Jan 29, · Words 1 Pages. Curley and Slim in Of Mice and Men Essay. ‘Of Mice and Men ’, written by John Steinbeck, is a novel set in s California and tells the story of two migrant workers, George Milton and Lennie Small, who move from ranch to Introduction. Much like Steinbeck's short novel The Pearl, Of Mice and Men is a parable that tries to explain what it means to be human. His friend Ed Ricketts shaped Steinbeck's thinking about man's place in the universe. Essentially, man is a very small part of a very large universe; in the greater scheme of things, individuals come and go and leave very little, lasting mark Character Analysis. Slim. Slim is described always in terms of dignity and majesty. When he first comes into the bunkhouse, he moves "with a majesty achieved only by royalty and master craftsmen. He was a jerk-line skinner, the prince of the ranch, capable of driving ten, sixteen, even twenty mules with a single line to the leaders."
Slim and George in chapter 3 of Of Mice and Men Free Essay Example
This novel is set while George and Lennie of mice and men slim essay in a small working ranch in the Salinas Valley of northern California, and over a period of 3 days we are introduced to a variety of characters that also live on the ranch.
The introductory paragraphs of these two characters are interesting because they are highly contrasted. Furthermore, Curley is immediately compared with his father, the boss of the ranch. Steinbeck, in my opinion, has used imagery to try and show the connection the boss and his son have by them wearing the same shoes. Of mice and men slim essay adds to the development of the character because from our first view of him we already see a man who wants to dominate and control, of mice and men slim essay.
Hell of a nice fella. This is a trait that, throughout the novella, of mice and men slim essay, Curley is clearly extremely envious of. Slim, on the other hand, has naturally got a big build — another way that Steinbeck presents Slim as gaining authority without trying. Steinbeck goes on to describe Slim in a manner that no other character received.
Whereas with the other characters the focalizer seems to be perceived from a distance, with Slim it shifts into the perspective of almost a best friend; and the narrator uses compelling emotion to describe him affectionately. This change of perspective indicates to the reader that Slim is an important character in the novella, therefore foreshadowing the fact that of mice and men slim essay may play a major part in the future.
We begin to get an understanding of why Curley is jealous of Slim; Slim is everything Curley wishes to be. Steinbeck always talks of Slim with dignity, majesty and respect, and manages to show how talented he is by using an ascending tri-colon to talk about Slims difficult job as a jerkline skinner. Despite Slims elevated status, Steinbeck manages to present Slim as a representation of migrant workers.
We can compare the clothes Slim wears blue jeans and a denim jacketto the clothes that George and Lennie are wearing. From the start, Steinbeck makes Slim above the other men and this continues until the end of the novel. Each of the characters at least once in the book talk about a dream they wish to fulfil; a dream that would enable them to follow their own desires and be forever content with their life.
Slim, however, is the only character who never mentions a life he wishes he had, and ignores the illusory promise of dreams he knows will never come true. He accepts the life he leads and strives to do it well, rather than wishing for something better. Through the character of Slim, Steinbeck is trying to tell the reader that dreaming for things that are unrealistic is a waste of time, and you will get more out of life if you are grateful and satisfied with the life you lead.
Already, Curley is trying to act authoritative, and he seems to think that making this first impression on George and Lennie will put him in a position of power, of mice and men slim essay. These both have negative connotations, and give the reader the impression that Curley is judgemental and bitter. This implies that Curley was looking down on him, an act people do when trying to coming across as dominant. This is yet another attempt to come across as bigger, tougher, and more powerful than he really is.
Steinbeck deliberately uses eye contact to show the development and relationship change between Curley and Lennie from when they first meet and just after their first physical conflict. This is probably because Curley has just lost the fight to Lennie, as Lennie crushed his hand without really trying, neither of them realising the strength Lennie beholds. We are now introduced to the weaker, not-so-tough side of Curley, and here Steinbeck allows the reader to see through this fake image that Curley is aiming to give across to the others.
Therefore, it is clear why having his hand crushed was so humiliating for Curley as this action automatically emasculated him. Having two working hands is also a necessity for working on the farm, and we see another character, Candy, unable to work on the ranch due to the loss of one hand. His fellow ranchers think of him as weak, so the fact that Curley has now also lost the use of one hand automatically makes him appear even more insubstantial to the others.
Hands are also used symbolically throughout the novel for the other characters aswell. Another way that Steinbeck presents the characters of Curley and Slim is through animalistic imagery. Terriers of mice and men slim essay small, agile and aggressive — traits that Curley possesses. Furthermore, terriers were traditionally bred to hunt, and will go to extreme lengths to catch their prey, and perhaps Steinbeck is using this to connote Curley wanting to hunt down Lennie… Terriers also have extremely strong jaws and when they bite something they do not let go of it, of mice and men slim essay, which is also demonstrating the fact that Curley will not stop until he gets what he wants.
The image of how fish are caught also reinforces how Curley was completely defenceless until Lennie let go of his hold; there is no release for a fish until the hook is removed. Overall, Steinbeck uses many different techniques to develop these two minor characters and use them to reflect his own attitudes. Through Slim, he shows that you are more likely to succeed and live a fulfilled life if you accept and appreciate your life as it is.
As the narrator, Steinbeck is able to make the reader admire Slim before they have even been introduced to him. Steinbeck subtly uses eye contact and animalistic imagery to show two things; how the characters contrast and how Curley develops throughout the novel, from a seemingly strong, arrogant person to one who is weak and unhappy.
Although these two characters only have a small part, they play a big role in how the novel pans out and have a big effect on all the other characters, of mice and men slim essay.
Free Essays Topics Essay Checker Hire Writer Login. Free essay samples Men Curley and Slim in Of Mice and Men. Curley and Slim in Of Mice and Men 7 July Hire verified writer. Curley and Slim in Of Mice and Men Essay Example. Related Essays. The Character of Slim in 'Of Mice and Men' and the… Of Mice and Men: Curley's wife Curley's Wife's Significance in "Of Mice and Men" Of Mice and Men - Crooks and Curley's Wife Mice and Men Monologue Curley's wife Of Mice and Men: Is Curley's Wife a Victim or Villian?
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Slim did not do much to help George in this moment, however, when Lennie fights Curley he knows that Lennie was not the one to start the fight. This knowledge gives Slim the ammunition he needs to defend Lennie and give Curley a dose of his own medicine. Without Slim, Of Mice and Men would be devoid of optimism. Slim’s optimistic outlook isn’t the picket-white-fence kind, it’s a type of presence, one that Theme: Of Mice and Men essaysThe theme is the novel Of Mice and Men is the need for a companion and mankind's weaknesses. Almost everyone in the novel at one time has showed that they need a friend or someone close to talk to. Everyone on that farm feels lonely. But the hardest part for the peo Everyone on our professional Of Mice And Men Slim Essay essay writing team is an expert in academic research and in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard citation formats. Your project arrives fully formatted and ready to submit. The research behind the writing is always % original, and the writing is guaranteed free of plagiarism
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