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Question 1

intro

Answer 1

• an integral factor to the novel’s exploration of the social realities.
• Steinbeck’s uses them to reflect the true hardships of society which shape the character’s experiences and struggles.
• The settings serve as a constant reminder of the harshness of the world they live in, reinforcing ideas of isolation and the fragility of dreams.

Question 2

topic sentence 1

Answer 2

Steinbeck uses the Salinas River in both Chapter 1 and Chapter 6 to symbolize the cyclical nature of the characters’ lives, reflecting the contrast between their initial hope and the tragic reality of their dreams.

Question 3

topic sentence 1 quotes

Answer 3

a lizard makes a great skittering … rabbits come out of the brush … deer that come to drink’ -idyllic and Edenic to portray a sense of natural harmony -> nature is at ease, peace, tranquillity and co-existence

‘the beak swallowed the little snake while its tail waved frantically’

Question 4

topic sentence 1 context

Answer 4

wide, open landscape mirrors the world of mass migration of California - sense of possibility - land of the American dream

animals are no longer in harmony, humanity is represented by the nature -> the cycle of predatory behaviour goes on and on -> it is now the sight of Lennie’s death, used to represent dreams but now where the dreams die -> we were led to believe this would be a hopeful novel -> representation of the false hope of The American Dream

Steinbeck uses the river as an allegory of American society with the workers representing the water in which the workers are constantly turning over whilst society stays the same as these workers are essential for the continuation of society.

Question 5

topic sentence 2

Answer 5

Steinbeck uses the bunkhouse as the central setting of the novel, emphasizing the isolation and struggles of the characters while serving as a microcosm of the harsh realities of life during the Great Depression.

Question 6

topic sentence 2 quotes

Answer 6

‘the walls were whitewashed and the floor unpainted’ - very plain, subdued building -> uninviting environment, institutionalised feel, prisonlike

‘burlap ticking’ - rough, uncomfortable

Question 7

topic sentence 2 context

Answer 7

Much of the novel’s action and dramatic narrative happens here -> dramatic focal point of the novel -> represents the struggles of migrant workers and emotional suffering of ranch life -> link to Dustbowl and The Great Depression/Wallstreet Crash

Question 8

topic sentence 3

Answer 8

Steinbeck presents the barn as a place where dreams come to an end, with it symbolizing both the harsh reality of the world the characters live in and the inevitable destruction of their hopes.

Question 9

topic sentence 3 quotes

Answer 9

‘a buzz of flies in the air, the lazy afternoon humming’

‘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

Question 10

topic sentence 3 context

Answer 10

The barn is a place of death, the mood of the setting is initially peaceful but becomes a sight of suffering
This represents how tragedy and suffering is only ever an open door away -> title of the novel, Robert Burn’s poem

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

barns are usually used to keep animals but in this novel, it is a place of death, symbolic of how the characters that die in this barn are nothing more than animals

Question 11

topic sentence 4

Answer 11

Steinbeck uses Crooks’ room as a powerful symbol of isolation and racial discrimination, emphasizing the deep-seated loneliness that arises from being marginalized in a society that values power and status over equality.

Question 12

topic sentence 4 quotes

Answer 12

‘had his bunk in the harness room; a little shed’ - limited space represents his limited hope in life, his room isn’t designed for human accommodation = dehumanizing

‘Crook’s bunk was a long box filled with straw’

Question 13

topic sentence 4 context

Answer 13

Narrowness of the room is representative of his restricted opportunities

Jim Crow laws mandated racial segregation under the ethos ‘separate but equal’ however in practice this was not the case as facilities for black people were much worse than for white people

ranch acts as a microcosm for America so represents the systemic racism built into society