Response to Ch.4 & 5 Of Mice and Men

Introduction:

George and Lennie are outsiders, two men who live on the margins of mainstream society and who struggle to create a safe space in the world for themselves. Of Mice and Men is the story of how George and Lennie struggle to create a safe space in the world for themselves, but it is also a story about how many other people--and animals, as well as humans--struggle to accomplish this same goal: to find a home and community where each person can "belong" and feel valued and safe. Steinbeck makes clear to us that George and Lennie aren't the only outsiders in this story, not the only beings who struggle on the margins and receive little or no help from anyone. Dogs and puppies face this same struggle in the novel, and so do other human beings--including the stable buck known as "Crooks" and the woman known as Curley's wife (both characters whose actual names we have not learned so far). 

Writing Prompt:

Consider how both Crooks and Curley's wife are outcasts, how both are marginalized, each in a unique way. No one really goes to talk to either of them. Also consider how almost no one on the ranch really knows either of them. (That's a very ironic fact for Crooks, who has likely been on the ranch longer than almost everyone else.) Then choose one of the characters, either Crooks or Curley's wife, and write a paragraph about the following topic:

In this section of the novel, how does Steinbeck provide us a new view of this character that helps us understand the character more fully, in a way that no one else on the ranch understands them? Additionally, does Steinbeck's portrayal of the character create a feeling of compassion in us, so that we actually feel sorry for the character's struggles or view the character with some degree of sympathy?

• Incorporate two significant quotations from Chapters 4 & 5 into your paragraph to illustrate your ideas, and explain your ideas fully.