Theme Analysis

In last week's blog response, I asked you to select a theme that "hit home" with you the most. Now that you have set your sights on a theme you would most like work with some more, it is time to test your skills of analysis. Scan through the last chapter (6) in Of Mice and Men and see if you can pull out a moment from the text that, upon close reading, says something about your selected theme.

For example, imagine that I am a student who was most interested in the theme of "The American Dream." When scanning chapter 6 I came across this moment in the text:

"A water snake glided smoothly up the pool, twisting its periscope head from side to side; and it swam the length of the pool and came to the legs of a motionless heron that stood in the shallows. A silent head and beak lanced down and plucked it out by the head, and the beak swallowed the little snake while its tail waved frantically."

Next, try to analyze how this moment is somehow connected the theme you have chosen. It mights sound something like:

One of the final images of setting that Steinbeck offers us in Of Mice and Men involves a snake being eaten unexpectedly by a taller, silent bird. The snake "gliding smoothly up the pool" is similar to an American citizen in the 1930s attempting to work their way towards a goal of prosperity. The snake moves its way around obstacles as it sees them, just like a hardworking citizen has to jump some hurdles in the pursuit of their dream. However, the unfortunate truth of the matter is that "The American Dream" is beyond the grasp of most people because of unforeseen enemies to their progress. The tall heron might be a symbol for the more powerful upper or dominant class of society silently waiting in the shadows. The heron ultimately swallows the snake, and in the same light, many Americans dreams are snatched from American people in ways that they do not suspect. 

In chapter 6 in, Of Mice and Men, freedom is portrayed within George and Lennie.  "Come on George.  Me an' you'll go in an' get a drink."........."yeah a drink"page 107)  After killing Lennie, George had the freedom to do whatever he wanted.  He always complained about Lennie saying that if Lennie wasn't there, he could have done whatever he wanted.  George does not have Lennie as a burden anymore.  He is a free man which means that he has the right to do anything.  If he went to town to get a drink and Lenine was alive, then he would have to arrange something to make sure Lennie would be okay.  Now he doesn't have to go through that trouble of taking care of Lennie.  From the minute George pulled the trigger, he was free! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9irH7ruetdo

Chapter 6 Notes

Questions

Where:  Salines River, California (By the Brush)
When:  1930s
1)  Why does George go and kill Lennie when he could have made Curley or one of the other guys do it?  Why George?
2)  Why did Slim bring up the concept of getting a drink right after his friend killed someone, and that too Lennie? 
3)  Why didn't George stay with Lennie?  Why didn't he bury Lennie ?
4)  Do you think that Curley would have killed Lennie?  I don't think he had the nerve to.  After he saw Lennie on the ground, he started talking very softly.  After that, we didn't hear one word about him. 
5)  I wonder if Lennie had even one little thought in the back of his head that maybe his Aunt Clara and the rabbit were right?  Did he ever think that maybe George was not his true friend but was to scared to say anything?
6)  Do you think that the robin eating the snake having power over it was like George killing Lennie?

Summary

Lennie goes to the brush as George tells him to do if he got into trouble of any sort.  By the lake, Lennie imagines his Aunt Clara there.  His Aunt Clara tells him that it is all his fault.  She tells him that George does so much for him and that all he does is make trouble.  Then, Lennie imagines a rabbit in front of him.  The rabbit told Lennie that George is going to leave him.  By that time, George comes and talks to Lennie about the house they were going to live in.  The author foreshadows that something is going to happen when Lennie said that he did another bad thing and George replied it doesn't matter anymore.  This tells us that George is done with Lennie and that whatever he does would not matter from then on.  George makes Lennie look out across the river.  He goes behind him, puts the gun towards his head an pulls the trigger.  Lennie dropped to the ground and the other guys come out of the brush.  Curley seemed to be sympathetic and Slim went up to George and said that a guy has to sometimes.  They go off to get a drink as if nothing happened. 

Prediction

I predict that both George and Candy will be lonely and doleful.  George will just be like the other men on the ranch who travel alone and earn money and just spend it off.  I think he will get so influenced by the other men, that his dreams will get shattered.  He has no one to share them with.  Just like they said in the beginning, men never travel with others, they travel by themselves after a few months.  Now that Lennie is gone, George has no one.  Also, Candy asked George at the barn when they saw Curley's wife dead that they wouldn't be able to get a house now.  Candy knows now that none of his dreams would ever get fulfilled.  He knows that they were shattered and that he would just die at the ranch.  Candy would never feel joy again in his life and neither would George.  George would have a guilt feeling all his life that he killed his friend.   

