Trey Davis

Trey Davis
The Sea of Monsters
Rick Riordan
Fantasy
Just right
Just finished
                                     In the end of the book, The creatures that are at the Half Blood Camp are racing on a chariot and are finishing the race, Tyson gives him a watch and tells him to use it in emergencies. In the middle of the race, one person throws an Olympic bomb and one of them attacking them. Percy presses the watch and it turned into a shied and he threw the grenade at the attackers and got out of the mess. They won the match, did not have to do all chores for a month.

                                     In the book, I feel that it is a very interesting book in the series that has more fantasy characters such as Cyclops. It has a very detailed that makes a clear picture for any one that has read this book or starting right now. The book has a sense of humor that can make a lot of people laugh.

                                   The theme that I chose for this book is The Great Journey and I chose it because Percy had to go to the Sea of Monsters to get the Golden Fleece and he learned something very special about him and his future. You understand my theme because it starts at the thirtieth page and talks to you about the description of the journey.

                                    My favorite character for my book would be Tyson that is a Cyclops that was born lonely and became the son of Poseidon. Tyson is neat, handy, brave and courageous because he risked his life to try to save the ship but it just exploded.

                                   My least favorite character for my book would be Clarisse. She can be very stubborn and she is not very nice and pretty much just makes things more challenging for Percy, Tyson, and Annabeth. She is also Percy's archenemy god (Ares) which makes it even worse.

                                    I felt that Tyson would come back because he disappeared in the wreck and so did Clarisse. I did not know that someone would come back from the Underworld and be at Half Blood Hill. It was also interesting that they would still do the chariot race and what Poseidon gave to Percy.

Megan Moruzzi

Megan Moruzzi

Sticks

Joan Bauer

Realistic fiction

Holiday

Just Finished p.182

1. I have just finished Sticks by Joan Bauer. This book is about a 12 year old boy that lives above a family owned pool hall. His name is Mickey. Mickey wants to beat Buck Penders is the Nine-ball Championship. He has a lot of pressure on him because his dad was a world class pool player and I feel that in a way he wants to prove to everyone that he is as his dad once was. Micky's dad pasted away when Mickey was about 6 months old so Mickeys doesn't have any real memory of him. He does have some old videos and metals that his dad left behind though and Mickey uses those to prepare for the big tournament. When Mickeys dad was very sick he told his very good friend Joe Alvarez to look after his family if he died and he said he would. After Mickeys dad did die Joe broke the promise. He never wrote never called and never just stopped by to see if they were all doing alright. Mickey's mom was heartbroken. And when he suddenly showed u at the pool hall 11 years later she was not about to just let him in and forget about the past. It was going to take a long time for her to gain his trust back. With only a couple months left until the big Tournament Mickey needed to find a couch and fast. Mickeys dad taught Joe to play pool so Mickey wanted Joe to help him perfect his skills. The only thing is one day in the pool hall Buck was being such a bully to Mickey that Mickey lunged over and tackled him and he sprained his hand. This was a couple of weeks before the tournament so Mickey was worried that he wasn't going to be able to play and that he wasn't going to
have enough time to practice before the game. In the end of the book Mickey fought through the pain and won the Nine-Ball Championship  by never giving up and handling different situations like a mature "young adult" and it really showed how much he changed from the beginning of the book to the end.

2. I thought that this book was very well written. I liked the way that each character had very different personalities. I also really liked that each character had one main thing that they were good at, Mickey was good at pool, Mickey's best friend Arlen was excellent in math and Mickeys other friend specialized in magic. They also all had each individual goals that they wanted to reach that involved there special ability, Francine (the one that's good at magic) got to perform at Mickey's party that he had when he won the championship. I also really liked the way that the story was set up, the fact that Joe had to earn his way back into the family was really interesting because he did so many things to try to make Mickeys mom like him again like fixing her car, but it was more of a gradual thing. I also think that the strong relationship that Joe and Mickey had contributed to Mickey's mom gaining respect back for Joe. Overall I thought this was great book and well demonstrated practice makes perfect.

3. I fell that the overall theme in this book is fear of failure. I think that it shows up a lot throughout the story. Mickey fears that he is going to loose in the pool tournament. He works really hard to prepare himself but he doesn't think that he has done enough and fears a defeat. He gets even more concerned when he gets into the fight and sprains his hand. He worries that his hand won't be healed to play the big game. This makes Mickey very gloomy. A couple weeks later he goes back tot the doctors and finds out that he is going to be able to play, but he might not have enough time to practice as much as he needs to win. Another reason that he fears the he will have a unsuccessful outcome is that Joe had to leave for a road trip right up until a week before the tournament. the good thing about this is that when he got back he had got Mickey a special pool stick. Also Joe sends him letters from every location so that Mickey is kept up to date with his travels. Sending the postcards makes Mickey's mom gain a little more trust back because he kept his promise and send Mickey a card for every stop.

4.My favorite character is Mickey. He is my favorite character because he is so determined and shows so much passion for what he does. He is also a really good friend. His best friend Arlen really wants a tree house and his mom and dad said that if he remembers his books for the whole week they will work on the tree house with him for a hour on Saturday. Mickey came up with a plane to make Arlen  remember to get all of his books, because Arlen's tree house is made out of wood. So Mickey told him whenever he sees wood to remember about his books and book bag, it works! He is also very loyal to his sister. He does her laundry and listens to all of her problems and he gives her input to help her. He is overall a really good person and works really hard to reach his goals.

5. My least favorite character is Buck Penders. I really don't like him because he is such a bully. At the beginning of the book Buck beat up Mickey and Aron. This made me loose all respect form him. Buck is 14 and has no right picking on a 11 year old. At the end of the book when Buck is vanquished he doesn't act like a gentlemen and deal with his defeat and congratulate Mickey (like i know Mickey would for him) he just yells at his mom and dad telling him that it is time to go. He doesn't say anything or even stay for his runner up award. I also don't like that he thinks that he is better than all the other kids cause I know that that also hurts Mickey's feelings. I don't think that he deserves a metal for anything.

6. I think that the ending of the book was very predictable. There were some things that happened that I didn't expect but in the beginning of the book I feel like he was going to win. While he was playing in the tournament he was saying how badly his hand hurt and that he was holding back tears but I knew that he was going to fight threw it just like he did with every other battle that he encountered in the book. I did like the part when Francine gets to perform her magic act at Mickey's party. Also since Arlen is so good at math Mickey and him go to the mall and guess how many jelly beans are in a tub and using math Arlen is only 2 off and wins the tub of jelly beans. I liked the ending but I just wish that it put me on the edge of my seat with anticipation.Overall I think that the ending was pretty good because its a happy ending for everyone (except Buck Penders)!

