‘Of Mice and
Men’
By John Steinbeck
Revision Booklet
1
English Literature
Unit 1: Part B:
Exploring Cultures
The examination



This is worth 20% of the total GCSE
It is 45 minutes of a 90 minute exam.
You must answer ONE question. The question is in two parts:
o Part A: candidates respond to a passage from the text
o Part B: candidates must link this passage to the whole text.
Sample question:
Read the passage ‘On one side of the little room… lighter than his face’ (pg 66-67,
penguin ed.)
a) How do the details of this passage add to your understanding of Crooks?
b) How does Steinbeck use the character of Crooks in the novel as a whole to
convey ideas about America in the 1930s?
Assessment criteria
AO1: Respond to texts critically and imaginatively, select and evaluate textual detail
to illustrate and support interpretations.
AO2: Explain how language, structure and form contribute to writers’ presentation of
ideas, themes and settings.
AO4: Relate texts to their social, cultural and historical contexts; explain how texts
have been influential and significant to self and other readers in different contexts and
at different times.
NOTE: WE HAVE STUDIED THIS TEXT ALREADY. BUT YOU MUST
EXPECT TO RE-READ THE WHOLE BOOK!
What you need to have revised:
2

ALL the characters. You could get asked about any of them!

ALL the key settings.

ALL the key THEMES (‘big ideas’) of the story

You need to know what happens in each chapter.

You will need to have learned a number of key quotes that relate to the
characters and themes.
What We Will Revise
In order to succeed you will need to be able to write PEEs about the
following aspects of the book.
Therefore you will need to know not just what happens but where to
find quotes in your copy of the book.
Themes
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What are the messages of the book?
Big Ideas (loneliness, friendship, the American Dream etc)
How are the themes shown through the plot and characters?
Characters