Novel Reaction: Thinking Forward

We have investigated many captivating themes that exist in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men over the last few weeks. You have explored the desperation and poverty of the American 1930s through pictures and video. You have witnessed how John Steinbeck used naturalism to portray certain characters as "human beasts" acting on impulsiveness and instinct for self-preservation. You have examined how the author used literary devices such as sentimentalism, diction, tone, parallelism, and foreshadowing in order to propel these themes. You have close-read and analyzed the text digging deeper and deeper for evidence of themes such as Power vs. Powerlessness, Individual vs. Community, The American Dream, Euthanasia, Racism, Loneliness, and maybe even a little Sexism. Pat yourself on the back! You have been critically thinking about this novella on so many different levels.

For this week's blog response, you need to make some pretty serious decisions! We are quickly approaching the time where you will be expected to write your Research Paper based on a topic of interest from Of Mice and Men. If you have been keeping up with your reading, completing your notes, participating in conversations and activities during class on the various themes, and completing your blog responses this choice will be fairly easy! If not, you may be in for a struggle....

What topic or theme that we have touched on during this unit has "hit home" with you the most? Which theme or topic has a personal connection for you? Which did you find most captivating or interesting to discuss and investigate during this unit? Select a topic/theme from the list above that peaks your interest, and, in this week's blog response, discuss why you find it fascinating, which moment in the story you think about when reflecting on this theme, and how this theme is relevant in today's world.

A topic or theme that hot me the most is freedom.  When I say freedom, I think of disability, age, loneliness and even gender.  I think that gender has a personal connection to me.  In this world, jobs are differentiated between women and men.  For example, nurses are known as jobs for women, building houses is a job for men, and teachers are mostly women.  If I say that I wanted to be a pharmacist, it would be fine because I am a girl.  If I said that I wanted to build a house, people would ask me why in the world would I want to do that.  In this world, women and men jobs are different based on strength.  Jobs that involve physical strength is mostly for men.  A theme or topic that I found most captivating or interesting to discuss and investigate during this unit is The American Dream. 
Loneliness and the why characters are lonely in this story peaks my interest.  I get fascinated by this because this topic tells and gives me a feel for what people had to face and realize the different ways people can be lonely.  In the story, Curley's wife tells Lennie about her not being able to do anything and that getting married because she had to ruined her career, her life.  I learned how women can feel lonely at many times.  Crooks is lonely based on his color.  He was kept separately and was telling Candy and Lennie how it feels to be alone, away from other men.  After reading this, I understand that loneliness comes within race and gender.  In today's world, people, even teenagers judge people by their color.  Many people are racist towards Africans and make jokes about other cultures.  Women have rights now but jobs are still listed as women should have this kind of job and men should have that kind of job.  There is still loneliness in the world, as it may be no parents, no friends and even in different countries, girl's are not even allowed to leave the house.  Loneliness exists back in the 1930s as well as now may it be race, gender, disability, etc.

This is a video that shows people all on their own trying to fend for themselves while there is no one to help them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZz7mwvmm7A

Chapter 5 Notes

Questions

Where: Curley's ranch
When: 1930s
1) Why did Curley's wife start screaming when Lennie grabbed her hair?  Why couldn't she just say to let go of her hair nicely?
2)  I wonder if Curley really loved his wife?  I think this because, if he really loved her, he would have stayed and mourned her death instead of as soon as seeing her dead, go after the guy who he assumed killed her.
3)  Do you think Lennie will get killed or hurt this time?
4)  Why doesn't Curley's wife care about her husband at all?  She told Lennie that if Curley gets tough with him then just break his other hand.  If she loved or cared even the tiniest bit about her husband, she would love him no matter what he does.  She wouldn't go around complaining about her husband. 
5)  What do you think George will do next?  Will he go to the brush and hide Lenny and sort it out or will he just tell them where he was?
6)  Do you think that the boss will come back in and try to fire George as well because he said that he and Lennie stay together?

