3rd Year
English
Higher Level
Michael Ruaidhri Deasy
Fiction
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Ref: 3/eng/h/mrd/Fiction Part 1
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The Fiction section is worth 60 marks on Paper 2 (16.66% of the entire exam) and will be the
third section on Paper 2. The composition section is worth 70 marks of Paper 1 (19.44% of
the exam). This course focuses on Fiction and how it works as a whole.
Contents:
Pages
Narrative writing and the exam…........………………………………………………………3
The Marking Scheme……………………………..……………………..…………………..4-5
Elements of Narrative..…………………………………………………………………..…6-12
Exemplar Material………………..……………………………………………………..…12-35
©The Dublin School of Grinds Page 2 Michael R Deasy Narrative Writing and the Structure of the Exam: When will they ask you to analyse and then to use narrative writing? Paper 1: Language -­‐ Comprehension and Composition. Comprehension (40marks): •
The comprehension is often a piece of non-­‐fictional narrative writing. There is often a question on the style of writing. Watch out for how many marks are awarded to each.
Composition (70 marks): •
•
There will be at least one short story title. Your job here is to show that you can write a story which uses the techniques of story-­‐ telling that you have studied for paper 2. For example you might chose to start with a piece of dialogue. This is a good technique to use because it shows that you know that when we hear characters speaking this brings them to life for the reader. Potentially non-­‐fiction narrative title there as well. This is where you tell a story from your own life about something that had an important effect/impact on you. Paper 2: Literature – Drama (30+30) Poetry (30+30) and Fiction (30+30).
Drama: •
•
A favourite examiners question asks you to show you understand that play writers (a play wright) use different techniques from fiction writers to communicate different parts of xamory. Eg Costume, set design. Understanding of the different parts of stories will help you prepare for the different types of questions that come up in studied drama. Fiction: •
•
We need to think about what are the different parts of the story that the examiner can ask you to write about. What are the techniques that the examiner will want you to identify in the extract that they put on the exam. From your studied novel what quotes and key moments do you need to know and be able to refer to or quote to show you understand how stories work. ©The Dublin School of Grinds Page 3 Michael R Deasy The Marking Scheme and Creative writing Paper 1 (70):
Common questions: How does the examiner judge if a story is any good?
When judging your story your examiner will ask herself the following questions:
Content /20– Has she succeeded in writing a good story? •
•
Has the student demonstrated an awareness of, and an ability to employ, the various techniques
that are at the disposal of the story writer.
Has she thought about how the different parts of the story work together.
Structure /15– Can I understand it quickly?
•
•
Firstly is the piece broken into paragraphs. Has the student made use of a structure that complements the piece of writing. (Linear or Non
Linear narrative structure) Is it readily comprehensible? Expression /30 – Is there evidence of students ability to use language appropriate (right) for the purpose? •
•
•
•
Is there evidence that the student understands how to move between different registers?
Is the use of dialogue appropriate for characters?
Are descriptive passages well developed?
What is the quality of the vocabulary? Is it forced?
Mechanics /5 -­‐ Spelling and grammar? ©The Dublin School of Grinds Page 4 Michael R Deasy The Marking Scheme and Fiction Section Paper 2 (30 +30):
Content: Does the student understand that different parts of the story they can be asked about?
•
•
•
Can the student identify how the writer uses different techniques
Does the student show good understanding of texts and make use of suitable references, key
moments and quotations.
Did student find examples in the unseen piece that prove the points he made.
Structure: Is there good paragraphing? Are the ideas well backed up with quotes and references?
•
Is the answer organised into a comprehensible structure. What is the quality of student’s
paragraphing? Are points delineated (separated) and substantiated (backed up)?
Expression: Does student have technical vocabulary required to analyse material?
•
For example does student know that 1st person narrator (I walked into the bank and…) shows
the perspective (point of view) of one main character often the protagonist.
Mechanics: Spelling and Grammar
©The Dublin School of Grinds Page 5 Michael R Deasy The 4 Elements of Narrative:
So when working out whether a student has written an average, good or excellent short story the examiner will ask herself has the student shown an understanding of what makes an excellent short story. What do you need? Characters+ Setting + Plot = Theme. C.S.P.T = CSPE less half a stroke. What do you understand by those 4 terms?
Character:_________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________
Setting:__________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________
Plot:_____________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________
Theme: _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ (Remember: One never ever ‘uses’ a theme. Rather we explore, examine, illuminate, provide insight into... )
There are rules as to how to make each one of these. This is the science behind narrative.
