Of Mice and Men

resource by Chrysta Pygott

Creating Character and Atmosphere

In Chapter 3, pages 47 - 52, John Steinbeck creates a tense atmosphere before the gunshot that kills Candy's dog is heard.
He does this by:

Carefully describing Candy's reactions and behaviour often using adverbs
Shortening his sentences in the particularly tense moments before the gunshot
Repetitive references to the 'silence' of the bunkhouse

Towards the end of this chapter, the tension erupts as Curley (frustrated because as usual he can't find his wife) has a confrontation and then a violent fight with Lennie...

TASK: Write the fight scene
Using the same techniques that Steinbeck used earlier in the chapter, write the final pages of Chapter 3 describing what happens when Curley attacks Lennie

Some adverbs have been provided below to help you convey character and atmosphere in an interesting way.

Points to remember....

Look at pages 26/27 for a reminder of how Curley looks and how he treated Lennie the first time he met him
On pages 26/27 George also predicts what might happen if Curley tries to 'lick' Lennie
You can also start sentences with adverbs to create a stronger effect eg. Feebly....