Prediction

I predict that George will just tell the other guys where Lennie was.  I think this because George will think that it is enough and that if he keeps on defending Lennie, he will end up being in trouble.  George might think that enough was enough and that he cannot keep taking the responsibility of Lennie.  Also, instead of someone else killing Lennie, he might just do it to keep him out of his misery.  I predict that Curley will just bury his wife and leave it at that.  He wont have a ceremony and will not tell the other guys.  I think this because when his wife died, he didn't even bother to give her a second glance, he didn't bother to stay with his wife.  A guy who cared for their wife would not be worried about killing the murderer at first.  I do not think that Lennie will get away this time, Curley would not let him. 

Connection

I can connect to Lennie when Curley's wife was talking to him and he was in a different world thinking about something else.  One time when my friend was talking to me about something, I was just in dreamland.  I was thinking a certain thing just like Lennie and did not pay attention to what she was saying.  Lennie was only thinking about tending the rabbits and not concentrating on what she was saying.  When there is one thing on your mind, you don't hear your surroundings which is what happened with both me and Lennie.

A Portrait Of Racism

Chapter 4 in Of Mice and Man, paints a very realistic portrait of racism in the 1930s. Discuss at least two ways in which racism is explored in this chapter. Include quotes and your own analysis of key moments in this chapter that clearly demonstrate the racism that existed in the American 1930s. What do readers understand about racism as a result of reading this chapter?

During the 1930's racism was realistic and played a big role in the mindsets of people.  In chapter 4, Crooks complains about his life being lonely.  He is separated from the white men and does not get as much power.  No one comes to see him except Slim and the boss.  "Cause I'm black.  They play cards in there, but I can't play because I'm black.  They say I stink.  Well I tell you, all of you stink to me."(page 68)  This shows that the other men do not include Crooks because he was African American.  When Curley's wife started threatening Crooks, he was powerless and put his head down like obeying to his master and then replied "yes ma'am."  "There wasn't another colored family for miles around.  And now there ain't a colored man on this ranch an' there's jus' one family in Soledad."  He laughed.  "If I say something, why its just a nigger sayin' it."  This shows that African Americans are not heard, are not listen to. 
Readers understand that racism was a crucial in the 1930's.  After reading this chapter, we understand that people did not give African Amercians the rights that a white man would have.  For example, not being able to live in the bunkhouse and having a room to himself, lonely and not being able to socialize with others.  No one cared to come in his house or invite him to the bunkhouse.  Crooks was saying that there wasn't a colored family around and that he had no one to talk to, no one with something common with him.  When Crooks said that, it's just a nigger saying that, it meant that no one listens to him, his thoughts, his feelings.  Colored people could not show what they truly felt, they were never able to talk to whites as a friend.  Whites had power and the ability to do as they want and say what they want while colored people were forced to be quiet and have distance from whites.  We find this out from the life style Crooks lives in.  This chapter has shown us how racism affects African Americans lives and how they are separated from Whites.

I found this link about segregation in the 1930's which shows how African Americans were treated.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6CQ_Z9eflE

Chapter 4 Notes

Questions

When:  1930's
Where:  on a ranch, south of Soledad
1)  Why does Candy start talking back to Curley's wife?  She is lonely and trapped in a house all day and wants to communicate with other people. 
2)  why does Crooks tell Lennie that George might not come back and complains about his life when he knows that Lennie wont even understand him?
3)  Why did Candy tell Crooks about the house that they were going to set up?  George told them not to tell anyone and Candy is sensible. 
4)  Is it better to live alone as an African American and live in a place by yourself, living peacefully and in an organized environment or live in the bunkhouse full of guys which is probably dirty?  Crooks that a nice place to himself, a nice place to eat, sleep, pass the time.  He had books and was clean, and did not have to have to worry about all the drama of the guys.
5)  Why did both Crooks and Curley's wife say that getting a house and living there will never happen and that many guys have dreams like that and it wont happen?  Is the author trying to foreshadow that George, Lennie, and Candy will not get a house and will leave just like all the other men?

Prediction

I predict that George will not come back from the city one day when he goes just like Crooks said.  I think that the author is trying to foreshadow that George will leave Lennie one day when he goes to the city.  One day, George will get really upset with Lennie, might take his money and leave.  He was saying that Lennie had about $100 saved up and might take all the money from their bank and leave.  That is what any guy might do to live his own life like what Crooks said.  It is much easier to live alone and he himself said that to Lennie in the beginning of the story.  Also, I think that even if they stay together, the author may have foreshadowed that they are not going to get the house because both Crooks and Curley's wife said that all men say the same thing, that they want to get land and have a house but it never happens.

