Of Mice and Men Scene Analysis Essay

1. Re-read p. 49 from â€Å"George followed to the door and shut the door†¦Ã¢â‚¬  until â€Å"George shuffled the cards noisily and dealt them.† on p. 50. How does Steinbeck create tension in this extract? Remember to use Point-Evidence-Explanation (referring to language techniques and effects), giving the reader’s personal response. The section between â€Å"George followed to the door and shut the door†¦Ã¢â‚¬  until â€Å"George shuffled the cards noisily and dealt them† is a particularly tensed scene because the reader and the characters are waiting for a specific event to happen. Carlson has taken Candy’s dog to shoot him. In the scene, everyone is waiting for the shot, which is the climax point of the tension, and the waiting makes the tension worse. The scene comes after we have viewed the argument of the men about Candy’s dog. Candy doesn’t want to kill his dog, so Carlson takes the dog outside to put it out of its misery. The reader might think that the men are being selfish, because they aren’t thinking about Candy who loves his dog, but about themselves. â€Å"Candy looked a long time at Slim to try to find some reversal. And Slim gave him none.† We can see that even Slim, who isn’t selfish, doesn’t try to stop Carlson. The scene starts with George closing the door and setting â€Å"the latch gently in its place†. The word â€Å"gently† suggests that he doesn’t want to draw any attention on him, so he tries not to make any noise. The fact that he shuts the door suggests that he doesn’t want Candy to hear the shot. â€Å"Candy lay rigidly on his bed staring at the ceiling.† His position shows how anxious he feels. Slim tries to start a conversation, but instead of an answer, â€Å"silence came into the room.† The word â€Å"silence† is repeated many times in this section, and it emphasizes the tension in the bunk. The phrase â€Å"silence came into the room† suggests that it’s an unwanted invader. The characters don’t really want to sit in silence, because this means that they will be able to hear the shot and that will upset Candy. But the fact that they are silent makes the reader think that even though they seem tough, they are capable of sensitivity. â€Å"It was silent outside. Carlson’s footsteps died away. The silence came into the room. And the silence lasted.† These are short sentences which create suspense. They make the reader stop and think about what’s happening. The pauses slow down the pace, and it moves slowly towards the inevitable conclusion, the shot. The use of short sentences might also suggest that the reader wants to read faster and finish this depressing scene. There is another unsuccessful attempt for conversation, by George: â€Å"I bet Lennie’s right out there in the barn with his pup.† George mentioning Lennie’s puppy reminds everyone that Candy’s dog is about to get shot and increases tension. Slim tries to comfort Candy: â€Å"you can have any one of them pups you want.† The reader here feels sorry for Candy and is wondering if another puppy can replace his dog. The personification later on highlights the tension in the bunk. â€Å"The silence†¦invaded the room.† However, George interrupts it by suggesting â€Å"to play a little euchre.† This shows that he’s trying to keep the attention of the others focused somewhere else. â€Å"He rippled the edge of the deck nervously, and the little snapping noise drew the eyes of all the men in the room.† We can see that George is nervous, because he is waiting for the shot and also for Candy’s reaction. In addition, we can see that the men are aware of the sounds going on in the room. The â€Å"little snapping noise† wouldn’t be so noticeable under normal circumstances, and this emphasizes, again, the tension. â€Å"A minute passed, and another minute.† Things seem to be happening in slow-motion. They take longer than usual. Whit suddenly exploded: â€Å"What the hell’s takin’ him so long?† It can’t take long to shoot a dog, but because they are anticipating hearing the shot, everything seems to take longer. This sudden explosion suggests that they want this awkwardness to end as soon as possible. â€Å"Candy lay still, staring at the ceiling.† The fact that he hasn’t moved suggests that he is anxious. Slim â€Å"subdued one hand with the other and held it down.† Slim until this point is portrayed as calm, but we can see that he is also affected by the tension in the bunk. The reader is now curious about what will happen next, even though they know what that is. â€Å"A little gnawing sound† came â€Å"from under the floor and all the men looked down toward it gratefully.† The word â€Å"gratefully† suggests that they feel relieved by the interruption. These interruptions make the scene more dramatic and suspenseful. Steinbeck’s preoccupation with tiny noises makes the atmosphere full of tension. These noises contrast the silence the reader encounters during the scene. Despite the interruptions, â€Å"Candy continued to stare at the ceiling.† This makes the reader feel sorry for him, because he can’t do anything now. The fact that the characters don’t move a lot makes the tension even worse. The reader feels that they are unmoving in anticipation of what is about to happen. However, Whit tries to get the place ‘alive’ and tells to George to â€Å"lay out some cards.† Suddenly, â€Å"a shot sounded in the distance.† The shot is almost a relief to everyone. â€Å"Every head turned toward him.† The men looked at Candy to see his reaction. â€Å"He rolled slowly over and faced the wall and lay silent.† Candy’s reaction suggests that he doesn’t want to show his emotions to the others. The reader is now wondering what Candy’s thoughts are and feels empathy for him, because all of this was out of his control. â€Å"George shuffled the cards noisily and dealt them.† This suggests that after the shot everything is back to normal, the silence and tension left like they had come. The tension in this scene is achieved by the author in a variety of ways, from the choice of words to the description of the time passing. It engages the reader and makes them feel sorry for Candy and his dog, his only true companion. The reader has now a lot of questions: Where will this incidence lead? Will Candy get another puppy? Will something similar happen further on? Next time the victim might even be a human.