Of Mice and Men Character Analysis Essay In John Steinbeck’s book, Of Mice and Men, Slim was the prince of the ranch and a jerkline skinner. In this book, Slim was one of the leaders of the people on the ranch that went and worked in the fields. The workers trusted Slim and went to him when they were having trouble. Slim was not considered one of the main characters in the book, however, he played an important role in the story. Slim displayed many characteristics that illustrated his importance in the book. Slim was one of the most respected people on the ranch. The author stated that, “his authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject, be it politics or love” (Steinbeck 33). All of the workers confided in him when they were experiencing troubles. Curley, the ranch owner’s son, had a lot of respect for Slim. When George and Lenny showed up on the ranch, Slim helped them get into the routine of things on the ranch. Respect is something that is earned, and it was obvious that Slim had earned it among his co-workers. …show more content…
Another characteristic that Slim displayed is being extremely confident.
He showed his confidence through his words and actions. Whenever Slim spoke to people on the ranch, he did so with confidence in his voice. Everybody on the ranch had to answer to Slim. Whenever he would tell somebody to go do something or get something, they did it. For example, when Lenny smashed Curley’s hand, Slim said, “I think you got your han’ caught in a machine. If you don’t tell nobody what happened, we ain’t going to” (Steinbeck 64). Even though Curley was the ranch owner’s son, he listened to Slim speak with confidence and did what Slim told him to
do. Slim was a caring person and cared about some of the people on the ranch. Slim was kind and noticed the situation for George in regards to Lenny. He sensed that George had to take care of Lenny. Slim listened to George as he told him of how they got kicked out of Weed. At the end of the story, when George shoots Lenny, Slim helps George through it and tells him he made the right decision. This is clear at the end of the story, when Slim tells George, “You hadda, George. I swear you hadda. Come on with me” (Steinbeck 107). Slim cared about others and this was evident in his relationship with those around him. The character Slim was not the most important character in the book Of Mice and Men, however, he is needed to complete the story of George and Lenny. He was respected around the ranch and everybody looked up to him. He spoke with confidence when he helped other people with their personal issues or problems on the ranch. He was also caring of others and helped George through his problems. The outcome of George and Lenny in the book would have been different if Slim was not there.
George chooses to stick with Lennie, despite his mental disabilities. They are loyal to each other, even though they are different: “Even in the open one stayed behind the other” (2). Their desire to spend time together in fellowship indicates the theme of true friendship. Later on in the novella, George and Lennie are introduced to Slim, the jerkline skinner on the ranch. Because his job requires him to move around, Slim, like most migrant farmers, is lonely. He observes George and Lennie’s unusual friendship and questions it saying, “You guys travel around together?” (34). George and Lennie’s loyalty to each other protects them from the loneliness of their work, revealing one important benefit of true friendship. Near the end of the novella, Lennie is in the barn with
First, Steinbeck uses the character of Slim to describe that helping others makes that individual feel gratitude towards the individual who helped
This could be for many reasons, but the most probable might be that Steinbeck wants us to delve deeper in the story, and make our own inferences. Because of this concept, the character might be a bit “fuzzy”, meaning that because he is not described directly, there can be many interpretations to just one common character. This indirect characterization of Slim is on page 46, where it reads, “A young laboring man came in. His sloping shoulders were bent forward and he walked heavily on his heels, as though he carried an invisible grain bag” (Steinbeck 46). We know that Slim is a young man, however from the quote above, some might be led to think that he his a bit elderly because of the “weight he carries”, infering that he has a laborious life. Nonetheless, from the information we know and the quote above, it is probably safe to assume that in the short life Slim has had so far, he has worked during most of it, but is a kind
“I ain’t much good with one hand. I lost my hand right here at the ranch.” You will consider this as a handicapped person. What else will you include in this category? Mental disorder, parallelization, amputated, etc., everything that makes you depend on others or any other things including loneliness, emotionless, discriminated or anything that you can do but there is something stopping you from what you want to do.
In the book Of Mice and Men, the author,John Steinbeck, uses stereotype characters to convey his message. He wants to empathize with his characters as human beings. He uses stereotype characters such as Lennie, George, Curly, Slim, Candy, Crooks, and Curly's wife. Steinbeck's goal is to inform people how life was like for a migrant worker in the 1920's to 1930's.
