Steinbeck uses symbolism to reflect how the bunkhouse workers are insignificant but also the hierarchy of a ranch. Steinbeck describes a “table littered with playing cards”, the cards symbolise the ranch workers. The verb “littered” conveys that the cards have been carelessly thrown down onto the table, this suggests that like the ranch workers, they are of little value. Furthermore, “littered” suggests that they have been scattered like rubbish. Alternatively, cards have different values and these values could reflect the hierarchy within the ranch. For example, the low working cards would represent the out cast ranch workers such as Candy, Crooks and Lennie and the higher ranking cards would be the boss, Slim and Curley. The verb “playing” is significant because it could reflect how ranch workers are stuck in a vicious cycle and cannot escape their lives and like a game it just continues again, as they work up a stake on month, blow it at the end and then do it again next month. This evokes sympathy from the reader because the ranch workers are trying to achieve the American Dream but are stuck endlessly in a cycle, which they cannot escape. Alternatively, it could signify that life is like a game and they do not take it seriously. Steinbeck may have presented the ranch workers as lowly valued to reflect how they were worthless and as soon as they left another ranch worker could easily replace them because it was a the time of the Great Depression and the job market was competitive.
Steinbeck also presents the ranch workers as “whitewashed” to reflect that they are all individual people. In the passage, Steinbeck describes that the “walls were whitewashed”. The noun “whitewashed” explicity shows that the walls are white and could suggest that the ranch workers too are boring and plain just like the walls. This makes the reader feel sympathetic towards the ranch workers as we get the idea from this description that ranch workers were not viewed as individuals and hence with a lack of personal value. Furthermore, “whitewashed” could portray the ranch workers as innocent; this reflects that they are innocent and powerless to dictate their own lives because they are stuck in a viscious circle from which they cannot escape. Alternatively, “whitewashed” could convey that the ranch workers all have something of their own to hide and are covering up their faults and flaws and even secrets. This makes the reader feel almost hopeful that the ranch workers all secretly aspire for something greater than working on a ranch but cautious of their hidden sides and which dangers the ranch worker could pose to Lennie and George’s possibilities of attaining the American Dream. Steinbeck may have presented the ranch workers as “whitewashed” to perhaps convey that the ranch workers during the 1930s faced such hardships because of the Great Depression that they may have lost all the colour in their faces.
Part (b) In the rest of the novel, how does Steinbeck present the lives of the ranch workers at that time?
In chapter 3, Steinbeck uses personification to reflect how the ranch workers during the 1930s felt as if they were under attack and hopeless. The silence when Carlson is shooting Candy’s dog is described to have “came out of the night and invaded the room”. This could be symbolism for how ranch workers feel under pressure and as if they could lose their jobs at anytime because this was the time of Great Depression and their was fierce competition for jobs. Furthermore, the verb “invaded” conveys that they feel under attack, this could reflect how the Great Depression had “invaded” their dreams and hopes and made it impossible for them to ever achieve the American Dream. Alternatively, “invaded” could symbolise how ranch workers feel lonely and when ever they are in presence of others they may feel “invaded” as they are so used to lonliness, as we see in chapter four with Crooks. This makes the reader feel sympathy for them as they are isolated and also evokes hope for the reader that George and Lennie are together so are not lonely and may not suffer the same fate as the rest of the ranch workers. It could also reflect how ranch workers prefer to keep themselves to themselves as they feel that their business is no one else’s. The fact that the silence “came out of the night” could reflect how the ranch workers do not have much chance of achieving the American Dream because darkness is often a symbol of a lack of hope. Furthermore, ‘the night’ could reflect how ranch workers lives were unpredicatable at this time and they may have felt as if they were walking around blindly in the night. Steinbeck may have personified the silence in this way to convey to the reader how they were alone and did not have someone with whom they could truly talk to and be honest with.
At the beginning of chapter one, Steinbeck uses setting to symbolise how hopeless life was for ranch workers during the 1930s. He describes “an ash pile made by many fires”, this could reflect how ranch workers lives were difficult and endless. The “ash pile” could reflect how ranch workers who had dreams always had their dreams burned as they could never realistically achieve them because this was the time of the Great Depression. Furthermore, the adjective “many” reflects how lots of ranch workers tied to escape the endless circle that they were trapped in. This makes the reader feel a lack of hope as we can understand that Lennie and George may too be stuck in this cycle and unlike the rest of the ranch workers they may be unable to escape. Moreover, the noun “fires” is also significant as it conveys that dreaming for the ranch workers was almost dangerous because it meant that like Lennie and George, they had got their hopes up only to have them destroyed. This could reflect that some ranch workers were quite naïve for ‘secretly believing’ and hoping that they can ahieve the American Dream even though they know that it is near impossible and it will probably elude them, just as it has to ‘many’ others. Alternatively, “fires” could convey that the life of a ranch worker was also dangerous because they always had to be on guard from others such as Curley, Curley’s wife and other ranch workers such as Carlson because he shot Candy’s dog. Steinbeck may have presented the ranch workers as naïve and hopeful to make the reader feel sympathetic for them but also so that the reader obtains some of their hope and desires for the ranch workers to be able to escape the cycle.
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