©The Dublin School of Grinds Page 6 Michael R Deasy Elements of Character: You will have seen lists like the one below before. Just remember that writers understand how to show you their characters by giving you these bits of information in as natural a way as possible. The key is to show readers characters rather than telling readers what they are like. Authors reveal their characters through their: •
•
•
•
Thoughts Actions Dialogue Appearance In comprehension section when asked about your impression of a character (what you thought of a character) look at how the author uses the above to give you an impression of their characters. When building characters do the following : Split character into personality and appearance but be aware that they are closely related. 1. Personality: Favourite possession_______________________________________________________________________ School/Profession_________________________________________________________________ Friends__________________________________________________________________________ Family___________________________________________________________________________ Accent___________________________________________________________________________ Outlook on life _________________________________________________________________________________ Clothing__________________________________________________________________________ 2. Appearance: ©The Dublin School of Grinds Page 7 Michael R Deasy Height/Weight_____________________________________________________________________ Hair/Eye Colour____________________________________________________________________________ Defining physical characteristic _____________________ ____________________________________________________________ Voice_____________________________________________________________________________ ©The Dublin School of Grinds Page 8 Michael R Deasy Setting: This is created using the three key descriptive writing techniques. (ACS) 1. The vocabulary selection. Watch out especially for long descriptive sentences which contain lots of Adjectives and adverbs E.g.____________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________ 2. Comparisons / Figurative language – 3 main types are: E.g.____________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________ 3. Sensuous imagery: This brings the setting vividly to life for the reader E.g____________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________ ©The Dublin School of Grinds Page 9 Michael R Deasy Plot: (TSC) Exposition-­‐ Meet characters and introduce setting _______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________ Complication-­‐ Problem faced by central character _______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________ Tension – An atmosphere (feeling) of dislike between characters _______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________ Suspense – This makes reader worry about what will happen next _______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________ Conflict – As we wait for physical or verbal struggle _______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________ Climax – High Point ©The Dublin School of Grinds Page 10 Michael R Deasy _______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________ Resolution -­‐Ending ________________________________________________________________________ The Language of Narration:
Narrative voice
A narrator is a storyteller
•
1st person (I walked into the bank…) - Effect is to bring the reader closer to the events
as we see the perspective of one character.
•
3rd person (He walked into the bank…) – Allows multiple perspectives as third person
is omniscient (All – knowing).
Plot structure
Plot can be either:
linear- A,B,C… Normal structure. Reader is interested in seeing how events play out. This
is especially useful for thriller genre.
Or
Non-Linear – C,A,B,C… Reader knows where story is going (or thinks so) and is
interested to see how events led to the end point. Most commonly this is used for
psychological drama. Here we are interested in how characters grow and change through
what they experience. (TKAM)
©The Dublin School of Grinds Page 11 Michael R Deasy Atmosphere
Decide what emotion the author intended you to feel based on the descriptions within the text.
Is it meant to be scary
or cheerful.
Remember the three descriptive techniques:
•
Vocabulary (especially patterned/repeated words)
•
Sensuous imagery
•
Comparisons
If the author succeeded in provoking the desired emotional response then the atmosphere
was well created.
©The Dublin School of Grinds Page 12 Michael R Deasy Exemplar Material:
2009
SECTION 3: FICTION
[60] Read the extract below and then answer the questions which follow.
fo
is
fro
by M rk O’Sullivan.
concerns
as OD,
his
OD
I loved weekend nights. I always had enough money to spend, and that made me feel I
was better off out of school. If there was something to celebrate, like beating St.
Peter’s and scoring the winner, it was even better. All night I’d never think that I’d be
broke and wrecked in the morning.
For some reason I can’t remember, our game was moved from Saturday to
Sunday that weekend. After the match, I was up for a good time and Nance was being
awkward. She made a habit of that. When I think about it, the reason I liked her and
the reason she got on my nerves were basically the same. She had a mind of her own, a
kind of cool, independent spirit that made her stand out from everyone else.
When she’d get on to me about leaving school and all that stuff, there was
something cold and sarcastic about the way she talked. It was like she was warning me
she wasn’t going to hang around forever with someone who had no future. I hated that.
I’d sort of cut my mind off and get thick. She had a way past that too. She’d make me
feel like this mindless primitive, ready at any minute to lash out – even at her. It was
true that there were a few people I wouldn’t have minded belting; but that was all in
©The Dublin School of Grinds Page 13 Michael R Deasy my head, and I was sure it was going to stay there.
That business of me knocking over the phone was typical. The way she looked
at me! You’d swear I’d meant to do it.
The funny thing was, I started going out with her just to get back at her father. I’d got
on fine with him until things started to go wrong at home. I should say, when the
things that were already wrong started coming out into the open. Tom Mahoney put
the boot into me when I came in once too often with nothing done.
First day back in September, he lays it on the line for me. I had three weeks to
prove to him I could take the Honours paper. Things got worse and at the end of the
three weeks I said goodbye to the place. A week later, Mahoney took over as manager
of the Youths team. I should have known then that you can’t run away. That hating
Mahoney was just an excuse.
So I asked Nance for a dance at a disco shortly after. I wasn’t talking to her for
more than five minutes before I’d forgotten all about Mahoney.
Before the night was out I’d told her everything. All that stuff about my folks
and the hassle with Mahoney. She didn’t lead me or ask questions, but somehow she
drew it all out of me. It was like I’d been waiting for the right person to listen.
©The Dublin School of Grinds Page 14 Michael R Deasy Answer QUESTION ONE and QUESTION TWO
QUESTION ONE
0) (3
Answer two of the following questions. Each question is worth 15 marks.
1.
From your reading of this passage what impression of OD’s life do you get?
2.
What do we learn about the relationship between Nance and OD? Support your answer
by reference to the extract.
3.
Judging from what you have read in this extract, would you like to read more of this
novel? Explain your answer with reference to the passage.
QUESTION TWO
0) (3
Answer EITHER 1 OR 2 which follow.
1.
Select a novel or short story you have studied which has an interesting theme.
(i)
Outline the theme of the text you have chosen.
(15)
(ii)
As the theme develops why does it interest you?
(15) Support your answer with reference to your chosen novel or short story.
OR ©The Dublin School of Grinds Page 15 Michael R Deasy 2.
Choose a favourite section from a novel or short story you have studied.
(i)
Describe what happens in this section of your chosen text.
(
15)
(ii)
Why is this your favourite section? Explain your answer with reference to the
novel or short story you have chosen.
