To analyse the characters of Curley and Slim CHAPTER 1 Two men called George and make their way down to a clearing beside the River near the town of in They are heading to a nearby to find work Lennie has a dead which he likes t ID: 752902
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Slide1
Chapter 2
To explore the setting of Chapter 2
To analyse the characters of Curley and SlimSlide2
CHAPTER 1
Two men called George and __________ make their way down to a clearing beside the __________ River near the town of __________ in __________. They are heading to a nearby __________ to find work. Lennie has a dead __________, which he likes to stroke, in his __________, but George makes him __________ it away. They warm some __________ on a fire for __________ and Lennie asks __________ to tell him about the house and land they are going to__________ one day
.
CHAPTER
2
George and Lennie __________ at the __________ where an old __________ shows them their __________. They meet the __________, who __________George about Lennie. The
swamper
comes back with his __________. They meet the __________ son, whose name is __________. They also __________ a man called __________, whose dog has just had some __________. Curley's new __________ comes in, looking for her husband. Slide3
What is the significance of
Curley appearing
at that moment?
What are the keywords in
the description of Curley in the second paragraph? What do they reveal about him?How does his first line of dialogue present him?What verbs & adverbs are used to describe Curley’s actions? How do they present his character?
Meet Curley
"How'd you like
the boss
?" he asked.
"Pretty good. Seemed
awright
."
"He's a nice fella," the
swamper
agreed. "You got to take
him right
."
At that moment a young man came into the bunkhouse; a thin young
man with
a brown face, with brown eyes and a head of tightly
curled hair
. He wore a work glove on his left hand, and, like the boss,
he wore
high-heeled boots. "Seen my old man?" he asked
.
"I'll try to catch him," said Curley. His eyes passed over the
new men
and he stopped. He glanced coldly at George and then at Lennie.
His arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into
fists. He
stiffened and went into a slight crouch. His glance was at
once calculating
and pugnacious. Lennie squirmed under the look and
shifted his
feet nervously. Curley stepped gingerly close to him. "You the
new guys
the old man was
waitin
' for?"
"We just come in," said George.
"Let the big guy talk."
Lennie twisted with embarrassment.
George said, "
S'pose
he don't want to talk?"
Curley lashed his body around. "By Christ, he's
gotta
talk when
he's spoke
to. What the hell are you
gettin
' into it for?"
"We travel together," said George coldly.
"Oh, so it's that way."
George was tense, and motionless. "Yeah, it's that way."
Lennie was looking helplessly to George for instruction.
"An' you won't let the big guy talk, is that it?"
"He can talk if he wants to tell you anything." He nodded
slightly to
Lennie.
"We jus' come in," said Lennie softly.
Curley stared levelly at him. "Well,
nex
' time you answer
when you're
spoke to." He turned toward the door and walked out, and
his elbows
were still bent out a little
.Slide4
What is Slim
compared to
in his introduction?
What is he
capable of, as mentioned in his introduction?What is mentioned about his appearance?What are the connotations of the following words/phrases from the second paragraph:“Smoothed out”
“Creased it in the middle”
“Looked kindly”
Meet Slim
A tall man stood in the doorway. He held a crushed Stetson hat under his arm while he combed his long, black, damp hair straight back. Like the others he wore blue jeans and a short denim jacket. When he had finished combing his hair he moved into the room, and he moved with a majesty achieved only by royalty and master craftsmen. He was a
jerkline
skinner, the prince of the ranch, capable of driving ten, sixteen, even twenty mules with a single line to the leaders. He was capable of killing a fly on the wheeler's butt with a bull whip without touching the mule. There was a gravity in his manner and a quiet so profound that all talk stopped when he spoke. His authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject, be it politics or love. This was Slim, the
jerkline
skinner. His hatchet face was ageless. He might have been thirty-five or fifty. His ear heard more than was said to him, and his slow speech had overtones not of thought, but of understanding beyond thought. His hands, large and lean, were as delicate in their action as those of a temple dancer.
He
smoothed out his crushed hat, creased it in the middle and put
it on
. He looked kindly at the two in the bunkhouse.Slide5
Hierarchy
A
system in which members of an
organisation or society are ranked according
to status, power or authority
The Boss owns
ranch, and has the power to hire
the
and fire
the workers
What/who gives Curley his power on the ranch?
How does
Slim’s
profession and personality give him power?
