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OF MICE AND MEN
GCSE REVISION GUIDE


I
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2
A
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II
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C
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D
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E
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F
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G
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H
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I
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J
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III
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5
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7
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8
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IV
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V
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B
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VI
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I
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John Steinbeck

Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California in 1902
...
He used his experiences as material for his
writing
...
Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962, six years
before his death in 1968
...


The Depression

On October 29, 1929, millions of dollars were wiped out in an event that became known as the Wall Street
Crash
...
People lost their life
savings when firms and banks went bust, and 12-15 million men and women, one third of America's
population, were unemployed
...
Some ended up in settlements called 'Hoovervilles' (after the US president of the time, Herbert C
Hoover), in shanties made from old packing cases and corrugated iron
...


Migrant Farmers

Added to the man-made financial problems were natural ones
...
Farmers were
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forced to move off their land: they couldn't repay the bank-loans which had helped to buy the farms and had
to sell what the owned to pay their debts
...
The refugees had nowhere to go back to,
so they set up home in huge camps in the California valleys - living in shacks of cardboard and old metal - and
sought work as casual farmhands
...


Ranch Hands

Against this background, ranch hands like George and Lennie were lucky to have work
...


E
...
Although they were free, the black
community were not allowed to live in the same areas, attend the same schools, eat in the same restaurants
or travel on the same trains or buses as white people
...

Black people, of course, had a lower quality of resources, education etc
...
Therefore, it was a white woman's or man's word over a black
man's; the white person was always believed and the black person suffered tremendously
...


Characters

CHARACTER STUDIES:


1
...
Do the same for their personality and temperament

3
...
What's the most important thing they do in the novel, and why?

5
...
Is there any other significant detail about this character which needs to be mentioned?

Use as much quotation from the novel as you can
...


A
...
e
...
He gives Lennie something to dream about

- Encapsulates the idea of true friendship: "Well I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy
...
Strong as a bull
...
" "You gonna have
trouble with that Curley guy
...
Then George warns Lennie about it and what to do next

- Escape from Weed and comment

- Encounter with Curley and comment

- Curley's wife- "don't you even take a look at that bitch" pg 33


- He displays sound judgement in revealing his past to Slim- he is "quiet and receptive" even "godlike" pg 40 but
he does it because he can see that Slim understands Lennie: "maybe he ain't bright but I never seen such a worker
...
It shows what George has learned

- George is also a proleptic device, "you'll kill him" (the pup) pg 44








"there's going to be a bad mess about her" pg 52 (Curley's wife)

- Paternal figure- "bed time stories" pg 57
...
They's a pig pen"

- Encourages Lennie to fight Curley, but wants the fight to be fair
...
" (pg 63) but prevents him from killing Curley, "George slapped him in the face again and again
...
Don't shoot 'im
...
" pg 94

- Re-tells stories to Lennie at the end to comfort him
...
That's a thing I want ya to know
...

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- His significance to the plot is also crucial, chiefly before the book begins in 'adopting' Lennie, the flight from Weed to
the ranch, and Lennie's killing
...

- He is both a compassionate man and a realist who exhibits the ability to think under pressure
...
This is significant because George could have had a much easier
life without him
...

- George is the most handicapped character in the novel in the sense of caring for Lennie
...
"
-George uses Lennie to prevent his own loneliness
...

- George is kind, selfless and is the bridge between Lennie and the real world
...

- George is a symbol of the hardship of the Great Depression and he exemplifies the isolated life of a rancher at that
time
...

- George is portrayed by Steinbeck as both a mentally and physically strong character
...

- He is significant because his relationship with Lennie is proleptic of the end of the novel
...

- Lennie affects the plot more but George's role is in demonstrating this to the reader as a narrative device
...

- George encapsulates the theme of friendship within the book, adding warmth to the bleak environment
...
"
- George is like a father figure to Lennie and he speaks proudly about Lennie's strength
...

- Ge is a calming authority among the ranchers, in a similar way to Slim
...
For example, when all the
ranchers meet about Curley
...

- George directs much of the plot
...

- George narrates the past and directs the present and future
...
He is small and insignificant in
comparison to the landscape and only one of thousand of ranchers in America in the 1930s and so that is his reality and
his significance
...
"
- George causes us to feel pity towards Lennie, not hatred or revulsion, because he is the only character who truly
understands Lennie
...

- Through caring and watching over Lennie, he stops a tragedy from potentially happening earlier
...

- He draws other dreamers into his dreams and helps them create their own
...

- George is significant in the novel due to his compassionate nature towards Lennie during times when it is easier just to
think about himself
...


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B
...
The way a bear drags his paws
...
" He is large and awkward, and is often characterised by Steinbeck in an animalistic
way, "dabbled his big paw and wiggled his fingers
...
He is huge, “big shoulders nearly filling the opening”, “Lennie
flapped his big hands helplessly
...
He doesn’t really know what best to do, so
he simply tries to make himself look appealing
...
” He is always talking “happily” or “delightedly”
because he never fully understands what is happening
...
This childishness is
also seen in his love of soft things and bright colours
- He is simple and childlike, “jest like a kid”, often speaking in slang, "Tha's good
...

You take a big drink
...
This is also similar to
Lennie killing the mouse and then the puppy, “Why do you got to get killed? You ain’t so little as mice…Now
I won’t get to tend the rabbits
...
" “Maybe he ain’t bright, but I never seen such a good worker
...
"
- George is very protective of him, "Maybe he ain't bright, but I ain't never seen such a worker
...
Lennie ain't no fighter, but Lennie's strong and quick and
don't know no rules
...

We know he “ain’t mean”, but equally when the mice bite him he “pinched their heads a little”, rather them
simply being “dead – because they was so little
...
This could be read as symbolic of the unthinking violence that all men are
capable of and the brute human nature that lurks beneath all men
...
I'd
leave it all for you" (talking about the beans)
- George feels a sense of duty towards Lennie and the promise he made to his Aunt Clara to look after him, but
also it is selfish- Lennie provides him with company, which saves him from the loneliness that engulfs all the
other ranchers, “It’s a lot nicer to go round with a guy you know
...
However, the ranchers think that
their relationship is strange, commenting on it almost as soon as they meet them, “Well I never seen one guy
take so much trouble for another guy
...
“Because I got you to look after me and you got me to look after
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you”
...
”
- Lennie is childish in his reliance upon George; his need for George to keep the dream alive and his desire for a bed
time story also emphasizes this, “No…you tell it
...
Go on…George
...
”
- Lennie is afraid of letting George down and that he will not allow him to tend the rabbits, “Now I wont get to
tend the rabbits
...


