OF MICE AND MEN

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OF MICE AND MEN

• By John Steinbeck

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OF MICE AND MEN

• Introduction Stylistic features Key messages
• Key characters Lenny, George, Curley, Curleys
  Wife, Crooks, Candy, Slim
• Key incidents Death of Curleys Wife, Lennies
  death.
• Place America, The Bunk House, The Barn
• The American Dream
• Summary

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• The novel follows the lives of Lenny and George.
• It takes place in the Great Depression
  (1920s/1930s) in America.
• They support each other in a time when many are
  lonely and isolated.
• A number comment on how unusual it is to see two
  people together.
• The men they share their lives with have a dream
  to hold on to and need ways of escaping from the
  harsh realities of the lives they live.
• They use prostitutes, play cards and dream of a
  better future.

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Key Characters

• Lennie
• A huge man, he acts is like a child.
• Lennie has tremendous strength
• He is also very simple and lacks intelligence.
• He often survives on instinct and he depends on
  George for guidance and help, only speaking to
  Curley when George gives him permission.
• He quickly forgets things and needs George to
  remind him.
• Lennie keeps a dead mouse, a chilling
  foreshadowing of what is to come.
• He is animal-like and often described this way,
  likened to a dog with paws.
• He dreams of having rabbits, a way of escaping
  the harsh realities and also showing his simple
  nature..
• He doesnt intend to hurt the mouse, the pup,
  Curley or Curleys wife, but he is too rough.

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• George
• George is intelligent and keeps Lennie alive.
• He looks after Lennie and they work as a team.
• He constantly says he could do better without
  Lennie, but never leaves him. He has a dream and
  does not want it to be shattered.
• He can be cruel to Lennie, but this is due to
  frustration and he wants the best for Lennie and
  for him to stay out of trouble.
• George dreams of having a house, pigs and
  luxuries in life. The others get caught up in his
  dreams, especially Lennie.
• At the end he takes responsibility for killing
  Lennie, as he has taken responsibility for him
  all along.

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• Curley
• A small man, both physically and in the way he
  behaves.
• Violent, he was once a boxer.
• He uses his fists to get what he wants.
• He takes his anger out on Lennie, thinking he is
  picking on some one weaker. He is hurt badly by
  Lennie, who crushes his hand.
• He is incredibly jealous and rightly suspects his
  wife is being unfaithful.
• Curleys Wife
• She isnt given a name to show her low status.
• She is a flirtatious character and has no love
  for Curley.
• She is presented as being glamorous and seen as a
  whore by the men.
• Pretty, but dangerous for the men to get to know,
  so they try to avoid her.
• Fascinating to Lennie, she is another outsider in
  a world of men.

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• Crooks
• Crooks is black and abused by the other men as
  racism was rife in America at this time (1920s)
• Physically handicapped with a crooked back as a
  result of an injury when a horse kicked him this
  further adds to his disadvantages and isolation.
• Crooks is intelligent and reads a lot.
• He is protective of his room which is tidy and
  shows his pride.
• He is very defensive when Lennie comes in as he
  is used to being attacked by the white men.
• He feels superior to Lennie (intellectually) and
  Curleys wife (morally).
• He has no one to love or support him.
• Very much a realist, he has no great dream.

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• Candy
• Is an old man.
• His dog is old too and when he becomes useless
  the others urge him to have it put down (there is
  a similarity here between the dog and Lennie
  being put down by George at the end)
• The death of the dog is a tense and sad moment in
  the novel.
• Slim
• A figure of authority on the ranch.
• Curley thinks his wife is having an affair with
  Slim.
• Knowledgeable.

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LOCATIONS

• The novel is set in America.
• The opening description of nature is quite
  majestic, but nature has been invaded by man.
• Nature is unforgiving and the days are very hot
  and unpleasant. This backdrop adds to the
  tensions of the characters.
• The bunk house is a key location and is presented
  starkly, an uninviting place with whitewashed
  walls. It is certainly not a warm, homely
  atmosphere.
• The barn is Crooks home. It is clean and tidy,
  reflecting the pride he has.

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THE AMERICAN DREAM

• George and Lennie are just two of a vast number
  of Americans who had a great dream of owning land
  and being successful.
• Their current life gives them little hope and
  they are isolated, lonely figures.
• They look after each other and hope they will own
  a ranch together and live off the land.
• For Lennie the dream involves the child-like
  desire to have some rabbits as pets.
• The novel seems to end on a negative note, with
  everyone worried that the death of Curleys wife
  represents the shattering of their dreams.

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KEY INCIDENTS

• Perhaps the key incident is the death of Curleys
  wife.
• The scene describes her seductive nature clearly,
  with a focus on her clothing.
• She talks to Lennie like one would talk to a
  child.
• It becomes apparent that they are both isolated,
  lonely characters.
• She tells Lennie her secrets.
• Lennie strokes her hair, but gets confused and
  holds on.
• His fear and confusion cause him to kill her,
  just as he has killed the mouse and the pup
  before (these act as events that foreshadow this
  main incident).
• He tries to cover up her body in they hay, like a
  guilty child.
• The whole world goes silent and there is a
  threatening atmosphere from this point on.
• George is sad at the murder and knows what he has
  to do.
• The ending is sad, George kills Lennie to stop
  further accidents happening.
• Lennie acts like a child being told off, he
  doesnt see quite how serious it is.
• George finds it difficult to kill Lennie and
  tells him of his dream even at the end, to soften
  the blow.
• The dream is effectively shattered at the end of
  the novel.

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Summary

• The novel takes place in the Great Depression.
• Everyone has a dream.
• Life is hard and seems hopeless.
• Lennie and George travel together and work as a
  team.
• Lennie is like a big child.
• George looks after him.
• There is still racism in America at this time.
• Lennie cant control his own strength.
• The landscape is harsh, reflecting the harshness
  of their lives.