Unit1 characteranalysis

VOCABULARY“OF MICE AND MEN”

1.revere2.contemptuous

3.reprehensible4.belligerent5.ominous

6.confide7.derogatory8.bewilder9.indignant10.despair

11.mollify  

12.unasser8ve13.monotonous

14.skep8cal    15.protagonist16.antagonist17.sta8c18.dynamic

19.stereotype20.infer

revere1

revereGeorge had always revered the strength of Lennie, especially since he was small in stature.

to  regard  with  deep  respect  (v.)

1

contemptuous2

contemptuous

Everyone’s contempt for Curley was obvious; he was a good-for-nothin’ liar.

a  lack  of  respect,  o7en  with  intense  dislike  or  disgust  (n.)

2

reprehensible3

reprehensible

Lennie’s action at the ranch was reprehensible, but his ignorance should be taken into consideration.

deserving  punishment  (adj.)

3

belligerent4

belligerent

Lennie belligerently shook Curley’s wife by the hair, because she would not stop yelling.

doing  something  in  a  hos<le  or  aggressive  way  (adj.)

4

ominous5

ominous

Curley bolted out of the room, and George looked ominously at Lennie.

giving  the  impression  that  something  bad  is  going  to  happen  (adj.)

5

confide6

confide

Crooks shared information with Lennie that he would not dare tell another soul; he felt he could confide in him.

to  tell  someone  a  private  ma?er  in  confiden<ality    (v.)

6

derogatory7

derogatoryJohn Steinbeck employs the “N” word not merely as something derogatory, but also to capture the true culture of the 1930s.

expressing  disrespect  or  cri<cism  (adj.)

7

bewilder8

bewilder

Bewilderedly, Lennie asked Crooks, “Why do you sleep out here all by yourself?”

to  cause  to  become  perplexed  or  confused  (v.)

8

indignant9

indignant

George was often indignant about the way others disrespected Lennie, and yet he was often guilty of doing the same.

angry  or  annoyed  by  something  that  is  unjust  or  wrong  (adj.)

9

despair10

despair

There was always a hint of happiness and despair when George told Lennie stories about them getting their own ranch.

the  complete  absence  or  loss  of  hope  (n.)

10

mollify11

mollifyThey were mollified temporarily by the calm of the river, but George knew they could not keep running from ranch after ranch.

to  put  at  ease  or  calm  down  (v.)

11

unassertive12

unassertive12

Curley’s wife noticed Lennie’s unassertiveness immediately and took advantage of this weakness.

not  having  or  showing  a  confident  and  forceful  personality  (adj.)

monotonous 13

monotonous During the long hours working in the field, the monotony would wear on them little by little.

dull,  tedious,  and  repe<<ous  (adj.)

13

skeptical 14

skeptical People were often skeptical about George’s relationship with Lennie.

not  easily  convinced;  having  doubts  or  reserva<ons  (adj.)

14

protagonist15

protagonistFrequently, the protagonist of a story will embody the traits that we all aspire to possess.

the  lead  character  or  main  figure  (n.)

15

antagonist16

antagonistJohn Steinbeck creates a belligerent antagonist that will foreshadow future events in the novel.

a  person  who  opposes  the  main  character;  adversary  (n.)

16

static17

staticJust as there are characters in novels who never seem to change, we too can remain static.

a  character  who  remains  unchanged  throughout  the  story  (adj.)

17

dynamic18

dynamicEach one of us should strive to be dynamic so that we are growing and looking at the world differently.

a  character  who  undergoes  an  important  inner  change  of  personality,  aCtude  or  beliefs  (adj.)

18

stereotype19

stereotypeStereotypes develop when we are unwilling or unable to look deeper than the single story.

an  oversimplified  idea  or  image  of  a  person  or  group  of  people  (n.)

19