Curley

Curley is portrayed by Steinbeck as one of the ‘bad guys’ in the novel
...
” He is violent, and according to Candy used to be a boxer which is why
he is picking fights all of the time, “He done quite a bit in the ring
...
”
Curley is clearly an insecure character

It could be possible to say that he suffers from classic ‘Small Man Syndrome
...
He hates big guys
...
Kind of like he’s mad at ‘em because he ain’t a big guy
...
He never allows her her own name or identity;
she is only ever seen as being his property
...
He refuses to let her speak to anyone else on the ranch, flying into a jealous rage when she does
...
There are the jokes made about him, saying that he wears
a “glove fulla Vaseline” to keep his hands soft for her, but then he goes down to the “cathouse” on a Saturday night
with the other ranchers
...
Slim is the true “prince of the ranch” not Curley
...
He beats up any man who dares to talk to her, and the only one he listens to and seems to respect is Slim,
“Well, I didn’t mean nothing, Slim
...
”
When Curley picks his fight with Lennie, he doesn’t realize the danger that he is in
...
” It is at this point that the other men turn against him, even Slim
dropping his usual detachment and cursing, “The dirty little rat…I’ll get ‘um myself”
...
” He whimpers like a baby, crying in pain, “he stood crying, his fist lost in
Lennie’s paw
...
He
immediately assumes that it is Lennie who has killed his wife, “That big son-of-a-bitch done it
...
”
He sees it as a means of seeking his revenge and getting Lennie back
...
Shoot for his guts
...
” He
thinks nothing of fighting dirty, showing the fate that Lennie would suffer if he was left to them
...

Curley is a man who is not used to losing
...
Ever'body
says what a game guy Curley is
...
Then ever'body says the big
guy oughtta pick on somebody his own size, and maybe they gang up on the big guy
...

Seem like Curley ain't givin' nobody a chance" He wins even when he loses, right up until the end when George kills
Lennie
...
Killing Lennie would be the ultimate proof of his
masculinity
...


D
...
She is defined as one who "got the
eye" and she's "a tart"
...
George warns him, calling her "jail
bait", warning him to "leave her be"
...
She is associated with danger
...


In Crook's room: Candy and Crooks tell her she should go back to the house, "think I like to stick in that
house alla time?" She then abuses her power by threatening Crooks - "I could get you strung up on a tree so
easy it ain't funny
...
" "Pitchers" She has
nice hair, as Lennie picks up on - it is this vainness and care that she takes over her appearance that leads to
the tragedy
...

You let her hang round the bunk house and pretty soon you're gonna have som'pin on your hands and
you won't be able to do nothing about it
...

She has dreams like all the rest but is not allowed to realise them
She is unintelligent and naive- "I always thought my ol' lady stole it
...
Without children, how otherwise can
women be defined and valued in the brutal world, other than as whores? Curley's wife suffers from this
stereotyping

Ultimately, she does nothing to deserve her death
...
She is powerless against
male strength, and so comes across as a tragic, young figure
...
Irony - they won't talk to her
precisely therefore Curley becomes jealous
...
Everybody out doin' somp'pin
...
" etc
...

Quotations:

First appearance: "A girl was standing there looking in
...
Her finger-nails were red
...
She wore a
cotton house dress and red mules, on the instep of which were little bouquets of red ostrich feathers
...
I don't care what she says and
what she does
...
You leave her be
...
First time: "'You seen a girl around here?' he demanded angrily
...
I just ast you
...
He got
it comin' to him
...
'"


E
...
He also often misses letters out of words, which
emphasises his use of colloquialisms; "The thing is, they're talkin', or their settin'"

Physical Characteristics

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- "His body was bent to the left by his crooked spine" From the beginning he is defined by his disability - it is
this that governs him and forces him into his position of weakness and isolation
- "he was a proud aloof man" he has great pride and values his own belongings and his privacy
- "He had accumulated more possessions than he could carry on his own back" - this suggests that he has
spent a long time in the ranch, as well as commenting on his physical weakness
- His eyes "glittered with intensity
...
It suggests his age, but also his intelligence and his fondness for reading - idea that
only intelligent people need glasses

Importance to the plot

- Crooks is the "negro stable buck"
...
"
- Crooks' race means that he is detached from the other workers on the ranch
...
'" This could stem from their rejection of him; he has become used to
being rejected by those around him and so is naturally defensive, assuming that when they do want to speak
to him they have some ulterior motive
- Crooks is key in the novel as he represents a different view to those around him; he is down to earth and
intelligent, as opposed to the other ranchers whom he brings down to earth- with Lennie and Candy, he
points out the reality of their dreams, "An' where's George now? In town in a whore house
...
" He is the voice of reason, pointing out the flaws in their dream
...
He will not listen, choosing instead to remain in his dream world

1
...
He is ostracised or alienated at the ranch because of his race and is
treated as a second class citizen
...

In some ways, he provides insight into the reality of the American Dream and the loneliness of the ranchers
...
"

"You got no right to come in my room
...
I ain't wanted in the
bunkhouse and you ain't wanted in my room
...
Books ain't no
good
...
A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody
...
I tell ya, a guy gets too lonely, an' he gets sick
...
Hundreds of them
...
An'
never a god-damn one of 'em gets it
...
had a strawberry patch
...
Used to turn
the chickens out on the alfalfa on a sunny morning
...