(
15)
PAPER
2
SECTION 3:
UNSEEN FICTION
FICTION
(answer any 2 of the 3 questions)
60 MARKS
30 MARKS
1. From your reading of this passage what impression of OD’s life do you get? Allow candidates to regard OD’s character and life as
synonymous. Candidates could refer to:
• broad traits of OD’s life / character
• specific illustrative incidents in his life
• that he is reflective – the extract reads like his personal diary
• fairly typical of people of his age – sports, relationships, school etc
• etc
Expect a detailed discussion of several aspects of OD’s life or a global answer well developed with reference to the text. marking: imp. ex 15
©The Dublin School of Grinds Page 16 Michael R Deasy 2. What do we learn about the relationship between Nance and OD? Support your answer by reference to the extract. Candidates could refer to:
Positive aspects of the relationship -­‐ • Nance and OD get on well together
• OD admires Nance as person
• Nance listens to and takes an interest in him
• etc.
Negative aspects of the relationship -­‐ • Nance can be awkward and critical
• OD takes up with her to get at Mahoney
• etc.
Expect candidate to discuss several points concerning the relationship with reference to the text or a global answer well developed. marking: imp. ex 15
3. Judging from what you have read in this extract, would you like to read more of this novel? Explain your answer with reference to the passage. Candidate can agree (would like to read more) or disagree (would not like to read
more).
Expect candidate to provide a developed response based on a thoughtful reading of the text. marking: imp. ex 15
STUDIED FICTION
1.
30 MARKs
Select a novel or short story you have studied which has an interesting theme. (i) Outline the theme of the text you have chosen.
Allow for a liberal understanding of the concept of theme as main message,
question(s) discussed, issue motivating the author etc.
Expect candidate to provide an appropriate analysis, summary or outline of the chosen text with reference to the theme. ©The Dublin School of Grinds 17 Michael R Deasy marking: imp. ex 15
©The Dublin School of Grinds 18 Michael R Deasy (ii)
As the theme develops why does it interest you? Support your answer with reference to your chosen novel or short story.
Candidates may approach the answer through aspects of the story such as
plot summary, characters, striking scenes, narrative climax etc. They should
refer to theme, implicitly or explicitly and also to what interested them in the
text.
Expect candidate to provide a developed answer identifying aspects of the theme within the text which interested them. marking: imp. ex 15
OR
2. (i) Describe what happens in this section of your chosen text. Expect candidate to provide an appropriate summary of the chosen section.
marking: imp. ex 15
(ii) Why is this your favourite section? Explain your answer with reference to the
novel or short story you have chosen.
Expect candidate to provide a developed discussion including their reasons for
choosing this section as their favourite.
marking: imp. ex 15
©The Dublin School of Grinds 19 Michael R Deasy 2010: FICTION
[60] Read the following edited extract from the novel Slam by award-winning writer Nick Hornby and
then answer the questions that follow.
Background to the
In
d
fro
of
book, we
Sa , skateboardSam
us
s
his own words. He
holds
with his
hero, Tony Hawke.
So things were ticking along quite nicely. In fact, I’d say that good stuff had been happening pretty
solidly for about six months.
- For example: Mrs Gillett, my art and design teacher took me to one side after a lesson and asked
whether I’d thought of doing art at college.
- For example: I’d learned two new skating tricks, suddenly, after weeks of making an idiot of myself
in public. (I’m guessing that not all of you are skaters, so I should say something straight away, just
so that there are no terrible misunderstandings. Skating = skateboarding.)
All that and I’d met Alicia too.
If you knew something about me, you might actually care about some of those things. But then,
looking at what I just wrote, you know quite a lot already, or at least you could have guessed a lot of
it. You could have guessed that I skate, and you could have guessed that my best subject at school
was art and design, unless you thought I might be the sort of person who’s always being taken to one
side and told to apply for college by all the teachers in every subject. You know, and the teachers
actually fight over me. ‘No, Sam! Forget art! Do physics!’ ‘Forget physics! It would be a tragedy for
the human race if you gave up French!’ And then they all start punching each other.
Yeah, well. That sort of thing really, really doesn’t happen to me. I can promise you, I have never
ever caused a fight between teachers.
If I’m going to tell this story properly, without trying to hide anything, then there’s something I
should own up to, because it’s important. Here’s the thing. I know it sounds stupid, and I’m not this
sort of person usually, honest. I mean, I don’t believe in, you know, ghosts or reincarnation or any
weird stuff at all. Anyway. I’ll just say it and you can think what you want.
I talk to Tony Hawk, and Tony Hawk talks back.
Some of you probably won’t have heard of Tony Hawk. Well, I’ll tell you, but I’ll have to say that
you should know already. Not knowing Tony Hawk is like not knowing Robbie Williams, or maybe
even Tony Blair. It’s worse than that, if you think about it, because there are loads of politicians and
loads of singers. But there is only one skater, really, and his name’s Tony Hawk. Well, there is not
only one. But he’s definitely the Big One. He’s the J.K. Rowling of skaters, the Big Mac, the iPod,
the Xbox. The only excuse I’ll accept for not knowing Tony Hawk is that you’re not interested in
skating.
When I got into skating, my mum bought me a Tony Hawk poster off the Internet. It’s the coolest
©The Dublin School of Grinds 20 Michael R Deasy present I’ve ever had, and it wasn’t even the most expensive. And it went straight up onto my
bedroom wall, and I just got into the habit of telling it things. At first I only told Tony about skating
– I would talk about the problems I was having or the tricks I’d pulled off. I pretty much ran to my
room to tell him about the first rock’n’roll*1 I’d managed, because I knew it would mean much more
to a picture of Tony Hawk than it would to a real-life Mum. I’m not dissing*2 my mum, but she
hasn’t got a clue, really. So when I told her about things like that, she’d try to look all enthusiastic,
but there was nothing really going on in her eyes. She was all, ‘Oh, that’s great’. But if I’d asked her
what a rock’n’roll was, she wouldn’t have been able to tell me. So what was the point? Tony knew,
though. Maybe that was why my mum bought me the poster, so that I’d have someone else to talk to.
