Lit Circle Summative Journal #2

       “The human heart has ever dreamed of a fairer world than the one it knows.” Carleton Noyes

          The novel my group is doing this week is "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck. I have finished the book and so has the rest of my group. This week, we discussed the connection between the novel and the "American" Dream. In the novel, the main characters, George and Lennie, want to own a place and "live of the fatta the lan."(pg. 23).  The author is showing that this is an impossible dream, although still a dream shared by millions.  In a sense, this theme is saying that many of us are living in some kind of a fantasy world rather than facing the harsh reality of our lives.

          The novel is saying that a person always dreams of better life than he or she is in. Most people should agree with this. One of the characters from this novel, George, show what he would do with a better life. George divulges how he will get a better life than the one he‘s already in. He says that by earning sufficient money and living off of the land for a while, he can save enough to buy his own land and start a new life. With that money and land, he can complete his "American" Dream.

          When Lennie, George’s friend, was having a hard time at the ranch in which they worked, George protected him from humiliation. This shows that even though Lenny is a big guy, he doesn't have that much courage. George would tell him to think about the life ahead and the rabbits that he liked to play with. In this novel, a fight arose with Lennie and the bosses son, Curley. Curley was a small man and did not like big people. It is kind of a jealousy thing, as he resents his own small stature, and hates big guys because he feels they don't deserve it. "You got a problem with speaking, boy...why can't you answer when spoken to" (pg. 25) This quote from the novel shows how he pesters Lennie, even though Lennie doesn't want to fight with him(Curley). When Curley’s wife dies, he blames it on Lennie; he decides that Lennie must die to avenge his wife, even though Lennie had nothing to do with it. When George gets wind of this news, he thinks that he should just kill Lennie himself and send him to a better life than he had. All of these themes correspond to the quote at the top of the page. It is really only defining what the American dream is, but it shows the deeper meaning as well.

          I really think that I can further my discussion skills by asking questions about the book and trying to build on the answers given.

Found Poem

Destruction

Maybe he ain’t bright

He damn near killed his partner;

Bucking barley.

“You said I was your cousin, George”.

“Well, that was a lie,

An’ I’m damn glad it was,

If I was a relative of your,

I’d shoot myself”.

Poor bastard

“You gonna give me that mouse,

Or do I have to sock you”.

Crazy fool;

Blubbering like a baby,

Ain’t to be trusted;

Can’t keep a job,

Lost ever’ job [George] ever got.

Gets in trouble,

Does bad things and,

George bails him out.

Ain’t got no money

Nor any money to call his own.

Nowhere to go,

Ain’t that bright,

Jus’ a big guy,

And he lay there,

Quivering.

            For my found poem, I chose the word destruction. In the story “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, the only thing being destroyed is the self esteem of Lennie Small, by his friend George Milton. Throughout the story, George becomes increasingly hostile toward Lennie because he is not that bright and screws up every chance they get a real job. “You can’t even keep a job” (pg. 12). This shows that George doesn’t really believe in George and want to help him overcome his clumsiness. Georges anger and irritably toward Lennie comes to a climax at the end of the story when he becomes so frustrated that he kills Lennie. You hadda do it, George, you hadda…I know, I hadda do it” (pg. 107). This shows that George’s friends think that he was really helping Lennie when he killed him, but George felt remorse for his action and regretted his decision. He felt kind of sorry for Lennie, as he was tasked with taking care of him and he failed him. That is what the last quote of the poem is saying. The image connects to the story because it is like Lennie’s mind, destroyed by all of the abusive bombardment through out his life.