Carlson


Physical Characteristics

- "A powerful, big stomached man
...
This here's Lennie Small
...
"
- He has no empathy - when Candy's dog is killed, he is the one driving it forward, offering to kill it, "He stinks
to beat hell
...
" This is also seen at the end of the novel where he shows
no empathy towards George and Slim following Lennie's death, "Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin'
them two guys?"
- Logical: it is him who comes up with the idea of giving Candy one of the puppies as a replacement for his
own dog, "I bet Slim would give you one of them pups to raise up, wouldn't you, Slim?"
- He is forceful about Candy about killing his dog, and is graphic in his description of how he would go about
killing it, "The way I'd shoot him, he wouldn't feel nothing
...
right back of the
head
...
" Even when the subject is changed, Carlson still comes back to it and refuses
to let it drop
...
Carlson found a little cleaning rod in the bag and a can of oil
...
However,
when he takes the dog out, Steinbeck says that he speaks apologetically to Candy, as it he has some
understanding of what he is about to go through
...
"
- "Meant to ask you, Slim - how's your bitch?" - Initially, he comes across as someone who is interested in
others and appears to be friendly, however as the plot progresses we come to realise that this is not the case
- He uses racist language, and thinks nothing of offending others and making his lack of concern for them
apparent, "nigger"

Importance to the plot

- He owns the Luger that is used to kill both Candy's dog and Lennie - he is willing to kill and commit violence
- He stands up to Curley about his wife and is willing to speak his mind, "Why'n't you tell her to stay the hell
at home where she belongs
...
' and he ran out too
...
"
- The relationship quickly deteriorates however when they come to realise how violent and lacking in
compassion he is
...
"
- Carlson has the final words in the novel, "Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin' them two guys?" As well
as showing his lack of compassion and his acceptance of violence, it also shows the general lack of empathy
that is there throughout the novel and the hostility that these men face
...


Candy


Candy is "a tall, stoop-shouldered old man …
...
" His right hand is simply a stump because he lost his hand in a ranch accident
...
He had his
broom in his hand
...
Candy gives Steinbeck an opportunity to discuss social discrimination based on age and handicaps
...

Candy's greatest fear is that once he is no longer able to help with the cleaning he will be "disposed of
...


He is friendly to George and Lennie when they first arrive, and continues to be a companion to them, using their dream
as a means of escaping the rejection that he will face if he stays on the ranch
...
He calls the boss and Crooks both “nice men”, unwilling to judge them as the others do
...
Like Candy's dog, Lennie depends on George to take
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care of him and show him what to do, “got no teeth, damn near blind, can’t eat
...
He can’t
chew nothing else
...
When the unfeeling Carlson suggests that Candy's dog be put out of its
misery, Candy abdicates the responsibility to Carlson, “At last Candy said softly and hopelessly: ‘Awright – take
‘im’”
...
"

Candy also plays a significant role in the dream, providing the money needed to make the down payment,
...
Candy's down payment causes George to believe that, perhaps, the dream can
be realized
...
Even then
Candy still thinks he can have his safe haven, a place where no one will throw him out when he is too old
...



H
...
He displays natural authority and is respected by all
...
George trusts him and his "calm, godlike eyes"
...


At the end of the novel, he comforts George after the shooting of Lennie but also points out the necessity of
Lennie's murder to him, "You hadda, George"
...
He is both more intelligent and sensitive than the other men and doesn't
get involved in their petty feuds and fights
...


Descriptions of Slim:

1
...
He is not a labourer but is
clearly skilled as he drives the mules
...
"His tone was friendly", but he is realistic about drowning the pups

3
...
It is this that causes George to
trust him
...
He has "calm,
godlike eyes" whilst George confides in him about Weed
...
He is non-judgemental, and has an innate understanding of Lennie's problems, "He's jes' like a kid, ain't
he
...
"Slim's opinions were law" about the puppies and it is also to Slim whom Whit comes when he wants to
show him the letter from Bill Tenner
...


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6
...
Slim stands up to Curley about his wife, "If you can't look after your own God damn wife, what do you
expect me to do about it? You lay offa me
...
Slim organises the medical help after Lennie has crushed Curley's hand, but simultaneously appreciates
Lennie's massive strength and the provocation that he underwent, "this punk sure had it coming to him
...
He also "crushes" Curley into conspiracy, "I won't tell
...
Slim then vanishes until after Curley's wife's murder but it is he who certifies her as being dead, "Then Slim
went quietly over to her, and he felt her wrist
...
He has a wholly calm response, putting together the past and the present, "Lennie coulda done that
...
"

11
...
That ain't no good, George
...
Slim arrives shortly after George has murdered Lennie, "A guy got to go sometimes
...


13
...
Whilst
Curley and Carlson question, "Now what do you suppose is eatin' those two guys?", Slim offers George a drink
and, presumably, some understanding of the deed he has performed
...


The Ranchers



The importance of the ranchers - Topic sentences

Steinbeck was a rancher in his youth, so the novel is based on direct, personal experience
...


They also add humour to the plot
...


"Of Mice and Men" shows how hard life was for the migrant workers of the 1930s
...


The ranchers' community is a microcosm of the harshness of life for ranch workers during the Great
Depression
...
"

Although the ranchers are all drawn from a narrow social range, the class of working men, Steinbeck creates
different personalities and characters for them
...


The ranchers all have a fatalistic sense of what will happen to them
...
George tells Candy about their dream of buying a ranch, "I think I knowed from the very start
...
"

Paradoxically, when George tells Lennie that, "An' you ain't gonna do no bad things like you done in Weed
...
The ranch is the place where Lennie's fate will be sealed as the
ranchers cannot stop his immense and uncontrollable strength
...
Nor he don't ast no questions
...
(N
...
the novel was originally conceived as a drama)

J
...
They are either mentally or
physically handicapped
...


Para
...
"

- Even when he's allowed in, he's made to fight one of the men

- He's more intelligent that the ranchers, but they think he is stupid because he's black

- He knows where he stands more than anyone


Candy:


- Ignores the disabilities of others (Lennie, Crooks) and accepts them for who they are

- Has no right hand

- Old

- Very thin

- Accepts peoples' opinions

- Easily persuaded

- Accepts the situation as it is, "They'll call me purty soon
...
An' I'll
wash dishes an' little chicken stuff like that
...
(George knows what he would get up to if he was left on his
own)

- Lennie is very rarely allowed to speak for himself, because George fears that if he does he will mess
things up for the two of them, "I can remember this
...


