Question 21
Candidate's Response
Part A
In 'Of Mice and Men' (hereafter OFMM) Steinbeck presents the inhabitants as lonely men. On the shelves, where there is only two, they have no personal belongings insinuating they have no family, thus leaving them lonely.
Not only are they lonely, but not very wealthy either; the shelves/bunks contain many magazines and articles as well as talcum powder, soap and razors.
The decor of the bunkhouse is very plain conveying the inhabitants' way of life as well as how they view their 'home'. "Inside the walls were whitewashed and the floor unpainted." The word 'white' indicating plain, reflecting their daily lives: plain and boring.
Not only is the room scarcely decorated, but the interior is very cheap. They don't even have any chairs to sit on, instead they have 'grouped' boxes' for people to sit on. On the table there was playing cards, indicating the workers like to play cards and possibly gamble.
In conclusion, Steinbeck presents the bunkhouse and its inhabitants as bleak and lonely, the place barely liveable. The 'lice, roaches, and other scourges', a prime example.
Part B
In the rest of the novella Steinbeck presents the ranch workers in a number of ways; not only are they lonely, but racist is another way they are portrayed.
The way they are portrayed as racist is when they use the term 'nigger' to talk about Crooks, the stable-buck. Not only do they call him 'nigger', he also has a separate room from the rest of the ranch workers, segregating him.
Furthermore, Crooks is slightly disabled because of his back. However, Candy is disabled as well because he only has one hand. Steinbeck uses disability as a way of making us feel sympathetic towards Candy and Crooks because they are damaged therefore they can't do much.
Steinbeck doesn't only portray the characters in a negative way, he presents Lennie in a positive way, however it could have been seen as negative. The way he does this is by exploiting Lennie's disability; although Lennie is food at work he clings to his American Dream ('How I get to tend the rabbits') of getting to 'tend the rabbits' which George knows will never happen.
Another character portrayed in a positive way is Slim - he is respected by all the workers. 'Slim's a jerkline skinner. Hell of a nice fella.' This quote is Candy’s representation of Slim and what he thinks of him, the word 'nice' indicating his respect and fondness of him.
In conclusion Steinbeck portrays each character differently and each with a different level of respect and authority throughout the novel. In my opinion, as a reader, you come to realise life as a ranch worker, especially in the 1930s with the dust bowl and depression was a difficult life.
JPS Comments
The candidate does not go into a great deal of depth or detail concerning the wider themes and ideas of the novel. Part b is seriously lacking in significant reference and use of the context of the time and how the trim quality of the bunkhouse is suggestive of general poverty There was opportunity to discuss the use of light in the extract, but this was missed. There is an attempt to discuss Crooks' situation and context is implitcly referred to, however this was a good departure from the bunkhouse as a focus to possibly discuss the difference in the two homes and possible following ironies. The candidate would not have been penalised for making this leap from focus as long as the comparison was a useful exploration that opened up insight into the bunkhouse as a solitary setting despite its communal quality.
Part
(a)
How does Steinbeck use details in this passage (pp.19-20) to present the
bunkhouse and its inhabitants?
and
then Part
(b)
In the rest of the novel, how does Steinbeck present the lives of
ranch workers at that time?
(30
marks)
Candidate's Response
Part A
In 'Of Mice and Men' (hereafter OFMM) Steinbeck presents the inhabitants as lonely men. On the shelves, where there is only two, they have no personal belongings insinuating they have no family, thus leaving them lonely.
Not only are they lonely, but not very wealthy either; the shelves/bunks contain many magazines and articles as well as talcum powder, soap and razors.
The decor of the bunkhouse is very plain conveying the inhabitants' way of life as well as how they view their 'home'. "Inside the walls were whitewashed and the floor unpainted." The word 'white' indicating plain, reflecting their daily lives: plain and boring.
Not only is the room scarcely decorated, but the interior is very cheap. They don't even have any chairs to sit on, instead they have 'grouped' boxes' for people to sit on. On the table there was playing cards, indicating the workers like to play cards and possibly gamble.
In conclusion, Steinbeck presents the bunkhouse and its inhabitants as bleak and lonely, the place barely liveable. The 'lice, roaches, and other scourges', a prime example.
Part B
In the rest of the novella Steinbeck presents the ranch workers in a number of ways; not only are they lonely, but racist is another way they are portrayed.
The way they are portrayed as racist is when they use the term 'nigger' to talk about Crooks, the stable-buck. Not only do they call him 'nigger', he also has a separate room from the rest of the ranch workers, segregating him.
Furthermore, Crooks is slightly disabled because of his back. However, Candy is disabled as well because he only has one hand. Steinbeck uses disability as a way of making us feel sympathetic towards Candy and Crooks because they are damaged therefore they can't do much.
Steinbeck doesn't only portray the characters in a negative way, he presents Lennie in a positive way, however it could have been seen as negative. The way he does this is by exploiting Lennie's disability; although Lennie is food at work he clings to his American Dream ('How I get to tend the rabbits') of getting to 'tend the rabbits' which George knows will never happen.
Another character portrayed in a positive way is Slim - he is respected by all the workers. 'Slim's a jerkline skinner. Hell of a nice fella.' This quote is Candy’s representation of Slim and what he thinks of him, the word 'nice' indicating his respect and fondness of him.
In conclusion Steinbeck portrays each character differently and each with a different level of respect and authority throughout the novel. In my opinion, as a reader, you come to realise life as a ranch worker, especially in the 1930s with the dust bowl and depression was a difficult life.
JPS Comments
The candidate does not go into a great deal of depth or detail concerning the wider themes and ideas of the novel. Part b is seriously lacking in significant reference and use of the context of the time and how the trim quality of the bunkhouse is suggestive of general poverty There was opportunity to discuss the use of light in the extract, but this was missed. There is an attempt to discuss Crooks' situation and context is implitcly referred to, however this was a good departure from the bunkhouse as a focus to possibly discuss the difference in the two homes and possible following ironies. The candidate would not have been penalised for making this leap from focus as long as the comparison was a useful exploration that opened up insight into the bunkhouse as a solitary setting despite its communal quality.
