Monica Corcoro. Posting 1. Compare and Contrast

In Huckleberry Finn, although there were some twists to the end, the story came out a happy ending alike what most stories turn out to be; which I find to be very predictable. But in Of Mice and Men, although it was a sad ending, the story ended with a twist—which I think is always good to have in a story. I didn’t expect at all that George would kill Lennie by the end of the novel. I would have thought Curly would be the one to kill him first, considering Lennie was the one to murder his wife.

In Of Mice and Men, I think the main and overall theme of the book was friendship. George and Lennie stayed by each other the whole way through. It looked like nothing could tear them apart from each other because they have been by one another for the longest time. When Curly picked on Lennie, George couldn’t stand to bear tolerating it. George knew Lennie needed support from his best friend, so George did all he could do to help. The same theme can also be applied to Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, but the overall theme that best fits this novel is perseverance. Throughout the adventures he had with Jim and Tom, Huck started to become more humble and started to care for other people more than himself; from people whom he has known for the longest time to people whom he met only for a little while. In chapter 40 when Tom is hurt, Huck goes out of his way to go find a doctor to help him. And when Tom and he go to rescue Jim from being chained, they both persevered to set him free. These books were very enjoyable to read because they both show the commitment and the hardships of being in a friendship.

Monica Corcoro. Posting 8. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Getting to know Tom Sawyer more made me notice that he is not as good of a person as I thought he was, in my opinion. He is more devious than I thought he was as well. I do agree with what Chi Chi had to say about being bothered by the fact Tom didn’t tell Jim and Huck that Jim had been a free slave for quite a while. It is as if Tom only went with Huck to rescue Jim just for the fun of going on another adventure. In the novel Adventures of Tom Sawyer, I found Tom to be a very friendly and understanding boy who, by the end of the book, influenced Huck to become good like him. But it seems in this story; Tom seems to be the one who needs influence from Huck. When Tom gets hit in the leg with a bullet in chapter 40, it is almost like punishment for having to be so selfish of himself during the journey. I enjoy having Tom as one of the main characters in this novel; but his attitude towards certain things, such as slaves or black people, is an inferior characteristic to have.           

Monica Corcoro. Posting 7. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Once again, Tom and Huck are reunited when they try to get Jim back from Silas Phelps. I always liked it when Huck and Tom were together because they are such great friends that they would do anything for each other. Whenever they put their minds together, they always think of a devious, foolproof plan; which I always love reading in books. And whenever they are together, chaos and foolishness always happens, which makes me so happy every time they do. Such as in Chapter 33, Tom pretends to be someone else right in front of his own aunt and uncle, and they do not even realize it’s him (228). I just find it so foolish of them whenever they act like someone else because they know that they will have no intention of giving up their true identity later.

I have said this several times throughout my postings, but I really enjoy how Huck has become so humble and so caring of people around him; especially for Jim. In chapter 31, when Jim has been sold to a farmer, the only thing Huck was thinking about was “How do I get him back?” and “This was entirely my fault.” It made me happy to know that he was thinking of every way possible to help Jim work for Miss Watson again. Huck showed amazing growth of maturity throughout his time spent with Jim. And even when Jim was no longer with him, he knew exactly what to do to get him back.

Monica Corcoro. Posting 6. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

By this time in the novel, I think Huck truly understands the gift of giving and understanding. He no longer just thinks about what is best for him; but what is best for other people. An example would be when in Chapter 21, he tries to hide the money from the con men to help out the Wilks family. He tried his best to keep the con men from finding the money, and tries to help the Wilks contain their fortune.

I find it unbelievable how Duke and Dauphin always keep conning people for their money. And no matter how much they lie, they just cannot stop. As if money was more valuable to them than peoples’ feelings; even if it involves someone’s death. And even how much they get caught for lying and fraud; they always insist that they are telling the truth. I find it the most ridiculous thing I have ever head in a book; which I admire Twain’s writing style for.

A character I enjoyed having in the novel was Mary Jane Wilks because it seemed that she cared for her dad more than any other of her sisters. When Huck was in the funeral house to hide the money, Mary Jane walks in crying. Nearly every daughter or son would care if their parent dies, but it seems to me that she is the only one feeling sad about the loss. And it makes sense that she feels this way, mainly because she is the eldest of the 3 sisters, so she has to take care of her siblings without any more guidance from her father. Such as when my grandparents died, my uncle was the eldest out of 5; so it makes sense why he and Mary Jane would feel more disappointed.

Monica Corcoro. Posting 5. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

At this point in the novel, the story is not just about Huck and Jim anymore; now it’s more about their adventures they have with the 2 con artists who call themselves as Duke and Dauphin. While Duke and Dauphin are performing plays and providing entertainment for people, Huck follows them; but I find it strange that they leave Jim on the boat by himself. Even though they know that Jim is a runaway slave, they shouldn’t keep him tied up on the boat while they have adventures.

