Of Mice and Men top quotes

Chapter 1 -

·         "A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green. The water is warm too, for it has slipped twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight before reaching the narrow pool." – Steinbeck uses vivid images to create the setting; the setting is idyllic, perfect and untouched.

·         “On the sand banks the rabbits sat as quietly as little gray, sculptured stones." – Simile adds to the timeless feel but suggests that this is a real place, the rabbits are scared and stay still like stones, emphasizes the quiet setting, Personification.

·         "Guys like us that work on ranches are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place. . . . With us it ain't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don't have to sit in no bar room blowin' in our jack jus' because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us." - Steinbeck idealizes male friendships, suggesting that they are the most dignified and satisfying way to overcome the loneliness that overtakes the world. Shows the closeness of Lennie & George.

·         "...and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws." – metaphor, bear like, animal imagery – Metaphor, makes Lennie’s bear-like qualities clear (strong), only described this way because of his looks his personality is the opposite.

·         “Slowly, like a terrier who doesn’t want to bring a ball back to its master” – Lennie is described as a dog that is small but seen to be vicious. The dog is not in charge and should obey his master and that is what Lennie is treated like.

·         “Live off the fatta the lan!”- George and Lennie’s dream is to have a small farm to live off. Makes us sympathetic to their simple ambition. Lennie’s response to it is like a small child being told a bedtime story.

Chapter 2 –

·         "Curley's like a lot of little guys. He hates big guys. He's alla time picking scraps with big guys. Kind of like he's mad at 'em because he ain't a big guy." – Curley is introduced as being strong and always wanting fights, he feels intimidated by taller men.

·         “The prince of the ranch” – Slim is a hero and he commands everyone’s respect and is the only character Steinbeck uses a whole paragraph to praise.

·         “I think Curley’s married a tart” – Candy is a gossip and gives us an impression of Curley’s wife before we even meet her. We are prejudice against her before we know her.

·         “She had…