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Appearance
Personality
How they talk
What do they want (motivation)
Their relationships with each other
History before we meet them
Setting
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You will need to list the main places in the story
What is the significance of these places in terms of theme and character?
Social, historical context of the novel: Great Depression etc
Structure
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3
On a simple level, what happens in the story
How the characters and their relationships change
How our understanding of the themes and setting change over the course of
the book.
Key events in the story which mark the different changes of the characters.
SHORT SUMMARY OF THE NOVELLA
The novel, which takes place during the Great Depression, begins beside the Salinas
River near Soledad, California, where two migrant workers, Lennie Small and George
Milton, are walking on their way to a nearby ranch. They had recently escaped from
a farm near Weed where Lennie, a mentally deficient yet docile man, was wrongly
accused of rape when he touched a woman to feel her soft dress. George is his
physical opposite, a small man with defined features. George scolds Lennie for
playing with a dead mouse and warns him not to speak when they arrive at their
new place of employment. When Lennie complains about not having ketchup for the
beans they eat for dinner, George becomes angry, telling Lennie that he would be
better off if he didn't have to travel with his retarded friend. George soon delineates
his dream: he and Lennie will raise enough money to buy a patch of land, where they
will have a small farm with a vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch. The rabbit hutch is
the only detail of the plan that Lennie consistently remembers. George tells Lennie
that, if he gets into trouble as he did in Weed, he should return to the brush near the
river and wait for George to find him.
When George and Lennie reach the bunkhouse at the farm where they will work, an
old man named Candy shows them their beds and tells them that the boss was angry
that they didn't show up the night before. George and Lennie were late because the
bus driver who brought them near Soledad dropped them off several miles away
from the ranch. The boss questions George and Lennie and finds them suspicious
because George speaks for Lennie. He cannot understand why George would travel
with Lennie until he explains that Lennie is his cousin. After the boss leaves, his son,
Curley, enters the bunkhouse looking for the boss. Curley is a short man who hates
larger men out of jealousy and insecurity, and has a new wife who everyone suspects
is unfaithful. His wife visits the bunkhouse later that night searching for Curley, and
flirts with the other men. Later, Curley returns looking for his wife, and confronts
George in an attempt to start a fight.
After a day of work, the men return to the bunkhouse. Slim, whose dog had a new
litter of puppies, gives Lennie one of them. George admits to Slim that he and Lennie
escaped lynching when Lennie was accused of rape. Carlson complains about
Candy's dog, a decrepit creature that barely survives. He offers to shoot the dog, and
after repeated complaints, Candy relents, despite his obvious wish to keep the dog.
George complains about 'tarts' such as Curley's Wife, and when the other men
suggest that they visit a whorehouse the next night, George says that he prefers the
company of whores, since there is no chance of danger. When George tells Lennie
the story about the house that they will have, Candy says that he knows about an
available house that they could have if the three men pooled their money. Curley
searches for his wife once more, and fights Lennie when he suspects that Lennie is
laughing at him. Curley punches Lennie several times, but Lennie does not fight back
until George gives him permission. He crushes Curley's hand, and does not stop until
George tells him to do so.
While the other men are at the whorehouse, Lennie goes to visit Crooks, the black
stable buck. Crooks is rude and contemptuous toward Lennie until he realizes that
4
Lennie has no ill intent. Crooks makes Lennie realize how alone and isolated he
would be if George would abandon Lennie. Candy also visits the two men, for they
are the only ones left at the ranch. They discuss the plan for a small farm, and even
Crooks shows some interest. Curley's Wife sees the three men and, when Crooks
tells her that she is not supposed to be in his room, she upbraids them as useless
cripples and even threatens Crooks with lynching. However, she reveals that, as the
only woman on the ranch, she is lonely.
The next morning, when Lennie is playing with his new puppy, he accidentally kills it
when he bounces it too hard. Curley's Wife finds him in the barn with the dead
puppy, and when she allows him to feel how soft her hair is, he handles her too
forcefully. When she screams, Lennie covers her mouth and, as she tries to struggle
free from his grasp, he snaps her neck. When Lennie escapes the ranch, Candy and
George find the body and immediately realize that Lennie killed her. Candy alerts the
other men, and Curley forms a party to search for Lennie. Curley intends to murder
him. In the interim, George steals Carlson's gun, leading the other men to think that
Lennie actually took it before he escaped.
George, who points Curley and the other men in the wrong direction, finds Lennie in
the brush where he told him to go at the beginning of the novel. Lennie has been
having hallucinations of a giant rabbit and his Aunt Clara; they warn Lennie that