- Another thing that makes is obvious that he has the most issues is his lack of self control; he does not
know his own strength- it is this that leads to his death

- Also, Lennie is obsessed with soft things; he hates it when George throws away his mouse, he want's
to tough the red dress of the girl in Weed, he pets Curley's wife's soft hair

- His memory is appealing
...
He's a lightweight, and he's handy
...
Ever'body says what a game guy Curley is
...
Then
ever'body says the big guy oughtta pick somebody his own size, and maybe they gang up on the big guy
...
Seems like Curley ain't givin' nobody a chance
...
an' you could sell eggs an' stuff like that
...
"I thought I tol' you not to tell
nobody about that
...
Lennie didn't do nothing to him
...
'

Curley's Wife:


- She is the only woman who speaks in the novel, so is treated differently, and feels isolated almost as if
she is 'disabled'

- She is not allowed to leave the ranch, so has restrictions like a disabled person; they do not think that
she is capable of going anywhere alone

-She is slowly having a mental breakdown, because she is so lonely and no one gives her a second look;
they all dismiss her, as if she is not an equal, "I never get to talk to nobody
...
"

- She also gets treated like an object, as if she is unable to talk or move freely
...
She is never given a name of her own, is simply referred to as 'Curley's wife'- she is defined by her
husband, and no one can be bothered to find out her real name


- Curley's wife is not allowed to voice her own opinions and when she does, she is dismissed
...
" "Listen nigger, you know what I can do if you open your
trap
...
The novel portrays the differing challenges individuals face and the toll that life is
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taking on them, as they overcome (or in some cases not) the difficulties that America throws at them
...
Each has their own story to tell about
how they nearly obtained their dream but circumstances have got in their way and now they are forced to live
their lives on the ranch
...

This helps to highlight Slim's position as the "prince of the ranch" and the suggestion that he is somehow
superior to the others implies that there are those who were able to survive the depression and brings a ray of
hope to the novel
...


- All characters in the novel have disabilities, either mental, physical or emotional
...


- Curley's position as the boss' son and his aggressive behaviour means that no one trusts or likes him
...
He only uses a derogatory tone towards Curley's wife when he thinks that she is going to cause
trouble and when she's dead
...


- George is unique in the book as he is the only person who has chosen his handicap in the form of
Lennie
...


III
...


General themes



1
...
Candy's Dog


"A dragfooted sheepdog, gray of muzzle, and with pale, blind old eyes
...


Carlson points this out to Candy, "got no teeth, he's all stiff with rheumatism
...
An' he ain't no good to himself
...

George realises that Lennie is no good to him anymore, just as the dog is to Candy
...
Candy even says to George that he wishes someone would shoot him when he
becomes useless
...
Steinbeck saves George's associating with a killing until the dramatic end of the novel
...
Handicapped characters

There are four crippled characters:

Candy has only one hand;

Crooks has a crooked spine, hence his name;

Lennie is mentally handicapped;

Curley's hand his crushed
...
He seems to be suggesting that the needs of men cannot
always be fulfilled, just as George and Lennie will never fulfil their dreams
...
Solitaire

Why is George so fond of playing Solitaire, a card game for a single player? Lennie certainly could not play
with him
...
Even the characters who are seemingly 'attached' to someone, are alone: the marriage
between Curley and his wife is clearly troubled and he is left as a widow anyway
...
The game is a prophecy of George's eventual solitary status
...
The dead mouse and the dead puppy

These two foreshadow the death of Curley's wife
...
Lennie may not intend to kill the thing he loves, but he does
...


The Natural World and general setting



The Importance of the Natural World Essay Plan

Introduction

- The natural world and setting of the novel plays a huge part in the plot
...

- The natural world contributes to the theme of the Great Depression through the use of the desolate
landscape
...
The heron represents both George and
Lennie's loneliness,
- Candy's dog: signifies hope and companionship to him, therefore when the dog is killed he is lonely
...
" - shows similarity but also that they live very lonely/separate lives
...



3
...


There are things which are bound to happen- Lennie will forget/too stupid to plan ahead, "you get in trouble
...
" He defies all of the instructions he is given, and these have disastrous consequences-
"bad things like you done in Weed
...
"

The dead mouse is proleptic- it shows Lennie's love of "soft" things, but also the fact that he doesn't know his
own strength

George and Lennie, "we got a future" - irony of this
...
"I'm scared I'm going to
tangle with that bastard myself
...
" Curley's wife- "she's a rattrap"

Candy: "You God damn tramp
...
"

"You hadda"- the inevitability of Lennie's death at the hands of George

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Historical Context affects the novel- the Great Depression implies hardship, and the history of racial
inequality and racism explains the attitude of the ranchers towards Crooks

The structure and pace of the novel adds to the sense of the tragic - we know that terrible things are going to
happen but we don't know when
...
How much of what happens is actually accidental?

Death gives a cyclical structure to the novel- "coyote yammered" = predator at the beginning, at the end
there is the heron, again, a predator: "the beak swallowed the little snake"


4
...
There it is
...
g
...
He longs for family and love
...
”

Para 2 – George and Lennie

George and Lennie have the dream of owning a small farm and “livin’ off the fatta lan’”
George also has the dream of settling down in one place and starting a family
The ranchers believe that their dreams have a better chance of being materialized if they keep
their dreams to themselves and the less people know about it, the better e
...
George gets angry at
Lennie when he shares their dream with Candy, “I thought I tol’ you not to tell nobody about that”
This dream will not come true, if Lennie is still following George because Lennie is completely
reliant on George to look after him
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 Lennie dreams of tending rabbits, which symbolise freedom and George also uses this dream to
keep control of Lennie as a means of preventing him from getting into trouble
When Lennie kills Curley’s wife, George knows that their dream of owning a farm is shattered
...
I think I knowed we’d never do her
...
This is shown early on in the novel
when Lennie says, “I remember about the rabbits George” and George replies “The hell with the
rabbits
...
” This could also imply that George is
more aware of the world and therefore realises that there is a very slim chance of achieving their
dream
...
For example, on the
farm Lennie stays out of trouble so that he can “tend the rabbits”
Curley’s wife’s dream for Hollywood is inevitably unreachable as she has married Curley and is
condemned to a life on the ranch because she never heard from the “guy in the movies”
Lennie, by the end, crushes everyone’s dreams in different ways
Candy loses his dream of the farm with George and Lennie because of Lennie’s death, “You and
me can go there an’ live nice can’t we…Then – it’s all off?”
Crooks’ dream to escape discrimination because he is black can also be seen as futile as the
possibility of him escaping the ranch and being able to live in the outside world is slim
...
Many of the characters die without fulfilling their dreams; their dreams die with them
...

