For a moment the place was lifeless, and then two men emerged from the path and came into the opening by the green pool.
They had walked in single file down the path, and even in the open one stayed behind the other. Both were dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats with brass buttons. Both wore black, shapeless hats and both carried tight blanket rolls slung over their shoulders. The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose. Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely.
The first man stopped short in the clearing, and the follower nearly ran over him. He took off his hat and wiped the sweat-band with his forefinger and snapped the moisture off. His huge companion dropped his blankets and flung himself. (1.2-4)
Sound familiar? Kind of like the pictures, right? In writing, compare and contrast this opening section from Of Mice and Men to the pictures you analyzed in class. What does the text and the photographs show us about the 1930s? Be specific!
The text I've just read reminds me of the second picture we viewed in class. Steinback describes how both the men are dressed, "Both were dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats with brass buttons. Both wore black, shapeless hats and both carried tight blanket rolls slung over their shoulders." Even though there is one man, it describes him perfectly, wearing all black, and with a large sack carrying his belongings. The picture reminds me of the first man described, thin but defined.
I think Steinback is trying to show how tough it was in the 1930s. How the men would have to go travel a long lonely way, to find work. The man in the picture is by himself, he's probably left his family behind, so he could settle himself. "They had walked in single file down the path, and even in the open one stayed behind the other." It says how they were walking down the paths by themselves, not even conversing with each other.
I really like how you caught that subtle phrasing in Steinbeck's writing towards the end! Even though Steinbeck created two characters who seem to be traveling together, he wrote in that fine detail that they were walking one behind the other. In fact, they were together but really still separate. Who do you think was walking in front? The 1930s truly was a time of loneliness and every man was out for themselves, so even though these characters are traveling together, there, indeed, is still a sense of separateness. Great work!
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