GCSE STUDY PACK
OF MICE AND MEN
BY
JOHN STEINBECK
from ZigZag Education
resources@zigzageducation.co.uk
www.zigzageducation.co.uk
CONTENTS
Teacher's Notes
Plot Summary
Dreams
Reality
Interview with John Steinbeck
Storyboards
Letters from Year 11
Writing Tasks
2
3
8
17
19
25
33
45
These sheets may only be copied by the purchasing institution for their own use.
P11
Teacher's Notes.
This pack provides materials for the teaching and study of 'Of Mice and Men'. The aim is to
create interesting source materials that can be used in a variety of ways. The contents are
naturally differentiated. The plot summary and storyboard sections, for example, can be used
to support less able students by giving them background knowledge of the action of the text,
thereby making it easier to understand. For the more able student they can be used to
stimulate discussion or as a basis for writing tasks, drama and analysis.
The 'Dreams and Reality' section provides a general introduction to the themes of the text. It
considers these themes in general and in relation to the novel itself. Use this section to
stimulate thinking of the overall message of the story either before or after the pupils have
read the text.
The 'Interview with John Steinbeck' focuses mainly on characterisation, while the 'Letters
From Year 11' are more general. Each letter focuses on a particular area for revision and some
suggested tasks are given.
The informal style of this resource is user-friendly and makes it an interesting read in itself.
It provides teaching materials that can be easily adapted to meet the needs of all students. It
can also be used as a revision pack which could be used independently by the student in the run
up to the GCSE exam.
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Plot Summary.
Chapter 1
Opening
George Milton and Lennie Smart are two itinerant labourers. They go from ranch to ranch getting work
where they can. The story opens with George and Lennie resting by a water pool before trying their luck
at their next place of work. There is no guarantee that they will be taken on although they are
recommended by the employment agency Murray and Ready.
George’s advice to Lennie
George tells Lennie to be on his best behaviour in his new job. He feels responsible for Lennie, a giant
of a man with the brain of a devious and irresponsible child. The pair had to flee their last place, Weed,
because Lennie, fascinated by the material from which a woman’s red dress, was made, stroked it and
held on when she cried rape.
George stresses to Lennie to keep his mouth shut and let him do the talking when they get to the ranch.
He knows from experience that what Lennie says and does, gets them “canned”, i.e. fired. This has
caused them hardship because they lose wages and are unable to save up for a down payment on a piece
of land that they both dream about. George then tells Lennie to hide in this place, “the brush”, if he
gets into any trouble at their next workplace.
What is your first impression of George and of Lennie?
How realistic is their dream?
Chapter 2
At the ranch
The ranch boss is suspicious of the two workers travelling together. This is practically unheard of. He
hints that George is exploiting Lennie, perhaps taking his wages. George explains that Lennie is a hell of
a worker - he could buck barley at the rate of several men, but he is not very bright and prefers to
leave the talking to George. The boss seems unconvinced, but leaves it at that.
The bunkhouse
George and Lennie are taken to the bunkhouse, or workers’ sleeping quarters, by Candy an old, disabled
cleaner or “swamper”, who is nearing the end of his useful, working life on the ranch. Candy is
accompanied by an elderly, half–blind, “moth-eaten” dog. While in the bunkhouse, the boss' son, Curley,
arrives. He is hostile to George and particularly to Lennie. When he leaves, Candy explains that this is
because Curley is small and he "hates big guys". Although Curley is an amateur boxer, George tells Candy
that he would get hurt if he "messes" with Lennie. Nevertheless he warns Lennie to stay away from
Curley unless Curley hits him, in which case Lennie should "Let 'im have it".
Curley's wife (whose name is never revealed) also makes an appearance in the bunkhouse. Candy has
already described her as a "tart" and her behaviour in the bunkhouse would certainly have been
considered inappropriate for a woman in that era. Lennie is soon warned by George to stay away from
her too. Slim and Carlson also make an appearance in the bunkhouse and the character of Stable Buck is
introduced by the distant cry of "Where the hell is that God damn nigger?"
The chapter closes with George seemingly agitated and the reader is aware of the potential for his plan
to go badly astray.
Why do you think it is unusual for two workers to stick together?
What is your first impression of Curley’s wife?
Why do you think George seems nervous about this job?
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Chapter 3
George tells Slim his story
George and Slim sit at the card table and talk. Very soon George opens up and tells how he and Lennie
ended up travelling together and what happened in Weed.
Candy's dog gets shot
The other ranchers arrive in the bunkhouse. Very soon Carlson starts to complain about the
overpowering stink of Candy's old dog. He suggests that Candy let him shoot it, arguing that he is so old
and in such poor health that it is cruel to keep him alive. Candy looks for support, particularly from
Slim, but none is forthcoming. There is a brief conversational interlude but pretty soon Carlson forces
the issue by getting out his gun and offering to shoot the dog right away. Candy has no choice but to
agree and he lets the dog go without argument. There is a tense period while everyone waits for the
gunshot. When it eventually comes, Candy says nothing but turns away from everyone in the room,
clearly hurt.
Candy buys into the dream
Later, when it is quieter in the bunkhouse, conversation between George and Lennie inevitably turns to
their dream of getting a stake together and living off the "fatta the lan'". Pretty soon Candy is making
enquiries and offers to put up $350 towards the land on the condition that he could live there too.