Connection

I can connect to Lennie when George went to to town and Lennie went to Crooks house.  Since his friend left him to be safe, Lennie was bored and went to Crooks house even though Crooks was African American.  When my friends all went out one time and I didn't want to go, I stayed behind and saw that this girl was lonely.  I went and started talking to her and found out all about her.  Lennie did the same and gave Crooks company which I believe gave Crooks a little bit happiness because it said that he didn't know how to show anger and pleasure at the same time.  He felt appreciated.  Lennie went to Crooks and talked to him normally just like I did to that girl who felt abandoned. 

Investigating Themes in Of Mice And Men

Choose one of the following questions that interests you most to respond to in this week’s blog post:

1.)  What different forms of power exist in Of Mice and Men?  What kind of power does Lennie have?  What kind of power does George have?  What kinds of power or powerlessness do other characters possess?  
2.)  What kind of relationship do George and Lennie have?  Is their relationship a friendship?  How does this relationship express Steinbeck’s position on the individual versus the community?

3.)  Is the American Dream a real possibility in the story?  If yes, what characters, symbols, events, or other details from the story confirm that the American Dream is within reach?  If not, what characters, symbols, events, or other details from the story represent the American Dream as out of reach?  

Check out the info History.com has to offer about the American 1930s!  Who had power in the 1930s?  Who did not?  What kinds of power existed then?  What important relationships were formed in the 1930s?  Was the American Dream still alive in the 1930s?

There are two different powers that exist in, Of Mice And Men.  Lennie has physical power, he is very strong.  "Curley was white and shrunken by now, and his struggling had become weak.  He stood crying, his fist lost in Lennie's paw."(page 64)  Lennie was able to fight back and stand up for himself although George told him what to do. 
George has power over Lennie.  He bosses Lennie around and is verbal rather than physical.  On page 9, "Slowly, like a terrier who doesn't want to bring a ball to its master, Lennie approached, drew back, approached again.  George snapped his fingers sharply, and at the sound Lennie laid the mouse in his hand."  George is like the master and Lennie is like the terrier.  he controlls everything Lennie does.  It says that George snapped his fingers and at the snap, Lennie put the mouse in his hand.  Lennie is powerless compared to George.  George, Lennie, and all the other men working in fields were powerless during the Great Depression.  Compared to the wealthy, they had to struggle a lot in order to get the little money they could.
Curley has power over Lennie until the end of chapter 3.  Before, he tried to pick on Lennie and try to start a fight.  He is also powerful because he is the boss's son.  At the end when he started hitting Lennie he was powerful.  When George told Lennie to fight back, Lennie crushed the man.  There was a change in power from when we met Curley till now.  Candy is old and powerless.  People now say that the old are the wisest.  The men didn't give Candy a choice.  They forced him into saying yes for killing his dog.  No one supported Candy and never would.  He could not stand up for his dog, to keep him alive.  The boss had a lot of power.  He controlled everything and for once someone told George what to do.  These are some characters who show power and who are powerless!

This link is a video of Lennie crushing Curley's hand having power over Curley!
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njDrdhTfmZE

Chapter 3 Notes

Questions

1)  What does George really think about Lennie because sometimes he compliments him and sometimes he pretends he's not even there complaining about him?
2)  Why is Curley so frustrated with big people?  Did something happen in his childhood to make him like this?
3)  Why doesn't Candy prevent his dog from being shot?  Why didn't he keep on arguing?
4)  I wonder why George trusts Slim enough to tell him why him and Lennie came to work on the ranch when he just met him?i
5)  Why did the author add the part when they talked about the letter that Bill Tenner wrote to the editor of some magazine?Why did he write that in the story?

Prediction

I predict that Curley will not bother Lennie anymore or talk to him at all.  After this, he wont mess with any big guys.  Lennie hurt Curley pretty bad.  "Looks to me like ever' bone in his han' is bust"(page 64)  Also, I think that even after George, Lennie, and Candy buy a house, they wont let Candy do anything that he asked for just like the men did to him when they killed his dog.  Also, I don't think that George will get any rabbits or whatever Lennie asked for because he is always just agreeing and being nice to Lennie whenever he gets excited about the future.  George is never nice and listens to Lennie so the fact that he is agreeing to all the demands Lennie gives him is suspicious.  I believe that there will be rivalries between characters in the book because they each believe differently.  All the men wanted to go see what would happen at the barn and on the other hand George didn't move.  He did not want to get involved in anything.

