OF MICE AND MEN (1937) sticks, they build a fire and warm up three cans of beans for supper.
and warm up three cans of beans for supper. While the beans are
CHAPTER 1
The book opens with a detailed geographic description of the countryside around the
Salinas River, a few miles south of Soledad. As two men walk from the dusty road to the
cooling stream, the native rabbits scurry away. George, a short man, is seen first. He has
sharp features with a thin and bony nose and restless eyes. He also has strong hands and
slender arms. George is followed by Lennie, a huge man, built like a bear. His giant arms
hang like pendulums at his side. Both men are dressed in denim trousers, denim coats
with brass buttons, black hats, and blankets, which are wrapped around round their necks.
Lennie is thirsty and dips his mouth into the green water, drinking like a horse. George
stops him, for the stream appears stagnant. George remarks that Lennie would drink from
a gutter if he were thirsty. George refreshes himself and lies down to rest. Lennie splashes
in the water and then joins George.
When George talks about going to the ranch, the forgetful Lennie does not seem to
understand. When Lennie inquires once more about what they are going to do there,
George grows impatient. Lennie apologizes, saying that he tries hard not to forget things.
George explains to him once again that they are going to work on a ranch, which is located
nearby. He warns Lennie to refrain from talking to anyone at the ranch and begs him to
behave.
George notices Lennie reaching into his pocket and asks him to hand over whatever he is
hiding there. Lennie hands him a dead mouse that he has found along the road and put in
his pocket to pet. George throws it away in disgust. He then reminds Lennie that whenever
he pets things, it seems to get both of them in trouble, as it did on their last job. Lennie has
already forgotten what has happened there.
George sends Lennie to look for some sticks so they can build a fire and prepare dinner.
When he returns, George sees that he is wet and carrying only one stick. He immediately
knows that Lennie has retrieved the dead mouse from where he has hurled it. George
asks for the mouse, and Lennie resists giving it to him. George explains that a dead
mouse is not a fit pet and demands that Lennie hand it over, which he does reluctantly.
George then sends Lennie off to look for wood again. When Lennie returns with enough
heating, Lennie asks for ketchup to go on his beans, even though it should be obvious that
they have none. George is suddenly irritated with his friend’s slowness and angrily
explains all the things he could do without Lennie, including going to a “cat house”,
drinking lots of whiskey, and keeping a job.
CHAPTER 2
The next morning, George and Lennie reach the ranch around ten o’clock. They go to the
bunkhouse, a long rectangular room filled with beds and shelves made of apples boxes.
The room also has a table for playing cards. An old ranch hand assures George that the
boss is a nice man and that the place is very clean, in spite of the insect repellent that
George spies on his bed.
The boss enters the room and inquires of George the reason for being a day late to work.
George explains that they had to walk a long way. When the boss asks for their names,
George tells him both names and explains that Lennie is a slow thinker but a strong, hard
worker. He also says that Lennie is his cousin, who he has watched after for a long time at
his aunt’s request.
After the boss leaves, George reminds Lennie once again about behaving correctly and
not talking needlessly to the other ranch hands or to the boss. Candy, an old cripple who
does some of the small chores on the ranch, overhears their conversation. When George
confronts him, Candy denies hearing a word. Curley, the boss’s son, interrupts them; he
has come looking for his father. When he spies Lennie, he begins asking him questions.
George always answers for Lennie, which angers Curley. He rudely demands that Lennie
answer him directly in the future.
When Curley leaves, Candy tells George that the young man used to be a lightweight
boxer and picks fights with everybody, especially men that are bigger than he. As a
forewarning, George proclaims that Curley had better not attempt a fight with Lennie.
Candy then tells George about Curley’s new wife. He describes her as a flirtatious woman
who has eyes for every man on the ranch. After Candy leaves, George warns Lennie
about Curley and tells him not to lose his temper around him, no matter what happens. He
also reminds Lennie of the hiding place by the stream.
Curley’s wife enters, looking for her husband, and stays, flirting with George, even after
she is told that Curley has gone. Lennie, staring at her, outwardly shows he is impressed
with her beauty. After she leaves, George tells him he must not stare at her again and
warns Lennie that any contact with the lady will cause a direct confrontation with Curley.
Lennie is scared and upset. He wants to leave the ranch and says that “this ain’t no good
place. . .it’s mean here.” George reminds him that they must earn some money if they are
ever to have their own farm. Lennie understands and agrees. Ironically, their staying on
the ranch destroys the dream. For once, George should have paid attention to Lennie’s
intuition.