Characters

George: He and Lennie share a dream; to own a patch of land and live on it in freedom
...
When she didn't receive a letter from him she married Curley, bringing
an end to her dreams

Candy: Candy joins in with George and Lennie's dream of owning land
...
He knows his rights and remembers his
childhood fondly, when he played with white children who came to his family's chicken farm, and longs for a
similar relationship with white people again

a)

The American Dream

DEFINITON: a term first used by James trusts low Adams in “The hope of America” (1931)
...
It is not the dream of motorcars and h
wages, but to dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to achieve the fullest stature
which they are capable of, and be recognised by others what they are, regardless of the circumstances of birth
position
...
The poor ranch hands wish to be their own bosses and have stabilit
their lives
...
And when it rains in the win
we’ll just say the hell with going to work, and we’ll build a fire in the stove and set round it and listen to the rain com
down on the roof…”

There imagines a perfect world is one of independence
...
They have to do what the boss tells them and they have little to show for it
...
Therefore, this idea of having power over their own lives is a strong motivation to the ranche

Examples of the American dream in the novel:

George and Lennie have a dream, even before they arrive at their new job on the ranch, to make enough mo
to live “off the fatta the land” and be their own bosses
...

Candy, upon hearing about the dream, wanted to join them so that he would not be left alone
...

When Whit it brings in the pulp magazine with the letter written by Bill Tenner, the men are all very impress
They are not certain that Bill wrote the letter, but Whit is convinced he did, and tries to convince the others
...
In
letter Bill Tenner has achieved some of the immortality of the other men cannot imagine for themselve
When George goes into a full description of the dream farm, in Eden like qualities become even more appare
All the food they want will be right there, with minimal effort
...
” Chapter 3, pg 57
When George talks about their farm, he describes it twice in terms of things he loved in childhood:
“I could build a smokehouse like the one gran’pa had…” Chapter 3, pg
...
”
The ideal world presented by Crooks also reflects childhood
...
He and his brothers would sit and watch the chickens
...

o She wants companionship so much that she will try to talk to people who don't want to talk to her, like
the men on the ranch
o Unsatisfied by her surly husband, she constantly lurks around the barn, trying to engage the worker
conversation
...
She wanted to be an actres
Hollywood
...

o Both attention and financial security would have been hers
...

When George tells Lennie to look across the river and imagine their farm, he lets Lennie die with the hope t
they will attain their dream, and attain it soon
...

must go on living knowing the failure of their dream, as well as deal with the guilt of having killed his best frien


More Dreams…

Dreams are one of the ways in which the characters combat the loneliness and hopelessness of their existence
the most obvious example is the dream farm, a dream shared at first only by George and Lenny, but which la
spread to include candy and crooks
crooks reveals that it is the favourite dream of the itinerant ranch hands: “seems like ever’ guy got land in
head”
it is a powerful dream, however, and even the cynical crooks falls under its spell for a short time
to Lenny the dream is an antidote to disappointment and loneliness, and he often asks George to recite
description of the farm to him
...
Part of
dissatisfaction with her life is that it can never measure up to her dreams
...


The Futility of the American Dream

Is the American dream futile for men like George and Lenny? They dream of owning a farm, which would ena
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them to sustain themselves, and, most importantly, offer them protection from an inhospitable world: this
prototypical American ideal
...


5
...
This is quite an odd word to apply to Of Mice and Men as the ranchers are living on the breadline and
have to look out for themselves in order to survive and and have little time to think about other people
...
Steinbeck presents compassion in the novel chiefly in
three ways: one in the relationship between George and Lennie, second in the mercy killing of George by his
friend at the end of the book and finally in the developing relationship between George and Slim
...


These are very brief ideas
...


The idea of compassion is first presented through George's conversations with Slim as he reveals how he
chose to "adopt" Lennie on the wish of his dying Aunt Clara
...
He speaks "proudly" about Lennie's strength, "I never seen such a strong guy
...
" He humours Lennie and shows compassion by colluding with him in his fantasies of a
future on a ranch with rabbits
...
"

The height of George's compassionate nature is presented at the end of the novel after Lennie has murdered
Curley's wife
...
George wants Lennie to die with dignity before he becomes
the victim of Curley's revenge
...
) Think about how Steinbeck
presents him as being compassionate to both animals and to humans, for example
...
The
effectiveness of the presentation of his character chiefly comes via his contrast to the other more brutal
ranchers and his increasing closeness to George
...


Does our final view of the book seem to be that it is a novel about compassion? In the harsh world of the
Soledad Valley, there is some humanity and feeling for other men
...
Slim, "the prince of the ranch" and George "the best friend I ever had" are ultimately the
figures through whom Steinbeck shows us that compassion and sensitivity are both attractive and desirable
characteristics in any human being and can be exhibited, even in the harshest of circumstances
...
Steinbeck's presentation of these two men as the most likeable and sensitive in
the book emphasises how important the notion of compassion is in our reading of the novel as a whole
...


6
...
The most important is the unlikely one between Lennie and
George
...
George and Lennie


In the novel, the friendship between George and Lennie is central to the plot; everything revolves around it
and it shapes the action of the novel
...




They have been friends for a long time - Aunt Clara told George to take care of Lennie



George feels obliged to look after Lennie - he doesn't want to let Aunt Clara down
...

Although George uses harsh language towards Lennie, he does care deeply about him and his welfare
...
, "he can put up a four hundred pound bale" , whereas George has the ability
to talk himself out of difficult situations, "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
...
He

obeys George totally
...



However, Lennie holds George back - he is a tie so he is not able to do as he pleases



“I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn’t have you on my tail
...
” Lennie is a real drain on him, and George makes no effort to disguise this from
Lennie
...
In spite of all of this, George won't let Lennie go; "I want you to stay with me,
Lennie"
...