It is noticeable that Huck is being a little more different than he was at the beginning of the novel. He is starting to feel more humble and less selfish and mean. As I stated in my previous posts, Huck wanted to pull some tricks on Jim when he did nothing to harm him and Tom from the start. Now that Huck has spent some extra time with Jim, he begins to feel guilt in his decisions. Such as when they steal the robbers’ boat, Huck felt bad for leaving the robbers stranded. “Now I begun to worry about the men—I recon I hadn’t had time to before. I begun to think how dreadful it was, even for murderers, to be in such a fix.” (71). Another example would be when he was about to turn Jim in for being a runaway slave, he felt guilt when Jim told him he was his only friend. I think Huck is starting to think about other people’s feelings instead of just how he feels. I hope he continues to grow in humbleness throughout his adventures.

Qing Rou Deng. Posting 2. Compare and Contrast

The ending of The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin left me with some questions and some ill feelings. So the question I have is why would Jim not tell Huck that his father is dead? I thought the main point of this trip, for Huck, was to escape his dad. I think if Jim told Huck about his father he could have reclaimed his fortune and live the rest of his life in luxury. Some things that bother about the ending of this book is how Tom didn’t tell Jim and Huck that Jim was free and even though Tom knew Jim was a freed man he still toyed with him like life was a joke. “What I was he’d planned to do if the evasion worked all right and he managed to set a nigger free that was already free before? And he said, what he had planned in his head from the start, if we got Jim out all safe, was for us to run him down the river on the raft and have adventures… (375)”

The ending of Of Mice and Men was sad where Huckleberry Fin had a happy ending with a twist. Unlike Huckleberry Fin the ending of Of Mice and Men was very honest unlike how Huckleberry Fin ended knowing how many things was lie or kept a secret. The ending of Of Mice and Men was honest in the sense that George realizes his duties and acts on them. Since the ending was fore shadowed through the event of the killing of the old dog and because of what happened to George and Lennie in the previous town it seems to me that George already had this kind of idea in mind but did not confront it until Lennie killed Curly’s wife. Overall I felt Of Mice and Men was a better book to read because of the sentimental lessons that it taught and the symbolisms in the book was also a great feature. Monica what did you think about the ending of the two books?

Qing Rou Deng. Posting 1. Compare and Contrast

The two stories for this project have different motives and themes. I think Of Mice and Men is more of a book that manipulated the reader to feel sad and sympathy and the Adventures of Huckleberry Fin is more of an adventure story showing the reader what the world was like during that era. So Of Mice and Men to me was deeper and more sentimental. My opinion comes from some of the recurring things within the two stories. In Huckleberry Fin things that occur more than once are superstition, the effect of adventure novels (evident especially in rescuing Jim), lying, scams, racism, hatred of society and more. Some of these topics are really strong topics and can be very sensitive however to me Mr. Twain wrote the story in more of a comical style than a style to make the reader feel sympathetic (with exception of some parts). Take the adventure with the fake king and duke for example, they lied, scammed and treated Huck and Jim horribly. I felt it was wrong but some parts of their adventure, like the part about the king taking the role of Juliet, that I did not felt it was such a bad thing. In Of Mice and Men the story showed caring, loneliness, weakness, reaching for an impossible dream and more. And Of Mice and Men is very different for Huckleberry Fin because very small things that I think would be over looked in Huck’s world make me think, a example would be the beautiful scene at the river and how that was first a place where they had a great experience but later is the place where George kills Lenie. I think these books can both be very touching but for certain people and Huckleberry Fin, in my opinion is not a book of feelings.

Qing Rou Deng. Posting 8. Adventures of Huckleberry Fin

Lies

There are certainly a lot of lies told throughout the story. Some of them are good and some of them are bad. It seems to me that all the lies told by Huck are good and those told by the fake king and duke would be bad but why is that? Well the lies they told were all for their selfish reason so I wonder why I would think that. Plus lying is bad. Well I guess I thought Huck’s lying was good because they rescue Jim and they agree with my morals. For example Huck’s lying in the start of his journey when he pretended he was a girl he was lying for his and Jim’s freedom so that agreed with my morals because I value freedom. And I think the lies told by the fake king and duke are bad because the lies they told was not only selfish but scammed other people of the money they worked hard for. “I knew the first house would keep mum and let the rest of the town roped in; and I knew they’d lay for us the third night, and consider it was their turn now. (204).” And later Huck said “Them rapscallions took in four hundred and sixty-five dollars in that three nights. I never see money hauled in by the wagon-load like that before. (205)”

Since there is so much lying going on throughout the story I think this shows something. I think this is another fact that Mr. Twain used to show the dangerous conditions of that era and how no one can be trusted. And I wonder why lying would be such a big part of Huck.

Qing Rou Deng. Posting 7. Adventures of Huckleberry Fin

It is interesting why Mr. Twain would use a child as the story’s main character. I think he used a child as main character because this book is about showing America was like during that era. By using a child main character Mr. Twain shows how vulnerable a person such as Huck would be during that time. In addition how a child’s innocence is affected by the different morals of a society. Huck was vulnerable to his father and to people such as the fake king and duke who took advantage of him by treating him like a servant or maybe more like a slave. “But he said it warn’t no use, nothing but to be dead and done with it all could do him any good; though he said it often made him fell easier and better for a while if people treated him according to his rights, and got down on one knee to speak to him, and always called him ‘Your Majesty,’ and waited on him first at meals, and didn’t set down in his presence till he asked them. So Jim and me set to majestying him, and doing this and that that and t’other for him, and standing up till he told us we might set down. (172)” And Mr. Twain not only showed the relationship of lower class of whites to the society but also the relationship of Negros to the white society. Mr. Twain showed the relationship by using Jim. These two characters are actually quite similar. They are both on the bottom of the social ladder and both of their freedoms are at the will of adult white men.