Slim, a ranch hand that commands respect, comes into the bunkhouse for lunch and
strikes up a conversation in a friendly tone. He asks George and Lennie to become part of
his team. Carlson, another ranch hand, walks in and talks about Slim’s dog having a new
litter of pups. They decide to give one of the puppies to Candy to replace his old, blind,
and stinking mutt. When Candy and Carlson leave, George promises to ask for one of the
puppies for Lennie. He instinctively knows that his friend wants one for a pet.
Curley comes in again, looking for his wife. When he leaves the room, George has a
premonition that Curley will cause problems.
Lennie knows that he has put George in a foul mood. Although he does not understand
why George is angry, he still tries to make up, saying that he will go away to some far-off
hills and live in a cave if George does not want them to stay together. George is touched
by his friend’s simplicity and honesty and reacts in a very understanding manner. He
reassures Lennie that he does not want him to go away. Lennie then asks George to tell
him again about their dream. George explains how the two of them are going to save their
money and buy a ten acre farm, where they can raise rabbits, cows, pigs, chicken, and
cherries.
After dinner, George decides they should spend the night by the stream and head to the
ranch in the morning. He then reminds Lennie again about not talking to other people on
the ranch. He also tells him that if there is ever trouble on the ranch, Lennie should return
to this same site and hide in the near-by bushes, where George will come and find him.
Lennie promises to remember the place. They drift peacefully off to sleep, thinking about
the little farm they want to own.
CHAPTER 3
It is evening in the bunkhouse, and George is seen thanking Slim for giving one of his
puppies to Lennie. The modest Slim says it was nothing, for he might have wound up
killing more of the puppies anyway. Slim then comments that Lennie is a very hard worker
and asks about their friendship. George says that they have grown up together, sharing
good times. He also tells Slim that Lennie is dumb but not crazy and gives the example of
when Lennie jumped into the river without knowing how to swim. Slim listens to George
very attentively and adds his own observations about Lennie, saying he is definitely not a
mean guy. He then asks George why they had left their previous job. Though hesitant at
first, George tells him about the episode when Lennie touched the dress of the young girl,
explaining that he was wrongly accused of attempted rape; as a result, they had to run for
their lives. When Lennie walks in, George is quick to see that he has a puppy hidden in his
shirt. George explains that handling it too much can hurt the puppy and commands him to
take it back to the barn; Lennie obeys. The way Lennie behaves makes Slim comment that
he is just like a kid. George agrees.
Old Candy walks into the bunkhouse with his old dog and asks for a drink of whisky for his
upset stomach. When Carlson arrives, he comments on the stinking smell of the dog in the
room. After much conversation in which Candy defends his old dog, Slim and Carlson
persuade him to get rid of the dog and promise a new puppy in its place. When Candy
agrees, Carlson gets his gun and leads the dog outside into the darkness. A gunshot is
heard in the distance, and Old Candy is visibly upset.
When George sits down to play a card game with Whit, Crooks comes in looking for Slim.
He complains about Lennie messing around with the pups. George tells Slim to drive
Lennie away if he is creating problems. George turns to the card game, but Whit does not
seem interested. He talks about Curley’s wife and tells George about their Saturday night
jam up at Susy’s place, which has clean chairs and clean girls. George agrees to go with
them, but says he will not spend any money on the women. He is saving his money for the
farm.
Carlson returns, cleaning his gun, and Lennie is with him. While Whit and Carlson are
sharing a joke about Curley’s wife, Curley himself barges into the room, asking the
whereabouts of Slim. Curious about what is going on, Whit follows Curley out, leaving
Lennie and George together. George inquires about the happenings inside the barn.
Lennie assures him that he is not getting into any trouble. Lennie then starts a
conversation about their dream, and George describes each and every detail as he sees it.
Listening in on the conversation, Old Candy is interested in their plan and says he will give
them his savings, about 300 dollars, if they will let him join them. He does not wanted to be
treated like his old dog and promises to do lots of the work. Though George hesitates
initially, he accepts Candy’s proposal, for 300 dollars is one-half of the money they need
and brings them closer to the fulfillment of their dream.