Blog Week #4!!!!

It's Blog Week!  Be sure to review your past grades and this week you will be posting about your current IR book.  Please review your theme handout before your write your theme prompt.  You can review your IR Blogging Instruction sheet to follow directions.  Your post is due by Saturday at midnight.  Happy Blogging!!!! :)  Ms. D

Chris Shanahan

Christopher Shanahan
Of Mice And Men
John Steinbeck
Realistic Fiction
Challenge
Just Finished 107


1.     There have been many events leading up to what happened in the end of this book.  In the end of the book George shot Lennie.  He shot him because Lennie would have gone through so much more torture in jail.  No one understood Lennie like George did.  So Lennie would have got convicted for murder.  He could have served the death penalty or been in jail for life.  George found Lennie and started talking to him.  He was putting Lennie in his special place.  Lennie always wanted to own his own farm and have rabbits.  George secretly took Slims gun and put it behind Lennie's head.  Lennie looked back and George said keep looking over the hills.  He then tried to steady the gun and couldn't.  Then he was sure he was going to shoot Lennie so he put it up to his head and shot him.

2.      This book was very good I loved the ending.  The ending was amazing and it had all the details it needed.  It had enough detail that we could think about the parts and analyze it.  The book did not just give us the answers it made us think.  I think that is very important in making a great book.  I would rate this book a 10 because it had so much good foreshadowing.  It had foreshadowing in every chapter.  The plot was also really good and was very well made.  There are many themes in this book but there is one that stands out.  The one that stands out the most is trust.

3.     I think the theme of this book is trust.  I think it is trust because Lennie has to kind of lean on George for help.  Lennie has to trust George because he knows he wont leave him.  George trusts that Lennie wont lose their job but it happens every time.  Lennie just regains his trust.  Also everyone has to trust each other in the bunks.  Everyone trusts each other and if they didn't then it would be chaos.

4.     My favorite character is Lennie because he is funny and has a good personality.  Even though he has mental disability he still has a brain.  Sometimes people forget he can think for himself.  He makes a lot of mistakes but he does not mean to.  He does not realize that what he does right now could affect him later in life.  Lennie realizes what he did after the event happens.  But he is still a good guy.  His mental disorder also makes it so he does not realize how strong he is.

5.     My least favorite character is Curly.  He is my least favorite character because he is a stuck up jerk and is a horrible person.  He try's to pick fights with the big guys.  He try ed to fight with Lennie but Lennie crushed his hand.  He also does not let his wife talk to anyone but him.  Curly acts like he owns his wife.  His wife gets lonely a lot and Curly still does not let her talk to anyone.  Curly is just not a nice guy and is very mean to people bigger than him.

6.     My prediction was way off.  I thought Lennie was finally gonna get it and not mess up.  I thought Lennie was gonna be good.  But really he had the biggest mess up hes ever had.  He killed a Curly's wife.  Lennie did not mean to but he still killed her.  I thought Lennie was going to change and realize that if he did something now it could come back and haunt him later in life.

Sam Hennessey blog

Sam Hennessey
Of Mice and Men
John Steinbeck
Just Right
JF



1)At the end of the book many interesting things happened.  First, Lennie to vocabularyin the barn with with Curly's Wife.Curly's wife told Lennie to touch her hair. Lennie touched her hair and started to grab it. Curly's wife didn't like this and started to scream. Lennie got really worried and he covered her mouth with his hand.  She squirmed and and Lennie accidentally broke her neck. Then George and Candy found a Lennie and and Curly's wife. Candy decided to tell the other people. George told Lennie to run back north to the weed. Then George told the other guys that Lennie probably ran south because they came from the north. George ran north to find Lennie in the weed.  He finds Lennie and they both agree that George has to shoot Lennie because the other people which shoot Lennie anyway.  So George shoots Lennie and the other guys come and find Lennie dead next to George. then Slim and George walked down the highway together to f to find a new life.

2) I felt this book was very interesting and subtle ways. it had had hidden messages on every page
that you didn't notice. If I read this book again I think I would notice many more messages than I did before, but I thought this book was a little bit boring. It never Ieally got exciting until the end when people are chasing Lennie with guns.  Overall it was an interesting end of book that made you really think.

 

3) A theme in this book that I notice in a couple situations is trust. This is because Lennie trusts George greatly because if Lennie didn't have George he would not be able to survive. Another example of trust is Candy's dog trusts Candy to give him food and help them survive. I think trust is the most important theme in this book because so many people rely other people for food money and support.

 

4) My favorite character think would be George. This is because George doesn't have to take care of Lennie but he decides to take care of Lennie even though he could go often with his own life without Lennie. This makes him a very great character because he takes the responsibility to take care of Lennie when he doesn't have to. And this is why George would be my favorite character.

5) my least favorite character is Curly's wife. She is my least favorite character because she married a man she doesn't even like. She always flirts with other guys. She is not loyal to Curly and she barely even talks to him. Also she lets Lennie touch her hair and even though she didn't know about Lennie's problem she should let other people be touching.

 

6) the ending was very surprising to me. Even though Curly's wife's death was foreshadowed many times I would have never thought it would end like this. Although I did predict that after Lennie killed Curly's wife he would run to the weed near the river. I predicted this because George told Lennie if he ever got into trouble to run back to the river. But all the other things like when George shot Lennie I had no idea was can happen. And I think overall it was a good ending.

