OMAM Characters

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  • Characters of OMAM
    • George
      • Main character
      • Represents an every-day man
      • Idealistic dreamer
      • Parental role
      • Cares about Lennie
      • S1
      • Clever man
      • S6
      • S2
      • "small and quick, dark of face"
      • Person to represent the reader
      • For the reader to follow
    • Lennie
      • Represents people with mental disabilities
      • Murders Curley's Wife by accident
      • Acts like a child
      • Under the power of George
      • Innocent, but guilty
      • A liability to George
      • Often compared to animals like a "terrier", "bear" and "horse"
      • A big man, but acts young
      • "imitated George exactly"
      • S1
      • S5
      • S4
      • S2
      • S6
    • Candy
      • Represents the elderly / physically disabled
      • Submits to more powerful characters
      • Victim of disrespect
      • Desperate for help / a friend
      • S4
      • S2
      • Foreshadow version of George (dog is Lennie)
      • Helpless
      • Helps George and Lennie get closer to their dream
      • Is willing to give all his money to strangers
      • Isn't close to anyone
      • "old swamper"
    • Crooks
      • Represents racism / racial inequality
      • Only black character - a minority
      • One of the worst-off characters
      • Loneliness
      • Everything in his life is "broken"
      • Misuses power when granted it
      • Ignored by all characters
      • Cyclical structure in S4
      • Threatened and nobody backs him up
      • Sometimes viewed as sub-human
      • S4
    • Slim
      • "Prince of the ranch"
      • Represents the ideal figure
      • He is the true leader of the ranch, he has more power than Curley
      • One of the few who doesn't seem oppressed in any way
      • We are supposed to think he's perfect
      • "Slim's opinion was law"
      • Admired by everyone up to Steinbeck
      • The reader's moral compass
      • Contradict - supports dog's death, but still 'perfect'
      • Supports George at the end
      • S2
      • S3
      • S6
    • The Boss
      • Only seen once
      • Detatched from other characters
      • We know nothing about him
      • Doesn't care about others
      • Only present out of necessity
      • Too busy to look after his workers (and son?)
      • Isn't even involved when his daughter in law is killed, and doesn't chase after Lennie
      • S2
      • "fat-legged man"
    • Curley
      • Represents the rich / entitled in society
      • Doesn't have any real respect
      • Has less power than Slim
      • S2
      • S5
      • Cares more about revenge than his wife's death or mourning
      • Doesn't have anything to do
      • Cruel to Lennie
      • Has a Napoleon complex
      • "a thin young man with a brown face, with brown eyes"
      • No friends
    • Curley's Wife
      • Represents women
      • Tells Lennie about her failed dream of being a movie star
      • Young
      • Described with "red", warns of danger
      • Forced to be who she is
      • Only known as Curley's Wife
      • Victim of society
      • Sexism
      • Displays patriarchal, mysogynist society
    • Carlson
      • Cruel to Candy about his "stinky" dog
      • Product of the new, transient lifestyle of America at the time
      • Emotionless / lacking in empathy
      • Unable to understand humans
      • Cold-hearted, child that kicks animals
      • Bored, resorts to bullying as a hobby
      • Represents pressures of society which act upon Candy and others
      • S3
      • S6
      • "A powerful, big-stomached man"
    • Whit
      • Dreams are possible
      • Character who has friendship
      • Defies the apparent social norm of loneliness
      • S3
      • Rarely ever seen
      • Is only present when he has something to say
      • Character is a plot point to show the fluctuation between good and bad
      • Wants to share luck with others
      • Selfless and happy for his friend
      • Contradicts social norm of selfishness
      • "A young labouring man"

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