GCSE English Literature – Of Mice and Men
Mr C.’s Guide to Doing Very Well in the Exam!
Steinbeck was surely a wonderful guy! Really. This is what he said about the role of the writer when he
was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature; can you link this to ‘Of mice and Men’?
"The ancient commission of the writer has not changed. He is charged with exposing our many
grievous faults and failures, with dredging up to the light our dark and dangerous dreams for
the purpose of improvement."
Consider also his letter to the actress who first played Curley’s Wife in the stage version of the story. You
can see how important Steinbeck felt the job of the writer was.

The question on Of Mice and Men is in your English Literature exam. Make sure you have practised several
past exam questions before the real thing. The exam is NOT a practice!

The key to success in any English exam answer is to begin each paragraph with a sentence that, in some direct way, shows you
are trying to answer the exam question. You simply must focus on one of the bullet points or key words in the question itself. If
you do not, you will almost certainly drift from the question, lose focus, waffle… and lose far too many marks.

Try to remember that the exam is not an exercise in showing how much you know about the story itself: it is a test on your ability to interpret
the story. To connect the characters and the action to Steinbeck’s themes. Those characters and events are pure imagination. Yet made so
realistic that we are taken along with the story and we feel we are actually there. If you spend time in your answer simply ‘retelling’ or
‘explaining’ the surface level of the story… you will do very badly.

In a good answer, you will find yourself writing not so much about what is happening, but about interpreting how characters, settings and
other aspects of the story develop your appreciation of Steinbeck’s themes. You will also be choosing quotations to support the points you
make and you will go on to explain and discuss how and why the language of these quotations works on the reader.
Background
John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California in 1902. He studied biology but became a journalist and writer. His
most famous books were written in the 1930s and 1940s, and are set in California. They deal with the lives and
problems of working people. Many of the characters in his books are immigrants from other parts of the United
States or Mexico who went to California looking for work or a better life – to realise the ‘American Dream’.
Darwin and ‘Evolution’: the
animal instinct vs. human
capacity for reflection and
compassion.
When Steinbeck was writing, ideas of human evolution were taking a grip on society’s ways of thinking –
remember that Steinbeck was a biologist and would have been strongly influenced by these theories. It is worth
thinking about the character Slim as an example of a highly evolved human being – and then “grading” the
characters in a kind of evolutionary way. Which characters act with more basic animal instincts, and which with
more human reflective ways? Lennie, of course, is strongly affected by instinctive behaviour – but he can’t help
himself. What about the others? Which are “mice” and which are “men” in the evolutionary sense of these words.
The enduring, hypnotising effect
of hopes and dreams and…
especially the “American Dream”
From the 17th Century, when the first settlers began to arrive from Europe, they dreamed of a ‘New World’ and
the chance to start a better life – a place where hard work and ‘right-living’ would be rewarded; a place where a
new and better Christianity could exist, free of what they saw as ‘Old World’ corruption and immorality. But for
many this ‘American Dream’ became a ‘nightmare’: the horrors of slavery, of the American Civil War, the growth
of towns with slums as bad as those in Europe, and the corruption of the American political system led to many
shattered hopes. For the American society as a whole the dream ended with the Wall Street crash of 1929. This
was the start of the Great Depression that would affect the whole world during the 1930s.
However the dream survived for individuals. Forced by poverty and hope, thousands made their way west to
California to escape from the ruined and bankrupt farmlands in the mid-West – made worse by the ‘Great Dust
Bowl’ and increased mechanisation of farming. George and Lennie dreamt of their ‘little house and a couple of
acres’. The growing popularity of cinema was the last American Dream for many, Curley’s wife was one: ‘Coulda
been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes.’ Think about how Steinbeck begins his story creating a “dreamy image of
the American countryside around Salinas – we, the readers, are just as easily affected and influenced by “dreams”
as George and Lennie were. What might Steinbeck be saying about “dreams” and “hopes”?
Migrant Farm Workers – the poor,
the excluded, the down and outs,
the outsiders from mainstream
middle class society: the
underclass.
By the time ‘Of Mice and Men’ was published huge combine harvesters harvested almost half of America’s grain.
