Chapter 1 Analysis

How is George and Lennie’s relationship like that of a father and a son?• George takes care of Lennie• George scolds Lennie when he makes mistakes• Lennie obeys George• Lennie idolizes George (pg 3-4)

• George lashes out when stressed

What is a protagonist?• Usually the main character who has a goal to achieve

Who is the protagonist?• George

What is George’s goal?• He dreams of having his own ranch but he can’t move forward because he

takes care of Lennie

Lennie, the unsophisticated giant, plays the role of “son”• He cannot control his impulses to touch soft things• He is incapable of understanding the consequences of his actions• When George yells, Lennie threatens to run away• Lennie is incapable of taking care of himself, yet he imagines living

in a cave

Why do George and Lennie want the security of a plot of land and a home?• George wants to have independence and the American dream• Lennie wants unlimited access to pets particularly rabbits• George wants to set down roots

Is there a significance to the title of the book, Of Mice and Men?• It is taken from a famous poem written by Robert Burns, who wrote,

“The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry.”

What doe s this suggest?• George and Lennie’s plans of having their own place will go

unfulfilled…..but how?

From the beginning much doom is foreshadowed, starting with• George’s fear that Lennie will not be able to keep quiet• George instructs Lennie to hide in brush if he gets in trouble again• Lennie is incapable of remembering simple instructions• Lennie seems obsessed with touching soft things

Chapter 2 Analysis

Chapter 2 starts much the same way as chapter 1. How are they similar?• Each one provides a detailed description of the setting• The rest of the book follows suit thus allowing the reading to be

similar to that of a screenplay

Who is Candy?• Old and weak• Has an old and weak dog • Carlson implies that the dog and its owner have outlived their

usefulness

What is an antagonist?• The obstacle hindering the protagonist from reaching his goal

Who is the antagonist?• Curley

How does Curley show antagonism?• He is a small, cruel man who threatens larger men• He wears a glove bragging of his sexual activity• He constantly suspects his wife’s interest in other men

How does Curley’s wife foreshadow further trouble?• She flirts with all the men• She uses her words suggestively• She is being eyed by Lennie who finds her “purty”

What is symbolism?• When one things represents or stands for something else

What does the game of solitaire symbolize in the novel?• George is usually in the company of others, mostly Lennie, yet he is

entirely “alone”• George desires to be on his own, free of responsibility of Lennie

What might the game of solitaire foreshadow?

How are George and Candy similar?• George feels compelled to take care of Lennie and he enjoys his

companionship• Candy feels compelled to take care of his dog and enjoys his

companionship

Chapter 3 Analysis

How is George and Lennie’s complex relationship further developed?• George tells Slim about the cruel tricks he used to play on Lennie• George still feels guilt over almost killing Lennie• George and Lennie’s relationship allows George to avoid the feeling

of loneliness most migrant workers experience• Lennie makes George feel like a hero with a grand plan about their

fantasy farm

How do Lennie and George provide a final hope for Candy?• Candy takes their dream seriously thinking it will give him comfort

in his final years• Without their help he will likely end up like his dog (pg 60)

What does the dog’s death symbolize?• The happening to a ranch hand who can no longer work• Candy and his dog are seen as outliving their usefulness• Both the dog and Lennie are seen as burdens – so what does this

suggest?

More foreshadowing of a terrible tragedy…• Lennie is shown capable of violence, until now it has been

accidental however he seems to be more aggressive (pg 58)• Lennie crushes Curley’s hand and is unable to let go

What future “mess” is still hanging out there?

How do the men in this novel show contempt for women?• Acknowledging they need women for sexual release• Curley’s wife is seen as a ‘tart”• George says he prefers the company of prostitutes because he knows

their up front cost• Blame is cast upon a childhood friend’s “tart”

Chapter 4 Analysis

Who is Crooks?• Smart man, but inferior because of his race• In extreme pain and loneliness• Not allowed in the bunkhouse• Accusations that he stinks• He is the only character with insight into George and Lennie’s

relationship: it is important for a man to NOT be alone (pg 70-71, 72-73)

Why does Crooks back down on his idea to join Lennie, George and Candy’s plan to buy land?• He was humiliated by Curley’s wife• He realizes he will never be treated as an equal• He doesn’t want to be compared to a crippled man or mentally

deficient Lennie out of pride

Candy and Crooks hate Curley’s wife, but ironically, they have something in common with her…what is it?• They are all desperately lonely!

