The Character of Slim in 'Of Mice and Men' and the American Dream
Steinbeck presents Slim to be a loyal respectful man, he does so by using a number of literate techniques like: metaphors, similes and semantic fields. Slim has a strong, wise character so the reader instantly warms to him. Throughout the novel Steinbeck proves to the reader that Slim is a character that others can confide in, he is the wisest character on the ranch, and even though he is just a migrant worker; he has earned the full respect of many people.
In Slim Steinbeck creates a character that demands respect and authority from the entire ranch, we see this in Slim’s opening passage: “Royalty” “majesty” and “prince” Throughout Slim’s opening passage Steinbeck has created a semantic field of power and royalty, the reader remembers this throughout the novel, This creates a feeling of awe because people of royalty are usually off set from others, and so are very difficult to communicate to. Slim is treated with greater respect on the ranch than any other migrant worker, this is because Slim has had to earn the respect by being ‘the jerk line skinner’ the word ‘the’ suggests that he is the only, he is independent, this can be interpreted as Slim has already gained his American dream. Even though Slim is dressed like “The others”, Steinbeck makes him stand out to the reader through the descriptions of his role and skills. However, this is strange because Slim is just a migrant, and in the 1920’s-1930’s migrant workers were seen as the bottom of society. This could be Steinbeck trying to challenge the 1930’s social boundaries. “Royalty” suggests just how desperate Steinbeck is for the reader to show respect and admiration for Slim because royalty is a word used for people who are in a position of power, and those people whom are in positions of power are usually respected and admired. Steinbeck elevates Slim from the other migrant workers, for Steinbeck to put Slim in a position of such dignity would of been an alien concept to the 1930’s social society. In a
In Slim Steinbeck creates a character that demands respect and authority from the entire ranch, we see this in Slim’s opening passage: “Royalty” “majesty” and “prince” Throughout Slim’s opening passage Steinbeck has created a semantic field of power and royalty, the reader remembers this throughout the novel, This creates a feeling of awe because people of royalty are usually off set from others, and so are very difficult to communicate to. Slim is treated with greater respect on the ranch than any other migrant worker, this is because Slim has had to earn the respect by being ‘the jerk line skinner’ the word ‘the’ suggests that he is the only, he is independent, this can be interpreted as Slim has already gained his American dream. Even though Slim is dressed like “The others”, Steinbeck makes him stand out to the reader through the descriptions of his role and skills. However, this is strange because Slim is just a migrant, and in the 1920’s-1930’s migrant workers were seen as the bottom of society. This could be Steinbeck trying to challenge the 1930’s social boundaries. “Royalty” suggests just how desperate Steinbeck is for the reader to show respect and admiration for Slim because royalty is a word used for people who are in a position of power, and those people whom are in positions of power are usually respected and admired. Steinbeck elevates Slim from the other migrant workers, for Steinbeck to put Slim in a position of such dignity would of been an alien concept to the 1930’s social society. In a