Five men could do what hundreds did a decade before. George and Lennie are some of the last of the migrant
farm workers. Huge numbers of men travelled the countryside between the 1880s and the early 1930s harvesting
wheat. They earned at most $3.00 a day, plus food and accommodation.
The Setting – always used for
more than merely a ‘sense of
place’! Never ignore the absolute
importance of setting to
Steinbeck’s narrative.
‘Of Mice and Men’ is set in the farmland of the Salinas valley in California, where John Steinbeck was born. His
father owned land in the area, and as a young man Steinbeck had worked as a farm hand. The ranch in the story
is near Soledad, which is south-east of Salinas on the Salinas river. Weed is nearby. The countryside described at
the beginning of the book, and the ranch itself, would have been very familiar to John Steinbeck.
Why ‘Of Mice and Men’ – an odd
name; a good reason. Who are
the mice? Who are the men? The
answer is a surprise.
Steinbeck took his title from a poem by the famous 18 th century Scots poet, Robbie Burns. In it he wrote:
The best laid schemes o’ mice and men
Gang aft agley [= often go wrong]
And leave us nought but grief and pain
For promised joy!
Think about why Steinbeck chose this title. What theme of the novel does the title convey? Who are
the ‘mice’ and who are the ‘men’, do you think? Is it really that clear? Is Curley a “man” or “mouse”,
for instance?
Section / Chapter 1
When and where does the story
begin and what is the importance
of this place?
The story is set during the 1930s ‘Great Depression’ in a peaceful wooded grove by a pool, five miles south of
Soledad, California. George tells Lennie of their dream to ‘live off the fatta the lan’ ‘; the two men decide to sleep
here but George remains awake for a while: he seems to need the feeling of freedom symbolised by Steinbeck’s
vivid description of the pool, the night air and the open sky. George tells Lennie to return to this place if there is
any trouble.
As with so many writers, Steinbeck relies on the literary device of contrast to help him shape the
meaning he wants his reader to gain from his words. We often understand a thing, not simply
because of what it is, but because of what it is not. Think about how contrasts such as ‘nature’ vs.
‘civilisation ’, ‘future hopes and dreams’ vs. ‘present reality’, ‘men’ vs. ‘women’, ‘employer’ vs. ‘
worker’, ‘Black’ vs. ‘White’, ‘rich’ vs. ‘poor’ are used and how the meaning we gain from each is
deepened by the contrasts used in the story.
How does the author establish
that Lennie is dependent on
George?
Lennie drinks water that might be stale and he pets a dead mouse that he killed: George is furious at him for
these things, which suggests the frustration he feels at having to look after Lennie, despite their close friendship.
We also learn that Lennie can’t be trusted to carry his work card.
Where have they come from and
why do they leave?
They had been chased out of their last job in Weed and been forced to hide all day in a ditch full of water: Lennie
had felt the soft velvet material of the boss’s daughter’s red dress as it reminded him of a comforter his Aunt
Clara had once given him but which he had lost. The girl became scared and screamed; this made Lennie hold on
all the more. This hints at the rough justice of that society, and despite a woman’s place being very secondary,
the male cowhands response to Lennie’s act is ironically predictable. This foreshadows several similar events
throughout the book with eventually inevitable consequences.
Twice during their stay at the
pond, lizards skitter by almost
unnoticed; later a water snake is
said to swim by. What could
these events symbolise?
The description of the Salinas valley is dreamlike and seduces the reader into forgetting what nature is really like
(‘red in tooth and claw’ said the poet, Tennyson, more realistically). The skittering lizards and snake should alert
us to the potential dangers of the place, but they probably fail to do so. Like Lennie and George’s dream, this
dreamlike place should alert the close reader to realise that such dreams can be very seductive and obscure
reality.
Why do we fail to see this place for what it is? Why do we have a need for these ‘dream-like’ ideas,
and fail to see the world for what it really is? What might Steinbeck be suggesting?
How does George feel his life
would be different without
Lennie? Yet, despite this, he still
looks after him. What reason do
you think he has to keep Lennie
around?
