Tuesday 10 May 2011

A rabbit-centric reading

When does an interest become an enthusiasm?  When does an enthusiasm become an obsession?  When does an obsession become worrying?

http://www.rabbitworldview.com/ofmicemen.php

4 comments:

  1. It seems that rabbits are a significant part of the novella- mainly because of Lennie, and his enjoyment of petting soft animals. Often we get the impression that it is all Lennie thinks about; "I remember about the rabbits, George."; even though Lennie tends to forget thing, he never forgets about the rabbits, and remembers the story about the farm. This is emphasised at the end of the novella when, after killing Curley's wife, he asks: "Can I tend the rabbits George?". Also, when he is talking to the huge rabbit he has imagined, it shows that all his fears have become reality, and he gets upset as he starts worrying that the dream will not become reality. We could see that he was very focused on the dream, as throughout the novella he was cautious not to do anything that could lead to the dream not becoming a reality, which was often hard for him due to his strength and child-like nature.

    The rabbits also illustrate the different views Lennie and George have on the dream; whilst the dream of the farm is important to George because it would give him a feeling of belonging, to Lennie it is important because of the rabbits; ''The rabbits we're gonna get and I, I get to tend 'em''. This shows that Lennie is simple minded, as he is more excited about the rabbits, than the American dream to have a farm and be able to live off the land.

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  3. Whoaaa... nice rabbit sir (didn't it win a trophy or something to do with guiness world's largest rabbit?)

    Anyways...

    The rabbit could symbolise the personified benign animalistic nature of Lennie; whilst he is seen as a mid-tempered character and rather passive - just as a rabbit - we know that Lennie hasn't much control over his instincts and strikes at anything which may harm him (if Curley's wife's case, it was the fact that she screamed which frightened Lennie). This behavioural pattern can be deemed apparent within our fury friends - the rabbits. When frightened, herbivorous rabbits - as most animal - will act unrationally in order to escape the danger. They would be seen as predatorial even when all they set out to do was run from the source of trouble. Lennie's rabbit could be seen as a sharp reminder that he simply is a child at heart who ended up in the wrong place, at the wrong time. And though Lennie may be rather large, a rabbit can easily scold him and leave him tearful.

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