Lennie cannot survive without George; he wouldn't even be able to feed himself were it not for George



Lennie talks about going off and living in a cave, allowing George to do as he pleases
...
Among/with the ranchers/animals


Candy and George



Candy is taken in by the idea of the American dream - this is the basis of their friendship
...
He's willing to give them all his money in
exchange for an escape
...
The dog is very old, blind and has no teeth, therefore it is totally reliant on Candy - were it not for
him, the dog would have died long


ago
...
Slim is the only person who understands
the friendship between Lennie and George and doesn't judge: "Guy don't need no sense to be a nice fella
...
He also is kind to them from their first meeting: "his tone was friendly"
...
is
eatin' them two guys
...
Curley's Wife/women


Lennie and Curley's wife]



Their friendship is a product of their loneliness, "I got nobody to talk to
...
Curley's wife desires the the friendship- she is lonely and dreams of Hollywood and
being an actress but this desire, ironically, leads to her death
...




Their experiences in Weed make it clear that, because of Lennie, friendships with women aren't possible
- because Lennie dies, George can move on with his life and (possibly) meet a woman
...

Useful Quotations

“They had walked in single file down the path, and even in the open one stayed behind the other
...
Both wore black,
shapeless hats and both carried tight blanket rolls slung over their shoulders
...
He pushed himself back, drew up his
knees, embraced them, looked over to George to see whether he had it just right
...
” (5)
“You remember about us goin’ into Murray and Ready’s
...
” (7)
“I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn’t have you on my tail
...
” (9)
“You crazy fool” (11)
“I got you! You can’t keep a job and you lose me ever’ job I get
...
I don’t want no ketchup
...
I’d leave it all for you
...
” – Lennie (13/14)
“When I think of the swell time I could have without you, I go nuts
...
” (15)
“Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world
...
” (15 – 16)
“Them guys just came in
...
I just like to know what your
interest is
...
’ (27)
‘George spoke proudly’
‘”Funny how you an’ him string along together
...
”’ (40)
‘”Never seen to give a damn about nobody
...
I knowed his Aunt Clara
...
When his Aunt Clara died, Lennie just came along with me out walkin’
...
”’ (40)
‘”I’ve beat the hell outa hum, and he coulda bust every bone in my body jus’ with his han’s, but he
never lifted a finger against me
...
Had him since he was a pup
...
” He said
proudly
...
” (59)
“I’d make a will an’ leave my share to you guys
...
Jus’ us three an’ nobody else
...
I shouldn’t ought to have let no stranger shoot my
dog
...
” (63)
“Get him, Lennie” (63)
“Leggo of him, Lennie
...
” (63)
“I didn’t wanna hurt him
...
’ (67)

7
...



-George describes what he and Lennie thus, "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys
in the world
...
Dreams
motivate several characters in the novel; Curley's wife who wants to be in the movies, for example, and it
gives a meaning and reason to their hard work
...
Lennie
cannot really respond in a lucid way to George and George finds Lennie a tremendous burden
...


Lennie: Lennie is the only character who is innocent enough not to fear loneliness, but he is angry when
Crooks suggests that George will not come back for him, so even though he is naive, he still understands what
it is to be without friends
...
Candy seeks comfort in the dog as Lennie does in
George, and both act as surrogate parents
...

And he ain't no good to himself
...
"I'd make a will and leave my share to
you guys"- this reveals Candy's need for friendship once the dog is dead
...
He cares more for his gun than for the other men and cleans and
looks after it lovingly as an alternative to mixing with the other ranchers, "
...
" He does not see the value of friendship and conversation and thus uses the gun as a
substitute for both and to counteract any feelings of loneliness
...
She is married to a man she doesn't love and who doesn't love her
...
This is what motivates her hanging around the bunk house and trying to
make friends with the men there
...
George succumbs to the whore house - "got five girls there", purely for
physical satisfaction
...

(Remember Soledad also means loneliness)

Crooks: Like Curley's wife, he has no name and is called "Crooks" because he has a crippled back
...
His room is a
refuge, a place for his books and his thoughts, "For being alone, Crooks could leave his things about
...
" Here, solitude is seen as a positive force
as it allows Crooks to think and to be organised
...
He is the victim of
both racial prejudice and violence on the ranch
...
" Like Lennie, he is used to being rejected, but he does admit to being lonely, "I tell ya a
guy gets too lonely, an' he gets sick", and initially, he likes the fact that Lennie listens to him
...
"Jus' foolin'
...
" This makes Crooks' loneliness more poignant as he is condemned to
isolation because of his race
...
I swear you hadda
...
"
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30 | 2 7 / 0 4 / 1 8

Perhaps this is suggestive of a future friendship between George and Slim?

The theme of loneliness is endemic in all the novel's major themes and the natural world is also described to
enhance this sense
...
Whilst this is not a natural state for humans, it is forced upon them by the economic
deprivation of the Great Depression of the 1930s as they roam America, leaving behind families and friends in
some cases, searching for work
...


Loneliness is probably the most important theme in the novella as all the characters experience it and it
controls and influences all their actions
...
we'd say 'why don't you spend the night?'"
- George tells Slim, "I seen the guys that go round the ranches alone
...
" revealing that he
benefits by avoiding the loneliness of the other ranchers
...
"
- George tells Slim how he once used Lennie for fun but he learned his lesson after an incident in the river and
"I ain't done nothing like that no more
...
"
- Lennie is also protective of George, "Ain't nobody goin' to talk no hurt to George
...
" She is immediately isolated, partly by being the only female on the ranch
and also by being the sort of woman who does not easily fit into life on a hard working ranch
...
George has to explain this to Lennie, telling him to "leave her be
...
Though she knows that Curley has gone to the "cat house" she still asks if he is there as an excuse for
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her speaking to them, again showing her loneliness
- She announces her isolation to these men, "think I don't like to talk to somebody ever' once in a while?
Think I like to stick in that house alla time?"
- She lashes out viciously because they do not want her to talk to them, calling them a "bunch of bindle
stiffs" and claiming that she is only there because "they ain't nobody else"
- In the barn with Lennie she pleads, "I never get to talk to nobody
...
" She is, perhaps, the
most friendless character in the novel
...
The dream world that she lives in, the belief that she could have been a film star only isolates her
further; her real world is lonely and miserable whilst her dream is unattainable

c)

