Metaphors
Examples
Page 33
When he [Slim] had finished combing his hair he moved into the room, and he moved with a majesty only achieved by royalty and master craftsman.
Slim is quite clearly the 'king' of the ranch, and the words 'majesty' and 'royalty' are used to emphasize that.
Page 63
Curley was white and shrunken by now, and his struggling had become weak.
Here, shrunken means not only 'afraid', but 'shamed' as well.
Page 76
"I seen too many guys with land in their head. They never get none under their hand."
The 'land in one's head' is the idealized dream that everyone has, and this metaphor is showing that even if you get 'land', nothing will ever be the same as what you had in your mind.
Page 80
"O.K., Machine. I'll talk to you later. I like machines."
Not only is Lennie the 'machine' that crushed Curley's hand, he also has a very one-track mind and almost needs to be maintained like a machine, otherwise he gets in trouble. This is also foreshadowing Curley's Wife's death.
Page 82
Crooks seemed to come slowly out of the layers of protection he had put on.
This metaphor is implying that Crooks is used to receding into himself whenever he feels threatened, similar to how a turtle goes into its shell. He feels safer by blocking out whatever might harm him.
Page 96
When he [Slim] stood up the men crowded near and the spell was broken.
On the surface, this metaphor is reminding us of the sort of mob mentality that keeps people silent for a moment of time after a tragedy, but it is also reinforcing that Slim is the focal point of the ranch.
When he [Slim] had finished combing his hair he moved into the room, and he moved with a majesty only achieved by royalty and master craftsman.
Slim is quite clearly the 'king' of the ranch, and the words 'majesty' and 'royalty' are used to emphasize that.
Page 63
Curley was white and shrunken by now, and his struggling had become weak.
Here, shrunken means not only 'afraid', but 'shamed' as well.
Page 76
"I seen too many guys with land in their head. They never get none under their hand."
The 'land in one's head' is the idealized dream that everyone has, and this metaphor is showing that even if you get 'land', nothing will ever be the same as what you had in your mind.
Page 80
"O.K., Machine. I'll talk to you later. I like machines."
Not only is Lennie the 'machine' that crushed Curley's hand, he also has a very one-track mind and almost needs to be maintained like a machine, otherwise he gets in trouble. This is also foreshadowing Curley's Wife's death.
Page 82
Crooks seemed to come slowly out of the layers of protection he had put on.
This metaphor is implying that Crooks is used to receding into himself whenever he feels threatened, similar to how a turtle goes into its shell. He feels safer by blocking out whatever might harm him.
Page 96
When he [Slim] stood up the men crowded near and the spell was broken.
On the surface, this metaphor is reminding us of the sort of mob mentality that keeps people silent for a moment of time after a tragedy, but it is also reinforcing that Slim is the focal point of the ranch.