NO@H'S BLOG

Noah Lawrence

Of Mice and Men

Historical Fiction

Holiday

Finished Book

1.       I just completed reading the book  Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.  The end of this book was very interesting. A character named Lenny who is mentally challenged killed a girl with soft hair.  Earlier in the novella, Lenny killed a mouse and a puppy by petting them too hard.  He discovered a liking for soft things.  Unfortunately, Lenny does not recognize when to stop and panics when the animals do not like this.  His strength and panic kills the mouse and the puppy. This situation escalates when Lenny begins to “pet” the girl’s soft hair.  She becomes frightened because she thinks he could possibly rape or kill her.  She began to scream which in turn upsets Lenny; he begins to shake her to quiet her but breaks her neck unintentionally.  After he realized what he had done, he runs to brush near the river.  This was where George, Lenny’s companion told him to meet in case of an emergency.  When the ranch hands discover her dead body, they form a party to hunt down Lenny knowing he committed this crime. George leads them in the opposite way to get to Lenny safely.   Once he finds Lenny, he comforts him by telling him what reassures him the most and that is how they are going to get some land.  He tells Lenny he can tend to the rabbits and that they will be a real family.  George tells Lenny this so his last moments could be happy before he shoots him in the back of the head.  He does this because Lenny would be tortured to punish him for his crime. Lenny would never understand why he was tortured, brought to jail, and taken away from George. It was something that George had to do. After this all happened George walked away with his new best friend Slim.

2.      This book makes me feel lucky. This novella describes bad times and these migrant farmers had to deal with harsh conditions. The characters in this book are so well developed most of them have a background story. The reader can understand each character easily because of the great details the author uses to describe the characters. This book has many special qualities one of them is the old fashioned southern dialogue. It may be hard to understand at some points but it really helps the reader picture the story. Another great quality is way the author presents ideas. It seems that the author uses a lot of detail but in reality he is straight to the point and the words he uses are perfect. The plot is fantastic because it is not boring at any part of the novella. There is a long rising action but it is interesting. In this book the climax is at the end and there is no falling action. I like that about this book because the falling action is my least favorite part of a book. The ending is good because Steinbeck leaves you with many things to think about. When I am left with that kind of ending I like to make up what happens next in my brain. I love how the author doesn’t name Curley’s wife. He lets you envision her yourself. If she was given a name I would think differently about her and she wouldn’t be as meaningful. The author really amazes me the way he puts things in this novella better than most authors would. The connections I made were book to self and book to world. He put the idea of non traditional family the reader’s thoughts. Some of the non traditional families in the book are Candy and his dog, Lenny and George, and all the guys in the bunk house. My friends and I are a nontraditional family. We help each other and go places together like a real family would. Like the bunk house the Patriots are a nontraditional family they both help each other and converse like a family would. Steinbeck also gives the reader the idea of The American Dream. The American dream is having land/house, money (just enough to live off of). This is shown in many ways when they go to town and spend money, when George takes care of Lenny, and when George, Lenny, and Candy decide to get a house together. Overall I rate this book a ten out of ten because John Steinbeck is such an amazing writer.

3.      The theme of this novella is Brotherhood. This is shown in many ways. An example of this is the relationship of the migrant farmers in the bunkhouse. They watch out for each other and care for each other. Another example is George and Lenny’s relationship. They care for each other. George takes care of him by supporting him mentally and physically. He does this by giving him food and reminders. Also he comforts him by telling Lenny stories.  Something else that represents brotherhood in this story is Candy and his dog. They have been together for a long time and they comfort each other. At the end of this book Slim and George walk off down the highway after Lenny dies. It seems as if Slim and George became friends. That could also represent brotherhood.

4.      My favorite character is Lenny. He resembles a big baby. He acts like a baby but is a grown man. An example of this is the weed accident. He sees a girl who is wearing a soft red dress. Lenny wanted to feel it. He grabbed it and the women started screaming. She thought he was going to rape her but that was not his intention. Another example was when he had the dead mouse. Lenny liked to pet it. Also Lenny would always ask about the rabbits like a little kid would. He would say tell me bout’ them rabbits, George. Lenny is my favorite character is because he reminds me of my little brother. My brother forgets things easily like Lenny and he likes soft things. I can relate to George through being in a similar situation.  Except Lenny provides protection for George and my brother doesn’t protect me I protect him.

5.      My least favorite character is Curely because he is mean and nosey. He is also unfair towards his wife by making mean rules that she has to follow.  Curely also picked a fight with Lenny. Of course Lenny won because he is much bigger than Curely. This means Curely thinks that he is the best at everything because Lenny has an unfair size advantage. Curely is full of himself and he is cruel. An example of this is after Lenny kills Curely’s wife by accident, Curely is determined to kill him. Lenny didn’t know he was going to kill her by merely trying to make her quiet. Curely wouldn’t have been satisfied if Lenny was just put in jail. Curely didn’t even ask for anyone else’s input on the topic and certainly wouldn’t have had a fair trial for Lenny.

  

6.      I was really surprised by the ending. I thought that Lenny would run away with George and they would have bought a house. I knew that George would separate himself from the group to go find Lenny but I didn’t know that George was going to shoot Lenny. Another thing I did not expect was George and Slim walking off after Lenny’s death. I anticipated that Lenny was going to hurt/kill Curely’s wife because of his history with soft things. It all started when he touched the dress and the mouse because they were soft. Then George told Lenny to stay away from her because he knew what might happen. Lenny wanted to feel her hair and it was destined.  

Abdell St.Paul
Of Mice and Men
John Steinbeck
Realistic Fiction
Just Right
Just Finished/107

1. I finished Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. At the end of the book it was really surprising because George killed Lennie instead of running away from trouble with Lennie again. George knew that Lennie killed Curley's wife when he saw her broken neck. George knew where Lennie was because after the incident at Weed George told Lennie to go to the brush if something bad happened. George told the other men that Lennie went south because George knew he had enough time to meet with Lennie at the brush and shoot Lennie before Curley and the men torture Lennie. I thought that after George killed Lennie he would find
more jobs easier than with Lennie because Lennie was a slow minded person and he would get in trouble. t The end of the book destroyed the dream that Lennie, George, and Candy wanted.

2. I liked how John Steinbeck used foreshadowing in this book that lead up to Lennie killings Curley's wife and George killing Lennie. I liked how John Steinbeck showed how Lennie possesses physical strength beyond his control, as when Lennie can't help killing mice. I liked how John Steinbeck described how George would treat Lennie. I liked how John Steinbeck made George, a short, small guy who was in charge and  Lennie the big strong guy who wasn't in charge. I liked how John Steinbeck didn't give Curley's wife a name so he could make the reader understand why she didn't have a name. I also liked this book because John Steinbeck described how migrant field workers would travel to ranches to look for jobs and how they would dream of having their own ranch, fruits, and animals. I didn't like the dialogue of the book because the language in the book got confusing, the characters were speaking in slang. I didn't like how the John Steinbeck made Lennie get shot from George because George promised Aunt Clara to take care of Lennie. I also didn't like how George was short-tempered to Lennie.