Unskilled labourers
Why are these men
at the bottom of the hierarchy?Slide6
Curley vs. Slim
Points
Evidence
Language
& Words
Audience & Context
Curley is presented as
____________ while Slim is presented as _______________.
Curley
: “_______________
____________________________________________________________________”
Slim
: “_________________
____________________________________________________________________”
Curley is presented as
____________ while Slim is presented as _______________.
Curley
: “_______________
____________________________________________________________________”
Slim
: “_________________
____________________________________________________________________”Slide7
In Chapter 2,
Curley
is presented as
violent
while Slim is presented as peaceful.His arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists. He stiffened and went into a slight crouch.
He smoothed out his crushed hat, creased it in the middle and put it on. He looked kindly at the two in the bunkhouse
.
The description of Slim shows his
friendly and peaceful nature
, as he
performs his actions delicately
and
creates an atmosphere of acceptance
.
The description of Curley shows his
violent nature
, as he slowly
transforms his surroundings to a boxing ring
.
In Chapter 2, how does Steinbeck
contrast the characters of Curley and Slim
in their introductions?Slide8
The
verb
“
smoothed
” connotes gentleness and care, especially when used next to the word “crushed”, which has negative connotations, creating an oxymoron. The adjective “kindly” reflects Slim’s attitude, as unlike Curley, he does not judge George and Lennie.
The
verbs
“
bent
,” “
closed
” and “
stiffened
” connote discomfort.
“
Arms
”, “
hands
”, “
fists
” and “
crouch” connote violence and fighting.
“
Creased it in the middle
” could symbolise
Slim’s
role as a peacemaker, who intervenes in fights and puts people in
place
His arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists. He stiffened and went into a slight crouch.
He smoothed out his crushed hat, creased it in the middle and put it on. He looked kindly at the two in the bunkhouse.Slide9
Feel
comfort
in
Slim’s
presence, and hope that he might be a line of defense against Curley.Feel distrust and hate towards Curley, and perceive him as the antagonist of the novel, as he attacks the protagonists for no reason.
Californians would often be
uninviting to Okies
People would
fight to survive
the Great Depression
Kindness would be unfamiliar
during those days
His arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists. He stiffened and went into a slight crouch.
He smoothed out his crushed hat, creased it in the middle and put it on. He looked kindly at the two in the bunkhouse.Slide10
Exemplar
P
E
E
LACIn Chapter 2, Curley is presented as violent, which is shown when Curley’s “arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists. He stiffened and went into a slight crouch.”
The description of Curley shows his violent nature, as he slowly transforms his surroundings to a boxing ring, automatically and without a thought
.
The
verbs
“
bent
,” “
closed
” and “
stiffened
” connote
discomfort, which might reveal the discomfort he will cause in George and Lennie’s lives. Furthermore, the words “
a
rms
”, “
hands”, “
fists” and “crouch” connote violence and fighting, both of which are reflected in his characters. The readers of the novel might feel
distrust and hate towards Curley, and perceive him as the antagonist of the novels, as he attacks the protagonists for no reason. However, audience in the 1930s might not be surprised at his description, as Californians
would often be uninviting to Okies,
and people would often
fight to survive the Great
Depression.
On the other hand,
Slim is presented as
peaceful
, which is shown when Slim
“
smoothed
out his crushed hat, creased it in the middle and put it
on,”
then
“looked
kindly at the two in the bunkhouse
.”
The description of Slim shows his friendly and peaceful nature, as he performs his actions delicately and creates an
inviting and accepting environment
. The
verb
“
smoothed
” connotes gentleness and care, especially when used next to the
verb
“
crushed
”, which has negative connotations, creating an
oxymoron
. The oxymoron may show the battle between good and evil on the farm, with Slim representing the good. In addition, the phrase “
creased
it in the middle
” could symbolise
Slim’s
role as a
peacemaker on the ranch,
who
often intervenes
in fights and puts people in
their place.
The readers might find
comfort in
Slim’s
presence, and hope that he might be a line of defense against Curley
.
On the other hand, readers in the 1930s will be unfamiliar with kindness during the days of the Great Depression, and might be suspicious of
Slim’s
overall intentions.Slide11
Curley vs. Slim
In Chapter 2, how does Steinbeck
contrast the characters of Curley and Slim
in their introductions?2 Blended PEELACs
POINT = In Chapter 2, Steinbeck presents Curley as… while Slim is presented as…Evidence = 2 embedded quotesExplanation = What can be inferred about each character from the quotes?Language = What techniques/features are used, and why? What are the keywords and their connotations?Audience & Context = How would readers in 1930s America would respond to the two characters? Why has Steinbeck done so?