George will be angry at him for killing Curley's Wife and that he has lost the
possibility of having a house with a rabbit hutch. George begins to tell Lennie about
their plans for a house and the rabbit hutch when he shoots Lennie in the back of the
head with Carlson's gun. Upon hearing this, the other men find George and Lennie.
George tells them that Lennie had stolen the gun and he shot Lennie when he got
the gun back from him.
Revision activities & information
A. Context
The context of a text simply means when and where it is set. It is important that you
understand the context of Of Mice and Men because it affects the plot, character and
themes of the novel.
Steinbeck set his novel in America during the Great Depression of the 1930s.
A series of droughts in the country meant that a ‘dust bowl’ was created, causing crop
failures. Whole families had to move, and many headed West in search of work.
Refugee camps were created, and emergency accommodation (‘Hoovervilles’) sprang
up. There was no system of state relief, so many were forced to beg for the means to
live. Because of the mass unemployment, those who managed to find work had to
accept very bad working conditions and low pay, and many had to become migrant
workers, moving from ranch to ranch in search of work.
Activities
1.
Find evidence of any of the effects of the Depression in the novel.
2.
Answer the question: How are the ranch workers affected by the context of the
story?
3.
Research and make notes on the Great Depression
5
B. Plot
Ch.
Day &
Time
Location
Characters
Main events
Time the
scene
takes
1
Thursday
evening
Clearing
George Lennie
George & Lennie make camp for night on way to
ranch. They discuss the past, their dreams, plans
if things go wrong at the ranch.
one
evening
Bunkhouse
Candy, George
Lennie, The
Boss, Curley,
Curley’s wife,
Slim, Carlson
Candy shows them around, they meet the boss,
who is suspicious. Curley threatens Lennie.
Curley’s wife flirts with Lennie. Slim mentions
his pups, Carlson discusses killing Candy’s dog.
one
morning
George, Slim,
Whit, Carlson,
Candy, Lennie,
Curley
2
Friday
lunch time
3
Friday
evening
Bunkhouse
4
Saturday
evening
Crooks’
room
5
Sunday
afternoon
Barn
6
late
Sunday
afternoon
Clearing
Crooks, Lennie,
Candy, Curley’s
wife, George
Lennie, Curley’s
wife, Candy,
Slim, Curley,
Carlson
Lennie, George,
Slim, Carlson
Slim has given Lennie a pup. George and Slim
discuss Lennie over cards, George tells Slim
about Weed. Whit finds a letter in a magazine.
Carlson shoots Candy’s dog. Candy comes in on
the plan. Lennie break’s Curley’s hand.
Crooks talks to Lennie about himself and land,
Candy joins in, Curley’s wife argues with them,
George comes in and they leave.
about one
hour
Lennie is waiting in the clearing, sees visions.
George arrives & shoots Lennie while telling him
about the plan. The other men arrive.
about one
hour
C. Character
George and Lennie are obviously the central characters in the novel, but Steinbeck
also tells the story of the ranch hands, of Crooks, and of Curley’s wife. In many ways
George and Lennie are totally contrasting characters: George is small, sharp, quick
whereas Lennie is huge, stupid, slow. Crooks and Curley’s wife have their own,
tragic, stories
Activities
1.
Complete a table like the one below. Include page references to support your
points, and highlight quotations which relate to characters.
Character
Physical appearance
Personality & behaviour
George
small, quick, dark, restless
eyes (p2)
careful (he checks the river water - p3)
protective of Lennie (speaks for him, p26-27)
6
about one
hour
Lennie has killed his puppy. Lennie & Curley’s
wife talk, he breaks her neck & runs away.
Candy finds her, Curley wants to kill Lennie.
Activities
1.
Find all the events mentioned in the table above.
2.
Find references to George and Lennie’s past.
2.
about one
hour
Answer the question: It is possible to feel sorry for all the characters in Of
Mice and Men, especially Lennie and Curley’s wife because they die. Which of
the other characters do you feel most sympathy for?
Analysis of Major Characters:
Lennie
Although Lennie is among the main characters in Of Mice and Men, he is perhaps the
least dynamic. He undergoes no significant changes, development, or growth throughout the
novel and remains exactly as the reader encounters him in the opening pages. Simply put, he
loves to pet soft things, is blindly devoted to George and their vision of the farm, and
possesses incredible physical strength. Nearly every scene in which Lennie appears confirms
these and only these characteristics.
Although Steinbeck’s insistent repetition of these characteristics makes Lennie a rather flat
character, Lennie’s simplicity is central to Steinbeck’s idea of the novel. Of Mice and Men is a
very short work that manages to build up an extremely powerful impact. Since the tragedy
depends upon the outcome seeming to be inevitable, the reader must know from the start
that Lennie is doomed, and must be sympathetic to him. Steinbeck achieves these two feats
by creating a protagonist who earns the reader’s sympathy because of his utter helplessness
in the face of the events that unfold. Lennie is totally defenceless. He cannot avoid the
dangers presented by Curley, Curley’s wife, or the world at large. His innocence raises him to
a standard of pure goodness that is more poetic and literary than realistic. His enthusiasm
for the vision of their future farm proves contagious as he convinces George, Candy, Crooks,
and the reader that such a paradise might be possible. But he is a character whom Steinbeck
sets up for disaster, a character whose innocence only seems to ensure his inevitable