To expand on a topic brought up earlier in the post about how the innocence of a child is affected by the morals society. Like some people would say a child is a blank slate and Huck prove that true by showing ignorance. But instead of having person guiding Huck, Huck faced conflicting morals of society almost on his own. However, Huck already had ideas of slavery instilled in him. So these conflicts that came up made him afraid of society.

I agree with you, Monica, about the Huck's methods of lying. It would be a really good idea for him to make up one lie and stick to it because in the beginning of the story Huck kept on forgetting his name and this happens again with the Grangers when Huck tricks Buck to tell him his name.

Monica Corcoro. Posting 4. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

While Jim and Huck’s adventure goes on, their fake stories and lies get even bigger. First Huck tells the Grangerford family that he is an orphan; but when they meet the 2 con artists, Huck announces that Jim is the orphaned one. Sooner or later, they are going to be caught somehow by their many lies. But although Huck lies so much, he is doing it for a good cause. Because he and Jim cannot be noticed by anyone, they have to disguise themselves. If they don’t disguise themselves, Huck will have to go back to his Pap and Jim will have to go back to Miss Watson to be given away to. I think Huck having to lie about their identities is a very sly thing to do, but he should have his stories straight instead of changing it all the time because he can get himself into serious trouble.

What got me thinking was when Huck encountered the Grangerford family. They seem to be nice and hospitable to him; but when it comes to the Shepherdson family, both families get into a gunfight every time they see each other. Although Huck asks one of the Grangerford’s family members, Buck, why their families are always feuding; Buck does not seem to know why. That statement made me think of why they would feud in the first place when they don’t even know the reason for or how it all started.

The two con men that Huck and Jim interfere with in Chapter 19 remind me of them in a way. They both have a wide age difference; they are both very deceitful in their own way. They even disguise their names to be “Duke” and the famous “Dauphin,” the long lost son of King Louis XVI of France. I picture them to be very whimsical, which I also see in Huck and Jim as well.

Qing Rou Deng. Posting 6. Adventures of Huckleberry Fin

There are many themes occur in The Adventure of Huckleberry such as racism, freedom and coming of age. But I think the one that is most relevant to the story is intellectual vs. moral education. In the first parts of the story the town’s people who are better off, so people like Miss Watson and the judge, seem to make it their goal to civilize people. Huck was largely affected by their goal of civilizing people and I think this really confused Huck because some of his teachings during the beginning of the book conflicts with his morals, which I think was gained through his experiences. This conflict occurs mostly in situations relating to slavery and racism. One example is the teachings of slavery and the idea that blacks are not people; these ideas arouse conflict with his morals later in story in the part of Jim wanting to be free and rescuing Jim.
I think the reason that Huck decides to go west and not go back to a society is that the society’s morals had so many conflicts with Huck’s morals that made him apprehensive of society. I think the part that really taught this lesson was Huck adventure with the Granger’s family. It seems what their society has to teach is to revenge at all costs. “‘Did you want to kill him, Buck?’ (Huck) ‘Well, I bet I did.’(Buck) ‘What did he do to you’ ‘Him? He never done nothing to me.’(151)” which resulted badly and in this experience Huck lost his friend. So this lesson really made Huck afraid which can be seen when he leaves the town in a hurry. Another experience that also shows this conflict with Huck is his journey with the fake king and duke.

Qing Rou Deng. Posting 5. Adventures of Huckleberry Fin

Throughout the story it is very evident that Huck’s mind is changing. Huck was raised with the ideals that black people are worthless but throughout the story Huck become a less of a believer in slavery. In the first parts of The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin Huck’s thoughts on slavery can be shown with in this quote “I see it warn’t no use wasting words—you can’t learn a nigger to argue. So I quite. (118).” Toward the end of the book Huck is not completely against slavery because Huck decided to write the note about Jim running away to Miss Watson and afterwards he thought “I felt good and all washed clean of sin for the first time I ever felt so in my life, and I knowed I could pray now. (279)” However he after he wrote the note he eventually decide to destroy it and chose to rescue Jim. “I’d see him [Jim] standing my watch on top of his’n stead of calling me, so I could go on sleeping; and see him how good he was when I come back out of the fog; and when I come to him again in the swamp, up there where the feud was; and such like times; and would always call me honey, and pet me, and doe everything he could think of for me, and how good he always was; and at last I struck the time I saved him by telling the men we had smallpox aboard, and he was so grateful, and said I was the best friend old Jim ever had in the world, and the only one he’s got now; and then I happen to look around and see that paper. (279).” Is really wonderful to see how kindness can change a person so dramatically. In this story Jim’s caring and kindness change Huck’s view on slavery. Using kindness to change others can be seen in many stories. My favorite example was in a movie I saw; the title was The Color of Friendship. The story took place in 1977 in Washington D.C. and South Africa. This story is about a rich African America family hosting a white exchange student from South Africa who was raised with racist ideas. But her view is completely changed in her journey to America. In the end the student from South Africa became best friends with the girl from the host family. This movie is really inspiring and I learned from both of these examples that if I show kindness to someone who is less fortunate or they might be prejudice toward the wrong thing (but that is an opinion) then I can change their life.

