Sheehy English 11

When we read stories — especially those from Faulkner — we talked about how a writer loads every detail into it with the most specific intentions. While he was talking about short stories, I think Of Mice and Men (and really, any truly great novel) does the same thing. Each detail, each descriptive point, is intentional and leads us towards the place Steinbeck wants to take us.

For an example, see this seemingly tiny line on page 2:

They had walked in single file down the path, and even in the open one stayed behind the other.

When I read that this time around, I stopped to consider when I have ever seen anything do that. Ducks? Military parades? But even with soldiers, it would be hard for me to imagine two guys walking along in an open field in a single file line. That’s more the kind of thing you see when a teacher or principal is leading a student down the hall for punishment. Here, though, we’ve got two best friends walking like that. One simple image, conveying so much about the relationship between George and Lennie. George in the front, Lennie walking behind like an eager puppy.

Speaking of Lennie and puppies, it is also interesting to me how Steinbeck uses images of animals to describe Lennie — in particular, big animals. Now, I have read the book before and I have noted this characteristic of Steinbeck’s writing about Lennie, but now that I am atuned to it, I see it everywhere.

Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man . . . dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. (2)

[Lennie] drank with long gulps, snorting into the water like a horse. (3)

Lennie dabbled his big paw in the water and wiggled his fingers so the water arose in little splashes. (3)

With all that in two pages, you might be tempted to say Steinbeck overdoes it, but we can decide that later. What, though, is he trying to do? In many of my classes we discuss similes and why authors use them. Homer uses them a lot in The Odyssey, and poets use them a lot. In many of those instances, the author’s intention is to make the unfamiliar seem familiar by comparison. Here, Steinbeck makes the image familiar, but also he makes us associate the character with other things — things like large animals. If you weren’t paying attention, you might find the effect almost subconscious, I would think. It might be fun to test someone out like that — do a picture association test at the end of the book. We could say “Lennie Small” and then hold up a series of pictures and see which one the reader connects most closely with Lennie. Perhaps a bear?

That’s enough from me on this one. It’s time for me to turn to you and see what you’re saying. Obviously I have no problem writing more words about a book than the writer put originally in the book.

__________________________________________

• Original image: ‘Poloa Vienan‘

Filed under: Of Mice and Men and tagged Of Mice and Men, sheehy, steinbeck