'Of Mice & Men' - Comparing Chapter 1 & 6

ANIMAL IMAGERY:

-       Lennie – “like a bear drags his paws” “Lennie dabbled his big paw in the water…”

CHAPTER 1                                                   CHAPTER 6

Energetic wild animal                                   Lennie is like a hunted animal – “came as silently as a creeping bear moves”

Strong                                       Characteristics are more cautious

Clumsy                                       Reader’s sympathy grows towards him further

-       Death of animals – Candy’s dog / Mice / Puppies: Hints (foreshadowing) that George’s ‘pet’ (Lennie) must die too?

-       DIGNITY AND RESPONSIBILITY – Candy wishes he had shot his dog himself – Links to George taking responsibility for Lennie.

REPETITION OF FARM STORY:

-       Chapter 1 represents hope and dreams when Lennie and George are discussing the farm.

Whereas:

-       In Chapter 6, George uses the farm to comfort Lennie.

§  Very poignant and emotive – George and the reader know that the dream will never come true.  The reader empathises with George’s situation and decision.

§  The sadness surrounding the death of Lennie and the dream is furthered because the reader is aware that the dream was about to come a reality with the help from Candy.

CIRCULAR PLOT:

-       Novel starts and ends in the same setting – brush

-       This emphasises that no matter what dreams they have, the ranch workers are destined to just move round from ranch to ranch until they eventually die – Reader feels increasing sympathy for these helpless and isolated characters. 

SETTING: HERON AND WILDLIFE

-       Same setting in chapter 1 and 6 – chapter 6 is written with a more negative perspective:

CHAPTER 1: peaceful “twinkling over yellow sands…”              

CHAPTER 6: Sense of peace from chapter 1 turns to isolation:

                  “the golden foothill slopes…”                       

                  “Sun had left the valley…”              

                  “Still late in the afternoon”

-       Lennie is in the middle of the setting in a vulnerable childlike position:

·      “…he embraced his knees and laid his chin down on his knees…” – builds sympathy for character

HERON (Chapter 1): Heron spares snake’s life

Reflected - George saves Lennie’s life by helping him escape Weed.

                        

(Chapter 6): Heron stands motionless in the water then kills the snake

Shows smarter animal killing helpless animal.

FORESHADOWING – George and Lennie

Circle of life / nature