Monica Corcoro. Posting 3. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

I had mixed reactions when Jim and Huck decided to take the robber’s boat when they stumbled upon the wrecked steamboat. It was the right thing that they stopped the robbers from causing any more trouble; but yet, they were being robbers also by stealing the real robbers’ boat and leaving them stranded on the wreck. Knowing the robbers had put stolen items on the boat before Jim and Huck took it, makes me feel like they did more crime than the robbers did; but they did it for a good cause. Since Jim and Huck lost their raft and also had to call for help, grabbing the robbers’ boat was their only option to help themselves.

What I found very humorous was when Huck dressed up and pretended to be a girl named “Sarah Williams.” I liked how Mark Twain made the woman Huck encountered very witty and very aware of her surroundings; such as her suspicion of Huck dressed as a girl. She always asked him questions to see if he was lying or not about whom he was. What was funny was when she asked for his name once, then asked it again; and both times he changed the name. I then realized that Huck is a pretty easy person to trick. But at the same time, I feel that he could have been more careful with something as simple as learning a name. I do agree that he had made a good save though by saying both names are his. I do hope that Mrs. Judith Loftus, she soon reveals, shows up later on in the novel because of how tricky and sly she can be.

Qing Rou Deng. Posting 4. Adventures of Huckleberry Fin

In the parts about where the fake duke and king accompany Huck and Jim, even though they seem comical it is evident that they pose threats to Huck and Jim. Is evident that the duke and the king are terrible people because they lied about being royalty and they committed the king committed his first scandal, after they met, at the religious meeting. “­­­­He [king] told them he was a pirate—been a pirate for thirty years out in the Indian Ocean—and his crew was thinned out considerable last spring in a fight, and he was home now to take out some fresh men, and thanks to goodness he’s been robbed last night and pt ashore off of a steamboat without a cent, he was glad of it; it was the blessedest thing that ever happened to him, because he was a changed man now, and happy for the first time in his life; and, poor he was, he was going to starring right off and work his way back to the Indian Ocean, and pt in the rest of his life trying to turn the pirates into the true path…. (181)” In this the fake king collected eighty-seven dollars and seventy-five cents. I wonder why Huck and Jim still let them tag along. I think it is easy enough to abandon, and that is okay to abandon them because they are bad people.

Throughout the story everyone Huck and Jim meets seems to have bad morals. For example the first person, Huck’s dad, would give anything up for his drinking problem. And currently there is the fake duke and king. But I think the Grangers and the Sheperdsons were the worst of them all not because they had bad morals but because of their prejudice which resulted in the demise of both families. I guess this sort of shows the characteristic of America back during Mr. Twain’s time. A part of the story that really shows these traits are during Huck’s visit to the circus when the audience is entertained by a dunk man who was in danger. But I wonder why Mr. Twain only showed the bad characteristics and not the good ones because there were certainly a lot of them. The part of the circus proves again what good morals Huck has because he did not find the man who is in danger funny.

Monica Corcoro. Posting 2. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Jim and Huck’s friendship grew stronger throughout their journeys together. In chapter 2, Tom and Huck decide to pull some tricks on Jim while he’s sleeping. Although they didn’t do anything to him in the end, the tricks that they were planning to do seemed very selfish yet unnecessary; knowing that Jim did nothing to harm them from the start. Now that Jim has run away from Miss Watson, and Huck has run away from Pap, they have a chance to work together. Throughout their journey, they have encountered some odd situations, such as Huck attempting to impersonate a girl in return for some information.

Jim and Huck’s adventure together helped both of them help each other become wiser in knowing how to survive alone. In chapter 9, Huck tells Jim to go beneath their canoe to avoid being seen by anyone. And because of Jim’s superstitions, Huck learns that it is bad luck to think about a dead man they found earlier. I believe that they will continue to learn more from each other the more the story goes one. And I also predict they will be excellent friends by the end of the novel.

What I found strange was the fact that Huck’s close friends and family were shooting cannonballs and float quicksilver in loaves of bread across the water, hoping to find is dead body (37). I was asking myself questions such as “If they all love so much, why would they be throwing cannonballs and poisoning him if he might still be alive?”

Qing Rou Deng. Posting 3. Adventures of Huckleberry Fin

I really liked the parts when Huck lived at the Grangers. I felt like the Grangers were the only people who did not take advantage of Huck. They even took Huck in, “So they said I could have a hom e there as long as I wanted it. (142)” However, they were just as silly or unreasonable as the other people Huck met on his journey. When Huck asked Buck about the feud Buck says “It started thirty years ago, or some’ers along there. (152); when Huck asked what the reason was Buck said “I reckon maybe—I don’t know. (152)” It is really shocking to me that so many Grangers and Shepherdsons would die without a clear reason.