George states that he could be a typical ranch hand without Lennie to look after. He could get drunk at the bars
in town and use prostitutes with his pay, but Lennie prevents this; instead, Lennie keeps getting into trouble, and
they are forced to flee from ranch to ranch seeking new work, never settling anywhere, and never amassing any
savings
George needs Lennie for many reasons – can you think of a few? This should alert you to the fact that
George is no saint – just how close do you think he comes?
George and Lennie’s relationship is symbolic: of what? And how does it differ from other relationships
shown in the novel?
Lennie offers to leave George -
Lennie feels shame when George shows his anger. Lennie is mentally slow, but he shows that he has some sense
of his own rights (compare Crooks later and his ‘rights’): he says he will go to live in a cave in the Gabilan
mountains, where he will be able to keep mice. George reminds Lennie that he would surely starve or risk being
killed, points that Lennie is mentally unable to consider but serve as a reminder to us that nature is not the
dreamlike place we have been seduced into thinking it is.
how does George argue against
it? What can we establish about
Lennie’s character from this
threat?
What is the importance of their
dream to get their own place and
‘live off the fatta the lan’?
The dream provides the men with hope: a future hope contrasted against a bleak present. This story takes place
during the 1930s ‘Great Depression’, when many workers had been displaced and forced to travel away from
home to find work. A series of excessively dry winters and springs and summer drought coupled with poor
farming methods had also led to the ‘Great Dust Bowl’ in parts of middle America, forcing yet more workers out
of jobs – work was promised in California, but it was scarce and poorly paid, as this story shows.
The dream never does become reality. Why might Steinbeck allow it to come to nothing?
What is the function of mice and
how does it relate to Steinbeck’s
themes?
Lennie uses mice as a comforter, but he doesn’t realise the cruelty he is inflicting. He simply acts selfishly.
Consider the use of men in the book, by whom and for what purpose. Lennie has a reason to act the way he
does. Do others?
Section 2
Candy tells George why Whitey
left. We learn that Whitey tried
to keep himself decent, but
finally quitting over ‘the food’.
Candy says that he demanded,
‘Just ‘gimme my time’ one night,
the way any guy would.’ What is
important about Whitey’s
departure? What do we learn
about ranch hands, and their
prospects?
Ranch hands can never be well off; and they can’t hope to keep themselves physically clean. Perhaps Whitey
dressed up on Sundays to observe the Lord’s day: the Christian Sabbath. He had no church to go to, however,
and religion and hope seem lost on the men (notice, ironically, that a common expletive used throughout the
story is ‘Jesus Christ!)’. Also, importantly, the fact Whitey left suddenly suggests that the life of a ranch hand is a
transient existence, with no stability or chance to make a better life. Contrast this with Lennie and George’s plan
to settle down, a plan that eventually involves Candy, and for a time, Crooks, too: the reader is given a sense of
hope and warmth for these unfortunate and lonely characters.
Think about Whitey’ s existence and actions and what Candy says about him. What is Steinbeck’s
purpose at this point?
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Page 2
What is the significance of the
fact that the boss gets angry
with Crooks for things that are
not his fault? What is important
about the fight Smitty and
Crooks have (p.21)?
The boss, like so many people in this period, sees black people almost as a lower form of life: American civil
rights laws were, right up until 1964, ‘pro-white’. The boss is said by Candy to be to be a ‘decent’ guy, but even
many ‘decent’ guys were racist in those days. The character of Crooks is used by Steinbeck to illustrate the
powerlessness of black people, as a part of one of the novel’s themes: society’s intolerance to anyone on the
‘outside’ or in a minority, or just ‘different’ from the accepted white, physically strong, male, middle class ‘norm’
power holders of society. Smitty’s fight with Crooks, despite his back being crippled by a horse kick, is also
indicative of this theme, with the other ranch hands just letting the fight happen. The men’s frustration,
loneliness and anger at their situation are directed at poking fun at Crooks.
Why does Candy say that the Boss is a ‘decent guy? What does this suggest about that society? Can
you relate this at all to our present day society?
What does the boss suspect
when George talks ‘for Lennie’?
Why? What does this tell us
about the kind of society that
Steinbeck creates in his novel?
He suspects George is ‘using’ Lennie: that he is taking his pay and cheating on him. He is quite unable to
understand that George could be looking after someone less fortunate than himself: ‘…What you sellin’?’ he says.