Candy is nearing the end of his working life, so for him the dream offers an alternative to his otherwise
grim prospects. It doesn't take long for the three of them to start believing that they could really
make this happen and to start fantasising about how life will be for them. When the other ranchers
come back, George warns Candy and Lennie not to tell everyone about their plans. Brought back to
reality by this, Candy confides to George that he feels that:
"I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn't ought to of let no stranger shoot my
dog."
Lennie crushes Curley's hand
Curley comes into the bunkhouse with Slim. He is angry because his wife is nowhere to be found and he
is looking for a fight. Slim is too well respected for Curley to try anything with, and when he tries to
pick a fight with Carlson he is thwarted by the assertion that he is too "yellow" to fight him. His gaze
falls on Lennie and he thinks he has spotted his victim. Straight away, he attacks by backing Lennie into
a wall and throwing punches at his face. Lennie's hands hang at his side and he calls out for George to
stop Curley. Instead George yells at Lennie to fight back. As soon as this message gets through to him
(and it takes a while), Lennie grabs Curley's hand mid-punch and crushes it in his own. When Lennie lets
go, Curley's hand is in a state and he has to be taken to hospital. Before he leaves, Slim tells him that
he should tell everyone he got his hand stuck in a machine or they'd make sure everyone knew he was
beaten by an idiot. Curley meekly agrees to this.
Do you agree that it was better to shoot the old dog? Why?
Do you think Lennie is a violent man?
Chapter 4
Crooks' room
Crooks is sitting in his room rubbing ointment into his bad back. He has a lot of possessions and his room
is neat and tidy, although it is situated by the manure heap. It is a Saturday night and most of the men
have gone into town to visit the whorehouse. When Lennie arrives in the doorway Crooks is initially
angry, feeling that his rights (the only one he has: a space to live in and noone to disturb him) are being
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compromised. Crooks tells Lennie how he isn't allowed into the bunkhouse because he is black and so he
doesn't allow anyone into his space either. In reality, no-one except Slim and the boss has ever wanted
to enter his room until now and if they had he would have been powerless to stop them. However, he
soon allows Lennie to come in and begins to question him about his relationship with George - something
that clearly intrigues everyone on the ranch. Crooks deduces that George must put up with Lennie so
that he can tell him anything he wants because Lennie doesn't understand. Pretty soon, Crooks is trying
this tactic himself and he begins to torment Lennie by imagining he had to live the same kind of lonely
life as Crooks does, without George to look after him. Lennie's response to this is typically aggressive
but Crooks quickly spots the impending danger and manages to avert it. He tells Lennie just how lonely
his life is, with no-one to confide in and only his own judgement to rely on. He remembers his childhood
with the companionship of his brothers on a farm and how his father didn't like them playing with white
children: a sentiment he has come to understand now he has experience of life as the only black person
in town. Crooks is cynical when Lennie tells him about the plan, saying:
"Ever'body wants a little piece of lan'. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to
heaven, and nobody gets no land. It's just in their head."
Candy joins Crooks and Lennie
When Candy arrives, looking for Lennie, he is initially uncomfortable about coming into Crooks' room. He
observes that both he and Crooks have been on the ranch a long time but he has never come into his
room before. This reminds us just how isolated Crooks is compared to the other men who have to live
together in one room but with each other for company. Once inside though, Candy, Crooks and Lennie
begin to talk about the possibility of getting land once again. Candy and Lennie are convinced that it will
happen, despite Crooks' initial scorn. Candy describes a life of working for other people and never
reaping any of the rewards: probably the same life story as most of the ranchers. When he reveals to
Crooks how close he has come to changing that fate, Crooks asks to join them. Like Candy, he doesn't
have much of a future on the ranch and the thought of being a free man sounds very tempting.
Curley's wife threatens Crooks
Almost inevitably, Curley's wife soon appears in Crooks' doorway on the pretext of looking for Curley.
Candy responds to her insults with anger, having been emboldened by the prospect of escaping the
ranch. For a short while the men are united against her. Curley's wife soon tips the balance of power
back in her favour though, when Crooks attempt to send her out of his room. She attacks him
venomously, saying, "You keep your place, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain't
even funny". When Candy tries to defend his comrade, she brushes him aside, confident in the
knowledge that nobody would listen to what he had to say. The only way these three powerless men can
get rid of Curley's wife is by warning her that the other men are back. In the aftermath of her words
Crooks is diminished a little, although not enough that he forgets the men are in his room. He wants
them to leave as he has been brutally reminded of the reality of his position, something that he had
managed to forget for a short while.
George arrives
By the time George appears Crooks has lost any of his friendliness towards Lennie and Candy, and is
back to his aloof self. George only compounds Crook's isolation by his obvious displeasure at Lennie and
Candy. As they leave, Crooks tells Candy he wouldn't want to join them on their farm. He resumes his
original position on the bed, rubbing ointment into his disfigured back. George is angry at Candy for
telling others about the plan. He doesn't want to share the dream with anyone else.
What impression do you get of Crooks?
Why is it so difficult for ranchers to get their own land?
Why do you think Curley’s wife behaves as she does?
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Chapter 5
Lennie kills Curley's wife
In this chapter things go wrong from the outset. Lennie has killed the puppy he was tending and is
worried that George will be so upset he won't let him tend the rabbits. Whether Lennie really thinks
this is, of course, open to debate as he seems to be aware that George has proved consistent so far and
won't leave him, no matter what he does. However, Lennie doesn't want to tell George what has
happened and he is so angry about it he even hurls the dead puppy through the air in frustration. By the
time Curley's wife arrives he is back to his original position, sitting on the floor, stroking the puppy.