Connection

Just like George, I do not like to get into anything that will get me in trouble.  I try my best to avoid all the gossip so that I do not get involved.  "I'm stayin right here.  I don't want to get mixed up in nothing.  Lennie and me got to make a stake."(page 54)  George has a future ahead of him and doesn't want to ruin it and is staying out of whatever he could which i admire and do myself.  I have my goals for the future which is why I avoid school drama's.  During lunch for example, my friends usually talk about what other girls wear, what fights happened, etc.  When all this is being said, I turn around to another friend and talk about something else.  I can connect to George when he tried to avoid watching a fight like the other men acting like girls trying to get input on the latest news.  

Chapter 2 Notes

Questions

1)  Why does George not want Lennie to not say anything to anyone?  Why is he so worried about Lennie that he needs to give him the permission to talk?
2)  Why is it that in front of Slim, George complimented Lennie but he when they are alone, he never stops complaining and making fun of Lennie?
3)  Why would they drown four puppies when they could distribute them to people who wanted them?  How can they be so cruel?
4)  Do you think that Curley's wife was really looking for her husband or trying to go around and show off?
5)  Do you think that Lennie is going to fall in love with Curley's wife the way he kept on talking about her and saying she was pretty?
6)  Why did Curley at the end o the chapter take George's height, measure his reach, and look at his rim middle?

Prediction

I predict that Lennie is going to do start liking Curley's wife and Curley will find out and give Lennie a really hard time.  Curley does not like Lennie anyway because he is big and if something is going on between Linnie and Curley's wife, there would be big trouble.  Also, I think George and Curley might be in a deadlock because on page 37, George said to Lennie that he's scared that he might even have a conflict with Curley because of he way he was acting.   Furthermore, Curley was looking to see George's height, his reach, and his trim middle.  I think he was thinking about jumping him and making George tell him where his wife went. 

Summary

Chapter 2 starts out with Lennie and George at the bunkhouse where they meet an old man, the boss, Candy, Curley, and Curley's wife.  When the boss starts asking them questions, George keeps on answering for Lennie when Lennie makes a comment which makes the boss start questioning Lennie.  Then his son, Curley comes in and does not like Lennie immediately only because he is big.  Curley wanted an excuse to beat up Lennie.  Curley's wife comes and asks where her husband was and is known as a "tramp".  Lennie tells George that she is pretty and was apparently looking at her legs.  George tells Lennie to stay clear of Curley and is wife and goes to the bunkhouse to eat with the other men. 

Naturalism as a Mirror of the 1930's

Literature is often a reflection of the time period in which it was written or, in the case of historical fiction, of the time period it is focused on. Authors will often find sneaky little ways to demonstrate the dominant characteristics of the time period by blending in details, that, at a closer glance, reveal these hidden themes.

In class, we viewed several videos (in the LitByFleming blog video bar) that gave us a look at some major events and common themes or characteristics of the 1930s. John Steinbeck certainly considered these elements when writing Of Mice and Men. In fact, it might be said, his writing style intentionally made use of naturalism in order to capture and expose some of the attitudes and characteristics of the American 1930s.


Let's see if you can make the connection! Think about some of the naturalistic elements we identified in class (Chapter 1). What aspects or characteristics of the 1930s are being demonstrated to us at those moments in the text? What do you believe John Steinbeck was trying to show us or expose about the way people, life, or society was during this time in American history? 

 
 Loneliness, hardships, burdensome are characteristics and aspects of the 1930s which are identified in the texts.  Lennie and George are lucky to be together as they both know that without the company of one another, they will both be lost.  These two men are lonely in the woods while they could be with other men at the ranch.  There were some obstacles or hardships that both George and Lennie were facing.  First of all, they had their journey which was burdensome and along the way, George was yelling at Lennie telling him what to do.  George had to take care of Lennie which must have slowed him down.  Also, walking miles and miles is tiring and difficult.  Just like these two men in our book, many others had to do the same in order to survive.  People living in the 1930s had a lot of loneliness had went through many hardships to get where they wanted.  Also, many people were ill-educated.  They do not know the proper way to talk and the only work they could do was on the fields.  Lennie and George spoke as if they were not educated and did not know how to do actual work.  They were going to work on the ranch. 
I believe that Steinbeck was trying to show us how much people struggled during this time in American History.  He showed us the two guys traveling to find job fatigued.  Even if a small thing happened, like Lennie pulling a girl's dress, they had to leave because of the life and society back then.  It was a hard world.  People were not educated, they were homeless without jobs and food.  Steinbeck was trying to show us the lifestyle that men had.  They had to travel, find jobs, and work hard to get the little money they could.  This is how life was in the 1930s and Steinbeck did a great job putting aspects of this time period into the story.
This is video on the Great Depression, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpKmfjf5tUk