This little section with the Grangers and Shepherdsons remind me of the story of Romeo and Juliet, except Sophia and Henry ended up happily ever after and the rest of their families perished. As a result of the ending I find Sophia and Henry really selfish, I think they should have been more considerate and mature enough to understand what they were about to do could have the potential to kill of their families. I feel really bad this happened to them because they were such good people.

As the story goes on it is really evident that Huck has almost the complete opposite traits from his dad. Huck is a do-gooder, considerate and has good morals. These traits are shown when gives all his money away so his dad would not put it into bad use, he also show these traits when he did not betray Jim. Huck’s dad is lazy and ignorant. I can’t believe that the new judge was so kindhearted that he would bother with someone like Huck’s dad but Huck’s dad just puts on an act and goes back to drinking. I hope he is out of Huck’s life for good.

Qing Rou Deng. Posting 2. Adventures of Huckleberry Fin

The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin is really interesting. I just don’t enjoy how much details Mr. Twain puts in to prolong the story, which is bad on my part because this makes me feel like one of those book burners in Fahrenheit 451. In addition to that I find Jim very hard to understand because of the way he speaks. I find this book interesting because it’s very adventurous and in some parts very emotional. In my class, Aviation and the American Character we are using American traits like, rugged individualist to describe certain individuals throughout American history. Well I think the perfect trait for Huck is a “Do-gooder”. I think that because throughout Huck’s adventures he always trying to do what he thinks is right. “Poor Emmeline made poetry about all the dead people when she was alive, and it didn’t seem right that there warn’t nobody to make some about her now she was gone; so I tried to sweat out a verse or two myself. (107)” However sometimes Huck thinks his morals are good but according to today’s general standards they are not. “I begun to get it through my head that he was most free—and who was to blame for it? Why, me. I couldn’t get that out of my conscience, no how nor now way. (92)”

I really like the character Jim, except he is a little too superstitious for my liking. The part I really like about him is that he has a determined goal in life and he will work hard for it. “He was saying how the first thing he would do when he got to a free state he would go to saving up money and never spend a single cent, and when he got enough he would buy his wife, which was owned ona farm close to where Miss Watson lived; (92)” In addition he is really thankful of the opportunities he’s been given.

Lastly, I find Huck’s lies really funny. I find it amusing how he lies to the people he sees through his journey and keeps on forgetting what his lies were. I especially like the parts when Huck forgot his name.

Monica Corcoro. Posting 1. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Chi Chi made a good point about Huck’s dad, who is referred to as Pap, being a very unbelievable person. Unlike most dads, Pap would discourage Huck from going to school and to have any manners. He became even more upset when he found out that Huck was the first one in his family to learn how to read. Usually, parents would be really glad to see their child read for the first time; but for Pap, he could only think of himself. What I thought was really selfish of Pap to do was the time when he first got to see Huck in a long time. One of the first things he asks Huck is if he still has a lot of money. “I’ve been in town 2 days, and I hain’t heard nothing but about you bein’ rich. I heard about it away down the river too. That’s why I come. You git me that money tomorrow—I want it.” (pg. 20) And to think he couldn’t be even more selfish, Pap says “Say how much you got in your pocket? I want it.” Then Huck explains how “he took the dollar and bit it to see if it was good, and then he said he was going down-town to get some whisky; said he hadn’t had a drink all day.” (pg. 21) I found it extremely selfish of Pap to suddenly appear out of nowhere just to obtain the riches that Huck had; which was the only reason why he came to visit Huck in the first place. I think that if Pap got a chance to spend more time with Huck while he was growing up, he would fully understand of how to take care and influence him correctly instead of treating him like he isn’t his own child. Hopefully he will get to realize that throughout the book.

Qing Rou Deng. Posting 1. Adventures of Huckleberry Fin

Huck’s dad is unbelievable. It is so horrible that Huck’s dad wants him to drop school and want Huck to inherit the same ways of life as he did. This idea of parenting goes totally against my beliefs; I thought parent are suppose to want the best for their children and wish them to have a better life than they did. I don’t think Huck’s dad is responsible for all his horrible actions like getting drunk every day, abusing his son, discriminating against minority and everything. Because I believe that people are blank slates when they are born and it is how they are raised that determine what kind of person they will become later in life. So this makes me wonder what Huck’s dad’s childhood was like. But I think Huck’s dad should of being more mature and understand what choices where good and what were bad, I think he has the power to make good decisions but neglect to do so. And now that Huck has ran away, I wonder where he plans to go.

I find Tom Sawyer a funny character. I like how he became the leader of a “gang” and says he is going to rob and kill people when he did not know how to do it and backs out later. In addition, I find his bragging adorable. Especially when he says “Because it ain’t in the books so—that’s why. (19)” as a reason to defend his thinking. As the sorry marches on I think Tom Sawyer will not be involved much anymore since Huck’s dad is keeping Huck far from society and now Huck has ran away.