3. The theme that I noticed in this book so far is the American dream because through out the whole book the migrant workers dreamed about family, land, and having enough money. For example George and Lennie dreamed of owning a farm with pigs, rabbits, and having enough money to raise a family. I noticed the theme in the characters because Curley's wife dreamed of being a movie star instead of being married to a ranch worker, and Crooks explaining to George and Lennie that every migrant worker dreamed of having land but all of them never succeeded to own land and have a family. The American dream appears in both the characters and the plot because Lennie, Candy, and George dreamed of having a farm with rabbits. The American dream also appeared in both the plot and characters because during The Great Depression if you were a farmer or a migrant worker it was hard to have land, family, and have enough money because the economy collapsed.

4. My favorite character is Slim because he's caring and is peaceful. Slim understood the nature of the bond between George and Lennie, and comforts George when George shot Lennie. Other characters in the book looked to Slim for advice especially when Slim told Candy to let his dog die out of misery. He also comforted Candy. Slim is quiet. He's an insightful man. Slim is the most experienced at the ranch and he is logical. Slim has the responsibility to make sure that the right thing is happening, and he has the responsibility to keep everyone in the ranch together.

5. My least favorite character is Curley's wife because she ruined the American dream. I didn't like Curley's wife because she flirted with Lennie with out knowing that Lennie had slow minded brain. She didn't listen to George when he told her to not talk with Lennie. If she would've talked to George more about why she George didn't want her to talk with Lennie, the dream would've happened. Her death destroyed the American dream between George, Lennie, Candy, and Crooks. She makes fun of Candy's age. She flirts with other men even when she's married to Curley. She doesn't have a name. She stays in the house all day, always lonely. She helped Lennie hide the dead pups.

6. I was not expecting the ending to end in a sad twisted way. I thought that the ending stunk because George had to kill Lennie. They never had acres of land, animals, enough money, and a family. I thought that John Steinbeck would end this book in a happy way where Lennie's dream becomes true. The things that were different at the end than what i thought would be is that George kills Lennie. I knew that at the end Lennie would get in trouble because one of the clues that John Steinbeck left the reader was after the Weed incident George told Lennie to hide in the brush if something horrible happened. Another clue that led to George shooting Lennie in the head in a happily way is when Carlson shot Candy's dog in the head to keep it out of its misery, George used the same gun as Carlson to shoot Lennie in the head to keep Lennie out of his misery of killing things and people without meaning it.

Jamie Wright

Jamie Wright
Of Mice and Men
John Steinbeck
Historical fiction
Just right
Just finished- 107 pages

1. I have just finished Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. The ending was a very crucial part of the book. The book had a lot of foreshadowing in the beginning, which didn't seem like it had much importance at the time, but as we got closer to the end of the book, it made a lot more sense as everything unraveled. Although the death of Lennie and Curley's wife was unexpected, foreshadowing in the beginning of the book led up to it. For example: Lennie loves soft  things (the mouse and the puppy)  and all he wants to do is pet or hold them, but his strength gets the better of him and he kills them by accident. When Curley's wife tells Lennie how soft her hair is Lennie cannot control himself and this scares Curley's wife.  Lennie reacts in the only way he knows and when she won't stop squealing, he gets angry and he breaks her neck by accident. Another example of foreshadowing in this book would be when George told Lennie to go back to the brush if there was ever any big trouble. This basically tells the readers that their will be big trouble at the end of the book and that George will find Lennie there waiting for him in the brush. After the death of Curley's wife George meets Lennie in the brush and tells him what they are going to do with the rest of their lives. Then George takes out a gun and he  shoots Lennie in the back of the head. The book ends by Slim and George walking down the street, leaving that place to go on to the next for a fresh start together.

2. This book contained great detail. Steinbeck does a  good job describing the plot of the book, but it seemed that there was a little bit too much description in some parts. One example of this is when he described the brush. He took up almost two pages  to describe the scenery. There were definitely important facts in their, but some facts like how warm the water was, didn't seem like it was necessary. He also does a good job on describing the characters. He describes George as a small, quick, dark of face man with restless eyes and sharp, strong features.  He was very good at foreshadowing and leaving clues for what was going to happen next in the book. This made the reading very interesting and encouraged me  to read on. When the author brings the book to life it makes the reader want to continue reading to the very end.

3. I think that the theme is family. I think that this is the theme because there are so many examples of families in this book. One example would be George and Lennie. They both take care of each other, they look out for each other, and they also are great friends. The same goes for Candy and his dog, but they have been together since Candy got him as a pup, so it was very hard to imagine life without him. One last example of family in this book takes place in the bunkhouse. The workers play (cards) together, live together, work together, eat together, etc. These groups are all considered "non-traditional" families. Even though they are all not related, they share a great bond together as if they were related. That is why I believe the major theme in this book is family.

4. My favorite character was George because he was kind to Lennie and he looked out for him. Even though he acted like he was so tough and he didn't need Lennie, he really cared about him and it was hard to imagine life without him. He always made sure that Lennie was safe and he tried his hardest to keep him out of trouble. At times it did seem that he was a little bit mean to Lennie, but that's what people have to do sometimes to keep the ones they care about safe (like what are parents do for us). It was surprising to see George kill Lennie, but he did it because the others would have wanted him suffer for what he did. George also knew that he would be in a better place in the afterlife.  That is why George is my favorite character.

5. My least favorite character was Curley because he was very arrogant, mean and judge mental. When they first meet Curley gets angry at Lennie for not answering him. He also picked a fight with Lennie for "laughing at him". Also, he always tells his wife how good he is and how he was a "champion." Curley also acts like he owns everybody and that everybody should work and serve him. Curley is not a nice person and all he cares about is himself. He was very arrogant and conceited. That is why he was my least favorite character.

6. The ending was pretty surprising to me. There were some things that was able to guess because of the author's foreshadowing. I knew in the end that Lennie and George would end up at the brush because  there would be big trouble. The thing I did not know was what the trouble would be. It wasn't until the scene where the death of Curley's wife took place that I realized that he was going to kill her. But once she started talking about her soft hair, then I suspected that it was going to happen.  I also knew that Lennie and George would meet in the brush but was surprised when George killed him with the missing gun. Even with the foreshadowing provided by Steinbeck the ending of this book was very hard to predict and that's why it surprised me.