Lennie knows he is not supposed to talk to her and tells her so but she just ignores him and settles
herself down to talk to him. She argues that there's no reason why she shouldn't and that she is lonely.
Before long she is telling Lennie the story of how she ended up on the ranch, married to Curley, who she
says, "ain't a nice fella". She lives in a fantasy world of what could have been, in which she sees herself
as a potential movie star a world away from where she is now. When she invites Lennie to touch her hair
trouble soon follows. Lennie, unable to handle physical contact, soon grabs her hair and frightens her.
When she screams he only knows one way to make her stop: by covering her nose and mouth. When
Lennie realises she is dead he is aware that he has "done a bad thing" and he heads off for the brush,
where George told him to hide.
The discovery of Curley's wife
Candy discovers her body when he seeks out Lennie to make more plans. He immediately fetches George
who, for once, doesn't seem to know what to do. He knows it is the end of the line for him and Lennie
and that they can't run away from this one. For Candy and George the dream lies in tatters. George
starts to act by going to ready himself. He puts on a hat and coat and at this point he must have got
Carlson's gun. He appears with the rest of the ranchers when they discover what has happened. George
tries to defend Lennie and begs that they don't shoot him, but Curley is hell-bent on revenge.
Does knowing the story of Curley’s wife make you more sympathetic to her?
To what extent do you think Lennie is responsible for his actions?
Chapter 6
Lennie waits for George
The scene has come full circle and Lennie waits for George in the clearing where they camped at the
beginning of the story. He knows he is in trouble and feels guilty for letting George down. He
experiences strange visions of his Aunt Clara and a giant rabbit: both make him feel even more guilty.
George's arrival
Lennie perks up as soon as George arrives and begins to go through the usual routine for when he has
done something wrong, threatening to run away to the mountains, safe in the knowledge that George
won't let him. In the distance is the approaching sound of the men searching for Lennie. George makes
Lennie turn away and look across the river as he recites the details of their dream one last time. Lennie
is clearly unaware of his impending doom but, as the sound of the men draws nearer, George is running
out of time. He tells Lennie he's not angry with him, then raises the gun to his head and shoots him.
The men burst into the clearing shortly afterwards to find George, staring in shock at his hand, having
thrown the gun on the floor. When the gun is recognised as Carlson's, the men infer that Lennie must
have taken it and George wrestled it from him. George agrees with this and is led away by Slim for a
drink.
Why do you think George kills Lennie?
Do you think this was the best thing to do? Why?
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Time Line.
Put the events on the Time Line in the correct order.
George & Lennie
camp in "the brush"
George
shoots Lennie
1. Candy's dog is shot
2. Lennie kills Curley's wife
3. Lennie crushes Curley's hand
4. Lennie and Candy sit in Crooks' room
5. George tells Slim what happened at Weed.
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Dreams
“The best laid plans of mice and men gang aft awa’“
Robert Burns
In plain English, this means that the most carefully thought out plans that people make often do
not work out.
Dreams and plans are different. Dreams are visualised hopes and wishes. We sit and dream.
Plans are calculated strategies. We put plans into action.
Dream Clichés.
A cliché is a common turn of phrase that is so often used that it now lacks any originality and
perhaps doesn't convey meaning with the required amount of power. Many similes, metaphors
and other figures of speech are clichéd, e.g. "as common as muck" or "cotton wool clouds"
Fill in the following table with clichés about dreams:
Cliché
Meaning
Look at the stars not at the mud.
Always have high expectations
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Dreams
Jot down what these symbols of dreams and hopes mean to you:
The search for the Holy Grail
The crock of gold at the rainbow’s end
Cloud-cuckoo-land
Fantasy Island
Fairy tales
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Dream Songs
Happy Talk
Happy talking, talking
Happy talk
Talk about things you’d like to do.
You've got to have a dream
If you don’t have a dream,
How you gonna have a dream come true?
Song from 'South Pacific'
“There is a happy land far, far away…”
The first line of a famous hymn.
The Big Rock Candy Mountain
On a summer’s day in the month of May
A burly bum come a hikin’;
Travellin’ down this lonesome road
A lookin’ for his likin.
He was headin’ for a land that’s far away
Across the crystal fountain.
I’ll see you all this comin’ fall
In the big Rock Candy Mountain.
Chorus O the buzzing of the bees in the cigarette trees
By the soda water fountain.
There are lakes of stew and whiskey too.
You can paddle all around them in a big canoe.
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Dream Songs Worksheet
Happy Talk
George and Lennie are characters who talk about the things they’d like to do. George does not
always seem convinced by the dream and for him it is something of a fantasy, but Lennie really
believes in it. This is because George paints a realistic picture of what life could be like for
them if only they could get the land. I’m sure that you talk about what you’d do if you won the
lottery. Are your plans based on fantasy or reality? (i.e. could you really do them?) Complete
this sentence:
If I won the lottery I would.......
“There is a happy land far, far away…”
Do you think the Christian idea of heaven is different from dreams like cloud-cuckoo-land?
Write a paragraph on this subject, explaining your opinion.
The Big Rock Candy Mountain
In the Big Rock Candy Mountain song this character, the ‘burly bum’ could be Lennie or George
or Candy or Crooks, or anyone who is following their dreams. Your dream could take any form, it
is in your head and keeps you going.