He suspects this, in part, because men don’t usually travel together; maybe this also suggests homophobia,
which motivates most men to keep a distance from each other and to channel their conversation and actions into
macho themes. Steinbeck uses these incidents to paint a picture of a lonely society where men feel bound to act
in stereotypical macho ways, expected to be strong, quiet, and independent. Characters that act like stereotypes
are to be found throughout the novel: Steinbeck uses them to force his reader to confront the problems
stereotyping can cause for society.
Do you feel the need to conform to any kind of stereotype? How does it make you feel? Where in
society does the pressure come form?
What is Curley’s reaction to
Lennie? What does he mean
when he says, ‘Oh, so it’s that
Curley probably feels intimidated by Lennie’s size; Curley has been a prize-fighter, but he is a physically small.
He implies that George and Lennie are homosexual; this shows intolerance to those different from the white,
middle-class macho male norm, a theme that pervades the whole story. George’s response shows that he can
rise above, such suggestions, even to mock them – quite a risk considering Curley could ‘can him ’ on the spot.
George, unlike Curley, is able to have open and honest relationships with other men as is shown when he meets
Slim later.
What other examples of intolerance can you think of in the story?
way...’? What is significant about
George’s response, ‘Yeah, it’s
that way.’?
Why is everybody afraid of
Curley? Why is George initially
afraid to let Lennie hit Curley?
Curley is a boxer – a prize-fighter. To prove himself, owing to his small size, he likes to fight, to show that he is
‘tough’. He is also the Boss’s son. Lennie is unbelievably strong, and could hurt Curley easily.
Have you ever met a Curley type character? Why might Steinbeck have created such a character?
Why does Curley wear a glove
full of ‘Vaseline’? Why does
Curley brag about it and what
does this say about his
character?
Curley wears the Vaseline-filled glove to keep one hand soft for sexually petting his wife. The fact that Curley so
obviously brags about this suggests he is insecure sexually and needs to prove he is ‘a man’. George thinks this
‘a dirty thing to tell around’, suggesting he is far more moral and self-assured – ironic considering Curley’s
superior social position. It also shows that George respects women.
Describe Slim’s first real
appearance to George and
Lennie.
When Slim comes into the bunkhouse the first time, he is described as being ‘majestic’ and ‘graceful’l; he is
authoritative, respected, insightful, talented, kind and competent. Steinbeck shows him as an ‘ideal’ to measure
the other men in the story against.
What is Steinbeck’s purpose in creating such a character?
Why is Lennie’s last name both
ironic and symbolic?
His last name is Small, which is ironic because Lennie is big and powerful; however, his child like, innocent mind
is small. While others, especially Curley, regard Lennie as a threat, Lennie is really small. He is like the mice he
pets: weak and at the mercy of those with power and knowledge in society.
What insight does Slim show
concerning George and Lennie
travelling together? What does
this suggest about society, and
about his own character?
Slim wonders why men don’ t travel together: ‘Maybe ever’body in the whole damned world is scared of each
other.’ He recognises the danger in a society that measures men against so macho an image and he shows the
intolerance that is bred by such stereotypical views.
Which characters in the novel are lonely and ‘scared’ of each other? How is this shown?
What does Slim do with four of
the pups from his dog, right
away? Is this symbolic?
He drowns four pups because he knows that his dog can’t nurse so many – in nature death is normal; but
humans should surely be better than this so when Carlson later acts by instinct we should consider how near to
being an animal he acts. Steinbeck shows the unfairness of life and the nature of humanity, where competition
forces winners and losers. The puppies that die are as good as the ones who live, but randomness forces them to
be chosen to suffer (consider also the heron eating the water snake, and Lennie killing the mice: instinctive
behaviour is a part of nature – but humans have something animals do not – a conscience. What kind of
conscience does Carlson, Curley and others show?.
What might Steinbeck be hinting at? Why isn’t Slim the owner of the ranch?
What does Carlson suggest to
Slim about Candy’s dog? What is
the significance of the dog to the
story?
