Explanation and Analysis in Of Mice and Men
Key Techniques for Quote Analysis
The PETER Method
- Point: Make your main argument
- Evidence: Support with relevant quotes
- Technique: Identify literary devices
- Explain: Analyze the effect
- Relate: Connect to themes/context
Analyzing Character Through Quotes
Lennie
"I forgot again... I tried not to forget. Honest to God I did, George."
- Shows childlike innocence
- Repetition emphasizes desperation
- Reveals dependency on George
- Foreshadows tragic events
- The simple language choice ("forgot")
- The pleading tone ("Honest to God")
- The power dynamic between characters
George
"Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world."
- Establishes universal theme of loneliness
- Collective pronoun "us" shows shared experience
- Simple, direct language reflects working-class background
- Ironic given his companionship with Lennie
Analyzing Symbolic Quotes
The Dream Farm
"An' live off the fatta the lan'..."
- Vernacular speech shows social class
- Represents American Dream
- "fatta the lan'" suggests abundance/prosperity
- Repetition throughout novel builds dramatic irony
Context-Based Analysis
Depression Era References
"Guys like us got no family. They make a little stake an' then they blow it in."
- Reflects economic instability
- "no family" shows social isolation
