Slim as a character in John Steinbeck's’ “Of Mice and Men” is one whose words are the law, for he is a man of assertiveness in the story, yet still retaining a collective and rational mentality with the individuals he works with. His rationalism is shown upon the introduction of him to the readers, as Steinbeck writes; “His ear heard more than was said to him, and his slow speech had overtones not of thought, but of understanding beyond thought.” He is open to George and Lennie’s story about traveling and how George confessed to having messed around with Lennie’s mental retardation, but also “real”; he speaks his thoughts in respectful manner. Yet, he still retains assertiveness through characters like the aggressive Curley; ensuring that readers know he seems to base his interactions with others off of “treat unto others the way one seeks to be treated”. This is very much exemplified when Slim tells Curley “I’m gettin’ God damn sick of it. If you can’t look after your own God damn wife, what you expect me to do about it? You lay offa me.” (note that this is when Curley confronts Slim regarding the whereabouts of his wife and prior to when Curley starts attacking Lennie). Though he maintains a calm demeanor in his regular state, he is more than willing to make sure that one should not be “fooled” by it; certainly something he made clear in that near-hostile interaction. He is consistent in being a reasonable individual in the book.
    Such reasonability is further shown during Slim’s interaction with Lennie and George’s story prior to them coming to the ranch. Proceeding George’s explanation as to why they left Weed and arrived near the Soledad River, Slim says “He ain't mean, I can tell a mean guy a mile off.” He understands that Lennie’s mental state has somewhat affected him. Paired with his strength, he can see how Lennie is not the kind of individual that would deliberately do such actions. Slim also states “He’s a nice fella, guy don’t need no sense to be a nice fella.” His sincerity is clear and genuine towards George as they discussed Lennie. Slim’s character; it’s a type that many people in the ranch admire, and, in Curley’s case, may become jealous of.

    In “Of Mice & Men” by John Steinbeck, the time in which the story takes place and various other things affect a lot of the way how the characters in the story think and act. For example, the price of purchasing a ranch. In the story, for characters George and Lennie, they need just around $600 in order to purchase the ranch of their dreams. Such a ranch they dream on purchasing would likely cost so much more than what is stated in the book. It just goes to show how cheap everything became during the Great Depression. It also relates to the characters themselves. George and Lennie are constantly working from job to job, being, in a way, homeless; similar to the people that they’ve met on the ranch that they work at in the middle of the story. The depression is a wall that all characters are experiencing and are attempting to climb.

The Great Depression

  The amount of resources needed for the U.S. in World War I contributed to being the first domino  of the U.S. economy's depletion in the 1920s. According to HyperHistory which provides a timeline of the Great Depression, the U.S. federal government had to "...spend three times larger than tax collections." during the war. Following it's end, the U.S. had to deal with the cutting back of their budget in order to compensate for what they spent during the war. This attempt, though, was unsuccessful in saving the economy. In addition to this, the amount of labor that was available are as follows: "The United Mine Workers Union will see its membership fall from 500,000 in 1920 to 75,000 in 1928. The American Federation of Labor would fall from 5.1 million in 1920 to 3.4 million in 1929." This decimated the various companies that needed those workers. Thus, causing millions of workers to go jobless; resulting to the inability of purchase from the middle-classes.

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"He rubbed his smooth wrist on his white stubble whiskers."

Definition: Unshaved hairs on the face of a man.

Sentence: After living without a shaver, Josephs’ stubble grew out of control.

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"Through the open door came the thuds and occasional clangs of a horseshoe game, and now and then the sound of voices in approval or derision."

Definition: The scoffing or insulting of something/someone.

Sentence: The room was filled with derision following Josephs’ tone-deaf singing.

Photo by Coby Shimabukuro

    Perspective is what most distinguishes one person’s interpretation of a good life from another. As such, it’s difficult to bind its definition since some individuals do not see things in the same light as others. What is certain though, is that a good life is possible. Some may complain that there’s too many things to worry about, and that it stops them from enjoying what should be enjoyed to the fullest. In the poem “A Coney Island Life” by James L. Weil, this very concept is portrayed. It describes the worry that many have about what they haven’t yet accomplished, their regrets; the things in which they’ve spent too much time doing. Within the poem, Weil details how one person reminisces on these things in a metaphorical comparison to the place Coney Island. However, the fact that this individual is reminiscing makes it very established that this person's life is coming to an end. It provokes readers to stop worrying about all of these problems previously referred to--regrets, the unaccomplished, problems--and to instead to truly live in the “now” as time is not of unlimited supply.
    Within the life of the individual within this poem (as it is written in their perspective), Weil writes “Having lived a Coney Island life on rollercoaster ups and downs…” within the first two lines. What Weil establishes is the metaphor that compares life to an amusement park; it’s games, the roller coaster, and all that makes up the amusement park of Coney Island. The positives and negatives; the high points and the low points a person will experience through life. Notice though, that this is said in past tense, as Weil writes: “Nor arms filled with dolls I threw so much for…” This is up for interpretation, though what Weil describes is that this person (who has aged and is looking back) has already achieved a lot of “dolls” within life. Dolls at an amusement park are nice to have, but serve little purpose after winning them. This can be comparable to a number of things in life, but what stands out most is the mundane achievements that people spend a lot of time trying to achieve, but don’t necessarily enjoy it.
    As such, all lives dread one same thing; their demise--their death. Weil writes that “I take perhaps my last ride on this planet-carousel…” meaning that this person’s end is nearing. As previously explained, this person has satisfied him/herself in a technical sense, but not in a figurative sense. And now, since that time has already been lost to putting so much effort into acquiring those technical achievements, very little time is left. And now, this person asks; “How many more times round I have to catch that brass-ring-sun before the game is up.” This individual is still fixed on the idea that there is still time to achieve what this individual really wanted to achieve. Something they really wanted to direct all of their previous effort towards: to live in the present.
    Again; no one person’s perspective of a good life is the same as another's. However one must realize the difference between achieving something “just because” and achieving something one really wants to do that satisfies their enjoyment; a priority one should make in pursuing a goal. And so, that is what Weil is attempting to teach from this poem. Forget about the dull and tedious achievements one seeks to achieve that provide no enjoyment. It may vary among different age groups, but the same concept still holds true within this poem. It is the fact that an end is something they all will eventually will reach. As unfortunate as it sounds, the individual living this Coney Island life is nearing their end. Many do not have the desire to live a short or uneventful lifetime. So forget about the regrets one has made so far, the things one has not yet done; what matters is to live in the present, for the time in one’s life has a very limited supply.