power in of mice and men

8/3/2019 POWER in of Mice and Men

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/power-in-of-mice-and-men 1/15

Antonia Nelson

POWER

{In Of Mice and Men}• What is power ?

Power is a noun defined as the ability to dosomething or act in a particular way, esp. asa faculty or quality.

Power can also be a measurement of theability a person/force has to control itsenvironment, including the behavior of (other) people.

Power can be external (example - controllingothers) or internal (inner-strength)

• Things that could give a person power

Delegated Authority / Authoritative POWER

In Of Mice and Men, the boss would have this authoritative power.



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Social class (material wealth can equal power)

“Nearly all men can standadversity, but if you wantto test a man's character,give him power.”

Abraham Lincoln

An interestingquote. In

Of Mice and Men,Lennie’s power resultsin his death.



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This is a fairly obvious reason for power in the novel – mostly betweenthe workers and the boss (also Curley – he doesn’t have to work)

NUMBERS – the more the merrier !!!

For example,• in nature a herd of elephants would have

more power than a lone elephant.• In war, the country with more facilities and a

bigger head-count would be favored to win.

Expertise (ability, skills) “..in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man isking" – Desiderius Erasmus.

ed by insults (because of his colour); he has this power because



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Knowledge (granted or withheld, shared orkept secret)

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Moral persuasion (including religion)

[this is a source of inner power/inner strength]

Force (violence, military might, coercion)

“Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and

permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment.” Mohandas Gandhi

Leads to

“I am not interested in power for power's sake, but I'm interested inpower that is moral, that is right and that is good.”Martin Luther King, Jr.

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In relationships; domination/submissiveness

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• Some Words Associated withPOWER. (including sources of

power)

Able. all-powerful. almighty.authoritarian. authoritative. capable.cogent. commanding. compelling.competent. controlling. convincing.

dominant. dynamic. effective. effectual.efficacious. energetic. forceful.

impressive. in control, influential.mighty. omnipotent. overruling.paramount. persuasive. potent. pre-

eminent. prevailing. ruling. sovereign.sturdy. supreme. upper hand. vigorous.relationships. status. Leadership.dominance. freedom. control. fear.respect. age. gender. race. religion. skills.knowledge. respect. confidence. love.

inequality. social class. boss.manipulation. charisma. wealth. morals.politics. attitude. abilities.

Power And The Great DepressionThe Great Depression in the United States was the worst

and longest economic collapse in the history of the modernindustrialized world, lasting from the end of 1929 until the early1940s. Beginning in the U.S., the depression spread to most of



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the world's industrial countries, which in the 20th century hadbecome economically dependent on one another. The GreatDepression saw rapid declines in the production and sale of goods and a sudden, severe rise in unemployment. Businesses

and banks closed their doors, people lost their jobs, homes, andsavings, and many depended on charity to survive. In 1933, atthe worst point in the depression, more than 15 millionAmericans-one-quarter of the nation's workforce-wereunemployed.

The depression was caused by a number of seriousweaknesses in the economy. Although the 1920s appeared onthe surface to be a prosperous time, income was unevenlydistributed. The wealthy made large profits, but more and more

Americans spent more than they earned, and farmers faced lowprices and heavy debt. The lingering effects of World War I(1914-1918) caused economic problems in many countries, asEurope struggled to pay war debts and reparations. Theseproblems contributed to the crisis that began the GreatDepression: the disastrous U.S. stock market crash of 1929,which ruined thousands of investors and destroyed confidencein the economy. Continuing throughout the 1930s, thedepression ended in the United States only when massive

spending for World War II began.

On a personal level, the hardships suffered during the

depression affected many Americans' attitudes toward life,work, and their community. Many people who survived thedepression wanted to protect themselves from ever againgoing hungry or lacking necessities. Some developed habits of frugality and careful saving for the rest of their lives, and manyfocused on accumulating material possessions to create a

comfortable life, one far different from that which theyexperienced in the depression years.

Weakness = lack of power.



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The Great Depression caused WEAKNESS andDESPERATION. Also it increased the gap between the rich andthe poor.

This desperation led todreams, the most important ideal founded during this timeperiod was that of the ‘AMERICAN DREAM’.

The ‘American Dream’led thousands to leave inspired many to live through thedrought and the hard work but also led to false hope andridicule from the higher classes.

• Power and Weakness in Some of theCharacters [Of Mice And Men]

NAME ;- ‘Boss’

APPEARANCE ;-Wears a solid, brown Stetson, blue

jeans, a flannel shirt, a black un-buttoned vest and ablack coat. (with spurs)

A little, stocky man with short, fat legs.