*1 Rock’n’ roll - Skate boarding term
*2 Dissing - Disrespecting
Answer QUESTION ONE and QUESTION TWO
QUESTION ONE
) (30
Answer two of the following questions. Each question is worth 15 marks.
1.
From your reading of the passage, what do you learn about the character of Sam?
Support your answer with reference to the passage.
2.
Nick Hornby, the author of Slam, has described the novel as being “about and hopefully for
teenagers”. From what you have read of this extract, do you think he has achieved his aim?
3.
In the passage Sam tells us that he sometimes holds imaginary conversations with his skateboarding hero, Tony Hawke. Based on information from the extract, write out the conversation
that might take place between Sam and Tony.
QUESTION TWO (30) Answer EITHER 1 OR 2 which follow.
N.B. In answering you may NOT use the extract given above as the basis for your
answer. You must give the title of the text you choose and the name of the author.
1.
Novels and short stories often surprise the reader with an unexpected development.
(a)
Briefly describe such a development in a novel or short story you have studied.
(b)
Did this development add to your enjoyment of the book? Explain your answer with
reference to the novel or short story.
(15)
OR 2.
You have been asked to rate a novel or short story that you have studied according to the
©The Dublin School of Grinds 21 Michael R Deasy (15)
following scale:
Will change your life!
Highly
recommended
A
good read
Average
Disappointing
Choose the rating that you feel is appropriate. Explain your choice with reference to the novel
or short story. In your answer you may wish to consider some of the following; plot,
character, atmosphere, relevance to your age group, insights gained, language or any other
aspect you feel is relevant.
(30)
©The Dublin School of Grinds 22 Michael R Deasy PAPER
2
SECTION 3:
UNSEEN FICTION
FICTION
60 MARKS
(answer any 2 of the 3 questions)
30 MARKS
1. From your reading of the passage what do you learn about the character of Sam? Support your answer with reference to the passage. Candidates could refer to Sam being:
• honest: “after weeks of making an idiot of myself”
• self-deprecating : “I have never ever caused a fight between teachers”
• positive: “so things were ticking along quite nicely”
• passionate about skateboarding
• good humoured
• artistic and imaginative
• wacky: he talks to posters
• etc.
Expect candidates to present a number of points well expressed, or a global response, well supported from the text. marking: imp. ex 15
2. Nick Hornby, the author of Slam, has described the novel as being “about and hopefully for teenagers”. From what you have read of this extract, do you think he has achieved his aim? Candidates can agree, disagree or both, with the statement in the
question. Hornby has achieved his aim:
• the story is about teenagers and skateboarding, which would appeal to
this audience
• Sam has a typical teenage relationship with his mother
• Sam hero worships Tony Hawke as a celebrity champion skateboarder
• language and idiom of the passage
• etc.
Hornby has not achieved his aim:
• not all teenagers are interested in skateboarding
• Sam is not a typical teenager
• teenagers would never admit to talking to posters
• some readers won’t like this book’s style / genre
• etc.
©The Dublin School of Grinds 23 Michael R Deasy Expect candidates to present a number of points well expressed, or a global response, well supported from the text. marking: imp. ex 15 ©The Dublin School of Grinds 24 Michael R Deasy 3. In the passage Sam tells us that he sometimes holds imaginary conversations with his skateboarding hero, Tony Hawke. Based on the information from the extract, write out the conversation that might take place between Sam and Tony. Expect a dialogue, in real or reported speech, between Sam and Tony
Hawke. Candidates should write a dialogue consistent with the characters
and content of the extract provided.
marking: imp. ex 15
STUDIED FICTION
30 MARKS
1. Novels and short stories often surprise the reader with an unexpected
development.
(a) Briefly describe such a development in a novel or short story you have studied.
Interpret ‘development’ broadly as it could refer to character, plot or the
reader’s overall impression of the novel / short story.
Expect candidate to provide a clear description of a development in their chosen text well supported by reference to that text. marking: imp. ex 15
(b) Did this development add to your enjoyment of the book? Explain your answer with reference to the novel or short story. Interpret ‘enjoy’ broadly. Candidates may agree and / or disagree with the
question.
Expect candidate to present a number of points well expressed, or a global response, well supported from the text. marking: imp. ex 15
OR
©The Dublin School of Grinds 25 Michael R Deasy 2. You have been asked to rate a novel or short story you have studied according to the following scale: *****
****
***
**
*
Will change your life!
Highly recommended
A good read
Average
Disappointing
Choose the rating that you feel is appropriate. Explain your choice with reference
to the novel or short story. In your answer you may wish to consider some of the
following; plot, character, atmosphere, relevance to your age group, insights
gained, language or any other aspect you feel is relevant.
Candidates should provide a well written rating for their chosen novel or short
story having regard, implicitly or explicitly, to the headings listed in the
question.