Julia Medoff

Julia Medoff
Of Mice And Men
John Steinbeck
Realistic Fiction
Just Right
107

1.  The ending of Of Mice And Men was very suspenseful. George and Lennie, the main characters in the book, had just recently arrived at the ranch and were patiently waiting for their pay day so they could hit the road and buy themselves a piece of land. George is always looking out for Lennie but, one day, while George was in town, Lennie goes to his pup. Lennie is a large man who is not aware of his strength. While they are playing, the pup lunges towards him, and Lennie smacks him, killing him accidentally with his force. Sitting there stunned, Lennie fears George's reaction. As he tries to cover up the dead pup, the wife of the ranch owner's son Curley walks in. She sees what he has done and tries to console him.  Lennie shares his dream with her of buying a piece of land with George, while she shares her past experiences about going on the road with a previous boyfriend and how he was going to make her a star. Lennie claimed he did not intend to kill the pup, he simply just enjoyed the softness of its fur and hugging it. Curley's wife says that she also enjoys the feeling of a soft surface, and that her hair is very fine. She tells Lennie he may touch it. While Lennie strokes her hair, he begins to stroke harder and harder. Curley's wife got scared and Lennie panicked. He grabbed her, and told her to hush, but his grip got stronger. She started to cry beneath his grasp. Lennie told her to stop yelling, but would not release her. Suddenly, her body went limp. Lennie had broken her neck. He panicked, for he knew this was a very bad thing. He decided to flee to the brush. When the boys from the Ranch arrived back from town, one of the men found Curley's wife dead. They knew the culprit and Curley was out for revenge. The men split up and all grabbed guns, including George. He gave them false directions to buy himself time to find Lennie. He headed toward the brush and spotted him. George knew at that moment that their plan of living together was shattered. Although they talked for a while about what their future plans had been, ultimately George slowly creeps up behind him and shoots him in the back of the head. George knew what he had to do, although killing his friend was the last thing he wanted to do.

2. I thought the book was very well written. The author used detail, dialogue and excitement  to pull the reader in.  The dialogue between the characters helped the reader understand the relationship between each of them. For example, I liked how George and Lennie were paired together as friends because they made an odd relationship work. Also, I noticed that some of the characters had a friend and others were more alone. For example, Candy and his dog, and Lennie and George were pairs, while Crooks was alone.  I think that contrast worked well because it illustrated the importance of friendship. For this book, I thought many themes worked because so much was always going on throughout the book that it made for a story with multiple life lessons. The author uses a lot of suspenseful techniques like foreshadowing to pull the reader into the book. For example, at the beginning of the book, Lennie kills a mouse and a puppy with the force that eventually leads to the killing of Curley's wife. This is a new author for me, and I definitely am interested in reading more of his stories because I really enjoyed his style. Overall the book stood out for me as one of my favorites.

3. There were many themes that I found throughout the book, but one overall theme I noticed was family. I found this theme to be very recurrent. I noticed it in the dialogue between the characters, and in the plot. George and Lennie are a non-traditional family, and so are Candy and his dog, but they stick together and treat each other as if they were truly related. Throughout the plot, the situations that occur always relate back to family. For example, when George at points gets irritated with Lennie they always forgive each other because, in the end, the power of family overcomes their differences. I thought this theme stood out the most and was a noticeable attribute throughout the characters and plot.

4. My favorite character is George. He is my favorite character because he looks out for Lennie and was a role model to him. He is kind and very responsible regarding his work ethics and his obligations toward Lennie. What made me really learn to love George as a character was when he stands up for Lennie at the ranch. I think that proves to the reader that he is a true friend that will protect Lennie against harmful remarks. It was a true surprise to find out that George killed Lennie, after all they have been through.  George is a mindful person and can make his own decisions and, as I read along, I sensed George thinking about his next moves and the pain it caused him in making his final decision. It was George's complexities and flaws and the impossible situation he faced at the end of the book that made him my favorite character.

5. My least favorite character is Curley because is a nasty person in every aspect of his personality. He shows little respect for anyone and has a short temper. For example, Curley is very jealous of Lennie's strength and height. One day in the ranch he picks a fight with Lennie. Lennie is somewhat of a gentle giant so when Curley attacks him he does not know what to do. George yells to Lennie and tells him to fight back. Lennie does not know his own strength so when Curley throws a punch at him, Lennie grabs his hand and crushes it. Lennie did not mean to cause so much damage but Curley provoked the situation. While it appeared that Curley had friends, they were not true relationships.  Unlike the other characters in the book, Curley had no endearing qualities. 

6. The ending of this book really shocked me and gave me a true taste of John Steinbeck's writing style. I think the ending for each character was unique, some parts were unexpected while others I  predicted earlier in the book. At the end when Lennie killed Curley's wife it was not much of a shock to me because there was so much foreshadowing in the earlier stages of the story that this event could have been easily predicted. Clues I was given was when Lennie killed the mouse, dog, and hurt the lady in Weed, all because of his urge to feel softness. I assumed an event like that would reoccur in the story. What was a surprise was to find out that George kills Lennie in the end. George was always there to support Lennie and would take care of him. For example, when Lennie's aunt Clara died, George took Lennie in and looked out for him. I found their special moments in the story very touching and would never have thought that one of them would kill the other. I also had an assumption that Curley's wife would reappear in the story because in the ranch when she walked in she was clearly being flirtatious towards the men, and I predicted that she would come back and easily manipulate Lennie's innocence. Overall the ending of this book was fantastic because of both the expected and unexpected twists and turns.

Winnie McCabe

Winnie McCabe
Of Mice and Men
John Steinbeck
Historical Fiction
Just Right
Just Finished
107

1. I just finished Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. George kills Lennie at the end of the book. This was a major event that left everybody confused. First, Lennie killed Curley's wife because she screamed when he was too rough with her hair. Lennie remembered that George told him to run to the brush if he got into any trouble. When Curley found out about Lennie killing his wife, he arranged that everybody go searching for him. Curley announced that he would kill Lennie himself out of anger. George knew exactly where to find Lennie. He split from the rest and met Lennie at the brush. He knew that Lennie had done a terrible thing and that he would be killed by Curley. Lennie asks George to tell him about the rabbits. George begins talking about their 10 acre ranch with rabbits and chickens. Then George asks him to look the other way and shoots him in the back of the head. Lennie's last words were about the rabbits, the thing he loved the most.

