TITLE OF NOVEL: Of Mice and Men
AUTHOR: John Steinbeck
SETTING (TIME/LOCATION) 1930s California
Chapter What happened?
George and Lennie arrive late to ranch, this
makes boss angry. Candy explains what life is
like on the ranch. George and Lennie meet all
2 the main people on ranch including Curley,
Rising Curley’s wife and Slim.
Action Curley tries to pick a fight with Lennie
Curley’s wife flirts with the ranchers and
catches Lennie’s attention
George chats to Slim, find out more about
3 G&L background and what happened in
Rising Weed.
Action Whit finds letter in magazine by someone he
used to work with
Carlson wants to shoot Candy’s dog because
he is old and useless and smells. Candy forced
to agree, Carlson shoots dog.
George and Lennie talk about their dream,
Candy overhears and offers money if he can
join them.
Curley starts a fight with Lennie. Lennie
crushes Curley’s hand. Slim convinces Curley
to say it was crushed in a machine.
Character/s
Candy is helpful, but gossips about
others and quite mean.
Carlson, pleasant enough but
insensitive about Candy’s dog
Slim has a calming presence, he
looks ‘kindly’ on George and
Lennie. Clearly respected by others
(Carlson lets him leave bunkhouse
first when they go to get food)
Boss – suspicious of George and
Lennie, bullies Crooks
Curley (boss’s son) suspicious too,
instant dislike, aggressive
Curley’s wife – young and pretty,
very out of place with her ‘rouged
lips’ red fingernails and red mules
with red ostrich feathers (red
associated with danger and sex).
Flirts with men
George looked after Lennie since
death of Lennie’s Aunt Clara.
Lennie clearly needs someone to
look after him or he wouldn’t
survive. George has abused his
power over Lennie in the past.
Slim gets George talking about his
life, he has the ultimate authority in
deciding what happens to Candy’s
dog. He is appalled by the damage
Lennie does to Curley’s hand
Curley thinks that Lennie is
laughing at him, he doesn’t like that
and has been looking for an excuse
Theme
Loneliness – Curley’s wife says she
is looking for Curley, more likely
just looking for companionship
Prejudice – Crooks bullied, verbal
and physical abuse because he is
black
Women – language George uses to
talk about Curley’s wife is
aggressive. ‘bitch’ ‘poison’. Curley’s
wife uses her sexuality to get
attention
Loneliness - George talking to Slim
and playing solitaire, a game for
only one person
Dreams – there's a chance the
dream could be a reality if Candy
has the money to help them
Death – Candy's dog being shot
foreshadows what will happen to
Lennie
Quotation
‘The boss gives him hell when
he’s mad.’ About Crooks, he is
a victim of prejudice
"Don't you even take a look at
that bitch. I don't care what she
says and what she does. I seen
'em poison before, but I never
seen no piece of jail bait worse
than her. You leave her be."
George about Curley’s wife.
Sees the trouble she can cause
‘I di’n’t mean no harm George’
Lennie like a big kid, strong and
violent, but reader feels sorry
for him because his childlike
innocence and worried for
what he is capable of
‘I bet we could swing her.’ for
the first time George seems to
really believe in the dream (it’s
shortlived)
TITLE OF NOVEL: Of Mice and Men
AUTHOR: John Steinbeck
SETTING (TIME/LOCATION) 1930s California
4 Lennie wanders into Crook’s room. Candy
Rising joins them, talk about the dream farm.
Action Curley’s wife comes in and spoils the party,
undermines their hopes and dreams.
Other men return from town, Curley’s wife
leaves and George tells Lennie off for being in
Crooks room.
5 Lennie is in the barn he has accidentally killed
Climax his puppy. Curley’s wife finds him and they
talk her about her movie star dream.
Curley’s wife lets him stroke her hair, but is
to fight Lennie. Lennie doesn’t fight
back until George tells him to, then
he won’t stop
Crooks is reluctant to have Lennie
in his room, he is kept apart from
the other men because he is black.
Crooks torments Lennie about
George saying he will leave him.
Crooks takes pleasure from his
torture of Lennie, someone who is
even lower in the social order than
he is. Crooks is treated like an
animal on the ranch. Knows he is of
limited use. After Curley’s wife
Crooks decides he doesn’t want to
be part of the dream
Candy wants the dream to happen
as he is old and crippled, like his
dog, he knows he could be fired
from the ranch.
