Crooks-Outside/Inside Feelings

     From the outside, Crooks shows that he's tough, mean, and doesn't want anyone's help. At certain parts, (when Curley's Wife threatens him), he also shows that he's scared, but when Lennie and  Candy were in his room, Crooks seemed all tough and acted like he didn't want them in his room.
     On the inside, I think that Crooks is very lonely and he wishes that he would be able to fit in more. Because he is a negro in this time period, white people don't allow him into their groups, and don't even want to be seem around him, but when Lennie, who doesn't care that he's a negro, comes to his room and just starts talking to him, at first Crooks says he wants him out, but in a while, Crooks is having a good conversation with him, and he's enjoying himself.
     There are major differences from Crooks actions and his feelings on the inside; they are exact opposites. I think these differences are so big because of his skin colour, and the time period they are in. In this time, blacks aren't supposed to hang out with whites, and whites aren't supposed to hang out with blacks. That's why he acts like he doesn't want anyone around. On the inside though, he's very lonely and feels left out because of his skin colour.

Ambitions

What are your hopes and dreams for the future?
So far, my only hope is to become an actor. I think that it'll be difficult to reach this, but the only way to reach my goal is to work hard, which is what I'll do. My dream house would be in Italy, and I dream of being rich (as I'm sure lots of aspiring actors do). Unfortunately, this dream is very far fetched and I don't think I'm going to make it, but I'm going to try anyway.

Character Foils

Curly's Wife
"She put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward." Page 31, paragraph 4.
This shows that she's flirty because this gesture could be taken in the sense that she's trying to show off her body to George and Lennie.

"'If he ain't, I guess I better look someplace else,' she said playfully." Page 31, paragraph 8.
This shows that she's flirty because she's toying around with them, and she COULD have said this because she wanted to see what they would say if she were to leave.

"She smiled archly and twitched her body. 'Nobody can't blame a person for lookin'' she said." Page 31, paragraph 10
This COULD be implying that she came in to check out the two new guys, which makes her flirty.

George
"'Listen to me, you crazy bastard,' he said fiercely. 'Don't you even take a look at that bitch. I don't care what she says and what she does. I seen 'em poison before, but I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her. You leave her be." Page 32, paragraph 7
This shows two things, the first being that George cares for Lennie and is looking out for him. It also shows that George is very street smart.

"'You gonna have trouble with that Curley guy. I seen that kind before. He was kinda feelin' you out. He figures he's got you scared and he's gonna take a sock at you the first chance he gets.'" Page 29, paragraph 2
This shows again that George is looking out for Lennie, and that he's street smart.

"'If he tangles with you, Lennie, we're gonna get the can. Don't make no mistake about that. He's the boss's son. Look, Lennie. You try to keep away from him, will you? Don't never speak to him. If he comes in here you move clear to the other side of the room. Will you do that, Lennie?'"
Again, this also shows that George is looking out for Lennie and that he's street smart.

First Section

1. How is section 1 different/the same as your expectations?
I found that they work on ranches, which is similar to when I said that I thought they'd work as farmers. I was also right that one was strong and one was smart, but so far the smart one seems more threatening then the strong one.
2. What dreams/ambitions do George and Lennie have?
I found out that they want to have a small house, a few acres, and make a small ranch and live there.
3. Do you think their dreams will be fulfilled? Why or why not?
I think that they will own a ranch and that their dreams will be fulfilled, because otherwise, there's no real goal for them in the book.
4. Personal Reflection on Section 1: likes, dislikes, characters, setting, plot, dialogue, imagery.
Steinbeck uses imagery a lot, as seen when describing the area that George and Lennie settle down in. He also makes Lennie seem less smart by the way that he talks and what he says. I'm not quite sure what's going to happen in the plot yet though. I'm not sure whether or not I like the book yet.
5. Three questions.
Will George and Lennie be able to find a job that they don't get chased out of?
Will George leave Lennie because of his carelessness? Will he leave him at all?
Will Lennie become protective over George or will George stay protective over Lennie?

Book Predictions

In "Of Mice and Men" I think that the two main characters are going to be migrating farmers, and I think that they will always stick together no matter what. I think that they'll go around to different places and have trouble trying to live but they'll get through everything together, when, if they were on their own, they wouldn't. The movie trailer says that one is strong and dumb, and the other is smart and weak, so I think that the strong one will stick up for the smart one, and the smart one will figure out ways of getting out of the problems that they face.

John Steinbeck-Bio, Career, Nobel Prize, and Pulitzer Prize

     John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California in 1902 and went to school at Salinas High School, where he graduated. He then went to college at Stanford University, but left for New York in 1925 and went to pursue his dreams of being a writer. In New York, he tried writing as a "free-lance" writer, but he wasn't successful. He then went back to California and published several novels and short stories. He first became known for writing Tortilla Flat in 1953. Afterwards, he started writing about serious things, like migrating farmers and serious social problems, which is when he wrote Of Mice and Men along with In Dubious Battle. In 1968, in New York, he died at 66 years old.
     In 1962, John Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize in Literature, quote, "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humour and keen social perception", unquote.
     In 1939 he won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath.

     The Pulitzer Prize is awarded for achievements in the newspaper, journals, literature, and music writing, while the Nobel Prize is an international award given annually to someone who helps in cultural and scientific advances.