...so uses a generous amount of figurative language to portray Slim. Slim is depicted using a metaphor as, “a jerkline skinner, the prince of the ranch”. Slim is also said to have hands that are, “large and lean, were as delicate in their action as those of a temple dancer.” Which is expressed through the practice of a simile. George also describes Lennie, using a simile, as, “jes’ like a kid”. Steinbeck also practices dialect familiar with the area and time through a metaphor by having George say, “Me an’ Lennie gonna roll up a stake.” This means to save up some money. The puppy that dies because of Lennie petting it is a symbol of Curley’s wife who also dies subsequently of Lennie petting her hair. The water snake at the end of the story is representational in nature as it glides “smoothly up the pool” by foreshadowing the evil that is impending upon Lennie’s fate.
John Steinbeck explores human experience in the novella ‘Of Mice and Men’ in friendship, loneliness and marginalisation. He does this through the characters as explained thought the paragraphs below.
When Lennie and George encounter Slim, another ranch hand, they automatically respect him and react positively towards him. “This was Slim, the jerkline skinner. His hatchet face was ageless. He might have been thirty-five or fifty. His ear heard more than was said to him, and his slow speech had overtones not of thought, but of understanding beyond thought. His hands, large and lean, were as delicate in their action as those of a temple dancer.” (Steinbeck, 33-34) Slim is the noblest of the ranch as the only character who seems to be at peace with his circumstances and his life. The other characters view slim as wise and respectable man and often go to him for guidance, as the only person who has achieved what he wants in life.
Thomas Carlyle, philosopher, once stated, “Isolation is the sum total of wretchedness to a man.” There is nothing in this world more heartbreaking than the lack of healthy relationships. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is an insightful story about man-to-man bonds. It is set during the 1930s, when the United States was going through the Great Depression. At this time, everyone, including migrant workers similar to the ones in our story, had difficulties finding secure jobs. This resulted in an attitude of every man for himself. Some of the characters in the story can connect well with others; however, the rest have a hard time fitting in. Slim, the jerkline skinner, is one of the people who can blend in with the other ranch workers. This
Although Slim is indulgent, compassionate, receptive and is looked up to as the “ideal man.” He does hold a form of loneliness which is portrayed through solitariness. The reader can deduce Slim’s loneliness once George and Lennie found a job at the bunkhouse. Where, George and Lennie were given positions as migrant workers to be part of Slim’s team as they’ll soon be partners. Once George and Lennie have met Slim, they conversated and Slim asked them a few questions regarding their relationship, were Slim’s solitariness is illustrated. "Ain't many guys travel around together," he mused. "I don't know why. Maybe ever'body in the whole damn world is scared of each other"(35). At this moment George and Lennie’s friendship grant Slim’s
In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck brings out the themes of Lonliness and companionship, and strengths and weaknesses through the actions, and quotations of the characters. Irony and foreshadowing play a large roll on how the story ends. Lennie and his habit of killing things not on purpose, but he is a victim of his own strength. George trying to pretend that his feelings for Lennie mean nothing. The entire novel is repetitive in themes and expressed views.
Of Mice and Men was written during a period of racism. In the 1960's it was important for everyone to get along with eachother because not everyone was equal. George and Lennie showed a great part in friendship throught the whole book. At the ranch in Selinas mostly everyone showed friendship in some way. Friendship was a great factor when the book was published because of all the racism going on at the time.
The daily struggle of the working class, fear of loneliness and the reality of putting all your energy into plans that fail are the different themes relating to John Steinbeck's novel, "Of Mice and Men". The characters depicted by the author are individuals who are constantly facing one obstacle after another. The book illustrates different conflicts such as man versus society, man versus man, man versus himself and idealism versus reality. The book's backdrop is set in the Salinas, California during the depression. The two main characters include two men, George and Lennie. Supportive characters include a few ranch hands, Candy, Crooks, Curly, Slim and Carlson.
He doesn’t want Lennie to die horribly that’s why George killed Lennie by shooting him back of his head. Curley was so mad at Lennie that he could have killed him in a horrible way. And Curley was also looking for a way to take a revenge for Lennie crushing his hand, so George doesn’t want Lennie to get killed in cruel way so he just gave him easy death. “Slim nodded. "We might," he said. "If we could keep Curley in, we might, But Curley's gonna want to shoot 'im. Curley's still mad about his hand. An' s'pose they lock him up an' strap him down and put him in a cage. That ain't no good, George." (Steinbeck 97). Slim sighed."Well, I guess we got to get him…" (Steinbeck 93).
Lennie to take care of. The next day George convinces the farm boss to hire