Write a description of your dream place. What delights would it contain? Do you think other
people would want to come there?
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Dreams
Dreams are often seen as a source of comfort in out lives, but is this always a good thing?
What if you spent all your time dreaming?
Complete this table of positive and negative aspects of dreams.
Positive Aspects
Negative Aspects
A dream can inspire you to work hard to
attain your wish
If your dream is unrealistic it may
disillusion you.
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George and Lennie’s Dream
“Some day – we’re gonna get the jack (deposit) together and we’re gonna have a little
house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs and...“
“An live off the fatta the lan,” Lennie shouted. “An have rabbits. Go on, George! Tell
about what we’re gonna have in the garden and about the rabbits in the cages and
about the rain in the winter and the stove, and how thick the cream is on the milk like
you can hardly cut it. Tell about that, George.”
“Why ‘n’t you do it yourself? You know all of it”
“ No … you tell it. It ain’t the same if I tell it. Go on… George. How I get to tend the
rabbits.” “Well, “ said George. “We’ll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch
and chickens. And when it rains in the winter, we’ll just say the hell with goin’ to work,
and we’ll build up a fire in the stove and set around it an’ listen to the rain comin’ down
on the roof-“
Chapter 1
Your dreams keep you alive, give you hope and comfort you. Talking about them, sharing
with friends and family make you feel happy. They add purpose and meaning to your
humdrum existence. This is what Steinbeck is saying when he allows George and Lennie to
recite their shared dream in times of great difficulty. Talking the dream out loud to
each other makes their lives a little more bearable. It gives them something to look
forward to.
TASK
Consider how the reality of George and Lennie's life is different from their dream life.
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George and Lennie's Dream Café.
Dreams Menu
Starters
Jam tomorrow
Rosy glow
Main Course
Living of the fatta the lan’
White Rabbit in 'Alice in Wonderland'
Pudding
Pie in the sky
Rosy glow or feel good factor
Tasks
Write your own dream menu.
Write George’s recipe for a dream life without Lennie.
Write Lennie’s recipe for a dream life with George.
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The Power Of The Dream
Steinbeck makes George and Lennie’s dream so powerful that some of the characters are
deeply affected by it. Here are some examples:
Chapter 3
Candy, the one-handed swamper, overhears them talking about it and wants to buy into it. He
says:
“Tell you what-… S’pose I went in with you guys. Tha’s three hundred an’ fifty bucks I’d put in.
I ain’t much good… but I could cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some. How’d that
be?”
The dream attracts jealousy and scorn from Crooks, the black stable buck, who at first tries to
throw cold water on the dream.
Chapter 4
Crooks speaks scornfully to Lennie about the dream:
“I seen hundreds of men come by on the road an’ on the ranches with their bundles on their
backs an' that same damn thing in their heads. Hundreds of them. They come, an’ quit an’ go
on; every damn one of ‘em’s got a piece of lan’ in his head. An’ never a goddamn one of ‘em ever
gets it. Just like heaven. Ever’body wants a little piece of lan’. Nobody never gets to heaven,
and nobody gets no land. It’s just in their heads. They’re all the time talking about it, but it's
just in their head.”
He then attempts to come in on it when he realises the dream is on the verge of coming true
because of Candy’s input of money. He is astonished and admits it:
“I never seen a guy really do it,” he said. “I seen guys nearly crazed with loneliness for land, but
ever’ time a whore-house or a blackjack game took what it takes… You guys would want a hand
to work for nothing – just his keep, why I’d come an´lend a hand. I ain’t so crippled I can’t work
like a son of a bitch if I want to.”
Task
Make a list of reasons why so many people believe in the dream.
Can you think of any other examples where people have spread a dream?, e.g. Martin Luther
King, "I have a dream."
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My Heart's Desire
Make one wish for each of the characters.
My name is George. My heart's desire is...
My name is Lennie. My heart's desire is...
My name is Candy. My heart's desire is...
My name is Crooks. My heart's desire is...
My name is Curley. My heart's desire is...
I am Curley's wife. My heart's desire is...
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Reality
John Steinbeck wanted to bring our attention to the kind of conditions under which people
lived, including:
unemployment
poverty
isolation
homelessness
sexism
racism
disability
ageism
oppression
Each character in "Of Mice and Men" suffer from one or more of these, except perhaps the
boss and his son Curley. Tick the appropriate boxes in the grid to show how the characters
suffer from each condition.
George
Lennie
Candy
Crooks
Curley
Curley's
wife
unemployment
poverty
isolation
homelessness
sexism
racism
disability
ageism
oppression
Look at the results. Who do you think is the best and the worst off?
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Social And Economic Background To The Story
The story takes place in California against a background of unemployment.
It is set in the period of the Great Depression which lasted from 1930 to
the outbreak of the 2nd World War in 1939. During that time, industry and
banks collapsed. People were left without money for food, clothes and rent.
Millions of people were left jobless and homeless.
Queue for unemployment benefit in California.
Things were bad in the towns but were worse in the country. Farmers had
to leave their land. Drought had caused their crops to fail, therefore
farmers could not repay their bank loans. The bank dispossessed the
farmers and their families, leaving them homeless. Many of these people
went west to California where they dreamt of owning a piece of land and
“living off the fatta the lan’“.