destruction.
George
Like Lennie, George can be defined by a few distinct characteristics. He is short-tempered
but a loving and devoted friend, whose frequent protests against life with Lennie never
weaken his commitment to protecting his friend. George’s first words, a stern warning to
Lennie not to drink so much lest he get sick, set the tone of their relationship. George may
be terse and impatient at times, but he never strays from his primary purpose of protecting
Lennie.
Unlike Lennie, however, George does change as the story progresses. The reader learns that
he is capable of change and growth during his conversation with Slim, during which he
admits that he once abused Lennie for his own amusement. From this incident George
learned the moral lesson that it is wrong to take advantage of the weak. Of Mice and Men
follows him toward a difficult realization that the world is designed to prey on the weak. At
the start of the novel, George is something of an idealist. Despite his hardened, sometimes
gruff exterior, he believes in the story of their future farm that he tells and retells to Lennie.
He longs for the day when he can enjoy the freedom to leave work and see a baseball game.
More important than a ball game, however, is the thought of living in safety and comfort
with Lennie, free from the people like Curley and Curley’s wife, who seem to exist only to
cause trouble for them. Lennie is largely responsible for George’s belief in this safe haven,
but eventually the predatory nature of the world asserts itself and George can no longer
maintain that belief. By shooting Lennie, George spares his friend the merciless death that
would be delivered by Curley’s lynch mob, but he also puts to rest his own dream of a
perfect, fraternal world.
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Candy
One of the book’s major themes and several of its dominant symbols revolve around Candy.
The old handyman, aging and left with only one hand as the result of an accident, worries
that the boss will soon declare him useless and demand that he leave the ranch. Of course,
life on the ranch—especially Candy’s dog, once an impressive sheep herder but now
toothless, foul-smelling, and brittle with age—supports Candy’s fears. Past accomplishments
and current emotional ties matter little, as Carson makes clear when he insists that Candy let
him put the dog out of its misery. In such a world, Candy’s dog serves as a harsh reminder of
the fate that awaits anyone who outlives his usefulness.
For a brief time, however, the dream of living out his days with George and Lennie on their
dream farm distracts Candy from this harsh reality. He deems the few acres of land they
describe worthy of his hard-earned life’s savings, which testifies to his desperate need to
believe in a world kinder than the one in which he lives. Like George, Candy clings to the idea
of having the freedom to take up or set aside work as he chooses. So strong is his devotion
to this idea that, even after he discovers that Lennie has killed Curley’s wife, he pleads for
himself and George to go ahead and buy the farm as planned.
Curley’s wife
Of Mice and Men is not kind in its portrayal of women. In fact, women are treated with
contempt throughout the course of the novel. Steinbeck generally depicts women as
troublemakers who bring ruin on men and drive them mad. Curley’s wife, who walks the
ranch as a temptress, seems to be a prime example of this destructive tendency—Curley’s
already bad temper has only worsened since their wedding. Aside from wearisome wives, Of
Mice and Men offers limited, rather misogynistic, descriptions of women who are either
dead maternal figures or prostitutes.
Despite Steinbeck’s rendering, Curley’s wife emerges as a relatively complex and interesting
character. Although her purpose is rather simple in the novel’s opening pages—she is the
“tramp,” “tart,” and “bitch” that threatens to destroy male happiness and longevity—her
appearances later in the novel become more complex. When she confronts Lennie, Candy,
and Crooks in the stable, she admits to feeling a kind of shameless dissatisfaction with her
life. Her vulnerability at this moment and later—when she admits to Lennie her dream of
becoming a movie star—makes her utterly human and much more interesting than the
stereotypical vixen in fancy red shoes. However, it also reinforces the novel’s grim
worldview. In her moment of greatest vulnerability, Curley’s wife seeks out even greater
weaknesses in others, preying upon Lennie’s mental handicap, Candy’s debilitating age, and
the colour of Crooks’s skin in order to steel herself against harm.
Crooks
Crooks is a lively, sharp-witted, black stable-hand, who takes his name from his crooked
back. Like most of the characters in the novel, he admits that he is extremely lonely. When
Lennie visits him in his room, his reaction reveals this fact. At first, he turns Lennie away,
hoping to prove a point that if he, as a black man, is not allowed in white men’s houses, then
whites are not allowed in his, but his desire for company ultimately wins out and he invites
Lennie to sit with him. Like Curley’s wife, Crooks is a disempowered character who turns his
vulnerability into a weapon to attack those who are even weaker. He plays a cruel game with
Lennie, suggesting to him that George is gone for good. Only when Lennie threatens him
with physical violence does he relent. Crooks exhibits the corrosive effects that loneliness
can have on a person; his character evokes sympathy as the origins of his cruel behaviour
are made evident.
8
D. Themes
Steinbeck explores many themes in his novel. They include:

Dreams and plans
Many of the characters in the novel have dreams and plans for the future.
George, Lennie, Candy, Crooks and Curley’s wife all aspire to something. For
these characters, it is these dreams which keep them going. The title of the
novel is taken from a Robert Burns poem which says; ‘The best laid schemes o’
mice and men often go wrong.’
What are the dreams of the various characters? How do they go wrong? Why
do you think Steinbeck chose this title?

Friendship and loneliness
George and Lennie are unusual because they ‘string along together’, even
though their friendship is threatened by Lennie’s behaviour. The other
characters tend to be alone, isolated, because of their lifestyle.
What do you think Steinbeck is saying about the importance of friendship in the
novel?

Power
The novel explores the issue of power through the character of Curley and the
influence he has over the ranch hands and his wife. George also wields power
over Lennie.
Who has power over whom in the novel? What are the effects of this power?

Cycles
Much of the plot in the novel is cyclical, as are the lives of the characters. The
story opens and closes in the same place, the men’s lives are a routine of work earn money - spend money in the flop-house - work, and many of the chapters
begin and end in similar ways.
Find examples of the ways Of Mice and Men is cyclical. Why do you think
Steinbeck chose this cyclical style? How does it reflect the monotony of the
characters’ lives?
Activity
Brainstorm the above themes in the novel, highlighting sections of the novel where
they are explored.
General Questions
1.
What is the significance of the title of Steinbeck’s novel?
2.
Why are friendships important in Of Mice and Men?
3.
In the first chapter of the book, George and Lennie sit and eat by the pool.
What happens in this opening scene to give us a clue to some of the events that
will take place later in the story?
9
PEE Exemplar Answers
Below is a table indicating how you can develop your PEE responses to achieve the
highest grades. REMEMBER – detailed close analysis and evaluation of language
makes the difference at the highest levels
Example
Description of skills
Steinbeck writes about nature. He uses a metaphor.
You pinpoint or spot a device, you:
F
Steinbeck writes about nature. He uses a metaphor
to show that Lennie is like an animal when Curley
‘stood crying, his fist lost in Lennie’s paw’. This
shows that he can be dangerous.
You give details to make your point clear,
you:
C
Steinbeck writes about nature. He uses a metaphor
to show that Lennie is like an animal when Curley
‘stood crying, his fist lost in Lennie’s paw…’ This
shows that Lennie is dangerous and can perhaps be
unpredictable when, moments before, he had been
‘smiling with delight at the memory of the ranch.’
You investigate and look at points in
detail. You see that there is more to
discover, you:
B
Steinbeck writes about nature. He uses a metaphor
to show that Lennie is like an animal when Curley
‘stood crying, his fist lost in Lennie’s paw…’ This
shows that Lennie is dangerous and can perhaps be
unpredictable when, moments before, he had been
‘smiling with delight at the memory of the ranch.’
Steinbeck describes Lennie in this way to subtly
suggest that he, like an animal, reacts instinctively to
the immediate situation.
You delve deeper into the author’s
methods. You examine them as if under a
microscope, you:
A
Steinbeck writes about nature. He uses a metaphor
to show that Lennie is like an animal when Curley
‘stood crying, his fist lost in Lennie’s paw…’ This
shows that Lennie is dangerous and can perhaps be
unpredictable when, moments before, he had been
‘smiling with delight at the memory of the ranch.’
Steinbeck describes Lennie in this way to subtly
suggest that he, like an animal, reacts instinctively to
the immediate situation, but also forms a pattern of
behaviour which can traced throughout the novel and
leads to the death of Curley’s wife.
You weigh up how effective the method
is. You use your own judgements and