Candy

- His dog is his company and his equivalent of a friend, "I had 'im since he was a pup"
- The other men, all loners and migrant workers, cannot understand the idea of friendship and simply want
the dog shot because it is no longer useful and is a nuisance in the bunk house
-They do not recognise, nor sympathise with, Candy's affection for the dog as he pleads with them to let the
subject drop, "I'm so used to him" and "he was the best damn sheepdog I ever seen"
-He offers his money to George and Lennie to buy the property because "I ain't got no relatives nor nothing"
- He knows that his future is more loneliness and then death, "they'll can me purty soon
...
me and Lennie and George"
- The importance of friendship and the self-esteem it now gives to him is also shown in the way that he
answers back to Curley's Wife when she insults him and Crooks and Lennie, "We got fren's, that's what we
got
...
I
could of hoed the garden and washed dishes for them guys" but now there is only his lonely old aged
existence on the ranch

d)

Crooks

- He is segregated in the barn, demonstrating the racial discrimination of the 1930s
-Candy tells a story from Christmas when "they let the nigger come in that night"
- Excluded from the companionship that exists in the bunkhouse- no cards or chat
...
Consequently, he bitterly guards his enforced privacy, saying to Lennie, "this here's my
room
...
"
- He comes to regret the way that he taunted Lennie, "A guy needs somebody - to be near him" and

e)

The ranch and the Itinerant Workers

- The ranch is isolated as suggested by Lennie and George's long walk to reach there and by the town's name
Soledad, the Spanish for loneliness
- This remoteness is further emphasised by the fact that the novel's location never changes; the reader hears
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about, but never sees, the men going "into town" and of Curley's going to a doctor when his hand is smashed
- The Boss is suspicious of George because he is unaccustomed to the idea of friendship among the men, "I
never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy"
- The workers are all nomadic and solitary, like the man who used George's bed before him, "he just quit, the
way a guy will
...
Maybe
ever'body in the whole damn world is scared of each other"
- The men on the ranch are all passing through except Candy and Crooks who are forced to stay because of
their disabilities
...


Work



1930s California- unemployment at 25%
...


Work is essential for survival
...
Working and
living conditions are primitive
...
Work unities the ranchers
but also reinforces their differences
...
with the exception of George and Lennie, the men are solitary and
without relationships, the ranchers must work in teams to achieve maximum efficiency
...


Friendship = mistrust
...
what stake you got in this guy? You takin' his pay away
from him?"
Does work create loneliness or take the men away from it? How does the natural world help to symbolise
this?
THE BUNKHOUSES, small, crowded, over five people to a room
...
They are subservient to the ranch and the system: "A guy on a ranch don't never
listen
...


Crooks is apart from al of this- in terms of the ranch society and from US society in general
...


George and Lennie are working to fulfil the dream of their own farm: "we gonna have a little house and a
couple of acres an' a cow and some pigs
...
" ie
...


The need for/derth of work helps us to understand the Great Depression
...
Come right in when we was eatin' breakfast and says, 'Where the hells them new
men?'"
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Ranchers are characterised as victims of the Depression
...
The novel shows their intimate lives and how work has taken them over
apart from the occasional Saturday night visit to the cathouse
...

"I seen a hundreds of men come by on the road an' on the ranches
...


Yet, although they are defined by their jobs and placed in the ranch's hierarchical system - "the jerkin skinner"
- "a stable buck" etc
...

Characters

Slim

See essay plan!

Crooks

He is the most intelligent man on the ranch, but has been disabled by his work, his disability, his race etc
...


Curley/the Boss

They can take away the rancher's jobs at any moment, therefore the ranchers are frightened of Curley and his
bullying ways
...


DREAMING is the means by which most men are liberated from the tyranny of the ranch and work in general
...


Importance of the title



“The best laid schemes o’ mice and men
Gan aft agley
And leave us nought but grief and pain
For promised joy!”

The best laid schemes of mice and men
Often go wrong
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
Instead of promised joy

The mouse in the poem had dreamed of a safe, warm winter and is now faced with the harsh reality of
cold, loneliness and possible death
...
Perhaps this is also meant
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to suggest to us how unpredictable our lives are, and how vulnerable to tragedy
...


The poem also suggests that grief and pain affects all the natural world
...

“I wisht I could put you in a cage with about a million mice an’ let you have fun”

However, we do need to dream in order to survive, even though, ultimately, these ideals could hurt us
...
Like the mouse which Lennie crushes, George and
Lennie’s dreams are destined to be destroyed and Lennie himself will lose his life as, otherwise, his fate
will be even more terrible in the form of a revenge killing by Curley or permanent incarceration in a lunatic
asylum
...
such as Lennie’s bond with Aunt Clara, the brief moments in Suzy’s “cat-
house”, George’s story-telling to Lennie in the bunkhouse
...
”

This sense of fate is also exacerbated by the fact that George and Lennie are running away from the past,
“An’ you ain’t gonna do no bad things like you done in Weed
...
I didn’t kill it
...
”
BUT he is destined to be disappointed while Lennie is alive and he is responsible for him
...
The symbols suggest the disappointment and
grief which is to follow after Lennie’s various murders
...


IT IS NOT ALL GLOOM AS GEORGE TRIES TO BUCK THIS TREND AND CHANGE THE NOVEL’S
MOOD,

“First chance I get I’ll give you a pup
...
”

“We got a future”- we know that this is just false hope and that the “promised joy” will not come to
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pass, only “grief” as Lennie has to be sacrificed at the end of the book
...
Steinbeck uses natural imagery to enhance her fate, “like a fish”
...


Candy’s dog – “shoot him in the back of the head” – just as Lennie will be shot with the same
Luger
...
e
...


As there are no chapter headings, the novel’s title has greater importance
...
An’ never a God damn one of ‘em ever gets it…It’s just in their head
...


V
...


Narrative technique



Narrative point-of-view and play-like features

What is a 'novella'?


A short novel that usually ends with a moral or a lesson

Viewpoint and play-like features


- The novel is written in the third person, but we are never told what anyone is thinking
...
Steinbeck even
dramatised Of Mice and Men for the stage, and the novella has also been adapted into a film
...


