature. I look for how sky looks in different place. I paint my art studio with sky I saw all over the world. I am such a great artist; I am really famous. However, nobody know where I am, and everyone is looking for my art pieces.
Anyways, this is just a dream. It is a dream about how I am looking for something represent freedom. My life in the dream is how I think about "freedom".

Of Mice and Men Characterization

Characterization


The boss:
The boss stepped into the room with the short, quick steps of a fat-legged man. "I wrote Murray and Ready I wanted two men this morning. You got your work slips?"


The boss squinted his eyes. "Well, I had to send out the grain teams short two buckers. Won't do any good to go out now till after dinner. " He pulled his time book out of his pocket and opened it where a pencil was stuck between the leaves.


The boss pointed a playful finger at Lennie. " He ain't much of a talker, is he?"


The boss deliberately put the little book in his pocket. He hooked his thumbs in his belt and squinted one eye nearly closed. "Say - what you sellin'?"


He turned abruptly and went to the door, but before he went out he turned and looked for a long moment at the two men. 


From these quotes, I can tell that the boss is quite tough and sensitive. 
George:
When the sound of his footsteps had died away George turned on Lennie. "So you wasn't gonna say a word. You was gonna leave your big flapper shut and leave me do the talkin'. Damn near lost us the job. " Lennie stared hopelessly at his hands.


He unrolled his bindle and put things on the shelf, his razor and bar of soap, his comb and bottle of pills, his liniment and leather wristband. Then he made his bed up neatly with blankets.


"He can do anything you. Tell him, " said George. "He' a good skinner. He can rassel grain bags, drive cultivator. He can do anything. Just give him a try. " The boss turned on George. "Then why don't you let him answer? What are you trying to put over?" George broke in loudly, "Oh! I ain't saying he's bright. He ain't, But I say he's a God damn good worker. He can put up a four hundred pound bale. "

My Bedroom

My bedroom is quite small. Basically, my bedroom is like a box. There is only a huge window on the west wall that I am able to see the park in front of my house. There are not many furnitures in my room; a queen-size bed with black metal frame and simple patterns. My bed is actually pretty high; it is almost to the end to my leg. Between my bed and the window is my giant working desk with black shelf on top. It is almost to the ceiling. I don't have a lot of books on the self, but I love to decorate it with painting. Although the shelf is black, it looks pretty colorful. There is a black and red swivel chair in my room. This is basically how my bedroom look like in general. The bright yellow walls make me feel calm every time I walk into my room although it is so tinny.

Of Mice and Men Section 1

Of Mice and Men Section 1

1.How is section 1 the same/different from your expectations?

             As I wrote in my expectation, the main characters of Of Mice and Men are two poor migrant field workers. They are trying to get jobs in the city. However, I thought it is a story talking about their life, and they were not able to feed their families. In section 1, the story hasn't talked about much yet. It is not a story talking about their life, but more about finding jobs and working experience. And also, the story hasn't mentioned family background of the two main characters yet.

2.What dreams/ambitions do George and Lennie have?
          They got the work cards and bus tickets; they are trying to work on a ranch. they want a stable life that they have enough food and a place to live.

3.Do you think their dreams will be full filled?  Why or why not?
           I don't think their dreams will be filled. The life in California back in 1930's was really tough. It was really hard to get a job in the city. There were thousands of people like George and Lennie looking for jobs. George and Lennie haven't show any talents that would help them get jobs yet through section 1; they are not able to get the jobs competing others.

4.Personal reflection on Section 1: likes, dislikes, characters, setting, plot, dialogue, imagery
          There is many imagery in section 1. there is a lot of visual imagery through the whole section. The dialogues between the two characters and their clothing show some of their characteristics. I really like the setting of the story. However, I think the setting of section 1 hasn't clearly tell about the characters' family background yet. The story is kind of starting from the middle of a scene.

5.3 questions about what you’ve read so far
          The story starts with George and Lennie's way to the ranch. The story hasn't tell about George and Lennie's family background.
          What was people's lifestyle in the story?
           How could George and Lennie get the work cards and bus tickets?
          Are they able to get the jobs?

Prediction of Of Mice and Men

I think Of Mice and Men is basically about farmers and poor workers' life. The story happened in California. The two main characters are migrant field workers. They did not have a stable life. They were too poor to get enough food and places to live. They were not able to feed their families. They were trying to get jobs in the city. However, it was so hard to get a job. Life in California in the 1930's was really rough and boring. It should be a really sad story, and it did not have a good ending. It is a novella which related to people's real life style in 1930's.