Expect candidates to present a number of points well expressed, or a global response, well supported from the text. marking: imp. ex 30
©The Dublin School of Grinds 26 Michael R Deasy ‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck
A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside
bank and runs deep and green. The water is warm too, for it has slipped
twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight before reaching the narrow
pool. On one side of the river the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong
and rocky Gabilan Mountains, but on the valley side the water is lined with
trees— willows fresh and green with every spring, carrying in their lower leaf
junctures the debris of the winter’s flooding; and sycamores with mottled,
white, recumbent limbs and branches that arch over the pool. On the sandy
bank under the trees the leaves lie deep and so crisp that a lizard makes a
great skittering if he runs among them. Rabbits come out of the brush to sit on
the sand in the evening, and the damp flats are covered with the night tracks
of ‘coons, and with the spreadpads of dogs from the ranches, and with the
split-wedge tracks of deer that come to drink in the dark.
There is a path through the willows and among the sycamores, a path beaten
hard by boys coming down from the ranches to swim in the deep pool, and
beaten hard by tramps who come wearily down from the highway in the
evening to jungle-up near water. In front of the low horizontal limb of a giant
sycamore there is an ash pile made by many fires; the limb is worn smooth by
men who have sat on it.
Evening of a hot day started the little wind to moving among the leaves. The
shade climbed up the hills toward the top. On the sand banks the rabbits sat
as quietly as little gray sculptured stones. And then from the direction of the
state highway came the sound of footsteps on crisp sycamore leaves. The
rabbits hurried noiselessly for cover. A stilted heron labored up into the air and
pounded down river. For a moment the place was lifeless, and then two men
emerged from the path and came into the opening by the green pool.
They had walked in single file down the path, and even in the open one stayed
behind the other. Both were dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats
with brass buttons. Both wore black, shapeless hats and both carried tight
blanket rolls slung over their shoulders. The first man was small and quick,
dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part of him
was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose. Behind
him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes,
and wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little,
the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung
loosely.
The first man stopped short in the clearing, and the follower nearly ran over
him. He took off his hat and wiped the sweat-band with his forefinger and
snapped the moisture off. His huge companion dropped his blankets and flung
himself down and drank from the surface of the green pool; drank with long
gulps, snorting into the water like a horse. The small man stepped nervously
beside him.
“Lennie!” he said sharply. “Lennie, for God’ sakes don’t drink so much.”
©The Dublin School of Grinds 27 Michael R Deasy Lennie continued to snort into the pool. The small man leaned over and shook
him by the shoulder. “Lennie. You gonna be sick like you was last night.”
Lennie dipped his whole head under, hat and all, and then he sat up on the
bank and his hat dripped down on his blue coat and ran down his back.
“That’s good,” he said. “You drink some, George. You take a good big drink.”
He smiled happily.
George unslung his bindle and dropped it gently on the bank. “I ain’t sure it’s
good water,” he said. “Looks kinda scummy.”
Lennie dabbled his big paw in the water and wiggled his fingers so the water
arose in little splashes; rings widened across the pool to the other side and
came back again. Lennie watched them go. “Look, George. Look what I done.”
George knelt beside the pool and drank from his hand with quick scoops.
“Tastes all right,” he admitted. “Don’t really seem to be running, though. You
never oughta drink water when it ain’t running, Lennie,” he said hopelessly.
“You’d drink out of a gutter if you was thirsty.” He threw a scoop of water into
his face and rubbed it about with his hand, under his chin and around the back
of his neck. Then he replaced his hat, pushed himself back from the river,
drew up his knees and embraced them. Lennie, who had been watching,
imitated George exactly. He pushed himself back, drew up his knees,
embraced them, looked over to George to see whether he had it just right. He
pulled his hat down a little more over his eyes, the way George’s hat was.
George stared morosely at the water. The rims of his eyes were red with sun
glare. He said angrily, “We could just as well of rode clear to the ranch if that
bastard bus driver knew what he was talkin’ about. ‘Jes’ a little stretch down
the highway,’ he says. ‘Jes’ a little stretch.’ God damn near four miles, that’s
what it was! Didn’t wanta stop at the ranch gate, that’s what. Too God damn
lazy to pull up. Wonder he isn’t too damn good to stop in Soledad at all. Kicks
us out and says ‘Jes’ a little stretch down the road.’ I bet it was more than four
miles. Damn hot day.”
Lennie looked timidly over to him. “George?” “Yeah,
what ya want?”
“Where we goin’, George?”
The little man jerked down the brim of his hat and scowled over at Lennie. “So
you forgot that awready, did you? I gotta tell you again, do I? Jesus Christ,
you’re a crazy bastard!”
“I forgot,” Lennie said softly. “I tried not to forget. Honest to God I did, George.”
“O.K—O.K. I’ll tell ya again. I ain’t got nothing to do. Might jus’ as well spen’ all
my time tellin’ you things and then you forget ‘em, and I tell you again.”
“Tried and tried,” said Lennie, “but it didn’t do no good. I remember about the
rabbits, George.”
“The hell with the rabbits. That’s all you ever can remember is them rabbits.
O.K.! Now you listen and this time you got to remember so we don’t get in no
trouble. You remember settin’ in that gutter on Howard Street and watchin’ that
blackboard?”
Lennie’s face broke into a delighted smile. “Why sure, George. I remember
that . . . . but . . . . what’d we do then? I remember some girls come by and
you says . . . . you says . . . .”
“The hell with what I says. You remember about us goin’ in to Murray and
Ready’s, and they give us work cards and bus tickets?”
©The Dublin School of Grinds 28 Michael R Deasy “Oh, sure, George. I remember that now.” His hands went quickly into his side
coat pockets. He said gently, “George . . . . I ain’t got mine. I musta lost it.”
He looked down at the ground in despair.
“You never had none, you crazy bastard. I got both of ‘em here. Think I’d let
you carry your own work card?”
Lennie grinned with relief. “I . . . . I thought I put it in my side pocket.” His hand
went into the pocket again.