Steinbeck illustrates the plight of these people through the suffering of
his main characters Lennie and George. He makes them dream of owning a
piece of land and living off its produce. They draw other characters into
their dream, giving them hope for a short time even though these are
tragically dashed.
George and Lennie are more than characters in a story. They are symbols
of the thirst for land of millions of dispossessed white Americans who
dreamt of being in control of their own lives. Unfortunately, very few
realised their dreams. The Californians were afraid of being swamped by
them and drove many away by force. Those who were brave enough to stay
were put into refugee camps in the California valleys. Steinbeck gathered
material for his books from visits to these camps.
Queue for food in a Californian refugee camp.
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Interview between John Steinbeck and the Potential Reader (PR).
John Steinbeck
PR:
Mr Steinbeck, how do you describe Lennie Small?
Steinbeck: In Chapter 1 of my book I describe Lennie as
“…a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping
shoulders; … he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear
drags his paws.”
I wanted to show that he was a gigantic beast of a man so I made him
almost animal-like in the way he walked. I hope the reader pictures him as they would a
large bear. The way I show the reader that he moves heavily is to describe what happens
to his arms as he follows his friend George.
“His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely and only moved because the heavy
hands were pendula.”
I use the adverbs “heavily” and “loosely” to emphasise to the reader how ponderous and
uncontrolled his actions are.
I make his face shapeless and his eyes blue so that the readers can imagine him to
resemble an overgrown, innocent infant. I make Lennie wear denim trousers and a denim
coat with brass buttons. Only labourers wore denim when I wrote the novel. It was
important that I showed him to be dressed in the uniform of the farm labourer at the
start to establish quickly that he worked on a farm. I make him wear the same black and
shapeless hat as his friend and guardian, George.
PR:
How do you describe George Milton?
Steinbeck: I had few problems here. I had a picture in my mind about what
Lennie looked like and I thought it would be interesting to the reader to make
him look and move the opposite of Lennie. Although I dressed them in the same
denim outfit and identical hats, I made George:
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“…small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every
part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose. Behind
him walked his opposite…” who, of course, was Lennie.
I wanted you to know George was intelligent and his intelligence was shown in his eyes, so
I described his eyes as “restless” to show that George was always on his guard. One of
the characters, Slim, a well –respected ranch hand, refers to him in Chapter 2 as “a
smart little guy" who was travelling with a “cuckoo”.
It was almost what you might call a visual joke to see a big bear of a man meekly following
a small man on whom his whole world depended. There was also something sad about it.
PR:
How do you describe Candy?
Steinbeck: This is what I write as a description of Candy in Chapter 2:
“The door opened and a tall, stoop-shouldered old man came in. He
was dressed in blue jeans and carried a push broom in his left hand.”
I make him a pitiful old man with “bristly-white whiskers”, who does a
dirty job. His job is to clear up after the workers, including changing
their washbasins and keeping the bunkhouse clean and tidy. He can’t
do this job very well because he is disabled and slow. His right hand
is missing, leaving a stump at the wrist. When he pointed with his right arm, this was
evident because:
“out of the sleeve came a round stick-like wrist, but no hand.”
He also holds the broom between his elbow and his side when he needs to use his left
hand. Clearly his hand has been missing sometime.
I made sure that George and Lennie met Candy outside the bunkhouse or sleeping
quarters set aside for the workers. In fact, I chose to make Candy lead the two men
into the bunkhouse, as if he was in charge of showing them their accommodation. In
order to convey what a pathetic character Candy is in danger of becoming, I show that he
finds it hard to look the boss in the face when he introduces Lennie and George to him. I
used the verb “ shuffled” to show how he moved out of the boss’ presence. In terms of
power on the ranch, the boss was the most powerful and Candy the least.
I make Candy the ranch gossip. He listens in on conversations and is full of information
about everyone on the ranch. He does not know when to keep his mouth shut.
I also give Candy a dog. It is an ancient, smelly and nearly blind sheep dog.
It is his only faithful companion.
PR:
Of Mice and Men
How do you describe Curley, the boss’ son?
Page 20 of 46
© ZigZag Education, 2001
Steinbeck: He is ”a mean bastard” like a little bantam cock. Because he is a small guy with a
large inferiority complex about his size, he feels he has to take on anyone bigger than
himself. I describe him as:
“…a thin young man with a brown face, with brown eyes and a head of tightly curled hair.
He wore high–heeled boots, like his father, to show that he was not a worker."
Like his father, Curley is small of stature, but he is thin, whereas I describe his father
as ”a stocky little man.” It would help if I gave you the description of Curley’s father
because you would be able to picture the similarities and differences between them:
The boss “wore blue jean trousers, a flannel shirt, a black, unbuttoned vest and a black
coat. His thumbs were stuck in his belt, on each side of a square steel buckle. On his
head was a soiled brown Stetson hat, and he wore high-heeled boots and spurs to prove
he was not a labouring man.”
George cannot understand why Curley hates Lennie on sight and has it in for him. I
supply the reader and George with the explanation for Curley’s behaviour: he is resentful
of big people, not just Lennie. Curley is always looking to prove himself as a man by
fighting anyone bigger than him. In this way I show that he is insecure and feels
threatened.