George decides to send off a down payment on the farm in the amount of one hundred
dollars. A clamor outside the room puts an end to their conversation. Slim, Carlson, and
Curley enter the room. Slim is quite furious with Curley for wrongly accusing him of talking
to his wife. Curley then tries to pick on Carlson, but he also dismisses him blatantly. Candy
joins in the fray and laughs at Curley for using a glove full of Vaseline to make his hand
soft for his wife.
Unaffected by all the commotion, Lennie smiles as he continues to dream of the
farmhouse. Curley misinterprets his smiling and picks a fight with Lennie. Although he hits
Lennie repeatedly, Lennie remembers the warnings and does not defend himself against
Curley. George is outraged by the situation and encourages Lennie to strike back. Lennie
quickly crushes Curley’s right hand and throws him down. When George expresses his
fear of losing their jobs, Slim strikes a deal with Curley. He promises not to tell anyone
about how Curley is injured if Curley does not tell his dad about the incident. The vain
Curley agrees to Slim’s plan before he is taken to he hospital.
Although injured and bleeding himself, Lennie feels guilty about hurting Curley and
repeatedly asserts that the whole thing was not his fault. He begs George not to be mad at
him and wants to make sure he will still get to go to the farm and tend the rabbits. George
is not the least bit angry, only troubled.
CHAPTER 4
Lennie arrives at Crooks’ room looking for his pup. At first, the black man, who is a loner
on the ranch, is hostile towards him, saying that black men do not mix with white ones. His
proud attitude changes, however, when he observes Lennie’s childish conduct. He finally
invites Lennie into his well-kept room, but he does not know how to treat him. Crooks is at
first cruel to Lennie, teasing him about George not returning from the city. Lennie protests
that such a thing would never ever happen. Lennie then tells Crooks about the plan to buy
a farm, and Crooks speaks about himself, telling of his childhood. Lennie then turns the
conversation to his dream of owning rabbits. Crooks tells him that his dream is never going
to be a reality, explaining that many men have the same dream but never save enough
money.
Searching for Lennie, old Candy makes his way to Crooks’ room. He is invited inside,
where he and Lennie have a conversation about the farm. When Crooks learns that they
have saved almost enough money to buy some land, he becomes interested in the dream
and expresses a wish to join them, working for his keep.
Curley's wife walks in, looking for her husband. The men tell her he is not around and ask
her to leave. She desperately tries to strike up a conversation with them and complains
about her loneliness and how people treat her. She also says that she does not believe
that Curley's hand was caught in a machine. In the conversation that follows, Candy
reveals the dream of owning a farmhouse to her. She reacts in a discouraging and
condescending manner. She also finds out the truth about her husband’s crushed hand.
The private Crooks grows upset about all the people in his room. He demands that
Curley’s wife leave immediately, which upsets her. Before she departs, she threatens him
with a charge of attempted rape.
After she leaves, George arrives, looking for Lennie. He is upset to find Candy and his
friend in the black man’s room, telling him about the plans for the farm. He insists that they
leave. As they walk back to the bunkhouse, Crooks shouts to Candy that he can forget
about him going with them to the farm. The black realizes that his dream of comradeship
can never be realized with a white man.
CHAPTER 5
A sad Lennie is alone in the barn on Sunday afternoon. He indulges in a monologue with
his dead puppy. He has accidentally killed it while they were playing. He is afraid that now
George will not let him have any rabbits on the farm. He thinks about burying the pup and
not telling George about it; but he knows that George, as always, will sense the truth.
Curley’s wife walks into the barn. Lennie takes a defensive stance against her, for George
has warned him to stay away from her. She, however, forces herself on him, growing
emotional when Lennie refuses to talk to her. She notices the dead puppy and tells him not
to worry about it, for no one will be upset. She also talks about her childhood and tells him
about her loneliness. She explains her story about the guy who promised to get her into
the movies and failed to do so. She even tells Lennie about how much she dislikes her
husband. As she talks about her broken dreams, she occasionally checks to see if Lennie
is listening.
Lennie keeps telling Curley’s wife that he is not supposed to talk to her, but she ignores
him. When he tells her that he wants to raise rabbits, she asks why he likes them so much.
Lennie explains how he loves soft things. She asks Lennie if he would like to stroke her
soft hair. When Lennie does so, she grows fearful at the strength she feels in his hands.
Raising her voice, she asks him to stop. Lennie is scared that George is going to hear her,
so he covers her mouth with his huge palms in order to quiet her. He begs her to be quiet
and bemoans the fact that she is going to get him into trouble. She struggles to get away,
but his strength is far too great for her fragile body. With no intention of harming Curley’s
wife, he shakes her and accidentally breaks her neck, just as he has accidentally killed his
puppy.