Carlson says the dog ‘stinks’ and is ‘too old’: a nuisance to itself and the men in the bunkhouse; that it would be
‘best for it’ if it were put out of its misery and ‘replaced’ by a young fit puppy. Steinbeck uses Carlson’s old dog to
foreshadow other events and themes in the story: strength versus weakness, age versus youth, usefulness
versus uselessness, and so on.
What kind of a character is Carlson depicted as and why?
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Page 3
Section 3
During the opening, while
George and Slim talk, we hear
again the clang of horseshoes.
We know that the men are
playing horseshoes, but what
dramatic significance could the
clanging sound have?
The ‘occasional clangs’ of the horseshoes are a little reminiscent of a tolling church bell and a knelling bell is often
used as a symbol that foreshadows death and sadness. The sound is described in a way that this feeling grows as
the story progresses; it occurs again at various points – acting as a motif that presages bad news; it occurs again
in Chapter 6 when Lennie kills Curley’s wife.
While talking to Slim, what does
George ashamedly admit to him
about what he did to Lennie as a
younger man?
George feels able to be very open with Slim; not surprisingly, he has a deep longing to talk to someone – talking
to Lennie is very difficult and the other men limit their conversation mainly to ‘macho’-type talk. George admits
to taking advantage of Lennie’s child-like mind, telling of how Lennie, like a faithful dog, followed his orders and
jumped into a river, even though he couldn’t swim; he almost drowned. Lennie forgot who had asked him to
jump, and was simply grateful to George for saving his life.
Why does Carlson want to kill
Candy’s dog?
Carlson seems to mean well enough, but really, he is only thinking of himself. The dog is troublesome to him,
even though the reader sees it as harmless. Steinbeck points out self-centred, pitiless and intolerant nature of
human society: major themes of the novel.
Carlson’s character seems to represent a common enough kind of male – maybe the norm for most
men on the ranch – perhaps in the world at large, too? What is Steinbeck trying to say?
Why does Steinbeck have Slim
support killing the dog, and say
Steinbeck perhaps wished to remind readers that life is tough for those not physically fit; maybe a way out is
death. In humans this is called euthanasia. Slim, while a good person, is not God; and he recognises the unhappy
truth that life is filled with suffering and loss, and that answers are not easy. Steinbeck wanted the reader to
realise that there is no room for sentiment for its own sake.
that he, himself, would want to
be killed if he became old and
crippled?
What is the importance to the
themes of the novel of the ranch
hand’s letter in the magazine?
Getting ‘into print’, like Curley’s wife’s dreaming of being ‘in pitchers’, shows how fame – even transient and
meaningless – is important to people without real power themselves. It symbolises a deep (but pathetic) hope for
success. The workers’ economic class, however, ensures that they will not easily – if ever – escape their poverty.
Where does Whit invite George
to go? How is this place different
from the other place? What does
Susy mean when she says,
‘There’s guys around here
walking bow-legged ‘cause they
like to look at a kewpie-doll
lamp.’? In general, other than
the obvious, why do men go to
this place?
Whit invites George to go with the other ranch hands to Susy’s brothel. It is said to be different from Clara’s
brothel because the alcohol is better, and the ‘girls’ are ‘better’; in addition, Susy is said to be a more pleasant
woman. By ‘bow-legged’, Susy is warning the men that the prostitutes in the other brothel have sexually
transmitted diseases (STD’s): she is trying to keep her customers - with no chance to find real girlfriends, the
men go to the brothel because they are lonely, frustrated and need company.
Think about the women in the novel: Lennie’s aunt, the prostitutes, the owners of the brothels and
bars, and Curley’s wife. What is Steinbeck’s purpose in so narrowly representing women in this story?
And just why do these men go to such places?
How does Candy agree to
contribute to Lennie and
George’s plans to buy their own
farm? Why is he motivated to
help? What is he afraid of on the
ranch?
Candy agrees to put in the compensation he received for losing his hand – $350; having no family, he also
promises to leave everything to George and Lennie in his will. He is old and disabled: he fears for his future. He
is another symbol of the fact that, in society, we often cast out all that is not of use or ‘normal’.
When Candy first appears, we do not learn his name. He is the ‘old swamper’ (i.e. a cleaner). Why
does Steinbeck hold back his name for so long?
