OMAM agression Flashcards
(10 cards)
intro
- a toxic and cruel mechanism that many of the characters in the novel struggle
- aggression arises from the harsh and dehumanising environment of The Great Depression.
- a way to assert themselves or cope
- aggression ultimately exacerbates the characters’ isolation and disrupts their fragile connections with others.
topic sentence 1
Steinbeck uses Curley’s aggression to portray his deep insecurities and the need to assert dominance in a world where his position as the boss’s son is tenuous, showing how his violence serves as both a defense mechanism and a way to compensate for his own vulnerability.
topic sentence 1 quotes
‘hands closed into fists’ ‘into a slight crouch’ - posture indicates he is always ready for a fight, but his combative stance is extremely defensive so may suggest he is insecure
‘slashed’ ‘smashed’ ‘swinging’ - his assault on Lennie is incredibly aggressive, we feel pity for Lennie and hatred for Curley - a man in a privileged position exploiting the weak
topic sentence 1 context
lawlessness of America in a ‘dog eat dog’ depressions - the very image of what a man should be was strong and a provider, violence was viewed as a very masculine trait, furthermore him not having the body type of a typical man places Curley in a position to feel he needs to prove his masculinity at every instance
his cruelty to weaker members of the ranch yet again draws parallels with the exploitative nature of rich landowners - his violence symbolizes the brutal world created by capitalism as it was highly competitive so created a need for power and to maintain power = oppression of the weaker members of society
topic sentence 2
Lennie’s accidental killings of the mice and Curley’s wife underscore his inability to control his strength, and his acts of aggression become even more tragic as the victims are portrayed as equally vulnerable, reflecting how Lennie’s own fragility in a harsh world leads to the destruction of those who are already marginalized.
topic sentence 2 quotes
“That mouse ain’t fresh, Lennie; and besides, you’ve broke it pettin’ it.”
‘he shook her; and her body flopped like a fish.
Lennie had no intention of killing her, it was purely accidental, Her distress made Lennie panic and hold on firmer -> his instinctive response
opic sentence 2 context
References title (Robert burns poem) and the mouse also symbolises the most vulnerable of society, the mouse is at mercys it cant control and it subjected to hardship they can’t do anything about
Lennie is unable to control his strength due to his learning disability, his aggression which leads to her death symbolises failed dreams as she is the way she is because of her failed dream, and with death she causes Lennie and George’s dream to fail -> femme fatale
topic sentence 3
Curley’s wife’s vicious verbal attack on Crooks and Lennie demonstrates how she weaponises words as a form of aggression, using the little power she holds in a patriarchal society to assert dominance over those who are even more vulnerable and marginalised than herself.
topic sentence 3 quotes
‘an’ what am I doin’? Standin’ here talking’ to a bunch of bindle stiffs’ - here there is only the most marginalised and pushed to the fringes characters, St does this to explore how these weaker characters would react without a voice of reason
‘I could get u strung up on a tree so easy’ - vivid imagery of lynching
‘a n—- an’ a dum dum’ - irony as physically Curley’s wife is the weakest character there yet she has such control over them, she is referring to the men together through uniting them in their status as outsiders
topic sentence 3 context
lynchings were a horrific act of violence against African Americans during the Jim Crow Era; Curley’s wife’s treatment of Crooks reflects the racism of the period and the system of oppression and abuse faced by African Americans under Jim Crow Laws. CWs threat symbolises the wielded, unchecked authority white individuals held over black individuals
St highlights this incredibly discriminatory, abusive language to show the danger and hurt it causes throughout society. - St wished to combat this - in his Nobel prize speech where he said ‘courage, compassion and love’
