Sunday, April 8, 2012

Looking only at Chapter 2, why does the author use dialect and jargon rather than standard English, and what is the impact on the story?Of Mice and...

Having grown up in the Salinas Valley of California, the
setting of his novella, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck became
sympathetic to the workers of this area.  A socialist himself, Steinbeck rallied
for those who were oppressed by writing about them and presenting a realistic--if not
naturalistic--portrayal of their condition.


Reflective of
the title, George and Lennie are mice in the "maze of life," inferior to the bosses who
have control over them.  By having them speak in the realistic dialect of their class,
Steinbeck indicates this social inferiority.  Having taken his protagonists from the
agricultural working class of California, Steinbeck, in his social realism, presents
effectively the problematic relation between the workers and the land (represented by
the owners) on which they labor:


readability="13">

The boss said suddenly, 'Listen,
Small!'....'What can you do?'


In a panic, Lennie looked at
George for help. 'He can do anything you tell him,' said
George.


The boss turned on George. "then why don't you let
him answer?  What you trying to put
over?' 


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