Fear Flashcards
- Lennie is scared George will be angry. This is Lennie’s biggest fear: that he will upset George so much he will leave, so he tries to be cautious in what he does but it doesn’t always work.
“Oh please don’t do that. George will be mad”
As soon as they arrive at the ranch Steinbeck uses foreshadowing to project to the reader that there is something bad coming in the future.
“I don’t like this place George. I gotta bad feeling”
Curley lives in constant fear that his wife will leave him. This is shown by his agitated state on the ranch. He wants to control her as he is weary of her flirtatious character, and part of his sense of masculinity comes from female submission.
“Any of you seen my wife?”
This suggests that fear is an inextricable part of life for the people during the Great Depression.
“I don’t know why. Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other.” - Slim.
Crooks is automatically suspicious when the two enter his room; he is scared they will do something unpleasant to him, showcasing the segregation during the 1930s. He also wants to maintain control over the one place on the ranch that is his.
“You got no right to come in my room. This here’s my room. Nobody got any right in here but me.”
Steinbeck presents fear in many of the novel’s characters:
Curley fears losing power and control.
Lennie fears that he will anger George and then he won’t be able to go live on a ranch and tend rabbits. Lennie’s fear could be interpreted as fear of angering God and not being able to enter paradise. Lennie’s fear also shows the importance of the relationship between Lennie and George, as George dictates most of if not all of Lennie’s life.
George fears that Lennie will get into trouble. He shows this by his loyalty and sometimes anger but this is ultimately him protecting Lennie.
How is fear caused?
Fear is caused by something that frightens a person and may cause harm to them physically or mentally. Fear is most likely influenced by past experiences.
