Exploring Freedom and Confinement in Of Mice and Men

Challenge: About the dogs puppies: "She slang her pups last night," said Slim. "Nine of em. I drowned four of em right off. She couldn t feed that many. Define freedom. What does this sort of violence suggest? Which characters have freedom? Who doesn t and why? Draw up a list.

Character Freedom Quote Curley Curley s Wife George Lennie Candy Crooks Slim

1. Do Lennie and George see their life of traveling and working as a type of freedom? Do they ever consider the question of freedom? 2. Crooks is the only ranch hand to have his own room. Is this a type of freedom, or a type of confinement? 3. At the end of the story, when George is facing life without Lennie, does he feel freer, or more confined? 4. What does "freedom" mean to Lennie? Is it related to the "fatta the lan"? Does he find it in death?

(George to Lennie) "I wish I could put you in a cage with about a million mice an' let you have fun." His anger left him suddenly. 1. Does he want to cage Lennie? Or is this actually a version for freedom for Lennie? Slim nodded. "We might," he said. "If we could keep Curley in, we might, But Curley's gonna want to shoot 'im. Curley's still mad about his hand. An' s'pose they lock him up an' strap him down and put him in a cage. That ain't no good, George. 2. Is Lennie s death his freedom? Slim is the moral compass and he thinks so. Challenge: Whit finds the letter Bill published. He pointed out the letter with his forefinger. And then he went to his box shelf and laid the magazine carefully in. "I wonder if Bill seen it," he said. "Bill and me worked in that patch of field peas. Run cultivators, both of us. Bill was a hell of a nice fella."

Explore the ways Steinbeck portrays issues in American Society. Freedom is a central theme in of Of Mice and Men . Most characters in the novel experience a lack of freedom due to a lack of money and status. George displays his lack of freedom when he says we wouldn t ask nobody if we could go. The fact that he says this wonderingly highlights that this is his dream. George wonders about freedom which implies that it is not a realistic or achievable goal. The ranch hands want to be able to make their own decisions about their lives rather than be controlled by the boss or their job and financial security. Steinbeck suggests that freedom was unlikely in 1930s America due to the harsh nature of society. People had to know their place and answer to whoever was in control of their income. The lack of freedom Steinbeck portrays contrasts the notion of the American as it suggests no one was capable of success regardless of how hard they work. This is reinforced when Identify the following in this paragraph. Use a colour code: Point Quote Language Analysis Effect on the reader Link Back to Question

Explore the ways Steinbeck portrays issues in American Society. Freedom, or lack of it, is a central theme in of Of Mice and Men . Steinbeck presents a lack of freedom throughout the novel through several characters to highlight the strength of this problem. George displays his lack of freedom when he says we wouldn t ask nobody if we could go. The fact that he says this wonderingly highlights to the reader that George only dreams about freedom which implies that it is not a realistic or achievable goal. The ranch hands want to be able to make their own decisions and thus depend on nobody , rather than be constrained by a lack of financial security or status. Steinbeck suggests that freedom was unlikely in 1930s America due to the harsh nature of society. People had to know their place and answer to whoever was in control of their income. The lack of freedom Steinbeck portrays contrasts the notion of the American as it suggests no one was capable of success regardless of how hard they work. This is reinforced when Point Quote Language Analysis Effect on the reader Link Back to Question 1. How can you improve this paragraph? 2. Use the sentence starter at the bottom to make your own point about freedom.