George looked sharply at him. “What’d you take outa that pocket?”
“Ain’t a thing in my pocket,” Lennie said cleverly.
“I know there ain’t. You got it in your hand. What you got in your hand— hidin’
it?”
“I ain’t got nothin’, George. Honest.” “Come
on, give it here.”
Lennie held his closed hand away from George’s direction. “It’s on’y a mouse,
George.”
“A mouse? A live mouse?”
“Uh-uh. Jus’ a dead mouse, George. I didn’t kill it. Honest! I found it. I found it
dead.”
“Give it here!” said George. “Aw,leave
me have it, George.” “Give it here!”
Lennie’s closed hand slowly obeyed. George took the mouse and threw it
across the pool to the other side, among the brush. “What you want of a dead
mouse, anyways?”
“I could pet it with my thumb while we walked along,” said Lennie.
“Well, you ain’t petting no mice while you walk with me. You remember where
we’re goin’ now?”
Lennie looked startled and then in embarrassment hid his face against his
knees. “I forgot again.”
“Jesus Christ,” George said resignedly. “Well—look, we’re gonna work on a
ranch like the one we come from up north.”
“Up north?” “In
Weed.”
“Oh, sure. I remember. In Weed.”
“That ranch we’re goin’ to is right down there about a quarter mile. We’re
gonna go in an’ see the boss. Now, look—I’ll give him the work tickets, but you
ain’t gonna say a word. You jus’ stand there and don’t say nothing. If he finds
out what a crazy bastard you are, we won’t get no job, but if he sees ya work
before he hears ya talk, we’re set. Ya got that?”
“Sure, George. Sure I got it.”
“O.K. Now when we go in to see the boss, what you gonna do?”
“I . . . . I . . . .” Lennie thought. His face grew tight with thought. “I . . . . ain’t
gonna say nothin’. Jus’ gonna stan’ there.”
“Good boy. That’s swell. You say that over two, three times so you sure won’t
forget it.”
Lennie droned to himself softly, “I ain’t gonna say nothin’ . . . . I ain’t gonna say
nothin’ . . . . I ain’t gonna say nothin’.”
“O.K.,” said George. “An’ you ain’t gonna do no bad things like you done in
Weed, neither.”
Lennie looked puzzled. “Like I done in Weed?”
©The Dublin School of Grinds 29 Michael R Deasy “Oh, so ya forgot that too, did ya? Well, I ain’t gonna remind ya, fear ya do it
again.”
A light of understanding broke on Lennie’s face. “They run us outa Weed,” he
exploded triumphantly.
“Run us out, hell,” said George disgustedly. “We run. They was lookin’ for us,
but they didn’t catch us.”
Lennie giggled happily. “I didn’t forget that, you bet.”
George lay back on the sand and crossed his hands under his head, and
Lennie imitated him, raising his head to see whether he was doing it right.
“God, you’re a lot of trouble,” said George. “I could get along so easy and so
nice if I didn’t have you on my tail. I could live so easy and maybe have a girl.”
For a moment Lennie lay quiet, and then he said hopefully, “We gonna work
on a ranch, George.”
“Awright. You got that. But we’re gonna sleep here because I got a reason.”
The day was going fast now. Only the tops of the Gabilan Mountains flamed
with the light of the sun that had gone from the valley. A water snake slipped
along on the pool, its head held up like a little periscope. The reeds jerked
slightly in the current. Far off toward the highway a man shouted something,
and another man shouted back. The sycamore limbs rustled under a little wind
that died immediately.
“George—why ain’t we goin’ on to the ranch and get some supper? They got
supper at the ranch.”
George rolled on his side. “No reason at all for you. I like it here. Tomorra
we’re gonna go to work. I seen thrashin’ machines on the way down. That
means we’ll be buckin’ grain bags, bustin’ a gut. Tonight I’m gonna lay right
here and look up. I like it.”
Lennie got up on his knees and looked down at George. “Ain’t we gonna have
no supper?”
“Sure we are, if you gather up some dead willow sticks. I got three cans of
beans in my bindle. You get a fire ready. I’ll give you a match when you get
the sticks together. Then we’ll heat the beans and have supper.”
Lennie said, “I like beans with ketchup.”
“Well, we ain’t got no ketchup. You go get wood. An’ don’t you fool around.
It’ll be dark before long.”
Lennie lumbered to his feet and disappeared in the brush. George lay where
he was and whistled softly to himself. There were sounds of splashings down
the river in the direction Lennie had taken. George stopped whistling and
listened. “Poor bastard,” he said softly, and then went on whistling again.
In a moment Lennie came crashing back through the brush. He carried one
small willow stick in his hand. George sat up. “Awright,” he said brusquely.
“Gi’me that mouse!”
But Lennie made an elaborate pantomime of innocence. “What mouse,
George? I ain’t got no mouse.”
George held out his hand. “Come on. Give it to me. You ain’t puttin’ nothing
over.”
Lennie hesitated, backed away, looked wildly at the brush line as though he
contemplated running for his freedom. George said coldly, “You gonna give
©The Dublin School of Grinds 30 Michael R Deasy me that mouse or do I have to sock you?”
“Give you what, George?”
“You know God damn well what. I want that mouse.”
Lennie reluctantly reached into his pocket. His voice broke a little. “I don’t
know why I can’t keep it. It ain’t nobody’s mouse. I didn’t steal it. I found it lyin’
right beside the road.”
George’s hand remained outstretched imperiously. Slowly, like a terrier who
doesn’t want to bring a ball to its master, Lennie approached, drew back,
approached again. George snapped his fingers sharply, and at the sound
Lennie laid the mouse in his hand.