Described as constantly rubbing his whiskers with hisknuckles. (This is a very cat-like trait and it showsinsecurity about his power).

PERSONALITY :- * Impatient *Focused * Controlling *

Curious/Inquisitive *random *frustrated *insecure



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USEFUL QUOTES :-“…he give the stable buck hell…” [pg. 21]“On his head was a solid, brown Stetson.” [pg. 22]“”…rubbing his whiskers with his knuckles…” [pg.

22]

NAME :- Curley

APPEARANCE :-> A thin, young man with a brown face, with

brown eyes and a head of tightly curled hair( ‘tightly curled’ hair is normally associated withbeing reserved which draws an interesting

contrast to Curley’s pugnacious nature.)> He wore a work glove on his left hand and hewore high-heeled boots.> He is short.

PERSONALITY:- *Insecure *Possessive *Jealous*Pugnacious *Suspicious



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NOTES :- • Curley is the boss's son, so he doesn't need

to work like the ordinary ranch hands, and he

has time to kill.

• He's little - so he hates big guys.

• He is a prize-fighter and looks foropportunities for a fight.

•

"He glanced coldly at George and then atLennie. His arms gradually bent at the elbowsand his hands closed into fists. He stiffenedand went into a slight crouch. His glance wasat once calculating and pugnacious."

• He is newly-married and is very possessive of

his wife - but he still visits brothels.

• There is a rumour that he wears a glove filledwith Vaseline to keep his hand soft for hiswife.

USEFUL QUOTES :-“… Curley’s like a lot of little guys..” [Pg 28]“…Seems like Curley is cockier ever since he

got married.” [Pg 29]“…He just don’t give a damn. Won’t ever get

canned cause his old man’s the boss…” [Pg28]

“He wore a work glove on his left hand…” [Pg26]



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NAME :- ‘Candy’s Dog’

APPEARANCE :- *A drag-footed sheep dog, gray of muzzle with pale, blind old eyes. *Has a moth-eatencoat. *Stinky *Has no teeth

Personality :- <> Worn <> Frail <> Weak <> pained

<> loyal (to Candy) <> once-powerful {ALL these

aspects of the dog evoke sympathy. This isironic because it is something the ranchersdid not have or get}

USEFUL QUOTES :-“And at his heels there walked a drag-footed sheep

dog, gray of muzzle, and with pale, blind old eyes.

The dog struggled lamely to the side of the room



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and lay down, grunting softly to himself and lickinghis grizzled moth-eaten coat.” [Pg. 25]

“The swamper watched him…” [Pg.25]“God, he was a good sheep dog when he was

younger.” [Pg. 26]“Why’n’t you get Candy to shoot his old dog and

give him one of the pups to raise?” [Pg. 37]

NOTES :- Candy's dog is quite important in thisbook. Now that Candy's dog is old, useless, and weak, all the men on the ranch decide that he is nolonger needed, therefore he should be shot. Thisshows how the strong people get rid of the weak,

just as how Lennie was weak, and was also shot .

NAME :- Lennie

APPEARANCE :- <> Wore denim trousers and a denimcoat with brass buttons. <> Wore a black shapelesshat. <> A huge man, shapeless of face, with large, paleeyes {NOTICE THAT CANDY’S DOG ALSO HAS PALEEYES ;) } and wide, sloping shoulders.

PERSONALITY :- *Innocent *Childlike *Slow *Trusting*Impulsive



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USEFUL QUOTES :- “…the way a bear drags his paws..” [Pg. 4] “…drank with long gulps, snorting into the water

like a horse.” [Pg. 4] “…(he) imitated George..” [Pg. 5] “…Lennie’s lip quivered…” [Pg 11]

NOTES ON LENNIE SMALL :-• He is a big man, in contrast to his name.•

• He has limited intelligence, so he relies on George tolook after him. He copies George in everything Georgedoes and trusts George completely.

•

• "Behind him (George) walked his opposite, a huge man,shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide,sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging hisfeet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His armsdid not swing at his sides, but hung loosely."

•

• He shares a dream with George to own a piece of land.Lennie's special job would be to tend the rabbits.

•

• He likes to pet soft things, like puppies and dead mice.We know this got him into trouble in Weed when hetried to feel a girl's soft red dress: she thought he wasgoing to attack her.

•

• He can be forgetful - George continually has to remindhim about important things.

•

• He is very gentle and kind, and would never harmanyone or anything deliberately.

•

• He is extremely strong: he can work as well as two men

at bucking barley.•



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• He is often described as a child or an animal - he drinksfrom the pool like a horse and his huge hands aredescribed as paws.

power in of mice and men

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