Just Like an Apple and a Banana

     I will be talking about the new book that I am reading called, "Ellen Foster," by Kaye Gibbons. So far, we have been introduced to the main character who is telling the story, Ellen Foster. She is a ten year old girl who is struggling through life with no parents, they both died when she was young and now will never have a true family. Throughout the book, she will have a "ten year old language", meaning it is unlike most books. She does not use a big vocabulary, there is unsophisticated language, and some grammar fragments might not be correct. That is ok because, like I said, she is only ten years old. Her relationship with her dad was not great... at all. She says in the first line in the book, "When I was little I would think of ways to kill my daddy" (Gibbons 1). Right from the start, you can obviously tell that something is wrong with their relationship, which is foreshadowing for the characters. When two people have a bad relationship with each other, it can definitely effect the rest of their life. When those people, like Ellen Foster and her dad have a very complicated relationship, plus lot of problems, it is as clear to see their relationship as it is to see the difference between an apple and a banana, it is very clear and can be seen from a mile away.

Just Like A Life Without Flavor

     Today's blog post is going to be about the end of Of Mice And Men, by John Steinbeck. Now, this was not an ideal ending for most people, including me. Basically, you felt like it was not right, it shouldn't have happened, it is not fair. 
     Towards the end of the book, Lennie has a conversation with Curley's wife. This was the conversation that makes the ending what it turns out to be, and let me tell you, it is not good. Back to where I was, Curley's wife approaches Lennie. When she notices that Lennie is trying to avoid her, she starts to wonder why. She asks, why are you trying to avoid me? What did I ever do to you? As you can tell by what she was saying, she seems lonely, frustrated, and unhappy. She asks Lennie about this and he says that he is avoiding her because George told him to. 
     At this point, she now starts to talk about herself. She talks about how, in the past, she could've done all these things with her life, like act, be famous, have a successful career, even successful life! As she goes on and on bragging about how she could have been so great, she notices that Lennie isn't focused on her. He goes off talking about how George says that they are going to get to live on a farm, have a big house, have lots and lots of animals, and how he will get to tend the rabbits. She gets very angry because he is not listening to her, but is focused on something else.
      Later during the conversation, he tells her about his liking towards soft things, such as mice. As you can imagine, she thinks that he is crazy and it is weird that he likes to pet mice. However, when he says that he just likes the feel of soft things in general, then she thinks it is okay, because she does too. For example, her hair is very soft, so she tells him to touch it. So, he touches her hair and notices that it's very soft, which he likes. Then, he cannot take his hand off of it and she tells him to stop, but he doesn't. Then she starts to yell, screaming louder then a child that doesn't get her way. He starts to get angry at her, while she is mad at him and he puts his big hand over her mouth, telling her to be quiet, not realizing that while he's doing this, she cannot breathe very good at all, resulting in her struggling for her life. He ends up breaking her neck and killing her, which isn't even the worse part of the ending. 
     After this, as you could probably guess, Curley finds out and he then wants to kill Lennie. He runs to the safe hiding place that George told him to go in the beginning of the story if he is in trouble. Sure enough, George comes to find him there. Lennie is happy to see George, but also afraid as to what he will do to him. Although, George is not mad, he seems very calm when he tells him about their new life they will start together and how it will be ok. As George is saying this to Lennie, Lennie gets very excited and has a smile on his face. Just as George is satisfied with how Lennie is and how he put him in a happy mood, he raises his gun, as his hand is trembling, "he pulled the trigger" (Steinbeck 106).
      He did this for his own good, George loved Lennie like his little brother, but at that moment it was like he had just taken all of the flavor out of his life. This means that when there is no flavor, the food is bland, it is not good anymore, it is not tasty, it is like there is something missing from the food. That is exactly what George is feeling, all of the flavor has just been taken out of his life and it will never be the same again.

Just Like Peanut Butter and Jelly

   

        Today, I am going to talk about the book that I am currently reading, Of Mice And Men, by John Steinbeck. Now, in this book, George and Lennie are going to stick together through everything, like Minnie and Mickey, the mac to the cheese, the peanut butter to the jelly. George is short, but a strong leader that can make anyone listen to his orders, almost just by his intimidation. However, the total opposite, Lennie is a big tall guy that "just ain't that bright. But he can do anything you tell him" (Steinbeck 22), explained by George. Now, George tells Lennie what to do everyday and bosses him around until he does it right, kind of like what an older brother would do to the younger brother. Picture this: 

     You and your older brother are outside playing catch. Now, you are both having a great time when suddenly, when your brother throws you the ball, you accidentally miss it. It rolls in the street and your brother tells you to go get it. So, you start to walk out into the road. "Run!" he says to you. You start to run just when a car comes by, but get to the other side before the car comes close to you. "Go faster, you are going to get yourself killed, you are such an idiot!" You just listen to him and you do not want to say anything because he would yell at you again.

     Now, this is what Lennie feels like every. single. day. When George tells him what to do, and when he doesn't do it right, the yelling goes on and on, just like the siren on an ambulance. Although, at the end of the day, the older brother still loves the younger and they still cannot live without one another. As the story progresses, George and Lennie will be known as the friends who will stick together like peanut butter and jelly... with a little tough love.