“I wasn’t doin’ nothing bad with it, George. Jus’ strokin’ it.”
George stood up and threw the mouse as far as he could into the darkening
brush, and then he stepped to the pool and washed his hands. “You crazy fool.
Don’t you think I could see your feet was wet where you went acrost the river to
get it?” He heard Lennie’s whimpering cry and wheeled about. “Blubberin’ like
a baby! Jesus Christ! A big guy like you.” Lennie’s lip quivered and tears
started in his eyes. “Aw, Lennie!” George put his hand on Lennie’s shoulder. “I
ain’t takin’ it away jus’ for meanness. That mouse ain’t fresh, Lennie; and
besides, you’ve broke it pettin’ it. You get another mouse that’s fresh and I’ll let
you keep it a little while.”
Lennie sat down on the ground and hung his head dejectedly. “I don’t know
where there is no other mouse. I remember a lady used to give ‘em to me—
ever’ one she got. But that lady ain’t here.”
George scoffed. “Lady, huh? Don’t even remember who that lady was. That
was your own Aunt Clara. An’ she stopped givin’ ‘em to ya. You always killed
‘em.”
Lennie looked sadly up at him. “They was so little,” he said, apologetically. “I’d
pet ‘em, and pretty soon they bit my fingers and I pinched their heads a little
and then they was dead—because they was so little.
“I wisht we’d get the rabbits pretty soon, George. They ain’t so little.”
“The hell with the rabbits. An’ you ain’t to be trusted with no live mice. Your
Aunt Clara give you a rubber mouse and you wouldn’t have nothing to do with
it.”
“It wasn’t no good to pet,” said Lennie.
The flame of the sunset lifted from the mountaintops and dusk came into the
valley, and a half darkness came in among the willows and the sycamores. A
big carp rose to the surface of the pool, gulped air and then sank mysteriously
into the dark water again, leaving widening rings on the water. Overhead the
leaves whisked again and little puffs of willow cotton blew down and landed on
the pool’s surface.
“You gonna get that wood?” George demanded. “There’s plenty right up
against the back of that sycamore. Floodwater wood. Now you get it.”
Lennie went behind the tree and brought out a litter of dried leaves and twigs.
He threw them in a heap on the old ash pile and went back for more and more.
It was almost night now. A dove’s wings whistled over the water. George
walked to the fire pile and lighted the dry leaves. The flame cracked up among
the twigs and fell to work. George undid his bindle and brought out three cans
of beans. He stood them about the fire, close in against the blaze, but not
©The Dublin School of Grinds 31 Michael R Deasy quite touching the flame.
“There’s enough beans for four men,” George said.
Lennie watched him from over the fire. He said patiently, “I like ‘em with
ketchup.”
“Well, we ain’t got any,” George exploded. “Whatever we ain’t got, that’s what
you want. God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job
an’ work, an’ no trouble. No mess at all, and when the end of the month come
I could take my fifty bucks and go into town and get whatever I want. Why, I
could stay in a cat house all night. I could eat any place I want, hotel or any
place, and order any damn thing I could think of. An’ I could do all that every
damn month. Get a gallon of whisky, or set in a pool room and play cards or
shoot pool.” Lennie knelt and looked over the fire at the angry George. And
Lennie’s face was drawn with terror. “An’ whatta I got,” George went on
furiously. “I got you! You can’t keep a job and you lose me ever’ job I get. Jus’
keep me shovin’ all over the country all the time. An’ that ain’t the worst. You
get in trouble. You do bad things and I got to get you out.” His voice rose
nearly to a shout. “You crazy son-of-a-bitch. You keep me in hot water all the
time.” He took on the elaborate manner of little girls when they are mimicking
one another. “Jus’ wanted to feel that girl’s dress—jus’ wanted to pet it like it
was a mouse—Well, how the hell did she know you jus’ wanted to feel her
dress? She jerks back and you hold on like it was a mouse. She yells and we
got to hide in a irrigation ditch all day with guys lookin’ for us, and we got to
sneak out in the dark and get outa the country. All the time somethin’ like
that—all the time. I wisht I could put you in a cage with about a million mice an’
let you have fun.” His anger left him suddenly. He looked across the fire at
Lennie’s anguished face, and then he looked ashamedly at the flames.
It was quite dark now, but the fire lighted the trunks of the trees and the
curving branches overhead. Lennie crawled slowly and cautiously around the
fire until he was close to George. He sat back on his heels. George turned the
bean cans so that another side faced the fire. He pretended to be unaware of
Lennie so close beside him.
“George,” very softly.
No answer.
“George!”
“Whatta you want?”
“I was only foolin’, George. I don’t want no ketchup. I wouldn’t eat no ketchup
if it was right here beside me.”
“If it was here, you could have some.”
“But I wouldn’t eat none, George. I’d leave it all for you. You could cover your
beans with it and I wouldn’t touch none of it.”
George still stared morosely at the fire. “When I think of the swell time I could
have without you, I go nuts. I never get no peace.”
Lennie still knelt. He looked off into the darkness across the river. “George,
you want I should go away and leave you alone?”
“Where the hell could you go?”
“Well, I could. I could go off in the hills there. Some place I’d find a cave.”
“Yeah? How’d you eat? You ain’t got sense enough to find nothing to eat.” “I’d
find things, George. I don’t need no nice food with ketchup. I’d lay out
in the sun and nobody’d hurt me. An’ if I foun’ a mouse, I could keep it.
©The Dublin School of Grinds 32 Michael R Deasy Nobody’d take it away from me.”