Lennie realizes the terrible mistake he has committed. He then remembers what George
has asked him to do in case of trouble. He picks up the dead puppy, quickly leaves the
ranch, and heads to the stream to hide in the bushes.
Old Candy comes searching for Lennie and finds Curley’s wife, who is dead. He is stunned
by the sight and runs out to tell George about it. On seeing the body of Curley’s wife,
George is dumbfounded. He realizes that Lennie is responsible for her death; but he also
knows that it had to have been an accident. Lennie is incapable of intentional murder. He
also knows that Curley and the other ranch hands will have no mercy on Lennie. George
must think and act quickly. He asks Candy to inform the others about the incident, and he
heads back to the bunkhouse. Before he looks for Curley, Candy curses the dead body,
blaming her for ruining his plans for the farm.
When summoned, Curley is quick to guess who the culprit might be. He swears to kill
Lennie as soon as he is found. He organizes a search party, and tells the men to grab their
guns. George begs Curley not to shoot Lennie, but he does not agree. The men set out,
armed with their shotguns. Carlson reports that his gun is missing, and everyone assumes
that Lennie has it.
CHAPTER 6
Waiting for George, Lennie feels proud that he has remembered about coming to the
stream, but he feels terrible about Curley’s wife. He suddenly has a vision of his Aunt
Clara talking to him. She scolds him for his irresponsible behavior and for causing George
trouble. When she disappears from his sight, a giant rabbit appears in her place. Like Aunt
Clara, the rabbit also reprimands Lennie and adds that he is not worthy of tending rabbits.
It also relays that George is very upset with him and is going to beat him, but Lennie
refuses to believe it, for George has never been cruel. He screams out for George, who
soon appears and quiets him. Lennie confesses his mistake, and George tries to reassure
his upset friend that everything is going to be all right. In the conversation that follows,
George repeats the dream to Lennie, who gets excited and asks George to buy their farm
right away.
When the voices of the ranch hands come closer, George asks Lennie to look away and
try to picture the farm in his mind. As Lennie stares out across the stream, George
continues to talk about the rabbits and tells Lennie he will soon be in a place where no one
can hurt him. As he speaks, George takes Carlson’s pistol and raises it behind Lennie’s
head, without the latter noticing. George pulls the trigger, and Lennie falls down dead. Slim: A ranch worker with leadership qualities. He commands respect from all on the
Hearing the gun shot, the men rush towards the sound. They are surprised to find the ranch.
dead Lennie with George standing next to him. The men ask if Lennie had Carlson’s gun, Curley: The boss’s son who was a boxer. He is short, stocky, and thinks he is better than
and George nods a ‘yes’. The men praise George for a good job. Only Slim has any all the others. He picks fights with everybody on the ranch.
understanding of what has really happened. He tells George that sometimes things just Curley’s wife: The only woman on the ranch. She is very flirtatious.
have to be done and insists upon buying George a drink. As they leave, Slim assures Minor Characters
George that “you hadda. . .I swear you hadda.” Carlson: A brutal man. He objects to Candy keeping his old dog.
SETTING Whit: A ranch worker. He is sent to town to fetch the Sheriff after Curley’s wife is
This book is set during the Great Depression of the 1930s in two places. It starts beside a murdered.
stream, close to the Salinas River, a few miles south of Soledad, California. It then moves The Boss: A ‘mice fella’ (in Candy’s words). He is more concerned about his work on the
to a ranch, where the major part of the story is set. At the end of the novel, the setting ranch than anyone else.
comes back to where it started. VOCABULARY - GLOSSARY
George and Lennie are introduced by the stream. They are on their way to a near-by A Glossary is provided below of various colloquial terms. The words are presented in the
ranch. The surrounding land is thick in vegetation and has its own wild life. Men frequent it, order in which they appear:
as there are ash piles made by many fires and the limbs of the sycamore tree have been ’coons’ - racoons
smoothed by the many men who have sat on it. The ranch, where the major part of the split-wedge - a crack or tear which is triangular in shape.
story takes place, appears isolated and lonely. It includes a ranch house, a bunkhouse jungle-up - a camp for tramps who spend the night in just about any place.
where the ranch workers live, a barn, and a harness-room off the barn. bucking grain bags - carrying bags of grain
CHARACTER LIST bindle - a bundle binding all the necessary things with a cloth or blanket
George Milton: The protagonist and main character of the book. He is a caring, cat-house - whore house
compassionate, and understanding human being who dreams of owning his own piece of foundin’ their tail - working really hard
land. Physically, he is a small and intelligent man with strong features. He is Lennie's blowen’ in our jack - spending or wasting all our money.
cousin. Burcap - a coarse canvas for wall coverings etc.