2. I absolutely loved Of Mice and Men. I have been reading a lot of Steinbeck books recently. I really like his writing style. Everything is so clear and straight to the point. Steinbeck also does a great job of leaving the reader questioning, even at the end of the book. I think that the idea of writing a novella about migrant workers is very captivating. They are often forgotten about because people just look right over them. I used to be that way, but now I have a greater appreciation for them. I learned that everyone has their own story and background. I also love how Steinbeck foreshadows so many major events. This really adds suspense to the plot. I just really love the way he perceived the characters. George's relationship with Lennie is priceless. Even though they are a non-traditional family, they love each other just as much as any family loves each other. Steinbeck is an amazing writer and his writing deserves to be read everywhere today.

3. One theme that I noticed in this book is non-traditional family. I see it with the boys in the bunk house, Candy and his dog, and most importantly George and Lennie. None of these families are "traditional". They all consist of different types of people (or dogs). The bunk house is like a family because deep down they all care about each other. Even though the men travel solo, they develop a bond with fellow migrant workers. Candy and his dog show a non-traditional family with a human and a dog. Candy has had the dog since he was a pup and they grew old together. They love each other as much as any other traditional family loves each other. The most important non-traditional family in this novella is George and Lennie. They are two migrant workers that travel together and look out for one another. They both love each other unconditionally and will always be a family.

4. My favorite character is definitely Slim. Most people look past him when they read this book. Slim is really just a genuine guy that everyone looks up to. He has a reputation that no one can replace, not even Curley. He is the leader of the bunk house and everyone likes him. One particular incident where  Slim showed leadership is when Carlson wants to put down Candy's dog. Candy takes a look at Slim to see if he is showing any reverse thoughts about it. Slim's reaction made Candy decide to put down the dog. Slim was also a great friend to George. I felt as if they were very similar characters. The way Slim leads the workers is similar to the relationship between George and Lennie. Slim is a really great person that I think everyone should aspire to be like.

5. My least favorite character is Curley's wife. She was very inappropriate when it came to the workers at the ranch. She always flirted with them and provoked them. Most of them just ignored her but Lennie couldn't control himself. She shouldn't have put herself in a dangerous situation. Provoking Lennie was such a bad idea. She should have minded her own business and stayed in the house. It really bothered me how Curley's wife and Curley would always come to the bunk house and ask where they are. It got to a point where it was almost like they just weren't married and were playing hide and seek! She just annoyed me to a point where I stopped caring about her. Even though I feel bad for her, I still feel like she should not have been flirting with the workers.

6. The ending of Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck really surprised me. After going through so much with Lennie, George shoots Lennie himself. That alone amazed me because I was completely in shock but I understood why it had happened. If Lennie had gone back to the ranch after killing Curley's wife, he would have been killed by Curley. George had no choice but to kill him, there was nothing left for him and Lennie at the ranch. The ending happened so abruptly that I did not expect this to happen. At the same time I completely understood the reason for George to kill Lennie. This particular case was foreshadowed earlier in the novella. When Carlson wanted to put down Candy's dog, he shot him in the back of the head. Later, Candy said that he should have put down the dog himself. I think George killed Lennie with compassion. There was nothing left for Lennie, he would have been killed by Curley either way.

Megan Moruzzi

Megan Moruzzi
Of Mice and Men
John Steinbeck
Historical fiction
Just right
Just finished



1. I have just finished Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. In my opinion the ending of the book was the most important part. It was important because it felt like the whole book lead up to this point. There was also a lot of foreshadowing in this book leading up to the end which made me better understand it. This book is really about the American dream and how to accomplish it. The American dream is having enough money, having land and having a family. Lennie and George are trying to reach that goal of having a house, rabbits and an alfalfa patch. They are men that move from farm to farm to find work every month or so. This book takes place on a farm that they have recently arrived at. It explains there troubles and friendships. At the end of the book Lennie kills a pup because he is so strong and big that he accidentally breaks its neck. This part of the book was foreshadowed. He had killed several other mice from his strength as well. Lennie is mentally ill and sometimes doesn't understand what he is doing or what he has done. He hurts them from stroking them to hard. The feeling of something soft makes him happy. George takes care of him like he is his brother. He protects him and makes him feel secure. At the beginning of the book George and Lennie are resting on brush because they have a long ways to walk. George tells Lennie if anything happens while there are on the farm that is really bad he should come straight back to the brush and hide. They meet some interesting people on the ranch. Curly is the bosses son and has just married a beautiful woman. Candy is an old man that has yet to pursue his dream of having money, land and family. When Candy sees Lennie and George and find out they are also chasing the same dream he becomes interested. Slim is a colored man that has to sleep behind the barn because the other men don't except them into there non-tradtitonal family. Lennie is very interested in the pups that are in the barn he goes to see them every day to pet them because they are so soft an soothing for him. At the same time that Lennie kills the pup Curly's wife comes into the barn to see if anyone wants to talk to her. She looks down and sees the dead pup and is concerned but was quickly is told that it was an accident and it was only cause Lennie liked soft things and at the same time that he was stroking the pup broke its neck. She was taken back by this statement but decided to let it go. She told him that her hair was very soft and he could feel it if he'd like. Of course Lennie took her up on this offer but stroked to hard and she started screaming so he covered her mouth and shook her because he didn't want George to hear her because then he wouldn't let him tend to the rabbits when they got there land. When he shook her he broke her neck and also killed her. He had decided that this was bad enough to run back to the brush until George found him. All the men were now looking for him with there guns because they knew it was him. George found him first and decided this was no world for him to he living in and when the other men found him they would just torture him so the best thing to do was to kill him so that he didn't have to suffer. George was very nervous and upset that it had come to this but he knew it was the right thing to do.  The other men finally found them and realized what George had done. Slim had sympathy and understood what George had done and how he felt bad about it so he was very considerate. Slim and George decided that they needed some time alone with each other and went into town for a drink. "Slim twitched George's elbow. 'Come on, George. Me an' you'll go in an' get a drink.' George let himself be helped up to his feet. 'Yeah, a drink.' Slim said, 'You hadda, George. I swear you hadda. Come on with me.' He led George up through the entrance of the trail and up the highway" (107). This is a really important part of the book because, George and Lennie walked onto the trail together and now George and Sim are walking off together.