What is the farm they want a
symbol of? Why does this mean
they can never achieve it?
The farm is a symbol of freedom – a kind of Biblical ‘paradise’. These are idealistic dreams: such places do not
exist in real life. Indeed, if George got his ranch – how long before it becomes like this ranch? Here, Steinbeck is
using a worldly object - a farm and ‘‘livin’ off the fatta the lan’’ to illustrate a frequently recurring idea in people’s
minds: that of an ideal world – a Utopia. But the word Utopia actually means (from the Greek) ‘no place’ – such a
place is a fiction.
We all have idealised views of many aspects of life against which we measure reality. Of course,
reality will always fall short. The idealised description at the opening of the novel is an example.
What might Steinbeck be trying to suggest to his reader about idealism? What might be the root of
such idealism?
What is the importance of
Candy recognises the unavoidable need for mercy (and perhaps realises that Carlson was – partly – right?), but
fears that his dog’s death was not as merciful as he would have hoped; or at least he failed to take the
responsibility on himself. He feels it was his responsibility to kill his own dog, out of the love he felt for it and to
protect it from more suffering than is absolutely necessary. Similarly, at the end of the story, George (bravely?)
decides that he must be the one to shoot Lennie rather than leave Lennie to the lynching party and the cruelty of
Curley.
How does our society deal with death? What kinds of responsibility do we pass on to others? What is
the effect of this to our society? Could it / should it be different?
Candy’s comment to George, ‘I
ought to have shot that dog
myself, George. I shouldn’t
ought to have let no stranger
shoot my dog’? How does this
foreshadow the end of the story?
Section 4
In what way is Crooks’ quality of
life better than that of the ranch
hands?
Being black, he is segregated from the white workers, so – ironically - has more space, privacy and possessions.
Being a permanent employee also means that he is able to amass possessions and educate himself.
What does this mean for Crooks?
Why does Lennie visit Crooks,
when no one is supposed to visit
him?
Lennie doesn’t understand racism, and he is lonely because George has gone to town.
Why does Steinbeck use this episode? What is he trying to suggest about sophisticated society and
education?
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Page 4
What does Crooks suggest to
Lennie? What almost happens?
Why does Crooks do this?
As when Lennie tries to ‘get one over on George’ and blackmail him over living in the hills, Crooks enjoys ‘getting
one over’ on Lennie by scaring him that George might not come back. Scoring points in this way is a bull’s tactic.
Lennie, protecting of George, whom he loves, gets angry and almost strikes Crooks. Crooks is angry at society
for oppressing him so severely. Lennie is unusual, because though he is white, he is ‘weaker’ than Crooks, and
Crooks takes the opportunity to pass along some abuse, to take it out on someone else.
What is the importance of
Crooks’ comment, ‘Books ain’t no
good. A guy needs somebody - to
be near him.... A guy goes nuts if
he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make
no difference who the guy is,
lounge’s he’s with you. I tell ya
... a guy gets too lonely an’ he
gets sick.’?
Crooks states the problem for men like those on the ranch: their need for distance and fear of each other has
made them all sick in a way; they can’t be sensitive or emotional; they can’t be human; they must always appear
‘strong’ others, or be cast out. Crooks desperately needs companionship and equality. He has the intelligence of
any of them, but, because he is black, he is an outcast. His books are the Bible and the California civil code.
These are books of ‘law’.
Why does Crooks conceal his
pleasure with anger when Candy
comes in? What ironic thing does
Candy say to Crooks, considering
Crooks’ complaints about
loneliness?
Of course, Crooks wants – needs – visitors. Candy tells Crooks, ‘Must be nice to have a room all to yourself this
way.’ It’s ironic because Crooks hates it.
What does Crooks offer to Candy
(and Lennie) in regards to the
He offers to work for them only for food and shelter, and offers to work hard. He wants to escape. He also thinks
he will have companionship.
What does this suggest about Crook’s life on the ranch?
land they want to get? Why?
So why does Crooks say that ‘books ain’t no good’?
When Curley’s wife says, ‘They
left all the weak ones here…’,
who is she talking about? How
does this add to the theme of
intolerance? How are the men
‘the same’?