invent your own ways of looking at the
novel, you:
A*
Activities
Now, a crucial part of your revision is being able to complete high quality PEEs on
any given quotation of extract.
1.Write a list (two sides of A4) of the key quotations from the novella. Highlight or
underline the key vocabulary
2. Do high quality PEEs on your key quotations
10
Grade
Past Exam Questions
January 2011 – Exam Questions:
Question 21
Q21) Read the passage and then answer part (a) and part (b).
The old man was reassured. He had drawn a derogatory statement from George.
He felt safe now, and he spoke more confidently. ‘Wait’ll you see Curley’s wife.’
George cut the cards again and put out a solitaire lay, slowly and deliberately.
‘Purty?’ he asked casually.
‘Yeah. Purty ... but ––’
George studied his cards. ‘But what?’
‘Well – she got the eye.’
‘Yeah? Married two weeks and got the eye? Maybe that’s why Curley’s pants is
full of ants.’
‘I seen her give Slim the eye. Slim’s a jerkline skinner. Hell of a nice fella. Slim
don’t need to wear no high-heeled boots on a grain team. I seen her give Slim the
eye. Curley never seen it. An’ I seen her give Carlson the eye.’
George pretended a lack of interest. ‘Looks like we was gonna have fun.’
The swamper stood up from his box. ‘Know what I think?’ George did not answer.
‘Well, I think Curley’s married ... a tart.’
‘He ain’t the first,’ said George. ‘There’s plenty done that.’
The old man moved toward the door, and his ancient dog lifted his head and peered
about, and then got painfully to his feet to follow. ‘I gotta be settin’ out the wash
basins for the guys. The teams’ll be in before long. You guys gonna buck barley?’
‘Yeah.’
‘You won’t tell Curley nothing I said?’
‘Hell no.’
‘Well, you look her over, mister. You see if she ain’t a tart.’ He stepped out the
door into the brilliant sunshine.
Part (a)
(a) How does the writer use details in this passage to present Candy?
and then Part (b)
(b) How do other characters treat Candy in the novel and what does this show you
about the society in which he lives?
Foundation Support Ideas:
In Part (b) write about:
what the other characters say and do to Candy
what society was like at this time. (30 marks)
11
January 2012 – Exam Questions:
Question 21)
Read the following passage and then answer part (a) and part (b).
Both men glanced up, for the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off. A girl
was standing there looking in. She had full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes,
heavily made up. Her fingernails were red. Her hair hung in little rolled clusters, like
sausages. She wore a cotton house dress and red mules, on the insteps of which
were little bouquets of red ostrich feathers. ‘I’m lookin’ for Curley,’ she said. Her voice
had a nasal, brittle quality.
George looked away from her and then back. ‘He was in here a minute ago, but he
went.’
‘Oh!’ She put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that
her body was thrown forward. ‘You’re the new fellas that just come, ain’t ya?’
‘Yeah.’
Lennie’s eyes moved down over her body, and though she did not seem to be
looking
at Lennie she bridled a little. She looked at her fingernails. ‘Sometimes Curley’s in
here’, she explained.
George said brusquely, ‘Well he ain’t now.’
‘If he ain’t, I guess I better look some place else,’ she said playfully.
Lennie watched her, fascinated. George said, ‘If I see him, I’ll pass the word you was
looking for him.’
She smiled archly and twitched her body. ‘Nobody can’t blame a person for lookin’,’
she said. There were footsteps behind her, going by. She turned her head.
‘Hi, Slim,’ she said.
Part (a)
What do you learn about Curley’s wife from the details in the passage?
and then Part (b)
How do other characters treat Curley’s wife in the novel? What does this tell you
about attitudes towards women in the society in which she lives?
Foundation Support Ideas:
In part (b) write about:
what the other characters say and do to Curley’s wife
the methods Steinbeck uses to show attitudes towards women. (30 marks)
12