The C Motif

From the title of this blog post, you probably have no idea what relevance it has to Of Mice and Men. Whilst I was writing my last post (if you haven't read it yet, why not?!), when listing the characters names, I noticed that the majority of the names began with a 'C'. Initially, I thought it was just a coincidence however after looking it up, I found a number of assumptions as to why Steinbeck did this. 
For those of you studying this for GCSE's, although this idea isn't as significant as the more obvious themes throughout the book, this could be something you think about. In fact, I probably won't need this information when it comes to doing my exam however just exploring minor details of the book can help bump up your overall knowledge.
So here are some assumptions made by others about the 'C motif":

• The fact that George and Lennie, the two protagonists, do not fit this C trend emphasises their importance in the novel. George and Lennie are outsiders belonging to no one else but each other therefore creating a bold line between the two major themes in the novel of loneliness and companionship.
• C is a very harsh sounding letter, especially with Curley. You have to 'spit it out' as you say it which gives a venomous tone.
• Focusing on Curley's wife, the fact that her name isn't mentioned in the book indicates her powerless position on the ranch.
• Each of the characters whose names begins with C represents a type of person who is affected by discrimination in American society. For example, Crooks is affected by the segregation of white and black people and Candy because of old age and physical handicap. However, after reading this suggestion, it seems as though Steinbeck didn't use the C motif to outline the different types of people affected by discrimination, but I think that each character represents it. For example, Lennie may be discriminated against because of his mental capability.
• The C represents a circle, meaning that all the men need to unite if they want to survive during the Depression.
• All the characters whose names begin with C are either lonely or afraid of being alone.
• The pattern is complete nonsense.

So it could be true. Maybe it is nonsense but quite a few people, including myself, have picked up on the fact that it could have some significance. Steinbeck hasn't mentioned the use of this motif so we can only assume, therefore it is up to you to decide whether you think this could be a symbol for something or that it has no significance at all.