Literature Analysis Worksheet《人鼠之间》 文学分析 英文版

Literature Analysis Worksheet Student Name ___Sucy_____________ Title: Of Mice and Men Author: John Steinbeck (Comes from the poem “To a Mouse”. The author is making an allusion to the poem--- “The best laid schemes [to have a farm] of mice and men Go often askew, [L kills C’s wife and he is stupid, never learn from bad things] And leave us nothing but grief and pain, [G is suffering at the end]”) Plot Summary: Give a brief summary of the plot. Focus on the most important events in the story. Climax: L kills C’s wife. Denouement: G kills L. Theme: Even friends can kill each other when serious. (Every one in the book has dreams but they cannot happen.) Frailty of dreams Disconnection from nature Racial minorities Loneliness of migrant workers Women in society (the poem “The best laid …) Setting: Identify the setting of the book. Remember this means time, place, political and social background etc. The Great Depression (1930s) in CA. Migrate Workers all went to the west of America to look for heavy works. They are lonely, have no friends, have to move and move. Point of View: 3rd person omniscient. Characters: Identify protagonist and antagonist. How does the author use imagery and other literary techniques to describe their personality? PROTAGONIST George：(tragic figure) short, stocky, smart, resourceful Lennie: large, incredibly strong, huge, simpleminded ANTAGONIST Curley: small, jealous---like to fight big guys, can’t lose (is the son of the boss), abuses the workers Curley wife: wore red---symbolize passion, lost, civil (is red). MINOR CHARACTERS Slim: majestic, god-like, wise, highly respected, etc. Crooks: black (racism—oppression)---very lonely, isolated. Candy Carlson Conflict: What is the major conflict in the story? How is it resolved? Character vs. character. Mood: How does the author use imagery, description and emotion to create the mood of the story? Sad. The descriptions of Lennie’s behaviors always make me worried. Imagery: Why does an author use imagery? ---To create a mood. The soft hair of rat, dog, and the lady. Symbolism: Curley and his wife are symbols of the society. G & L can also be symbols. Foreshadowing: 1) L kills the puppy ~ kills C’s wife. 2) The death of Candy’s dog ~ death of L. 3) If don’t kill dog or L, they will suffer. 4) (Candy & Dog = G & L = friends)

Similarity to a play 1) Structure

a) Setting is in one place for every character to move in and out but it doesn’t move. 2) Point of view

a) Narrator (here is the author) is like stage director. Make instruction of every chapter in the same way of play.

b) Dialogue is like a script.