She means Lennie, Candy, Crooks: the cast-offs from ranch society, the retarded Lennie; the black Crooks; old
disabled Candy.
While still in Crooks’ room, what
does Curley’s wife complain of
that men do to her when in
groups?
Individually, she says, men are pleasant to her, but when in a group, they are cruel. This alludes to society,
where groups and institutions (gangs, banks, companies, governments, etc.) act in ways that few individuals
would ever do. She correctly suggests that men are scared of each other, distrustful of others and enjoy taking
advantage.
How might this transmit into a message about society?
Steinbeck gave his own word to this ‘group mentality’: a ‘phalanx’. He worried deeply about this
feature of human existence. What ‘phalanxes’ do you know of, and how does it show its effect?
How does Curley’s wife react
She tells Crooks she could have him lynched – hanged without trial. This reminds us of Lennie and George
running from Weed, and foreshadows later events. This appears to be an ugly side to Curley’s wife’s personality,
but it echoes the scene when Crooks provoked Lennie. She struck out for once because she found a little power:
she is oppressed, and lashed out against someone weaker – a common but unfortunate human weakness.
As she rightly says – she could have Crooks lynched. Think about this. Women are powerless in this
society – yet this is an example of enormous power. Consider and discuss.
when Crooks tells her to leave?
Why does she do this?
Which other ‘weak one’ has been left behind, ironically?
Where have the men gone and for what purpose?
Section 5
What has happened to Lennie’s
puppy? What does Lennie finally
admit to himself about how it
happened?
The puppy is dead; Lennie killed it, just like the mice. He recognises that it is his own carelessness that is to
blame. The death of the puppy sets the passage’s tone, foreshadowing the death of Curley’s wife.
Why are we shown Lennie being angry at the puppy for dying? Are we ever irrational in this way –
blaming things rather than ourselves? Lennie has good reason – do we?
What is the dramatic importance of this scene?
Why does Curley’s wife come to
see Lennie?
Curley’s wife comes into the barn and pleads with Lennie to talk to her because she is desperately lonely. She
finally has someone to open up to – just as George did with Slim.
What do we learn about Curley’s wife’s relationship with her new husband?
What is suggested by what Curley’s wife tells Lennie?
What event in her life does
Curley’ s wife tell Lennie? How
true is this likely to be?
A man promised her that she would make a naturally good actress, and that he would get her into the movies.
He promised that he would write to her, but he didn’t.
Was this merely a lie to try to seduce her?
Why does Steinbeck include this information about Curley’s wife?
Why did she marry Curley?
Women couldn’t find good jobs easily, especially in the depression; consequently, women were very much like
men’s property, or children, utterly dependent upon their family or husband.
Remember that they were married just two weeks before the events in the story. What does this add
to what you feel about her and Curley?
S J Campsall 2001 (Rev. 03/03/2016) – OMAM Revision Notes
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How do things go wrong?
Lennie begins to get excited as he pets Curley’s wife’s hair - maybe because she is very pretty, and though
Lennie may not understand it, he is sexually attracted to her.
What evidence do we have that this is the case?
What might this suggest about the way society should deal with people like Lennie?
Curley’s wife complains when Lennie gets carried away and becomes frightened; Lennie gets scared, holding onto
to her because that is his instinctive, animal like, reaction when he is scared (compare what he does to the mice,
the red dress, the puppy, Curley’s fist).
After Curley’s wife is killed, a
pigeon flies upwards out of the
barn. What does this symbolise?
It acts as a kind of symbol of release – finally her soul has found the freedom she longed for and deserved but
could never have in this society. In a way, the flight of the pigeon brings to completion one of the themes of the
novel: a means of finding Utopia, in heaven. Secondly, the flying bird symbolises the hopes and dreams of
Lennie, Candy and George: now gone forever. Steinbeck again uses animals and nature to parallel, and subtly
illustrate, the meaning of the plot’s events. The release George sought by the pool right at the beginning of the
story was another example of the effect of repression these people suffered.
What does George say he will
now do? Why does he decide
this, when he doesn’t need to?
How will his character change?