Chapter 1 notes

Questions

1)  Why is George not wanting to go up to the ranch and eat properly?
2)  I wander if something will happen to Lennie because the author foreshadowed that if something ever happened, to come and hide behind the bush?
3)  If Lenny was able to remember not to say anything to the boss, then why wasn't he able to remember why they had come?
The story is taking place in the jungle south of Soledad. 
Prediction

I predict that Lenny will come across some obstacle in the near future.  I believe this because the author foreshadows that something will happen to Lennie.  "Lennie- if you jus' happen to get in trouble like you always done before, I want you to come right here an' hide in the brush."(page 15)  This is giving us a hint that something might happen to Lennie which will make him have to run and hide in the brush.  Lennie is not normal, he drinks water that is dirty, kills rabbits, etc.  George is always yelling at Lennie and I think that one day he will say too much and Lennie will go to the cave like he said he would.  George will get really annoyed with Lennie and will tell him to leave.  The relationship between these two men is like an older brother and a younger sister fighting. 

Reflect

"His huge companion dropped his blankets and flung himself down and drank from the surface of the green pool; drank with long gulps, snorting into water like a horse."(page 3)  This is important because we can interpret that these people were so tired and thirty that they would drink just about anything even if it was stagnant.  I think that the author wants to tell us how hard it was to travel and survive and how people will do anything to live.  So far, a theme might be that working hard and not giving up will help you reach your destination.  The author wrote the book to show the struggles of traveling for work and the hardships between people who are together surviving.  We see how much Lennie and George go through to get to the woods which means that they overcame their obstacles along the way there while new ones about to begin at work. 

Picturing the History Behind Of Mice and Men

For a moment the place was lifeless, and then two men emerged from the path and came into the opening by the green pool.
They had walked in single file down the path, and even in the open one stayed behind the other. Both were dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats with brass buttons. Both wore black, shapeless hats and both carried tight blanket rolls slung over their shoulders. The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose. Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely.

The first man stopped short in the clearing, and the follower nearly ran over him. He took off his hat and wiped the sweat-band with his forefinger and snapped the moisture off. His huge companion dropped his blankets and flung himself. (1.2-4)

Sound familiar? Kind of like the pictures, right? In writing, compare and contrast this opening section from Of Mice and Men to the pictures you analyzed in class. What does the text and the photographs show us about the 1930s? Be specific!

This opening section from "Of Mice and Men" reminded me of the second picture we saw in class, Bag man on Road.  There are many similarities between the section and this picture.  In the third sentence, Steinbeck descibes, "were dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats with brass buttons."  This outfit is just like the one this man on the road is wearing.  Also, the author says that, "Both wore black, strapless, hats and both carried tight blanket rolls slung over their shoulders.  This man who is traveling has a bag over his shoulder as well.  On the other side, the opening scene depicts two men traveling together with each other's company while this man is traveling alone with many obstacles to face by himself.  This section also describes the two men's faces and how ardous it was to travel.  These men fatigued and afflicted kept on going waiting for job opportunity, just waiting and waiting all torn apart.
The text and the photographs tell us a great amount about the 1930's.  We learn how difficult it is to travel for an average man.  It is lonely and expenssive to survive during the Great Depression.  I think Steinbeck is trying to show us that life back then was difficult, burdensome, tiring, challenging, and most of all lonely and depressing.  We can see how much men would work to support him and his family in order to survive.  Most people had to travel to find jobs which were hard to find.  This means that everyday workers have to travel miles and miles to get the little amount of money they need to live.  Life was tough and and there were many hardships.
I found a video that shows the hardships of a people during the great depression ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3O0ZxKtV7c