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. 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 in the story reminds me of the second picture we viewed during class. The very first sentence draws me to this picture because this man is going down a never ending road. His feet look as if they are draging like in the text. These descriptions match how the author descibes the man: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 man in the picture seems to be by himself and is lonely while in the text he describes that the man has company along with him. The man in the picture also has a similarity to the text because he has a hat on and the text says He took off his hat and wiped the sweat-band with his forefinger and snapped the moisture off.
This picture is trying to tell us back in the 1930s, there was a time of lonliness and there was a time of depression. A lot of people didn't have jobs and many farmers were trying to find farms to work on so they decided to move where they could all find work. The sadness continued as there was a drought going on and the economic situation was not its best.
I like that you were drawn to how the picture represents a man going down a "never ending road." I, too, could not help but notice how long, lonely, and open the road was ahead of this man in the picture. Trying to survive and flourish during the Great Depression was certainly a long, challenging time. However, the openness of the road, I think, also represents an aspect of this time period. In some ways, hen everything is taken away, there is nothing but a world of opportunity that lay ahead. Many people during this time period, despite suffering so much, still clung to hope and the American Dream. Do you think the American Dream still exists today? Why or why not?
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