Ideas for Reports and Papers

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1. Writers frequently use imagery patterns (repeated depictions of settings, objects, or actions) to subtly highlight their themes. How does Steinbeck incorporate imagery patterns (such as animal imagery) in this novel?

2. In chapter 3, Carlson takes Candy's dog away and shoots it. What is the significance of this event in the novel?

3. In chapter 4, Crooks tells Lennie: "Books ain't no good. A guy needs somebody— to be near him." What do you think Crooks means by this? What is Steinbeck suggesting through this remark?

4. Why does George travel with Lennie, thereby restricting his own freedom? How do his actions illustrate one of Steinbeck's central themes in the novel?

5. Read Robert Burns's poem "To a Mouse," which explores the same theme as this novel: the inevitability of fate disrupting man's best-laid plans. In what ways are Steinbeck's and Burns's treatments of this theme similar? In what ways do they differ?

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