Chapter 6
Aunt Clara

Aunt Clara played an interesting role in Lennie's vision, because prior to this vision we think that Aunt Clara is a nice person, but then she is chastising Lennie in his own voice for killing Curley's wife.

Personal Response
I think that the book ended well, and the visions that Lennie had weren't in the movie, even though they seem pretty important. The visions allow us to get an insight on Lennie's character that we haven't seen before because it was covered by his stupidity, because unlike the development we have seen in in all of the characters, Lennie seems to stay the same. I think the book ending was better because it showed George's maturity and understanding of the situation and knowing what he had to do, and the movie didn't really show any of that. I really liked this book, and I think it was very well-written to fit such a great story on so few pages. John Steinbeck is a detailed, imaginative writer who deserves to be remembered.

Chapter 5

Waiting at the Door

I can’t explain so deep inside
The very fabric of my soul
Only a heart that grieves such loss
Can ever truly understand

It’s like you’re waiting at the door
Until a loved one comes back home
You feel a longing in your heart
When they appear the longing stops

But in a loss that never ends
You’re always standing at that door
You feel the longing in the breeze
So incomplete and never filled

I cannot find the words to say
Just what it’s like to want forever
Never seeing them again
Just always waiting at the door

By Alison Mary Dunn

This poem shows what I think many people in this story feel to some degree. I think George is waiting for life to improve, for some sort of luck to come his way, and I think Curley's wife is waiting for someone to show her some kindness and friendship. In a sense, I think just about everybody on the farm is waiting for something, whether it be friendship, good fortune, or just happiness.

Personal Response
I liked the book version of this chapter better, because it was well written and very detailed, using lots of imagery and foreshadowing. In the beginning of the chapter the barn is portrayed as a happy peaceful place, but then we see that after the dog dies it becomes a more depressing place, and then after Curley's wife dies the barn transforms completely into a sad place. I think that no one is really to blame for Curley's wife's death, because Lenny didn't realize what he was doing wrong, Curley's wife didn't realize how dangerous Lenny could be, and George can't be expected to watch over Lenny 24/7, especially after taking care of him for all these years and keeping him out of trouble.

Chapter 4
Picture of Loneliness

This picture shows a theme of loneliness because the person in this photo has a face of anguish, as if he don't fit in and is ostracized from the people around him. It shows loneliness and sadness and pain to the extreme.

Personal Response
I noticed that during this chapter there was a major difference between the book and the movie, because in the book the main focus was on Crooks and racism while the movie focused more on Curley's Wife and how lonely she is on the farm, with no one to talk to. She is ignored by everyone, and even abused by her husband. I liked the movie version of this chapter better, even though it didn't follow the story directly.

Chapter 3
Crooks

Crooks is the stable worker, and he is lonely, old, and he has a crooked back. This is a good picture of him, except that i think he should be older and more sad.

Whit

Whit serves as a sort of standard farmer in this story. He is not terribly important, but he provides dialogue. He always spends his money in town at casinos when he gets a paycheck.

Curley's Wife

Curley's wife is lonely in this story, and we can see that she isn't respected at all. She is thought of as trouble, so everyone tries to stay away from her so they don't get fired.

Personal Response
I observed that this chapter was very long, and it was also very interesting. It showed John Steinbeck's ability to show status among his characters. For this chapter, though I liked it a lot, I think I liked the movie version a little bit better, because there were some confusing parts in the book that were more clear in the movie.

Chapter 2
The Boss

This picture shows the boss fairly well, because it shows a sense of sophistication and status, and he also looks somewhat trustable and respectable, but there is something dark about him.

Candy

I like this picture of Candy because although he has two hands in this picture, he is doing an easy job that could be done by a person with one hand. It is similar to the types of jobs Candy was given in the book. It reminds me even more of Candy if you just imagine the sheep as Candy's dog.The only issue with this picture is that Candy seems a little too happy.

Candy's Dog

This is a good picture of Candy's dog because the dog looks like it has lived a long worthwhile life, and we can see that he is tired and his life is pretty much done.
Curley

This is good for Curley, except I think that the person in this picture looks a little to happy, but otherwise he is small and has a sort of different side that we don't see, as in the book

Carlson

This is good for Carlson because he has a sort of look like has worked on a ranch or far for a long time, except I think Carlson was fatter and less jovial.

Slim

This is an almost perfect picture of Slim because he has a whip, he looks very honest, and he looks knowledgeable and like he has been a rancher for years.

Personal Response
I think the second chapter did a good job of introducing us to the ranch and the other workers. It also set up a good setting in which the story could take a lot of different turns. This chapter had lots of imagery, and i really enjoyed reading it.

Chapter 1
John Steinbeck

I think this is a good picture of Steinbeck, because he seems like he is thinking or focusing on something, or thinking of his next story.

George

I believe that this picture portrays George well, because that is what George does, and this many seems tired and worn out, just as George seems in the book. Then only problem with this picture is that George is not Indian, but other than that, I think this is a good photo of him.

Lennie

This picture shows Lennie's bigness and also his inability to understand what is going on around him, but one thing that this picture does not show is how happy and innocent Lennie always seems to be.

The Ranch

This is a good photo of what the ranch would look like because it is lonely and it seems like the type of place where fugitives would go if they were in trouble. It is more broken down than the farm in the book was, but other than that, this photo is perfect for the ranch.

Personal Response
I like how Steinbeck introduces the characters in the story, and he uses lots of detail that creates a very good picture of what is going on in the story. It is easy to visualize, and that makes the story a lot more easier to read. The story is well written in a ranch/farm style, so there's lots of swear words and slang. A good story was set up, and you could tell that the conflict would probably have something to do with the way they got kicked out of their last town. I think there was more suspense in the beginning of the movie than in the beginning of the book, so in that sense I liked the movie better.