How is Section One the same/different from your expectations?
Section One of Of Mice and Men was fairly similar to what I expected it would be. I was correct in assuming that it was set in California and that it featured two men going through hard times, trying to find a place in the world, a farm, that they can call their own. Before reading this book, I guessed the two men would have fairly different characters -- I was correct in that assumption as well, as it quickly becomes obvious in section one that George and Lennie are portrayed very differently.

So overall, I was not too surprised with section one of the book --  so far it has not deviated from the brief blurb on the back of the book.

What dreams/ambitions do George and Lennie have?
George and Lennie are labourers, working on ranches in California. They have a dream of eventually getting together enough money to buy themselves a couple acres of land with a farmhouse, where they'll be able to live. They plan to be pretty much self-sustaining, with a vegetable plot on their farm as well as some pigs, cows, and chickens. Lennie has his own dream of keeping rabbits on this farm. This stems from his love of petting small rodents. At the beginning of the book he is stroking a dead mouse in his pocket -- it comes out that he has enjoyed cuddling mice for much of his life, but that these mice often end up dead, accidentally crushed by his large hands. Rabbits, however, are larger and more solid than mice, so it is thought that it would be safe for him to look after them.

Do you think their dreams will be fulfilled? Why or why not?
Much as I would like to believe that George and Lennie will be able to achieve their dream of owning their own farm, I do not think that this will happen. Reviews have commented on the book's sadness, which pretty much cancels out the possibility of them living out happy lives in their own little farmhouse with rabbits. Even if I had not heard of the book's supposed sadness, I still would not think that book would have a happy ending. George and Lennie seem like good people, with good intentions, and in my experience with books like this, those are the kinds of people for whom nothing ever works out.


Personal reflection on Section One: likes, dislikes, characters, setting, plot, dialogue, imagery.
So far I am enjoying Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck seems like a very talented writer, particularly in his characterization of George and Lennie -- he does a good job of revealing information without expressly stating it. His use of imagery and his attention to detail are also commendable, and do an amazing job of setting the scene for the reader.

I also like how the dialogue is written. Steinbeck sets up his scenes with long, descriptive paragraphs, but as soon as the dialogue starts, there is little else. Some of the sections of dialogue are so back and forth one can almost imagine it as a screenplay or script instead. This, combined with the fact that the dialogue is written in the actual voices of the characters (using slang, accents, etc.), makes it very easy to imagine the story visually in your head.

Since we have only read as far as Section One, I am unable to fairly comment on things like the plot, as I have no idea how it will span out. Though I like how this first section was paced fairly slowly, providing the reader with an idea of the setting and some background information, I hope that it picks up slightly in the following few sections as the plot develops more shape.

Three questions about what you've read so far.

1. How did George and Lennie meet?
2. Why have George and Lennie continued to stick together? More specifically, what kind of an obligation does George feel to Lennie that he gives up his own life to help him out?
3. What is the cause of Lennie's mental slowness?