Of Mice and Men
– Section Three
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Plot summary exercise
Complete the plot summary by filling in the blanks:
Slim
George chats to _________
about his relationship with
Lennie. He tells him about the girl in _________.
Lennie
Weed
puppy
arrives, hiding the ___________
under his coat. Carlson
tells Candy he should _________
his dog. Carlson takes
shoot
Candy’s dog outside. They hear a _______.
_________,
shot
Crooks the
stable buck arrives and Slim leaves with him. George and
farmCurley and Slim
Lennie talk again about the _________.
return. They have been arguing. When Curley sets on him,
hand
Lennie crushes his _________.
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Setting the scene
Steinbeck takes great care to set the scene in a very vivid
way, almost as though the story is a movie, rather than a
novel.
Re-read the description of George and Slim’s conversation,
from the start of Section Three to Lennie’s entrance.
Steinbeck creates a powerful contrast between the men
chatting inside and the sounds of the game outside.
Why do you think he does this?
Why do you think George shares his story with Slim?
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Dramatic tension
When Candy’s dog is taken away to be shot, Steinbeck
creates a high level of dramatic tension in the room. The
reader feels very tense, waiting to see what is going to
happen.
Find some quotations that develop the level of tension and
write them below. The first one has been done for you.
'The silence
came into the
room.'
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Dramatic tension
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The American Dream
George, Lennie and Candy are searching for the
fulfilment of ‘the American Dream’. Answer the following
questions to show your understanding of this concept.
What do you think the ‘American Dream’ is?
At this stage in the novel, do you think they will manage
to fulfil their dream?
Why does Candy want to join their dream?
What does Candy offer them as an incentive to accept
him?
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Animal imagery
Re-read the description of Curley’s attack on Lennie, and
Lennie’s defence of himself. Steinbeck uses animal
imagery here. Find four examples of animal images and
write them below.
Why do you think Steinbeck uses these animal
images in connection with Lennie?
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Questions
Why does Candy say 'I ought to of shot that dog
myself, George. I shouldn’t ought to have let no
stranger shoot my dog.'?
Why does Curley agree to say he got his hand
caught in a machine?
What do you think will happen between Lennie and
Curley now?
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Wordsearch
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