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How Is Slim Presented In Of Mice And Men
732 Words2 Pages
While I agree that Slim is a man to be admired, I can recognise and understand why others would disagree. Slim has numerous admirable qualities, presented to us by Steinbeck and other characters, such as Candy. In the first description of Slim, Steinbeck presents Slim as a respected and powerful man and we receive a similar description from Candy. He is compared to ‘royalty’ and ‘master craftsmen’ and is later praised by some of the other workers at the ranch. We do, however, see another side to Slim, which diminishes our admiration for him. For example, in section three, Slim threatens Curley not to mention what Lennie did, which, for most people is seen as manipulative and something to lessen our respect for him.*
When we are first introduced
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Steinbeck’s use of adjectives such as ‘majesty’ and ‘great’ in the opening description of Slim tells us that he is given a certain sense of authority on the ranch and has gained a certain amount of respect from the other workers. ‘He moved with majesty achieved only by royalty and master craftsmen.’ This use of regal imagery increases the readers respect for him and leads them to believe he is truly a man to be admired.
Slim is given the longest physical description of any of the characters in the novel. This tells us that Steinbeck wanted him to make an impression and wished us to remember him and the sense of power he holds over the other characters in the novel, which we know he uses to his advantage in the future.*
Steinbeck uses multiple metaphors and similes when describing Slim. Each of these do a lot to present Slim as a man of dignity and intelligence. ‘He was a jerkline skinner, prince of the ranch, capable of driving ten, sixteen, even twenty mules with a single line to the leaders.’ This not only describes him as a strong worker, but the metaphor used is very important in defining the hierarchy on the ranch. If the boss is at the top, he should be known as the king and Curley, as his son, should rightfully be the prince. However, from this description, in which Slim is described as, ‘prince of the ranch’, we learn that Slim is more respected and admired by all the workers than Curley is. This tells the reader that Steinbeck himself believes that Slim is a man to be admired, encouraging them to believe this
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