40 Book Challenge 4-22-15

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Prompt:
-Describe the atmosphere of the ranch and bunkhouse.
-Be sure to include characteristics of different characters that were formally or informally introduced to us in this chapter. Support your choice with textual evidence and interpretation.
-Why doesn't Curley's wife have a name?   What message, if anything, is John Steinbeck  trying to send by not giving her a first name?  Support your choice with textual evidence and interpretation.
Pages: 1-37

     The novel states, "The bunkhouse was a long, rectangular building. Inside, the walls were whitewashed and the floor unpainted. In three walls there were small, square windows, and in the fourth, a solid door with a wooden latch." This makes the reader have an image inside of their head on the basics of how the inside of the bunkhouse looks. It also states, "Against the walls were five bunks, five of them made up with blankets... Over each bunk there was nailed an apple box with the opening forward so that it made two shelves... Near one wall there was a black cast-iron stove, its stovepipe going straight up to the ceiling. In the middle of the room stood a big square table..." This was the place of where George and Lennie would be staying for now, it was for the men that worked on the ranch.

     Many characters were introduced in this chapter, including Slim, Candy (aka Old Swamper), Carlson, Curley, Curley's wife and, the Boss. Everyone besides the Boss and Carlson were informally introduced. The boss and Slim actually greeted each other, in the book it states, "Glad to meet ya," the big man said. "My name's Carlson." "I'm George Milton. This here's Lennie Small." "Glad to meet ya," Carlson said again." This shows that they actually introduced each other, unlike how Curley's wife just walked in (without greeting them) and asked them one question and left. The other characters didn't say their name either like Carlson, George and, Lennie did.

     Curley's wife doesn't have a name because her significance is not as important in that time period, women weren't respected as much as they are now. John Steinbeck is trying to show the way women were respected, which was very minimum in that time. He wants the reader to know and feel how back then that different people were treated differently.

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