Of Mice and Men
Scene Overview
Six Parts: Six Scenes (as from a play)
•Part 1: The brush/Salinas River bank, outside the
ranch, Friday night
•Part 2: The bunk house, Saturday afternoon
•Part 3: The bunk house, Saturday evening
•Part 4: Crooks’s room, Saturday night
•Part 5: The barn, Sunday afternoon
•Part 6: ____?_____, Sunday afternoon
To a Mouse,On Turning Her Up in Her Nest with the Plow
November, 1785
Robert Burns
But, Mousie, thou art not alone
In proving foresight may be vain;
The best laid schemes o’ mice and men
Oft go astray
An’ leave us nought but grief and pain
For promis’d joy.
But thou art blest, compared wi’ me.
The present only toucheth thee;
But och! I backward cast my eye
On prospects drear!
An’ forward, though I canna see,
I guess an’ fear!
Of Mice and Men Parts 1 and 2
Part 1/Scene 1 Key Points
[Setting: The brush/Salinas River bank, outside of the ranch, Friday dusk ]
•George Milton and Lennie Small are introduced.
–George is the burdened caretaker
•“God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy” (11).
–Lennie, a large retarded adult, is described as an animal
•Bear (2); horse (3); terrier (9); coyote (13)
•Lennie loves to pet mice/soft things.
–See bottom page 9, top 10: Aunt Clara, mice and rabbits
–They were previously run out of the town of Weed.
•See explanation on page 11.
•GEORGE AND LENNIE’S DREAM: to someday live off “the
fatta the land”
–“Tell me about the rabbits” (13). Reread bottom 13/all 14.
•Foreshadowing? If there’s any trouble, return to the brush.
–“But you ain’t gonna get in no trouble, because if you do, I won’t let you
tend the rabbits” (16).
Of Mice and Men Parts 1 and 2
Part 2/Scene 2 Key Points [Setting: the bunk house, Saturday afternoon]
•All the other major characters are introduced.
•CANDY--the swamper (handyman) and his old sheep dog
•THE BOSS--skeptical of George and Lennie’s
relationship
•CURLEY--the Boss’s son, threatens Lennie
•CROOKS--the Negro stable buck (takes care of the horse
and mule stable)
•CURLEY’S WIFE--a flirt, “she got the eye” (28)
•SLIM--a jerkline skinner, leader of one of the ranch
teams --a serious, decent man (33)
•CARLSON--“a powerful, big-stomached man” (35)
Of Mice and Men Parts 1 and 2
Part 2/Scene 2 Key Points [Setting: the bunk house, Saturday afternoon]
•George and Lennie’s partnership is noted.
–“Well, I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another
guy. I just like to know what your interest is” (22)
--the boss, skeptical of George’s interest in Lennie
–“Ain’t many guys travel together” (35)--Slim to George
•Foreshadowing: “Lennie cried out suddenly-- ‘I don’
like this place, George. This ain’t no good place. I wanna
get outa here.’” (trouble with the boss, Curley, Curley’s
wife)
•Dogs/Puppies
–Euthanasia
•Carlson comments on Candy’s old, smelly dog.
•Four of Slim’s nine new puppies are killed out of mercy
–Lennie may get one of the puppies.
Of Mice and Men Part 3
Part 3/Scene 3 Key Points [Setting: the bunk house, Friday
evening]
•
George tells Slim the story of his connection with
Lennie. [Read page 40]
–
•
Why does George continue on with Lennie?
Carlson shoots Candy’s dog.
–
–
–
–
Compare and contrast this act with Slim’s killing the puppies.
How does Slim play an important role here?
What does Candy say about what he should have done? (p. 61)
Crimes of CONVENIENCE vs. Crimes of CONSCIENCE
Of Mice and Men Part 3
Part 3/Scene 3 Key Points [Setting: the bunk house, Friday evening]
• Candy’s offer brings the dream closer.
• Lennie’s fight with Curley reveals
– Lennie’s
• Physical strength
• Lack of control
• Lack of understanding
Of Mice and Men Part 4
Part 4/Scene 4 Key Points [Setting: Crooks’s room, Saturday night]
Themes/Points So Far
•
Companionship
–
–
•
Dreams
–
–
•
George and Lennie; Candy and his dog
Humans have a need both to be loved and to give love.
True? What happens to a person if one or both of these
needs are NOT met?
Livin’ off the the fatta the lan’
“…he could put me in pitchers” (78)
Crimes
– Of conscience vs. of convenience
•
Slim’s killing the pups vs. Carlson killing Candy’s dog
• Part 4:
– Loneliness/Companionship; Unrealized
Dreams; Prejudice
Of Mice and Men Part 4
Four characters deal with loneliness and dreams: Crooks,
Lennie, and Candy, and Curley’s wife.
•
Crooks (a black man)
•
•
•
“A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody” (72). Why does he feel so
isolated?
Why does he at first try to shoot down Lennie’s dream? And why
does he finally reject his possible participation in it? (83)
Lennie (a developmentally disabled adult)
•
•
•
What is his dream?
How does he respond to Crooks’s “S’pose…”? (71)
Candy (an old man)
•
•
Why is he so enthusiastic about the farm now?
Curley’s wife (a woman)
•
•
What is her dream? (78)
How does she deal with her loneliness on the ranch? And why does
she insult them; threaten Crooks, reminding him of her power (8081)?
Of Mice and Men Pts. 5 and 6
Key Points [Setting: The Barn and the Brush, Sunday afternoon]
•
The death of the dream
George said softly, “--I think I knowed from the very first. I think I
knowed we’d never do her. He usta like to hear about it so much I got to
thinking maybe we would.”
“Then--it’s all off?” Candy asked sulkily. (94-95)
•
FORESHADOWING--Steinbeck’s masterful planning: Every
event leads to the final moment
–
–
•
Lennie: the mouse > the puppy; the girl in Weed > Curley’s wife
George: description of Lennie as an animal; Slim’s pups vs. Candy’s
dog; killing Lennie
Companionship--George’s decision as an act of love?
–
–
–
Is George’s final action justified? What are his options?
What is Slim’s role in George’s decision? [See pg. 97]
Did he do the right thing? What would you have done?
•
Is this final act a crime of CONVENIENCE or one of CONSCIENCE?
Of Mice and Men
Pros and Cons of George’s Decision to Kill Lennie
PROS: GEORGE DID THE RIGHT THING
•
PAINFUL DEATH. He is protecting Lennie from a more
painful death.
•
JAIL OR INSTITUTION. He is protecting Lennie from a
terrible experience in a jail or an insane asylum.
•
LENNIE WILL KILL AGAIN. He is preventing Lennie
from killing again.
•
LENNIE IS HELPLESS. Lennie could not live on his own.
•
LENNIE IS GUILTY. Lennie killed another person and
deserves to be punished.
•
GEORGE IS THE CARETAKER. He is Lennie’s guardian
and has the right to decide what’s best; he is doing this out
of love.
Of Mice and Men
Pros and Cons of George’s Decision to Kill Lennie
CONS: GEORGE DID THE WRONG THING
•
NO RIGHT TO KILL. He does not have the right
to kill an innocent human being.
•
CRIME OF CONVENIENCE. He is killing Lennie
for the wrong reason--to have an easier life.
•
LENNIE IS INNOCENT. Lennie is not responsible
for his actions and does not deserve to be punished.
•
OTHER OPTIONS. There were other things
George could have done.
–
–
•
Could have helped Lennie escape
Could have tried to talk to Curley
–
DEATH IS THE WORST OPTION. Jail or an
institution is still better than death.
Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.