Monica Corcoro. Posting 6. Of Mice and Men

I agree with what ChiChi had to say about Lennie living a good life because he was always so happy and loving towards people. Although he didn’t mean some of the things he did—such as killing most of the pets he has owned and killing Curly’s wife—he really did not mean to harm anyone from the start. He would always be keeping his head high; and I bet Lennie would have been so excited to share a farm with George, but too bad he never got to live up that dream.

I have to give George a lot of sympathy because he was always the one who would help both Lennie and himself through obstacles. He would be the one to take care of Lennie ever since they were little. And I think that George was probably getting too fed up with him, which is probably one of the ways it would all lead up to Lennie’s death.

The way Steinbeck ended the novel was kind of unexpected and left the readers questioning a couple of things. I was wondering what George’s main point was to kill Lennie. Was it out of anger he has been keeping in all these years? Could he just not handle taking care of Lennie anymore? Was it because he didn’t want Curly to kill Lennie first? There are so many questions unanswered; which I believe is really clever of Steinbeck to do, but yet frustrating towards the reader.

What I found a little strange is that when everyone else saw that Lennie was dead, they just went on with their lives—as if it never happened; as if Lennie was never there with them. If I was a part of that group, I would be really shocked and surprised to see Lennie dead before Curly got a chance to get to him.

Qing Rou Deng. Posting 6. Of Mice and Men

Mr. Steinbeck made it very evident that the book will not have a happy ending but the ending was so deep. I don’t really feel bad for Lennie because I think he lived a great life. All throughout his life he always knew who truly loved him because they were always around to protect him and take care of him. So Lennie was always surrounded with love. But George on the other hand, seemed always have to fight for himself and did not seem like he had any relatives to support him. While George was fending for himself he also had to protect and fend for Lennie. Even though George seemed to have committed the ultimate crime I think he is the character that deserves most sympathy. If I was in his shoes I wouldn’t know how to live the rest of my life. I would probably feel so horrible that I would just put myself out of misery, so just by living George is doing a brave thing. There is a quote from Mr. Seneca which I find fits very well with George “Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.”

It is also a possibility for George to run away with Lennie but I think George has morals which prevent him from doing so. I really wish the book ended differently. I really enjoy the book but I didn’t like how it made me so happy and touched then crushed my feelings with the ending.

I was confused about some things. So did Slim attempt to persuade George in shooting Lennie? I don’t understand that part.

Monica Corcoro. Posting 5. Of Mice and Men

It was surprising to me that Lennie killed Curly’s wife so innocently. But what surprised me the most is that how kind of a person Curly’s wife was. People like Candy would always talk about how she would flirt with other guys in the barn; but she actually does it because of her past. Because of her loneliness, she chose to marry someone whom she does not enjoy being with at all—Curly.

At first, I did not really think highly of Curly’s wife because she knew that she would cause Curly to get jealous often. But when she was telling Lennie about herself and the things she dealt with in the past, I understand why she would want to have so much attention from so many people. Curly’s wife also explains how neglected she felt by some people, no matter how much talent she had. I feel that her emptiness caused her to be flirtatious. And her flirtatiousness probably made her feel so that she would never be alone anymore.

Referring to my last post on how Lennie wouldn’t hurt a fly; well I have come to realize that he goes too extreme in petting. Before, I thought Lennie was the kind of guy that loves pets and is gentle with them. But I forgot that he has uncontrollable strength, and that makes him kill most of the pets he has; which brings me to the cause of Curly’s wife’s death. Although Lennie didn’t cause it on purpose, he still doesn’t know how to control his own strength. It just goes to show that even the slightest actions can hurt someone in the process.

Monica Corcoro. Posting 4. Of Mice and Men

Throughout the novel, I have come to know the kind of person Lennie really is. To me, he seems like one of those softy-guys. What I mean by that is he doesn’t like to get into any fights; he’s a very gentle guy. I also realized that he is very loving of animals, hence wanting to have a farm with George and Candy someday. “George went quickly to him, grabbed him by the shoulder and rolled him over. He reached down and picked the tiny poppy from where Lennie had been concealing it against his stomach.” “Give ’um to me, George. I’ll take ’um back. I didn’t mean no harm, George. Honest I didn’t. I jus’ wanted to pet ’um a little.” (43) It seems that no matter what, Lennie cannot stop thinking about the farm he and George are going to own someday. And because of his great love for animals, it causes him to be more kind and careful of things.

His kind and innocent personality sometimes comes in handy when it comes to dealing with other people. When Curly tries to express his rage and begins to beat up Lennie, he holds back until George gives him the go to break his arm. (63) Lennie didn’t intend on breaking his arm—Curly just deserved it for attacking Lennie for no reason. What I like about Lennie is that he can be tough when he needs to be; but otherwise, he would rather not try to hurt anything or anyone—not even a fly.

