Key Quotations/ideas - Minor Characters Flashcards
How does Aunt Clara show George’s importance to Lennie?
Whilst he can’t remember his own Aunt, Lennie never forgets George when they are apart.
What are Suzy and Clara used to show?
Suzy and Clara are there to show what ranch workers wasted their money on, instead of saving up for something bigger and better.
How do Suzy and Clara’s cat houses affect the ranch workers’ lives?
Their cat houses are places for the ranch workers to escape their repetitive lives, and allow the men to bond as friends. Essentially, it gives them a sense of belonging. However, this means that Suzy’s place also acts as a temptation for George.
How does the bus driver help the narrative?
The bus driver is important because he made them walk a while to the ranch, which gave the readers a chance to learn more about George and Lennie, and the circular narrative of the story.
What does the bus driver represent?
He represents the working class and how capitalism turned workers against each other rather than unified them. Steinbeck shows this by the way George thinks the driver “didn’t wanta stop at the ranch gate” because he was “too damn lazy to pull up”. George makes us believe that the bus driver has exploited them for his own benefit.
How does Aunt Clara act as Lennie’s conscience?
In Chapter 6, Lennie hallucinates an image of his Aunt appears and scolds him for his actions, saying “you do bad things”, and although she is supposedly talking to him, she is only a figment of his imagination. This gives Steinbeck the opportunity to voice Lennie’s thoughts and feelings.
How do the old couple help the narrative?
The old couple give false hope to George, Lennie, Candy and Crooks as they make it seem as though George and Lennie’s dream of buying a house could come true.
How does Bill Tenner act as a symbol of hope?
Bill Tenner is used to show that a magazine is the closest a ranch worker could get to fame. However, even though it is a small achievement, it acts as a symbol of hope for George and Lennie and makes them feel as though their dream is reachable.
What does Bill Tenner represent?
He represents how small the dreams of the ranch workers’ are, and how they have such repetitive lives. Whit does “not surrender his hold” on the magazine because someone he knew was close to fame, and he believed he could partly share Bill’s glory by spreading the story amongst the ranch workers.
How does Whitey represent the independence of most ranch workers?
He represents the way a working man lives. One day they are working and the next day they leave; only relying on themselves. They have no relationships, and no reason to stay in a particular place.