I let the old swamper Candy explain the cause of Curley’s hostile attitude to Lennie like
this:
“Curley’s like a lot of little guys. He hates big guys. He’s alla time picking scraps with big
guys. Kind of like he’s mad at ‘em because he ain’t a big guy. You seen little guys like
that, ain’t you – always scrappy.“
PR:
Tell me about Crooks and Curley’s wife. Crooks seems to have a really tough time of it
with the other ranch hands because he is black. Curley’s wife is branded as a tart
because she is the only woman on the ranch and feels lonely. Did you deliberately use
these characters to explore racism and sexism in American culture during the
depression?
Steinbeck: Let me describe Crooks first. I call him “the negro stable buck”,
but everyone else called him the “nigger”. This was how black people
were addressed in those days. I describe him as a “proud, aloof” man
who kept his room tidy. He had his dignity. Some white people
considered that black people were subhuman and not fit to live with. It
was OK to make them work, but not to treat them as equals. In fact,
they were persecuted. The boss took out his anger on Crooks and no
one saw anything wrong with that.
Crooks wasn’t allowed in the bunkhouse because of his colour. He had his own room under
the dung heap. He lived a very lonely and isolated life.
Of Mice and Men
Page 21 of 46
© ZigZag Education, 2001
To make Crooks' character even more sad, I make him a “cripple”, or as he referred to
himself a “back-busted nigger”. He was kicked in the back by a horse and was deformed
by this accident. Black people called themselves niggers in those days because they
accepted or were resigned to the inferior position they held in American society.
PR:
What about Curley’s wife?
Steinbeck: She is different because she is the only woman on the ranch. Candy expresses his
hatred of her in strong language. He tells George and Lennie his views on Curley’s wife:
“Know what I think… Well I think Curley’s married… a tart.”
George seems not to be overly influenced by this when he replies:
“There’s plenty done that.”
Candy is eager to press the point home about Curley’s wife being a slut. He insists:
“Well, you look her over mister. You see if she ain’t a tart.”
I like the way I describe Curley’s wife. She suddenly appears in the doorway, shutting
out the light. This is how I introduce her:
“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
housedress and red mules, on the insteps of which were little bouquets
of red ostrich feathers. “I’m looking for Curley,” she said. Her voice
had a brittle, nasal quality."
She has a hint of that cheap, trailer park "white trash" look about her.
She spells danger because she provokes men with her body. Lennie
falls to her obvious charms. George knows she is trouble and spells it out to Lennie that
he must keep away from her. He says to Lennie:
“Listen to me you crazy bastard, don't you even take a look at that bitch. I don’t care
what she says and what she does. I seen ‘ em poison before, but I never seen no piece of
jailbait worse than her. Leave her be.”
He has now fallen in with Candy’s views about her.
In life, she has a mean-looking face. She looks troubled and shows her unhappiness.
However, she looks calm and at rest in death, immediately after Lennie breaks her neck
in the barn, as if all her cares have melted away. This is what I write about her at that
time
“Curley’s wife lay with a half-covering of yellow hay. And the meanness and plannings and
the discontent and ache for attention were all gone from her face. She was very pretty
and simple, and her face was sweet and young. Now her rouged cheeks and her reddened
lips made her seem alive and sleeping very lightly.”
PR:
Let’s move on to the minor, but important, characters such as Slim and Carlson.
Of Mice and Men
Page 22 of 46
© ZigZag Education, 2001
Steinbeck:
I use my minor or background characters to advance the
plot or scheme of events. For instance, all the ranch hands look up to
Slim. His word is law in the bunkhouse and people feel at ease with
him. I show this by writing that “his authority was so great that his
word was taken on any subject”. Also “all talk stopped when he
spoke.”
He seems to be any age between thirty-five or fifty, as “his hatchet
face was ageless”. His hands are large and lean and their movements
are delicate and graceful “like a temple dancer.” He has “godlike eyes”
I show that Slim is easy to talk to, approachable, wise and a prince
among men. Within a few hours of knowing him, George, who is a very
private person, tells him his story. He confesses to Slim that Lennie can be a burden to
him at times, and even divulges what Lennie had done in Weed.
Slim has a drawl which makes him appear slow of speech but he has a deep understanding
of things. He is an expert mule driver. I describe him as a king-like person and refer to
him as the “prince of the ranch” who commands respect. The words I use to paint a
picture of him are from Chapter 2:
“A tall man….He held a crushed Stetson hat under his arm while he combed his long,
black, damp hair straight back. Like the others, he wore blue jeans and a short denim
jacket. …He moved with a majesty only achieved by royalty and master craftsmen.”
TASK
Complete the character profile for:
George
Lennie
Candy
Crooks
Curley
Curley's wife
Slim
Carlson
Of Mice and Men
Page 23 of 46
© ZigZag Education, 2001
Character Profile
Name of Character:..........................
Of Mice and Men
Physical Appearance
Personality
What People Say About Him/Her
What S/he Says About His/herself
Page 24 of 46
© ZigZag Education, 2001
What the hell you
yellin about?
Ain’t you gonna give me
hell?...Well, ain’t you
gonna say it?
You ain’t gonna leave
me are you George?
I knew exactly where I’d find Lennie, waiting in the
brush like I told him.
Look across the river, Lennie...We’ll have a cow.
An’ maybe a pig an’ you get to tend the rabbits.
An’ live off the
fatta’ the lan’
They were getting nearer. I had to act soon but
there were so many things I wanted to say.
Of Mice and Men
George's Story
Take off your hat,
Lennie, the air feels
fine.
If I was alone I
could live so
easy.
I was just goin through the motions, one last time.
Tell me how it’s
gonna be.
