How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph) Though Steinbeck did not originally include chapter numbers with the text, most editions are broken into six sections, based on day and time of day: Thursday evening = Chapter 1; Friday day = Chapter 2; Friday evening = Chapter 3; Saturday night = Chapter 4; Sunday afternoon = Chapter 5; Sunday evening = Chapter 6.
Quote #4
"A guy on a ranch don't never listen nor he don't ast no questions." (2.67)
Candy gives us a pretty good definition of an isolated person: someone who doesn't ask questions and someone who doesn't listen—in other words, not much of a conversationalist. We're getting the feeling that, for Steinbeck, isolation is mostly about silences… which makes friendship mostly about conversation.
Quote #5
Slim looked through George and beyond him. "Ain't many guys travel around together," he mused. "I don't know why. Maybe ever'body in the whole damn world is scared of each other." (2.179)
If being together is so great, you'd think that more guys would team up. (After all, in movies characters always die when you go off alone.) But they don't. Is it more dangerous to be together? In this world, it just might be.
Quote #6
"I seen the guys that go around on the ranches alone. That ain't no good. They don't have no fun. After a long time they get mean. They get wantin' to fight all the time." (3.17)
The first rule of Ranch Fight Club is don't talk about Ranch Fight Club. Actually, talking is exactly what they need to do, otherwise all human interactions will just be combative, which will make them more lonely and more combative and more lonely and...you get the idea.