2.  I thought this book was okay. I wasn't crazy about the plot of the book but I did like the way that it was written. There was a lot of foreshadowing. When Lennie Kills Curley's wife I had a feeling that it was going to happen because he hurt a girl in the other town that he worked in last. He also killed all those animals, the many mice and the pup. Another moment that was foreshadowed was that Lennie was going to have to go to the brush and hide until George found him. This moment was bound to be important because George explained what to do in such detail and had Lennie repeat it so many times so that it would sure stick in is head. I also like the way that the author has different forms of non-traditonal families. For example I think that the men in the bunk house are a form of non-traditonal family because they do everything together like eat, work, sleep, play and they look out for each other and care about one another. This is a big part of the book as well because it shows the connection they all have and it makes it even harder for you to except the ending of the book. I have never read Steinbeck before but just from reading this book I have herd so many things about him that it makes me want to read more of his books.



3.  I think that the theme of this book is the American dream. I see this theme throughout the whole book.When George and Lennie enter the ranch there goal is to come out with enough money to have a place of there own. They also have each other for family. I think that they also see family all over the ranch weather it is non-traditonal or they are related. The bunk house is a example because they all share a common goal which is the American dream. Another place that family shows up in the book is Candy and his dog. Although they are not relatives they have been through a lot together like growing old suffering together but also making each other happy. Another place that the American dream is in the book is Lennie and the rabbits. He is really patient about wanting to take care of the rabbits, that is his dream.


3. My favorite character is George. He is my favorite character because even though Lennie is not his brother he still treats him like he is and you can tell that Lennie is all that he has. He is a very considerate person and gentle with Lennie. I like the fact that he is so committed and makes Lennie feel so safe. George also promised Lennie great aunt that he would look after Lennie and in my opinion he never broke that promise. Even though he kills Lennie in the end of the book I think that is for the better and that was a way to protect Lennie from suffering. If the men found him Lennie would be tortured. That would be the first time in the book that George wasn't the one giving the consequences to Lennie.  I think that this concerned George and he felt that killing Lennie was the best thing to do in that situation. I also like George because he is so passionate about getting a house and enough money to support it.


4. My Least favorite character is Curly. I didn't like him because he was very mean to Lennie. He started a huge fight with him about looking at "his woman". Again Lennie's strength got the best of him and he started squeezing it and he couldn't stop because he had so much pressure and everybody was yelling at him, he squeezed it so hard that he broke it. I am happy that Lennie broke Curly's hand because I think that he deserved it. I really don't like Lennie though because he abuses his wife. He hits her when he thinks she was looking at another man and this makes me feel really bad for her. When Curly's wife is murdered my Lennie all Curly thinks about is getting Lennie and hurting him, he doesn't think about his wife and how he has lost her. He is just an all around bad person and I think that Steinbeck did a good job showing that.


5. The end of the book was somewhat predictable because of the foreshadowing that happened. I couldn't tell exactly what was going to happen but I had a feeling that it was not going to be good. When George explained the hiding place to Lennie in such therow detail it made me concerned that Lennie was going to have to go there at some point in the book. Also the fact the Lennie had killed so many animals and thing also made me feel like he was going to hurt/kill an important character. I thought that George was not going to let Lennie tend to the rabbits and Lennie was going to get mad and kill or hurt George. Then, Candy and Lennie would go off and live the American dream together. I didn't think that Slim and George would go off together because I thought that they didn't like each other. Overall I liked the ending because I think that it was better off that way. Now Lennie is with the rabbits in heaven and George might be able to get the land, money and family without having to worry about what Lennie is doing. :D

Hannah Lee

Hannah Lee

Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck

Historical Fiction

Just Right

Just Finished

1. The ending of the book was very surprising. At the end, Lennie kills Curley’s wife, though it was an accident. She was sitting next to Lennie after he accidentally killed his puppy, out of brute strength. When she comes and sits with him, she tells him that her hair is very soft. After she offers him to stroke it, to feel how soft it is, he does, stroking it harder and harder. Soon she became afraid, and told him to stop. When Lennie didn’t stop though, she started to panic, thrashing and screaming, causing Lennie to become frightened. Lennie thinks he is going to get in trouble if the men (who are playing horse shoes outside) hear her screaming, so he tries to get her to be quiet, covering her mouth and trying to get her to be quiet. She still will not stop screaming, so he shakes her, just a little too hard and her neck snaps. When Lennie sees what he has done, he know that George will be mad when he finds out. So Lennie does what George always told him to do, hide in the brush if he ever did something bad. When the other guys find out, Curley is furious. He demands that they go find Lennie and kill him. Although George doesn’t want to, he knows that if they don’t Lennie will continue hurting innocent people. So they split up to find Lennie, and when George does he is faced with the tough task of killing his best friend and only family. The book ends in Slim and George walking down the highway, away from the farm and towards a new life.

2. In the end I had mixed feeling about the book. I thought that it was an interesting time and lifestyle to learn about, especially since it’s virtually non-existent today. It was also interesting because my dad grew up in California, and a lot of my family is there, so I know the lay of the land, and the basic history. It was fun hearing about Soledad, as that is someplace I’ve visited before and enjoyed touring. The actual plot of the book though was not enjoyable for me. I thought that although George was nice for taking care of Lennie, I did not like him as a character. He seemed rough and crude much like other characters. The ending was something else I didn’t like at all. I hated how they killed off one of main characters, and how there was really an open ending. I would have liked to know how their lives continued, except for Lennie and Curley’s wife of course. The book itself was a little difficult to read because of the language and way they spoke. I liked how it was historically accurate, and it really gave you an idea of how they spoke and conversed.

3. I think a main theme of this book is loyalty. For the whole book Lennie is loyal to George, as George is to Lennie. They are a family and always have each other’s backs. Even at the end when George is forced to kill Lennie, he does it for Lennie’s own good. He knows that if he doesn’t shoot him, he will be forced with a life behind bars, possibly in a mental institution, or being killed and humiliated much more publically. Candy is also loyal to his dog, as his dog is to him. Right up until the end when Candy’s dog dies, Candy is putting his dog down for his dogs own good. The dog was old and crippled, and probably in lots of pain. Candy did the humane thing and put the dog out of its misery, which I thought was the right thing to do. I know when my uncle’s dog was really sick; they kept giving it surgeries until he really could not be helped any more. Putting the dog down was the right decision, and now they are all a lot happier with a new, healthy puppy. One character that does not show loyalty is Curley’s wife. Even though they have only been married a short period of time, she flirts with all of the men on the farm. It makes the others feel uncomfortable, but she continues. It seems like at any every chance she gets she is flirting with other men, which is really disrespectful to her husband, and disloyal.

