‘Water is lined with trees- willows fresh and green’
Who says it to whom? Narrator
What does it refer to? The brush
What do we learn from it? The brush is described in a way that is very serene and peaceful. It is almost linked the garden of Eden, which suggests that it is the perfect place. The garden of Eden later becomes tarnished when Eve sins, which reflects the way that the brush stops being peaceful after George shoots Lennie.
“Let’s
have different colour rabbits George”
Who says it to whom? Lennie to George
What does it refer to? The Dream
What do we learn from it? We
learn from this that Lennie is very childlike, as he seems to think that
rabbits come in a variety of different colours. It also shows that he is very
excited and cares a lot about the dream, as he wants to know every single
little detail about every part of it.
“He’s
awright. Just ain’t bright”
Who says it to whom? George about Lennie
What does it refer to? They
are trying to get the boss to hire them, and Lennie nearly ruins it
What do we learn from it? This
shows that George does stick up for Lennie in a fatherly way, as he defends him
saying that he is ‘awright.’ It also shows that George finds it difficult to
express his emotions towards Lennie, as he can’t think of anything nicer to
say. At the same time, George thinks that he is better than Lennie (even though
he is defending him) because he says that he isn’t clever, implying that he is
to have the right to say it. So he is selling them both to the boss at the same
time.
“He
figures he got you scared and he’s gonna sock you at the first chance he gets”
Who says it to whom? George to Lennie
What does it refer to? Curley trying to start on Lennie
What do we learn from it? We
learn that Curley is a manipulative man that uses his position at the ranch as
a way to control others. It also shows the extent of George’s concern for
Lennie, as George admits earlier in the quote to being ‘scared.’ This all goes
to show that George and Lennie have a father-son relationship, as George is
constantly looking out for Lennie.
“So
he reaches out to feel this red dress an’ the girl lets out a sqwuark”
Who says it to whom? George to Slim
What does it refer to? What happened in Weed
What do we learn from it? We
learn about what happened in Weed. This quote also foreshadows the death of
Curley’s wife, as she dies in a similar way to this, when Lennie won’t let go
of her dress. The way that George says ‘sqwuark’ suggests that he thinks the
girl was overreacting and shouldn’t have screamed like she did. ‘Sqwuark’ has
connotations with birds, and hunting. When Lennie snaps Curley’s wife’s neck,
she is killed as you would kill a bird after hunting. This almost compares the
girls to Lennie’s prey. This quote also shows the trust that Slim instils in
the other men, as George is willing to tell him all about what happened.
“Got
a luger”
Who says it to whom? Carlson to Candy
What does it refer to? The shooting of Candy's dog
What do we learn from it? This
foreshadows Lennie’s death, as he is killed with Carlson’s luger. When Carlson
is talking about it in relation to the dog, he says that he will shoot it in
the back of the head and that it ‘won’t hurt him none at all.’ This basically
spells out what is going to happen to Lennie, as it is George’s intention to
kill Lennie painlessly.
Who says it to whom? Candy to George
What does it refer to? Candy's dog
What do we learn from it? This
shows that Candy knows that he is reaching the end of his time at the ranch,
and he knows that the best and kindest thing for him would be to be put down.
Nobody would do this, though, as he is a human and not a dog. This quote shows
the depth of Candy’s depression and worry about the future.
“dragging
his feet a little, the way a bear drags it paws”
Who says it to whom? The Narrator about Lennie
What does it refer to? Lennie having animalistic characteristics
What can we learn from it? We
learn that Lennie has animalistic qualities. This suggests that he has a lot of
strength, as is associated with the animal.
“Trouble
with mice is you always kill ‘em”
Who says it to whom? George to Lennie
What does it refer to? Lennie's enjoyment of petting small things
What can we learn from it? That
Lennie has a lot of strength and is not very good at looking after things
because of it. It suggests that Lennie has had many mice and each one has ended
in death, which foreshadows the fact that Lennie has the ability to kill.
“we’re
gonna get a jack together and …live off
the fatta the lan’”
Who says it to whom? Lennie to George
What does it refer to? The Dream
What can we learn from it? We
learn that Lennie and George have a plan for what they are going to do, which
has been thought out in a lot of detail. This suggests that the thought of it
brings them comfort, as they have talked about it a lot.
“if
you jus’ happen to get in trouble like you always done before, I want you to
come right here an’ hide in the brush.”