Qing Rou Deng. Posting 5. Of Mice and Men

In chapter five we find that Lennie have murdered Curley’s wife unintentionally. Well before Curley’s wife explains to Lennie about the troubles she has in life. It seems she sees Lennie as this gentle giant who would provide her some emotional support. But she did not sense the danger, which I find quite unintelligent. Since she knows that Curley’s injuries were caused by Lennie and that Lennie has some mental problems she should of know that Lennie was dangerous. In addition she just saw that Lennie pet a puppy so hard that he killed the puppy. So I think most of the conflict in the story was because of her. Then there was something very strong that Steinbeck showed with her. After her death she was described as “And the meanness and the plannings and the discontent and her ache for attention were all gone from her face. She was very pretty and simple, and her face was sweet and young. (90)” This showed that this woman had no ways of escaping her troubles except for death. I think that is very true, because it seems that whenever a human is conscious they are worrying about something.

Hearing Curley’s wife’s point of view it really changed my impression of her. It reminded me that people don’t cause trouble for fun; they do it for a reason. And that reason could be born well in the past. For example mistreatment in the past can result in strong desires for attention. I feel I could connect to her, not in the way that she flirts with men, but I too have a dream that is over my head and I am consistently reminded that all odds are against me.

Lastly, I have a question which is why is Curley’s wife called Curley’s wife and not given a proper name.

Monica Corcoro. Posting 3. Of Mice and Men

I feel that Curly is one of those characters that will start to dislike people such as George and Lennie in the beginning, but then warm up to them by the end. I say that because when he first meets George and Lennie, he starts to speculate both of them; as if he showed that they were being despised immediately. That made me think that Curly may be the kind of guy that does not like anyone and he probably won’t for a long time. But Candy tells George and Lennie that he has only been this grumpy ever since he married his flirtatious wife. Ever since then, he has been interrogating big men, such as Lennie, to start a fight with him.

I think Curly has a low self-esteem because he always wants to pick a fight with some of the bigger men, when he is small. It is as if he thinks he’s better than them just because they are bigger and taller. Like what Candy said “Curly’s like a lot of little guys. He hates big guys. He’s alla time picking scraps with big guys kind of like he’s mad at ‘em because he ain’t a big guy.” (Pg. 26)

I think Curly might be one of those people where they have sharpening-up to do (emotionally) throughout the story. It is quite obvious that he is not well-liked by many people, such as Candy, mainly because of his toughness. George even warns Lennie to watch out for sight of Curly so that they won’t get into a fight, and lose their jobs (Pg. 29). I have a feeling that he might learn to be less uptight, and more accepting towards people by the end of the book.

Monica Corcoro. Posting 2. Of Mice and Men

From my last post, I said I felt that Lennie was always told what to do and how to do things by George, as if he was always the one to follow him. Well now, other people throughout the story start to realize it a little too. When George and Lennie get to the ranch and meet the boss, George was talking completely for both Lennie and himself. “The boss licked his pencil. ‘What’s your name?’ ‘George Milton.’ ‘And what’s yours?’ George said ‘his name’s Lennie Small.’” (Pg. 21)
I found it odd that the boss was questioning George on how much he is charging Lennie to follow his orders all the time. In the beginning of the book, I didn’t realize how shy and quiet Lennie was until he began to be silent towards everyone but George. And because he was being too quiet around people, George began to get frustrated over it. George was expressing to Lennie how he didn’t do anything, which made George cover for both of them when getting past the boss. George even had to lie to the boss by saying that Lennie was his cousin (Pg. 22-24).
I feel that although George was getting very upset with Lennie for always doing the hard stuff, he really cares for Lennie. He covered for him when he didn’t know what to say at the last minute, which shows that they are genuine friends. And although Lennie does forget things easily, he still tries to do his best is what he does, and I think George is starting to see the effort in him.

Qing Rou Deng. Posting 4. Of Mice and Men

I don’t like Crooks very much. Even though Steinbeck portrayed Crooks as a kind man with “patient” eyes I still think Crooks find joy in other people’s misery from his first impression. For example in Lennie’s attempt at making friends with Crooks, Crooks finds his sensitive point, which is his loyalty to George, and Crooks makes Lennie doubt George. “Crooks’ face lighted with pleasure in his torture.” (70) In addition, he pushes people away not even knowing who they are. He is so used to white people discriminating against him because he is black that his thoughts were conditioned so that no white person would be any different and actually accept him and be nice to him. In the same moment when Lennie attempts to friend Crooks, Crooks says “Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, you all of you stink to me.” (67) One more thing about Crooks I don’t appreciate him talking badly about Candy, George and Lennie’s dreams about the farm. They have experience so many horrible things in their live that they deserve to have dreams, to have a happy place to go to and something to make their lives worth living.

I wonder why Curley and his wife got married; I don’t think their marriage would be a result of arranged marriage so maybe there was money involved. I was really happy that Lennie “got” Curley and it was funny to see that Curley would yield to any commands to save a face. He is similar to many people. An example would be Sara Palin when she made a mistake about Paul Revere and her campaign workers were caught changing the facts on Wikipedia.

