Reza shows the audience how people naturally try to conceal their honest feelings in the presence of strangers. When the Raleighs go upstairs to the bathroom to clean themselves up after Annette’s comic vomiting scene, the Novaks ridicule the nickname, Woof-woof, that Alan has for his wife as they let free of their opinions on the Raleighs. Reza shows that in the comfort of familiar persons, people aren’t afraid to show their inner selves. When Alan walks back down to hear Veronica and Michael mockingly call each other “Woof-woof,” and replies coolly that indeed, he calls her such a name, the Novaks are embarrassed at their actions. Feeling exposed, they
Likewise, the character of Curley relies heavily (more so, some would argue) on body language. Verbs such as “slashed”, “smashed” and “slugging” (page 90-91) suggest Curley to have to lash out violently to gain any attention and progress from just being “the little man”. Steinbeck intended this to show the violent and meaningless nature of ranch life; success is not ranked by your skill, but your ability to pronounce yourself physically in order to gain respect. Slim and Curley are perfect examples of this. * Some may argue that in essence, each man represents the American Dream.
He still had the same small frame and wiry face he had a decade ago. His eyes still looked restless and agitated. “Papa! Papa!” came a small voice from inside the ranch. Out, ran a small boy wearing pyjamas and no shoes, he had the same thin, bony nose as his father but his eyes were soft and welcoming.
When Lennie arrives at his room, he turns him away, hoping to prove a point that if he, as a black man, is not allowed in white men’s houses, then whites are not allowed in his, but his desire for company ultimately wins out and he invites Lennie to sit with him. Like Curley’s wife, Crooks is disempowered, but turns his vulnerability into a weapon to attack those who are even weaker. Crooks begins to pick on Lennie, suggesting George won’t come home, and a slight mean streak is exposed that has probably developed after being alone for so long. Lennie unwittingly soothes Crooks into feeling at ease, and Candy even gets him excited about the dream farm. Crooks’s little dream of the farm is shattered by Curley’s wife’s nasty comments, putting the black man right into his "place" as inferior to a white woman, somebody already seen as being inferior to everyone else on the ranch to begin with.
The women are kept in their domain, the kitchen, throughout the entire story because that is where men believed the women should be. When the county attorney asks the sheriff about any clues that could be in the kitchen he responds with “nothing here but kitchen things.” (p. 187) Although the sheriff claims to need the women’s assistance in finding clues, he completely dismisses the idea that the kitchen could hold any valuable information because it is a women’s place. When the women notice Mrs. Wright’s preserves have burst in the cabinet and then express sorrow for Mrs. Wright the men laugh, and the narrator zooms in on the division between men and women by telling
Slim also keeps reminding the reader of Lennie's strength but his incapability of controlling in. The main attitude towards Slim throughout the novel from the rest of the men at the ranch is of respect. He is authoritative in any subject, talented and competent. When Slim first enters the bunkhouse he is described as "He moved with a majesty only achieved by royalty." His mere manner makes him seem almost like a king.
Explore the ways in which Curley’s wife is presented and developed in Of Mice and Men The first time the reader is introduced to Curley’s wife is when Candy tells George that Curley has recently got married and that ‘he’s keepin’ that hand soft for his wife’. She is spoken as though she is a pet/animal who needs soft, gentle hands when touched. This method of introduction does not present Curley’s wife in a favourable light. The men at the ranch are gossiping about her sex life which has been made public to them. Steinbeck leads the reader to believe that Curley does not really care about his wife; if he did, he would not be flaunting their private life and he would consider her dignity.
Steinbeck contradicts these causes by bringing us a character which neither succeeds nor fails as he does not outline his dream as much as all the other ranch workers. Furthermore Slim has an ‘authority so great that his word was taken on any subject.’ While Curley ‘wore high-heeled boots’ to show his authority in the ranch. One the other hand Slim, ‘don’t need to wear no high-heeled boots.’ This imagery almost builds a fence line in which slim is the shortest while Curley is using his high-heeled boots to show his authority on the ranch attempting to be a person which people look up to. However with Slim, Steinbeck portrays his authority like it comes naturally to him as in a fence line the one deeper into the ground is the more stable. This stability and
Steinbeck describes Crooks’ living condition to be, “For being alone…Crooks could leave his things about, and being a stable buck and a cripple, he was more permanent than the other men” (67). Crooks’ deformed back deprive him of working with the other men, thus denying him an opportunity for personal contact with them. Next, Crooks becomes accustomed to seclusion and begins to be suspicious of any man who tries to make friends with him. Crooks cannot go in the bunkhouse of the white ranch hands; therefore, he turns Lennie away from his own place. His longing for company wins over and he then invites Lennie to accompany him (68).
They would have to work a certain distance so and turn around showing no mercy to the opponent they were up against. In another poem called in Paris with you it mentions and remain here in this sleazy…old hotel room…doing this and that to what and whom… this is referring back to George as he has undertaken the task of looking after Lennie. So this is like a full time parent job preventing George from having a normal quality of life, whilst the other go and visit the local brothel also known as a ‘whorehouse’. The other ranch workers go there as they have nothing else better to do so they go to see women flaunt and throw themselves at men to entertain them.