How so?• Curley’s wife is seen as isolated and miserable , she has no friends

on the ranch, and isn’t even comforted by her husband• Candy and Crooks are both minorities on the ranch

Although Crooks and Curley’s wife are victims they are also aggressors as they exploit others weaknesses• Crooks uses his superior intelligence to scare Lennie by suggesting

George will not return• Curley’s wife uses her race as a weapon against threatening Crooks

with a lynching

Chapter 5 Analysis

MORE FORESHADOWING:

The killing of the mice foreshadows• The killing of the puppy

The killing of the puppy foreshadows• The killing of Curley’s wife

What do the deaths of the mouse, the puppy, the dog, and Curley’s wife symbolize a greater death of?• Lennie and George’s dream of having their own place• Disaster for Candy, who will now have no one to protect him in his

advanced age

What do you notice about Lennie’s reaction to the killings of the mice, the pup, and Curley’s wife?• He is incapable of feeling remorseful• He is incapable of understanding the consequences of his actions

As a matter of fact, he is angry with the pup and Curley’s wife for getting him in trouble

A better understanding of Curley’s wife• She married ONLY because she was mad at her mother• She alternates between being flirtatious and lashing out at the men• Like George and Lennie, she hopes for a better life• Her dream dies without ever finding the companionship and

attention she desperately craved

MAJOR FORESHADOWING: The gun is missing…who took it?• Lennie is not smart enough to plan the theft• George is the only one who has been in the bunkhouse

Why would George steal the gun?

Chapter 6 Analysis

Of Mice and Men ends at the same place it started, where is this?• The Salinas River

The bond between George and Lennie that was obvious at the start of the story is reinforced as Lennie sits, embracing his knees, the same way George sat along the river.• What does this suggest?

Lennie still idolizes George even if he cannot follow his orders

George always said Lennie is not bright but he isn’t crazy; however, Lennie does appear mentally ill • He hallucinates believing he is having conversations with his dead Aunt

Clara and a giant rabbit

What does this suggest?• He was driven mad by the killing of Curley’s wife?• He always suffered hallucinations but managed to hide them from

George

Both Aunt Clara and the rabbit are manifestations of Lennie’s worst fears:• He has become a burden to George• His pattern of activity cannot continue

Lennie continues to resort to the fantasy that he can live alone and survive alone in the woods

George knows he cannot continue to keep Lennie out of trouble• Despite his innocent motives, he is a killer

Lennie asks George to repeat the story about living alone away from Lennie• The words are forced and the reader knows George does NOT

believe he would be better off without Lennie

Why does George kill Lennie?• NOT revenge, nor anger, nor justice – but MERCY!• George tells Lennie he was never angry• George wants to spare his friend from being killed by Curley, because

then Lennie’s last moments would be spent fearfully and in pain• Even if Lennie lived. He would have lived in prison and not be able to

tend to rabbits, his greatest dream

How is Lennie’s death ironic?• He dies happily• He is with his best friend• He is giggling about the realization of the dream he thinks is real

More irony….• George always talked about how easy life would be without Lennie

but without Lennie he faces an even bigger problem• He must return to work alone and without a dream

If the tragedy in Of Mice and Men is not found in the death of Curley’s wife or the killing of Lennie then what is it?• The loss of dreams and plans gone awry• The main characters want to escape their current lives; their

aspirations are different, yet the isolation they feel is the same

Steinbeck delivers the ultimate tragedy and condemnation of the “American Dream”.• No one finds peace except for Lennie• Curley’s wife dies without finding happiness• Candy’s job at the ranch is threatened and he will probably die with no one to

care for him• Crooks will remain oppressed because of his race, without ever having a real

friend• George’s heart is now broken, and his future seems bleak as a typical ranch hand• Slim never had any real dreams so he will remain content

Steinbeck leaves the reader questioning • Is it worth dreaming at all?• If the best laid plans often go awry, then what is the point of making

plans at all?• Is it perhaps better to live day by day with no hopes for tomorrow?