I could hear them coming so I knew I had to do it.
How’d you
do it?
I thought you
was mad at me,
George.
No Lennie, I ain’t mad. I never been
mad, an’ I ain’t now. That’s a thing I
want ya to know.
I had to do it now, what choice did I have?
Page 25 of 46
I just done
it.
I told them Lennie had the gun and I got it and shot
him, but that’s not how it was. Things just won’t be
the same now. I need a drink.
© ZigZag Education, 2001
Lennie's Story
Why do you got to get
killed? I didn’t bounce
you hard.
I didn’t mean to kill them, what will George say when
he finds out?
God damn you,
why do you got
to get killed?
It’s his fault George won’t let me tend them rabbits
now.
Why can’t I talk to you?
I never get to talk to
nobody. I get awful
lonely.
I wish she’d go away. I don’t want George to be mad
at me....
I coulda made
something of
myself.
Please don’t. Oh! Please
don’t do that. George will
be mad.
I just want to tend those rabbits.
Of Mice and Men
She shouldn’t have made me touch her hair. Now I’ve
got to stop her screaming so George won’t hear.
Page 26 of 46
I know what to do. I gotta go to the brush and wait
for George, just like he told me.
© ZigZag Education, 2001
Curley's Story
Why’n’t you tell her to stay
the hell home where she
belongs?
What the hell you
laughin’ at?
Make ‘im stop,
George.
I jus’ thought you
might have saw
her.
Huh?
Slim wouldn’t show me no respect, like he god damned
well should have.
Get him, Lennie.
Don’t let him do it.
Then I saw that big stupid idiot laughin at me. I
decided to teach him some respect.
I didn’t
want to
hurt him.
I started smashing him in the face. First a right
hook, then a left.
If you don’t tell nobody
what happened, we ain’t
going to.
It ain’t your fault.
This punk sure
had it coming to
him.
Leggo of him,
Lennie. Let go.
I won’t
tell.
The son of a bitch grabbed my fist in his giant paw
and started crushing it with the strength of a bear.
Of Mice and Men
It hurt like hell.
Page 27 of 46
I don’t want noone to find out I got beat by an idiot.
© ZigZag Education, 2001
Candy's Story
I don’t know nothin that
stinks as bad as an old
dog.
He ain’t no good to himself.
Why’nt you shoot him
Candy?
I been around him
so much I never
notice how he
stinks.
Carl’s right Candy. I wisht
somebody’d shoot me if I got old an’
a cripple.
Well – hell! Had him so long.
Had him since he was a pup.
I knew then that Carlson had it in for my dog, and I
didn’t know how to stop him.
Let’s get it over with. We
can’t sleep with him
stinkin’ around in here.
Oh God! Even Slim won’t help me. There’s nothing I
can do to stop them now.
I didn’t even say goodbye to him. Now he’s going to
die. Why’s it taking so long?
They all heard it and there ain’t a thing I can do about
it. I guess they might as well shoot me too.
Awight –
take ‘im.
I ain’t got no choice. They all want him dead. My old
friend.
Of Mice and Men
They don’t remember him like I do.
Page 28 of 46
© ZigZag Education, 2001
Curley's Wife's Story
I lived right in
Salinas.
For the first time in a long while someone was listening
to what I had to say.
I told him how I met this Guy from Hollywood who
wanted to put me in the movies.
I don’t like Curley.
He ain’t a nice fella.
How I never got that letter and how I always
thought my ol’ lady stole it.
George wouldn’t never know if I
throwed this pup away. An’ then I
could tend the rabbits without
trouble.
Don’t you
think about
nothing but
rabbits?
So I married Curley. Met him at the riverside dance
palace that same night.
Of Mice and Men
I don’t know why I tole him that. I guess it was jus’
‘cos he was listening to me.
Page 29 of 46
Or so I thought. But he was jus’ a stupid oaf who
couldn’t understand the troubles of a girl like me.
© ZigZag Education, 2001
Crook's' Story
I thought I could
jus come in and
set.
Suppose George don’t come
back. They’ll tie you up with a
collar like a dog.
S’pose you could go into the
bunkhouse and play rummy
‘cause you was black.
Nobody got any right in here
except me.
Why’d I let him in? Lonely I guess. Besides I wanted
to know what George was up to.
This’s the first time I
ever been in Crook’s
room.
I was jus’ playing with him but I know better than to
anger a big dumb giant like that. ‘Sides, I liked having
him in there.
Well you keep your place then, Nigger. I could
get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even
funny.
What did he know about loneliness? He had George to
care for him.
What you doin’ in Crooks’ room?
You hadn’t ought to be in here.
I tol’ ‘em, but
they come in
anyways.
Guys don’t come into a
colored man’s room very
much.
It felt good jus’ to have them fellas in there and set
down together like any other men. Then Candy came in
too.
Of Mice and Men
Curley’s wife meant what she said. I was brought
back to reality sharply.
Page 30 of 46
I reckon it’s better for a man not to give himself
dreams, like those damn fools.
© ZigZag Education, 2001
Storyboard Activities
George's Story
In Chapter 6, the body of Curley's wife is found in the barn and it is clear to everyone that
Lennie has killed her. Imagine you are George and complete this list of pros and cons for
killing Lennie.
Pros
Cons
If I don't, Curley will.
I'll miss him
Why do you think George killed Lennie?
Was it the right thing to do?
Do you think George can 'live easy' now Lennie is dead? Why?
