The Character of Slim in Of Mice and Men and the American Dream free essay sample

?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: â€Å"Royalty† â€Å"majesty† and â€Å"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. We will write a custom essay sample on The Character of Slim in Of Mice and Men and the American Dream or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 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 â€Å"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. â€Å"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 way Steinbeck is relating himself to Slim; They have both had to their respect via working hard in their chosen fields, and once gaining that respect they seem to be an alien in the upper social classes, because they have both worked their own ways up from the bottom. In chapter 2 we see a different side of Slim â€Å"I drowned four of ‘em† Even though Slim is presented as a knowledgeable, likeable and powerful character, he still shows no remorse when killing four puppies. Steinbeck is trying to show a direct link between the American dream and strength; Steinbeck is trying to show that the 1930’s society had no need of weak men, only the strongest could survive and earn their ‘American dream’ Because Slim is firstly presented to be a dignified respectful man, it is easy for the reader to empathize with Slim. Slim is seen to be Steinbeck’s ‘mouth piece’ because Steinbeck in many ways relates himself to slim in the way slim is so admired,so whatever Slim’s beliefs are we can know that Steinbeck shares the same beliefs. This means that Steinbeck believes in men who earn their own reputations like Slim, this may be because Steinbeck himself had to earn respect as an author because his first book ‘Cup Of Gold’ did not finically subsidise its self. He had to earn his respect from others to earn his own ‘american dream’, so Steinbeck knows that if you try then you can earn your own respect. Slim is the moral centre in the novel, his decisions are understood and abided by all â€Å"His authority† â€Å"word was taken on any subject† this is very strange for a migrant worker, it is another case of Steinbeck trying to evaluate Slim above the other ranch workers, Steinbeck may be trying to differentiate Slim. â€Å"love or politics† These words are not usually associated with ranch workers because they cannot have to major effect on politics because ranch workers are stereotypical uneducated, and the only â€Å"love† the ranch workers find is down at the local brothel on a Saturday. Steinbeck may be trying to make a social stand within society trying to prove than ranch workers aren’t just simpletons but are educated men whom often discuss pressing matters. This is a strange idealism to understand in the 1930’s because the stereotypical views of ranch workers were often of poorly educated individuals who had nothing better in life than to travel by themselves and find minimalistic work. However, this may be contradicting the American dream, or even its existence because many peoples american dreams consisted of independence so if ranch workers are independent have they not found their own dream? Or have they reached their full potential? Or is the American dream different to every individual? Slim is often compared to a cowboy hero in western films, the 1920’s-1930’s were the ‘golden’ times of Hollywood and as such people believed that other people with a certain physique fitted the criteria of being a cowboy hero, slim fits these stereotypes perfectly. This shows that Steinbeck may be trying to make the reader admire and respect slim because he is the hero.