Lennie – his innocence is obvious
he doesn’t get that Crooks doesn’t
want him in his room, just keeps
smiling till Crooks gives in.
Curley’s wife – looks down on the
men as the weak ones one 'nigger,
one 'lousy old sheep’ and one
‘dum-dum’. Getting revenge on all
the horrible things the men call her
Curley’s wife finds Lennie in the
barn and flirts with him, she has
planned encounter, knows other
men playing horseshoes. Not
Prejudice – Crooks is segragated
from other ranchers, so he won’t
welcome others to his room
Loneliness - Crooks doesn’t
understand why George would stay
with Lennie, realises it is just to
have somebody to talk to. Curley’s
wife trapped and lonely
Women - Curley’s wife destroys
the men’s happiness. Her
meanness is a result of her
loneliness and isolation
Destiny Crooks and Candy
desperately trying to escape their
destinies of being fired from the
ranch and having nothing to live off
Death – Lennie kills his puppy, kills
Curley’s wife when he panics.
George plans to kill Lennie
Destiny – George always seems to
‘They say I stink’ what the
other workers say about
Crooks, he isn’t welcome.
‘I could get you strung up on a
tree so easy it ain’t even funny.’
Curley’s wife to Crooks, threat
of saying he raped her
‘Think I don’t like somebody to
talk to every once in a while?’
Curley’s wife desperate for
companionship
‘And then she was still, for
Lennie had broken her neck.’
Lennie kills Curley’s wife
TITLE OF NOVEL: Of Mice and Men
AUTHOR: John Steinbeck
SETTING (TIME/LOCATION) 1930s California
angry when he strokes too hard. Lennie
panics breaking her neck.
Lennie runs away and Candy finds Curley’s
wife in the barn.
6 Lennie goes back to the pool where he and
Resolution George stayed before.
Lennie ‘sees’ his Aunt Clara and a giant rabbit
who start to lecture him about his faults.
George finds Lennie and calms him down by
telling him about the dream.
George know that Curley wants to kill Lennie
in a really painful way so he shoots Lennie
himself in the back of the head before the
other men arrive.
listening to Lennie, just wanting to know what his destiny will be, ‘I think I know’d we’d never do
talk to somebody. Unaware of how dream never going to happen. her.’ George knows the dream
dangerous Lennie is. Lennie’s actions have destroyed won’t happen and admitting
Lennie frightened to tell George dream that he never really thought it
about the puppy as he won’t get would
the rabbits he’s been dreaming of.
He gets angry with puppy and
throws the dead puppy, showing
his capacity for sudden anger and
violence.
Curley has been humiliated by
Lennie twice now and wants
revenge. He won’t even touch his
dead wife, his interest in her was
purely sexual
Slim is tender in the way he checks
over Curley’s wife, implies he might
have felt affection. Contrasts to
Curley and Lennie
George knows that Curley will find
and torture and kill Lennie, steals
Carlson’s gun to ‘save’ Lennie
George his loyalty to Lennie means Destiny Lennie’s return to the ‘he’s gonna beat hell outta you
he kills him to save him from prearranged place, make it seem an’ then go away an’ leave
Curley. Talks about the dream with like his destiny was already you.’ Lennie ‘hears’ giant
Lennie. He is in shock after shooting decided. George sensed that rabbit, his greatest fear that
his friend There is no happy ending Lennie would need to come back. George will get fed up with him
for George, he will be lonely Dreams their shared dream is used and leave him
without Lennie. as a distraction so George can
Lennie is still childlike and innocent shoot him, the dream dies with ‘his hand shook violently’
in his hope for the dream to come Lennie George struggles internally to
true. Death pool is linked to death. shoot Lennie
Curley glad to see Lennie dead Lennie’s dead mouse was here,
Slim comforts George, he knows it watersnake eaten by a heron and ‘You hadda, George. I swear
TITLE OF NOVEL: Of Mice and Men
AUTHOR: John Steinbeck
SETTING (TIME/LOCATION) 1930s California

was the right thing to do Lennie will be killed here. you hadda.’ Slim trying to
Carlson can’t figure out why George comfort George about killing
and Slim so upset. Lennie