George looked quickly and searchingly at him. “I been mean, ain’t I?”
“If you don’ want me I can go off in the hills an’ find a cave. I can go away any
time.”
“No—look! I was jus’ foolin’, Lennie. ‘Cause I want you to stay with me.
Trouble with mice is you always kill ‘em.” He paused. “Tell you what I’ll do,
Lennie. First chance I get I’ll give you a pup. Maybe you wouldn’t kill it. That’d
be better than mice. And you could pet it harder.”
Lennie avoided the bait. He had sensed his advantage. “If you don’t want me,
you only jus’ got to say so, and I’ll go off in those hills right there—right up in
those hills and live by myself. An’ I won’t get no mice stole from me.”
George said, “I want you to stay with me, Lennie. Jesus Christ, somebody’d
shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself. No, you stay with me. Your Aunt
Clara wouldn’t like you running off by yourself, even if she is dead.”
Lennie spoke craftily, “Tell me—like you done before.”
“Tell you what?”
“About the rabbits.”
George snapped, “You ain’t gonna put nothing over on me.”
Lennie pleaded, “Come on, George. Tell me. Please, George. Like you done
before.”
“You get a kick outa that, don’t you? Awright, I’ll tell you, and then we’ll eat our
supper . . . .” George’s voice became deeper. He repeated his words
rhythmically as though he had said them many times before. “Guys like us,
that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no fambly.
They don’t belong no place. They come to a ranch an’ work up a stake and
then they go into town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know
they’re poundin’ their tail on some other ranch. They ain’t got nothing to look
ahead to.”
Lennie was delighted. “That’s it—that’s it. Now tell how it is with us.”
George went on. “With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody
to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don’t have to sit-in no bar room
blowin’ in our jack jus’ because we got no place else to go. If them other guys
gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us.”
Lennie broke in. “But not us! An’ why? Because . . . . because I got you to look
after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.” He
laughed
delightedly. “Go on now, George!”
“You got it by heart. You can do it yourself.”
“No, you. I forget some a’ the things. Tell about how it’s gonna be.”
“O.K. Someday—we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a
little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs and—”
“An’ live off the fatta the lan’,” Lennie shouted. “An’ have rabbits. Go on,
George! Tell about what we’re gonna have in the garden and about the rabbits
in the cages and about the rain in the winter and the stove, and how thick the
cream is on the milk like you can hardly cut it. Tell about that, George.”
“Why’n’t you do it yourself? You know all of it.”
“No . . . . you tell it. It ain’t the same if I tell it. Go on . . . . George. How I get to
tend the rabbits.”
“Well,” said George, “we’ll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and
chickens. And when it rains in the winter, we’ll just say the hell with goin’ to
©The Dublin School of Grinds 33 Michael R Deasy work, and we’ll build up a fire in the stove and set around it an’ listen to the
rain comin’ down on the roof—Nuts!” He took out his pocket knife. “I ain’t got
time for no more.” He drove his knife through the top of one of the bean cans,
sawed out the top and passed the can to Lennie. Then he opened a second
can. From his side pocket he brought out two spoons and passed one of them
to Lennie.
They sat by the fire and filled their mouths with beans and chewed mightily. A
few beans slipped out of the side of Lennie’s mouth. George gestured with his
spoon. “What you gonna say tomorrow when the boss asks you questions?”
Lennie stopped chewing and swallowed. His face was concentrated. “I .... I
ain’t gonna . . . . say a word.”
“Good boy! That’s fine, Lennie! Maybe you’re gettin’ better. When we get the
coupla acres I can let you tend the rabbits all right. ‘Specially if you remember
as good as that.”
Lennie choked with pride. “I can remember,” he said.
George motioned with his spoon again. “Look, Lennie. I want you to look
around here. You can remember this place, can’t you? The ranch is about a
quarter mile up that way. Just follow the river?”
“Sure,” said Lennie. “I can remember this. Di’n’t I remember about not gonna
say a word?”
“’Course you did. Well, look. Lennie—if you jus’ happen to get in trouble like
you always done before, I want you to come right here an’ hide in the brush.”
“Hide in the brush,” said Lennie slowly.
“Hide in the brush till I come for you. Can you remember that?” “Sure I
can, George. Hide in the brush till you come.”
“But you ain’t gonna get in no trouble, because if you do, I won’t let
you tend the rabbits.” He threw his empty bean can off into the brush.
“I won’t get in no trouble, George. I ain’t gonna say a word
“O.K. Bring your bindle over here by the fire. It’s gonna be nice sleepin’ here.
Lookin’ up, and the leaves. Don’t build up no more fire. We’ll let her die down.”
They made their beds on the sand, and as the blaze dropped from the fire the
sphere of light grew smaller; the curling branches disappeared and only a faint
glimmer showed where the tree trunks were. From the darkness Lennie called,
“George—you asleep?”
“No. Whatta you want?”
“Let’s have different color rabbits, George.”
“Sure we will,” George said sleepily. “Red and blue and green rabbits, Lennie.
Millions of ‘em.”
“Furry ones, George, like I seen in the fair in Sacramento.”
“Sure, furry ones.”
“’Cause I can jus’ as well go away, George, an’ live in a cave.”
“You can jus’ as well go to hell,” said George. “Shut up now.”
The red light dimmed on the coals. Up the hill from the river a coyote
yammered, and a dog answered from the other side of the stream.
The sycamore leaves whispered in a little night breeze.
©The Dublin School of Grinds 34 Michael R Deasy ©The Dublin School of Grinds 35 Michael R Deasy