Who says it to whom? George to Lennie
What does it refer to? The fact that Lennie will do something bad at some point
What can we learn from it? We
learn that Lennie has systematically done something bad in every place that he
has been. George now knows to tell Lennie what to do in advance because he
knows that something is going to happen like it has everywhere else. This
foreshadows what will happen after the death of Curley’s wife.
“They
let the nigger come in that night”
Who says it to whom? Candy to George
What does it refer to? It
refers to Crooks being allowed to come into the bunk house and the subject of
racism.
What can we learn from it? We
learn about the racism that was around in those times, and how Crooks was usually
ostracised from the other workers because of his race, but was allowed to go
into the bunk house for a drink with the others at Christmas, which was very
rare. This reflects the times that the book was set in.
“The
old man came slowly into the room…And at his heels there walked a drag-footed
sheep dog, gray of muzzle, and with pale, blind old eyes.”
Who says it to whom? Narrator about Candy and his dog
What does it refer to? The age of the dog
What can we learn from it? From
this we can learn that the dog’s age is affecting his health. This also refers
to Candy, because he is in the same sort of situation as his dog. This demonstrates
a type of rare friendship that is apparent in the Candy/dog relationship, as
they are still best friends even though they are both old and useless.
“His
arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists. He stiffened
and went into a slight crouch.”
Who says it to whom? Narrator about Curley
What does it refer to? Refers to Curley's standoffish attitude
What can we learn from it? From
this we can learn that Curley is threatening and is going to be a lot of
trouble to everyone else at some point in the story. From the way that he is
stood, we know that he is trying to act like he is a force to be reckoned with.
Curley is bracing himself by crouching slightly, as if he is ready to attack.
“Curley’s
married a tart”
What does it refer to? This refers to Curley's wife
What can we learn from it? We
learn that none of the men have any respect for Curley’s wife, and she has a
negative reputation. This reflects the time, as sexism was very common in the
1930s.
“He
moved with a majesty only achieved by royalty”
Who says it to whom? Narrator about Slim
What does it refer to? This
refers to Slim’s power and superiority over the other men.
What can we learn from it? We
learn that Slim is considered like a God by the other men on the ranch, and is
held with a lot of respect. This suggests that he is at the top of the
hierarchy, and has earned the respect of everyone else.
“He
jus’ wanted to touch that red dress, like he wants to pet them pups all the
time.”
Who says it to whom? George to Slim
What does it refer to? The incident that happened in Weed
What can we learn from it? We
learn from this quote that Lennie doesn’t mean to do the things he does, and he
doesn’t really know what is happening. It also foreshadows the death of Curley’s
wife, because she dies in the same sort of situation. The quote shows George
and Lennie’s close bond, as it is as if George is defending Lennie’s actions so
that he is not told off for something he couldn’t help.
“Maybe
if I give you guys my money, you’ll let me hoe in the garden”
Who says it to whom? Candy to George and Lennie
What does it refer to? The Dream
What can we learn from it? From
the quote, we can learn that Candy is desperate for a place where he will be
useful and wanted. This is because he is almost begging George and Lennie to
let him have a part on their dream ranch (even willing to pay them) just so he
can get away from the ranch where he is useless. Candy says ‘maybe you’ll let
me’ which suggests that it is not that he can’t do it, but that he has not been
allowed to do it. This is probably because a more able-bodied man would have
taken his job.
“I
ought to have shot that dog myself”
Who says it to whom? Candy to George
What does it refer to? Candy's dog being put down
What can we learn from it? From
the quote, we can learn about how close the bond between Candy and Candy’s dog
was. Candy says that he shouldn’t have let a stranger shoot his dog, because he
was so close to the dog that he thought that he should have been the one to put
it out of its misery in the end. This shows how much Candy loved the dog, and
the extent of their friendship. It also foreshadows Lennie’s death, because
George shoots Lennie so that it is quick, as opposed to the other men doing it.
This shows that Lennie is like the dog, in the way that he and George were good
friends and George ultimately ‘put him down.’
“Curley
stepped over to Lennie like a terrier”
Who says it to whom? Narrator about Curley
What does it refer to? Curley's size and angry disposition
What can we learn from it? From
the quote we learn that Curley uses his anger and threatening nature to make up
for his lack of height. Terriers are associated with being small and often
vicious dogs, and so by referring to Curley as such it suggests that he is the
same. By contrast, Lennie is a big and gentle man, like perhaps an Irish
wolfhound. Smaller dogs often go for larger dogs as a method of defence because
they cannot rely on their size. This is what Curley is doing with Lennie.