Qing Rou Deng. Posting 3. Of Mice and Men

I agree with you, and the seemingly perfect relationship between George and Lennie makes me think that the conflict in this piece will destroy the relationship between them. While I was reading the book I realize there were many events where I could not understand its significance. I wondered why Steinbeck made some of the events so important when it did not seem to further develop the conflict. So I conclude that some of these events must be foreshadowing. The event that stood out most to me was when Candy’s dog was shot. After that event I really dislike Carlson. I thought he should have been more understanding and considerate. He should try to see out of Candy’s perspective.

And now I really feel bad for Candy, but I feel like there is a connection between Candy and his dog and the relationship between George and Lennie. From the previous sections it is easy to see that George treats Lennie like dog and Lennie is loyal to George like a dog. For example when Curley bullies Lennie, George tells Lennie to get Curley and he does; then when Lennie got frightened he would not let go of Curley but he did because George told him to. “Suddenly Lennie let go his hold. He crouched cowering against the wall. ‘You tol’ me to, George,’ he said miserably.” (62) So the connection between the four characters makes me think if something bad will happen to Lennie much like what happened with Candy’s dog.

Monica Corcoro. Posting 1. Of Mice and Men

I think the introduction of the book was very well set. It starts off setting the scene and how the environment is supporting it. I think Lennie and George are the kind of friends that help each other out in life; such as when George told Lennie to stop drinking out of the lake water. They really know how to watch out for each other like brothers. They seem like the kind of friends that will stick together through thick and thin. Although they have some diverse qualities, they still maintain to stay together.

Although George and Lennie seem to be great friends, I feel that George always has to tell Lennie what to do all the time. As if George was the leader and Lennie just followed him around all the time. For example, when George was talking about people giving them work cards and bus tickets, Lennie realized that he didn’t have any. Then George said “You never had none, you crazy bastard. I got both of ‘em here. Think I’d let you carry your own work card?” (pg.5) I found that George was inferring that Lennie was not responsible enough to carry something as simple like a work card; as if he doesn’t trust Lennie. And also when Lennie had a dead mouse in his pocket, George kept nagging him to give it to him. When he finally gave it up, George “threw it across the pool to the other side, among the brush” (pg. 6) I feel that George is controlling Lennie in a sort of way. He monitors his actions, making Lennie give into his ways.

Qing Rou Deng. Posting 2. Of Mice and Men

Remember my last post was about George and Lennie represent goodness. Well base off that I think the book is not going to have a good ending, but I really hope that I was wrong and that they have a happy ending just like the way they dreamt their future would be. I don’t think that the book will have a good ending because if the book is all happy I don’t think it would last all this time. If the book was happy all the way through then the story would not be meaningful which would not give Mr. John Steinbeck such a good reputation as an author.

Another example to prove my thinking is with the Twilight Saga. When the books where first published there were so many people wanting to read it, but it just died down. I think is mainly because it does not teach anything nor is it meaningful. But I saw a lot of people were disappointed when they found out the last book had a happy ending.

Adding more details to my prediction I think that Curly will play a big part in George and Lennie’s ending. By the way I think Curly is a horrible person; here is an opinion from Slim “Seems like Curley is cockier’n ever since he got married.” (27) He is unintelligent and I think his only purpose in life is to look for trouble. Back to my prediction I think that George’s method of avoiding attention on Lennie will back fire, though I am not sure why I think that. What are your predictions?

Qing Rou Deng. Posting 1. Of Mice and Men

I really enjoy the book so far. To me George and Lennie are really best friends unlike those people that say they are on their lips and when pressure is on or they are better off friends with someone else they don’t remember who you are. And I wish one day everyone one will find someone like that. I find George funny and sometimes a bit harsh. George obviously cannot leave Lennie yet he says he does. I wonder why. I think is because that George has a conscience but I really can’t wait to find out the relationship between them. And I love how Lennie and George are bonded by the same dream and how excited Lennie gets when they talk about it. Even though George does not show his excitement I know George feels the same way as Lennie. Here is quote that shows Lennie’s excitement on page 16 he says “No…you tell it. It ain’t the same if I tell it. Go on George. How I get to tend the rabbits.”

In my opinion George and Lennie represent the ultimate goodness and purity. I think that because it seems that they will stick with each other no matter what. In addition, they know when to apologize. For example, when Lennie wanted ketchup which annoyed George because they had none Lennine said “But I wouldn’t eat none, George. I’d leave it all for you. You could cover your beans with it and I wouldn’t touch none of it. (13)"

Quarter Two Reading Debate Schedule

Quarter Two Reading Debate
Authors: Monica and Chi Chi

We are reading:
1.) Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
2.) The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin by Mark Twain (Banned book)

Reading schedule
Week one:
· Get copies of the books
· Divide Of Mice and Men in to three sections and read the first section
· Write two blogs
Week two:
· Read second section of Of Mice and Men
· Write two blogs
Week three:
· Read the last section of Of Mice and Men
· Write two blogs
Week four:
· Divide The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin in to three sections and read the first section
· Write two blogs
Week five:
· Read the second section of The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin
· Write two blogs
Week six:
· Read the last section of The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin
· Write two blogs
Week seven:
· Write two for Adventure of Huckleberry Fin
Week eight:
· Write two blogs comparing and contrasting the two books
· The end of quarter