Lennie Small: The obedient friend of George. He has a child’s mind and a giant’s body. pants rabbits - fleas
He is mentally retarded, and relies upon George. It is these contrasting qualities and his swamper - a cleaner
impulsive nature that cause him problems. grey-backs - ice
Old Candy : One of the lonely ranch workers. He is a cripple (missing a hand), working as gimme my time - give me my salary
a ‘Swamper’. tick - mattress cover.
Crooks: A black ranch hand. He is sensible and neat, with a mind of his own. He is a stable buck - the black man in charge of the stable
lonely character, who is discriminated against, due to his race. brang - brought
little skinner - a driver of a small mule team writer, but was unsuccessful. Disappointed, he left New York and returned to the West
rassel grain-bags - load bags of grain Coast, where he met his first wife, Carol.
flapper - mouth Steinbeck's first novel, Cup of Gold (1929), is based on the life of Sir Henry Morgan, a
she got the eye - eyeing men, a flirt famous English pirate of the sixteen hundreds. His next work, The Pastures of Heaven
two bits - a quarter (1932), is a collection of stories about the people on a farm community near Salinas. In
whing-ding - an expression meaning approval this work, Steinbeck focuses on the struggle between human beings and nature. These
enchre - a card game played by two people first two books received scant attention. Finally in 1933, Steinbeck achieved success with
roll up a stake - save up money his short story “The Red Pony.”
looloo - a loose woman Steinbeck’s next novel, Tortilla Flat (1935), dealt with the migrant workers and poor
hoosegow - prison farmers. In Dubious Battle (1936) realistically portrays the labor strife in California during
yella as a frog belly - cowardly the nineteen thirties. This novel also sets forth Steinbeck's concept of "group humanity"
welter - welterweight, a category in boxing through the character of Doc Burton. This concern reappears in The Grapes of Wrath
bootry hatch - lunatic asylum (1939) and The Sea of Cortez (1941). Of Mice and Men (1937) became a best seller and
baloney - deceptive talk; nonsense was adapted for the stage and a movie.
doped out - thought out In 1940 Steinbeck went on an expedition to the Gulf of California (also called The Sea of
jack you outa the sewer - keep you out of trouble Cortez) with his friend Ed Ricketts, a marine biologist. Steinbeck shared with him a deep
fambly – family interest in biology. The result of this trip was a joint publication, The Sea of Cortez: A
John Steinbeck - BIOGRAPHY Leisurely Journal of Travel and Research. The book is in two parts. The first part narrates
Born on February 27, 1902, in Salinas, California, John Ernest Steinbeck was the third of the voyage and records various conversations and speculations, and the second part
four children. Though poor, Steinbeck had a normal childhood and attended public school, describes the marine organisms collected by the men.
graduating from Salinas High School in 1919. As a student, he had an inclination towards Other works include Cannery Row (1944), The Wayward Bus (1947), The Pearl (1947),
reading and writing, which was encouraged by his mother, a schoolteacher herself. He Burning Bright (1950), East of Eden (1952), Sweet Thursday (1954), and The Winter of
was a frequent contributor to the school magazine. Our Discontent (1961). East of Eden is Steinbeck's longest and most ambitious work. It
Steinbeck studied at Stanford University from 1920 to1925. Although he intended to follows three generations of a Californian family from 1860 to the First World War. The title
become a marine biologist, he never completed a degree. The courses that attracted his refers to the family strife, which parallels the conflict between the Biblical figures of Cain
attention most were zoology, English, and classical literature. While at Stanford, he wrote and Abel.
frequently and was often published in the college newspaper. After leaving the University, Steinbeck received the Pulitzer Prize in 1940 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962.
he worked at a variety of jobs. He went to New York, determined to become a writer. He died on December 20, 1968, and is buried in Salinas, California, the place of his birth
Between 1925 and 1927, he attempted to earn a living as a reporter and a free-lance and setting for many of his novels.