4. My favorite character was Lennie. Although he made mistakes in his lifetime, it was because he didn’t know any better. He clearly had some mental disability that caused him to not be able to judge right and wrong, and not take responsibility for his actions. He was always a good guy though, and as they said, he never did anything out of meanness. Even when George is rude to him and calls him mean names, he is still loyal to George to the very end. I admire him for keeping with his dream and always sticking to it. He is motivated by the fact that they will someday own a house with bunnies, even when that dream seems close to impossible. I admire him for sticking to his dream, and I was sad when he died at the end.

5. My least favorite character was Curley. I disliked him because he was always looking for a fight, from Lennie, George, or any one really. He didn’t even know Lennie, who was really a nice guy but he still started fighting him. I was glad when Lennie broke his hand, because I thought that Curley definitely deserved it. Another reason I don’t like Curley is because he basically ignores his wife. He leaves her alone all day, which is what causes her to flirt with other men, and doesn’t really talk to her. Even though I don’t really like Curley’s wife as a character, I do feel bad for her because no one will really talk or hang out with her. I think the fact that he ignores her drives her to look for other company, and in the end that’s what gets her killed. I also don’t like how Curley jumps to conclusions. When he found his wife dead, he automatically assumed it was Lennie, and even though it was, he didn’t even stop to consider that it could be someone else. He also doesn’t even give Lennie a chance to explain himself, instead demanding that they go out and find him right away.

6. The ending of the book was definitely a surprise to me. I never thought that George would kill Lennie, though I can see why he did it. There were lots of clues and foreshadowing leading up to the death of Curley’s wife, so I kind of saw that one coming. For example, when George tells Lennie to go to the brush if something bad ever happens, you get a good idea that something bad is going to happen in the story. The puppy, mouse, and the girl from Weed are also all good indicators that something bad was going to happen. They paved the road to Curley’s wife’s death, and all of their deaths showed that something worse was going to happen.

Sophie Van Riet

Sophie Van Riet

Of Mice an Men

John Steinbeck

Historical Fiction

Holiday

Just finished- 107 pages

1. I loved this book! It was fast and easy and the characters were very intriguing.  At the end of the book, a guy named Lennie who is a very simple minded big man who never tries to hurt anyone accidentally kills a girl without meaning to. This book is set in the Great Depression, so a big industry is farming at the time. Lennie travels with his friend George, a very smart and protective man, to different farms where they can find work. They settle down on a farm where they get to know their fellow workers: Slim, a nice man, Crooks, a negro stable buck, Candy, a harmless old man, and Curley, a mean guy who really has something against Lennie. The girl Lennie accidentally kills at the end of the book is very flirtatious around the men, even though she is married to Curley. George warns Lennie all throughout the book to stay away from the girl. One day, while the others are outside, Lennie sits in the barn petting his dead pup that he gripped to hard and by accident killed. The girl walks in and has a conversation with Lennie. She tells him how soft her hair is and urges him to feel it. Since Lennie's brain has trouble comprehending things, he doesn't know what to do when she's yelling at him to let go. He tries to get her to stop screaming at him so he won't be in trouble with George by covering her mouth. He's so strong he unintentionally snaps her neck. He knows he's done a really bad thing, so he goes off to hide in the brush like George tells him to do when he's in trouble.  Once the men find Curley's wife dead in the barn, they know Lennie had done it because he is missing. George and the men head off to find him, but George gets there first and has a conversation with Lennie. They talk about the house they will have someday, and at the end of their conversation, George shoots Lennie in the head without him knowing. It was for the better for both of them, and of course George still really cared about Lennie so he's very upset. When the men find George right after he shoots Lennie, they just think he did it because Lennie killed the girl. Slim is very understanding towards George and tells him he did the right thing.

2.  I felt that this was a great book, but I think if I hadn't discussed this book in class, I wouldn't have liked it so much. This is because it doesn't exactly seem so exceptional when you just read the book to finish it, but if you think about it and really grasp all that is happening, it's hard to put down. One thing I especially liked about it was the characters. They all expressed different emotions. Some you loved, some you despised, and some you felt sorry for. I also really liked the different themes and messages incorporated in the book. Plus, I don't think there was one point in the book that I thought was boring There was always something going on. I also really liked how it was in a different time period. I love the similarities and differences between 2013 and The great Depression. I feel that Steinbeck did a very good job with this novel. It is vivid and has a lot of detail.

3. This book had many many themes, but one big theme I noticed was family. Even though it wasn't your typical family, Lennie and George had a bond just as strong as one. I think that Steinbeck was trying to show how much better it is to have a family than to be lonely. Lennie and George traveled, slept, ate, and worked with each other, practically did everything together! they also cared a lot for each other. George was always making sure Lennie would be okay, and George was everything to Lennie. They had been through thick and thin together and even though they might have said at times they didn't want to be with each other, they would never really leave one another.  

4. My favorite character was Slim. I thought he was a real gentleman. He was always kind, never rude or mean. He also looked out for George at the end. I wish he could have played an even bigger role in the book, because I would have loved to seen more of him. He also is a great listener and would never tell someone else's secrets to anybody.  I also feel he is in a way a little quite, but not really shy. He doesn't always have to speak his opinion and tell others they are wrong, but he does contribute to the conversations in a nice way. 

5. By far, my least favorite character was Curley. He was just plain old mean. I found him to be arrogant and selfish, and never thinking about how others felt. He also didn't have a good reason for not liking Lennie. I felt he caused a lot of unnecessary fights. I also felt bad for his wife because she said being with him made her so lonely because he was the only man she could talk to. If he had explained why he was this way or maybe had a hard background I would think of him differently. In a way he did add to the book, because he was an interesting character and I felt he livened the book up, but I really wish he became nicer.

6.  I definitely did not expect George to shoot Lennie in the end. I guess I know why George shot him, but I felt that he wouldn't be able to do something like that since they were so close.  Plus, I didn't feel Steinbeck gave any hint that was going to happen. However, I did have a feeling that something was going to go wrong, because George was always saying to Lennie that if something bad happens to him, he should go hide in the brush. I also had a feeling that something might happen with Curley's wife and Lennie because there was a lot of foreshadowing on that as well. George was always warning him to stay away from her, and she was always thought of as "bad news".