Skip to main content

Describe the man who meets George and Lennie at the bunkhouse.

In the novel Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck, the two main characters (George and Lennie) set out to meet their appointment at a new ranch they want to work on, but they are late. They were supposed to arrive in the morning but don't get there until the afternoon, so already Steinbeck has set a little ripple of tension running through the narrative. He then tells us about the man that shows them into the bunkhouse. The first thing we find out is that the man is tall. We are then told that he stoops from the shoulders, suggesting advanced age and a man tired from a lifetime of hard physical work. This conclusion is further confirmed when we are told that he carries a yard broom in his hand, and we can guess most of the rest before he begins to talk. Readers have already surmised that the man is an employee. The man must be left handed—this is the hand he uses to carry the push broom.


Then his dialogue begins, and, as expected by now, he uses simple language that is casual and informal in style, missing the endings from words such as 'expectin.' His descriptions, such as 'sore as hell,' also remind us of ranch hand talk rather than the speech of the professional classes of the time. Then readers see why the broom was carried in his left hand. He pushes out his arm from a sleeve and it seems it is missing a hand. George takes no notice and goes to the bed to put his things away. He gets cross when he sees a can of pest control powder and asks the old man what the beds are like, wondering if they are dirty and unhealthy. Then we see more of the old man's character as he replies. He is slow and methodical and calm in his response, taking his time to investigate fully. He is also measured and reasonable and conveys a sense of reassurance to George and Lennie. For example, he explains that the last guy was very clean and was probably just using the product to be on the safe side. We see how observant he is as he tells tales from the bunk house; seemingly he has a sociable nature and a sense of humour. We find out that he has a white stubbly chin and that everyone thinks of him as a 'swamper.' We know that he can't move very fast because Steinbeck describes him as shuffling out the door, rather than walking out.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

etymology - Origin of the greeting "Sweet dreams".

Does anybody know the etymology of the phrase "sweet dreams"? I tried googling but did not find anything satisfying. Is this a relatively new phrase of the modern world or has this been in use for some time? I think it's the latter one. Answer The OED has the interjection as "a farewell to someone going to bed" from the 20th century: 1908 Sears Roebuck Catal. 198/1 Tenor Solos..Good Bye, Sweet Dreams, Good Bye. But it goes back until at least the 19th and possibly 18th centuries. John Wolcot, writing under the pseudonym of Peter Pindar, used it in his poem "Orson and Ellen; A Legendary Tale" published in 1801: Also from 1801 in The infernal Quixote (Page 287) by Charles Lucas: In the March 1776 of The Universal Magazine was published "The Serenade. A Pastoral Tale. From the German of Gesner" , where the shepherd Daphnis watches over his beloved as she sleeps and sings: The same tale appears in 1776's as Idyl XI, " Daphnis ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is there a word/phrase for "unperformant"?

As a software engineer, I need to sometimes describe a piece of code as something that lacks performance or was not written with performance in mind. Example: This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. Based on my Google searches, this isn't a real word. What is the correct way to describe this? EDIT My usage of "performance" here is in regard to speed and efficiency. For example, the better the performance of code the faster the application runs. My question and example target the negative definition, which is in reference to preventing inefficient coding practices. Answer This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. In my opinion, reads more easily as: This coding style leads to unmaintainable and poorly performing code. The key to well-written documentation and reports lies in ease of understanding. Adding poorly understood words such as performant decreases that ease. In addressing the use of such a poorly ...
Post a Comment
Read more

What are the similarities between the relationships of the characters in The Outsiders and Romeo and Juliet?

At first glance, it might appear as if the characters in  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton and  Romeo and Juliet  by William Shakespeare do not have much in common; however, when one isolates the core of the conflicts, it becomes clear that the relationships in both stories are rooted in rivalry and secrecy.  In both  The Outsiders  and  Romeo and Juliet , an overarching theme is rivalry. While   socioeconomic status separates the greasers from the Socs in The Outsiders , last names separates the Montagues from the Capulets, who appear to be relatively equal in terms of socioeconomic status. Due to these rivalries, there are instances of deadly interactions in both stories. In  The Outsiders , Johnny kills Bob (whether his actions were justified or not is debatable). In  Romeo and Juliet , Romeo kills Tybalt and Paris, and Tybalt kills Mercutio. These deaths have profound effects on the main characters. In Ponyboy's case, the Johnny's death and other events in the novel inspire h...
Post a Comment
Read more