B
...
This means that the final chapter echoes the first
chapter, bringing you back to the beginning of the novel
Thinking about Lennie and George's situation, why do you thing Steinbeck chooses to structure it like this?
Think about the term 'vicious circle' and what a circle can represent or mean

Structure

Chapter 1: The opening is set in a beautiful clearing by the stream

Chapters 2-5: The main action of the story is set on the ranch, inside, either in the bunkhouse, in Crooks'
room or in the barn
...
Then, the sections
largely focus on dialogue from the characters
...
There is rising and falling action in each section, which creates a
strong sense of foreshadowing
...

The beginning and end of the novel:

Lennie in chapter 2 receives a puppy from Slim
...
This is foreshadowing the end of the novel when Lennie kills her, when he fails to heed
George's warnings
...
However, this is quickly ruined by Carlson when he comes
in and starts complaining about Candy's dog
...
However, when Curley's wife comes in there is instantly a
feeling of animosity
...
This makes the action of the next chapter seem all the more likely
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1
...
The
author may use symbolism, dialogue, metaphors, actions or other techniques to 'tip the reader off
...


Examples:

1
...
"

From the beginning of the novel, there is the expectation that Lennie will do something wrong
...


2
...
I shouldn't out to let no stranger shoot my dog
...
Candy's regret at letting
someone else do it and the guilt he feels persuades George
...


3
...
They tol' me you wasn't, I di'n't know you'd get killed so easy
...
This is a prime example of his lack
of self-awareness, and his love of the pup that quickly turns into a disaster when he panics and doesn't know
his own strength
...


4
...
I never done nothing to him
...


5
...
"

Lennie is instantly fascinated by Curley's wife, and her brightly coloured dress is similar to that of the
girl in Weed who got Lennie into so much trouble
...


6
...
" this is similar to Lennie, and it therefore implies that when Lennie becomes
useless and unable to support himself (i
...
too much of a hindrance to George) that he should be shot
...
"I'd put the gun right there
...
He wouldn't even quiver
...
This looks forward to the ending, where
Lennie is killed with Carlson's Luger
...


8
...
It is the ultimate test of their
friendship, but we know that it will be tested in some way by the beginning of the novel
...
George playing solitaire

George plays solitaire all of the time, even though he is surrounded by people
...


10
...


2
...
It is a safe sanctuary
and a place free form the prejudices of the rest of the world, where Lennie and George can be themselves
...


Here are a few questions to consider:

1
...


2
...
What might these images
symbolise?


The heron is a predator- the natural world mirrors the world that the characters inabit- although it looks
beautiful there is violence everywhere – see the heron eating the water snake
...
Lennie is often compared to animals in the novel, so it seems
natural that he has an affinity with them
...


3
...
How does Steinbeck use imagery to communicate Lennie's state of mind in this
section?


Talking rabbit = weird

The fact that the rabbit says that he doesn’t want Lennie looking after him removes all hope for the
future
...
He is afraid that
George is going to leave him as he has done something really wrong this time so he’s turing to the maternal
figure who was his protector before George
...


4
...
Lennie doesn’t like being told off by George
...
The fact that he doesn’t do
that makes Lennie think that there is something seriously wrong
...

He does what he has to to reasurre Lennie and to make sure that he dies quietly
...
"The wind waves flowed up the green pool"
...


6
...
George keeps the dream alive because of Lennie – were it not for lennie he would be
like all the other ranchers
...


7
...



He would have probably been lynched, or sent to prison, or an asylum
...


8
...


Love – wanted to protect Lennie, as there was no escaping or getting away from what he had done
...


9
...
How is this consistent with his character
throughout? Link this to the shooting of Candy's dog
...
He is, at this point, “the prince of the ranch” with his “god-like eyes
...
There is also a sense that there will be
a friendship developing between him and George – he will not allow him to be alone
...
He
doesn’t want him to dwell on it
...
The last lines of the novel are famous
...

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Shows that Carlson just doesn’t get it
...
There is no
attempt made to understand the emotions of others
...
They are used to being alone and only having to look out for themselves – they don’t
understand George and Lennie’s friendship and don’t really seem to value life at all
...
He is amply illustrating the emotional depravity of the ranchers
...
"
- "An' you ain't gonna do no bad things like you done in Weed, neither
...
"
- "You can't keep a job and you lose me ever' job I get
...
But not us
...
I can let you tend the rabbits all right
...
"
- "'I'm going',' he said, 'I'm gonna shoot the guts outa that big bastard myself
...
But he had to take care of you
...
' 'You're always saying that, an' you
know sonofabitching well you ain't never gonna do it
...
'He's gonna beat hell outta you an' then go away an' leave you
...
' His voice was monotonous
...
We got each other, that's what, that gives a hoot in hell about us
...
an' me
...
Ain't gonna be no more trouble
...
I ain't mad
...
That's a thing I want you to know
...
He pulled the trigger
...
I swear you hadda
...
'"
- "Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin' them two guys?"

VI
...

2
...

4
...


What are the weaknesses in ‘Of Mice and Men’?
How important are Slim, Curley (and all the minor characters) in the novel?
Does Steinbeck condemn Curley’s wife or sympathise with her?
What are the main techniques used by Steinbeck to create the atmosphere of ‘Of Mice and Men’?
The importance of setting in the novel: this includes both the natural world and the historical
context
...
“The pathetic figure of Lennie seems to symbolise mankind in its search for love
...
“In ‘Of Mice and Men’, Steinbeck portrays the tragedies and hopes of real men in real situations
...
What is the significance of the title?
9
...
” How far would you agree with this
statement?
10
...
Find an incident from George and Lennie's past which suggests to you why George is totally loyal
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to Lennie
...

12
...
Choose three of
these characters: Lennie, Slim, Curley's Wife, Crooks
...
Write about the importance of animals in the novel
...
Several characters in the novel are trapped or feel as if they are caught in a trap
...
Write about three relationships where Steinbeck explores the needs that keep relationships going,
despite conflict and strain
...
Which character in the novel do you most sympathise with and why?
17
...
How does Steinbeck present loneliness and isolation in the novel?
19
...
Which character suffers the most in the novel?
21

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