He abandons his dream, and will spend his money, like the others, on beer and prostitutes. He has abandoned
hope, a hope that will soon die anyway with Lennie. At the entrance to Hell is a large sign, wrote the famous
Renaissance Italian poet, Dante, in his poem, ‘The Inferno’; it says: ‘Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here’. In
some ways Steinbeck shows that for many, life on earth is a living hell in which hope might as well be
abandoned.
What does Curley state that he
will do to Lennie? Why is this
important to characterising
Curley?
Curley wants Lennie to die slowly and painfully: for anger, or revenge? Curley does not love his wife: she was an
object for him to show off and use; and he hated Lennie for breaking his hand. Curley symbolises the mean and
revengeful side of mankind.
Like all good writers, Steinbeck creates a narrative in which a bond of empathy between the reader and the
‘goodies’ or ‘heroes’ occurs – Slim and George. But are the ‘villains’ so different from you and I? Really? Why do
we always associate with the ‘good guys’? Is life so simple?
In what ways is this story a kind of mythical ‘fairy tale’ – why does Steinbeck create it this way?
Why does Steinbeck show the
other men being so bloodthirsty?
The men are competitive and the thrill – or hysteria – of danger and of ‘the hunt’, and of having the power to kill
another, supersedes any compassion they hold towards Lennie. Steinbeck uses this scene to remind the reader of
men’s basic nature and to contrast against the natures of noble men such as George and Slim.
Section 6
What is the dramatic importance
of the heron eating the water
snake? How is this consistent
with Steinbeck’s style?
Predator eats prey: a scene that foreshadows the death of Lennie and one that strongly echoes the opening
scene of the book, but now with dark undertones as the heron devours the snake. In the story, Steinbeck has
often used animal imagery. As suggested before, Tennyson, the nineteenth century poet, called nature ‘red in
tooth and claw’: maybe Steinbeck includes mankind in this raw view of Nature; perhaps he wishes us to realise
how close to instinctive animal behaviour human behaviour can be. And yet, we must remember that Steinbeck
would have, as a biologist, have been very aware of the theories of evolution. It must have saddened him that
many humans still acted instinctively – that they were still so very close the the animal kingdom, from which
they have evolved.
Why is this such a sad reflection on humanity? What is the difference between humans and animals?
Consider Lennie when you work out your answer.
How does George distract Lennie
while he prepares to kill him?
He tells Lennie to look across the river, to try to ‘see’ the farm they dream of buying.
What is the effect of this on the reader? And what is Steinbeck’s purpose?
What admission and reassurance
does George make to Lennie, one
that he had never done before?
George explains carefully to Lennie that he has never truly been angry with him. He wants to make final and
complete peace with Lennie before his death. George feels that he has failed Lennie, and loves him deeply. Killing
Lennie is purely an act of love and mercy, with no anger or revenge, just deep and unremitting sorrow.
Why did he do it?
What does this tell us about George’s feelings about his part in what has happened to Lennie?
Why does Steinbeck let Carlson
have the last word?
Think of the kind of character Carlson portrays and think of some reasons why Steinbeck allows this kind of ‘bully
boy’ character to speak in this way.
Why such a tragically sad
ending?
Over to you…
Finally… before you go into the exam, think especially hard about:
The themes of the story (these are the ideas and thoughts about life and society that you are left with when you
finish the story – the way Steinbeck explores ideas such as the effect of dreams, of friendship and loneliness, of
poverty, of ownership and property, of violence, of the ‘outsider’, of power, of racism, of sexism and of society’s
hierarchy):
-
What literary devices (i.e. ways) does Steinbeck use to try to convince his reader to “see things his way”
concerning these themes – that is, to believe in the same thing he believes in? For example:



Consider how characters are created and used and how this helps us understand these themes.
Consider the effects of the style of the writing in achieving this: the use of two kinds of description
(realistic and ‘lyrical’), the use of speech/dialogue (esp. dialect), and the use of a third-person
narrator (a believable, trustworthy educated voice that ‘knows all’).
Consider the structure of the story – how it unfolds from beginning to end and what effect this has on
the reader’s ways of thinking.
S J Campsall 2001 (Rev. 03/03/2016) – OMAM Revision Notes
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