Lennie's Story
Lennie is always getting George and him 'canned' from jobs by his behaviour. Why do you
think George puts up with him?
What are Lennie's good and bad characteristics?
Curley's Story
Curley is the boss' son and doesn't seem to do much work. Why does he still have such an
inferiority complex?
Why does Lennie wait for George's permossion before he fights back?
Candy's Story
Do you think Candy should have fought more to save his dog?
Why didn't he?
What are Slim and Carlson's roles in this incident?
Curley's Wife's Story
Curley's wife says Curly 'ain't a nice fella'. Do you sympathise with her?
Do you think her behaviour with the men on the ranch is acceptable? Why?
Crooks' Story
Read the following letter to Crooks from his uncle. Write Crooks' reply to this letter.
Include:
 his reasons for staying on the ranch/returning home
 an account of his life on the ranch
 how he feels about racism.
Of Mice and Men
Page 31 of 46
© ZigZag Education, 2001
Dear Crooks,
I am writing this letter to beg you to leave that ranch and come home to tend to
your old black mother. Your father has passed on to glory this past six months
and she needs someone to tend the chicken ranch cause she is too frail.
I got your whereabouts from a labourer who is passing through on the way to pan
gold in them hills. He goes by the name of George Milton. George is a decent
white man who ain’t so proud that he don’t talk to black folk. George tells me
that they treat you bad up there on account of your colour. The boss takes his
anger out on you and they won’t let you sleep in their bunkhouse or go into town
on a Saturday night with them. He tells me that a tarty woman threatened to
have you strung up because you forgot your place and dared talk up to her. Her
exact words, according to George, were:
“...you keep your place then, nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy
it ain’t even funny.”
He said you were gutted, totally belittled and humiliated. I’m glad your daddy is
in the cold, cold ground and won’t know nothin’ about this. He warned you about
some white folk.
Yessir, your daddy warned you about mixing with white folk when you were a little
bitty boy. He never liked you playing with white kids. He knew some white folk
hated black folk so much that they would burn they houses and string them up for
the hell of it. But you know all this.
This George fella started talking about the dreams he once had of owning a plot of
land. He told me how you wanted in on the dream until this woman threatened
to have you strung up for talking back to her. I put him straight. I told him
that you were a Californian black man, born and bred, and you were brought up on
ten acres of good land, fertilised by your family's own chickens. You were brought
up on a decent chicken ranch right here in California. Your family had property
and was happy. They were better off than most white folk. Although your
parents didn’t like it, they allowed the poor white kids to come and play on the
ranch. You got on with most of the white kids. You used to argue with your old
man when he wanted to stop the white kids coming. Now you understand why he
thought this way. White kids are fine, but when they grow up they get filled up
with dangerous racist feelings and would do you harm just cause you are black.
But you are not a southern black with a slave mentality. You were brought up
decent. You were taught to read books and to write, better than a lot of white
Of Mice and Men
Page 32 of 46
© ZigZag Education, 2001
folk. You had your own possessions and you were dignified. You know your rights.
I told George that I trust you are still like that.
George said that you once told his friend Lennie the same stuff about your
childhood when you all were telling about your dreams one day in your room. This
Lennie, by some fluke, remembered word for word what you said about your
childhood. You said:
“I ain’t a southern negro, I was born right here in California. My old man had a
chicken ranch, ‘bout ten acres. The white kids come to play at our place, an’
sometimes I went to play with them, an’ some of them was pretty nice. My ol’
man didn’t like that. I never knew till long later why he didn’t like that. I know
now.”
That las sentence makes you sound kinda bitter. But you brought it on yourself.
You chose to work with people like that instead of helping your daddy with the
chickens. He was kinda disappointed that you wasted your life as a horse groom or
stable buck.
You could have gone to college and become a lawyer or a doctor. I know this is
hard for a black man, but look at great black people like Booker T. Washington and
W.E.B. DuBois. They became great campaigners for black people and they came
from worse than you. Booker T was a slave for Chrissakes. You had your daddy
to help you. You should be fighting for black people to have equal rights instead
of struggling to live in a dirty bunkhouse with a group of low life labourers who
think they are better than you because they don’t happen to like your colour.
You deserve more than being used as a whipping boy or scapegoat for your boss to
take his temper out on. Your dream should be to fight for the cause of black
people instead of moaning about what whites are doing to you.
Maybe you aren’t ready to think like that, son. But come home, your mama needs
you bad.
Yours truly,
Uncle Len.
Of Mice and Men
Page 33 of 46
© ZigZag Education, 2001
Dear John........letters to John Steinbeck from Year 11
Revision Foci: Writer’s Craft
Revision focus: Setting
Dear John,
Your novel "Of Mice and Men" is one of our GCSE set texts. We have read it in class and
discussed all aspects of it like the plot, setting and atmosphere; characterisation; points of
view; and the particular way you write.
I personally have read the book three times and I like it more after each reading. I
especially like it because it is quite short and neatly written. It puts me in mind of a stage
play with six acts. The action mostly takes place indoors, except for the first and last
chapters, which are set by a pool. The remaining scenes are set in the bunkhouse or
workers dormitory followed by Crooks the black stablebuck’s room, and then the barn.
Revision focus: themes
Dear John,
I am impressed with the way that you deal with deep human issues
such as racism, sexism, friendships, loneliness, age and
disability in your book "Of Mice and Men." Your characters and
their personalities attract our sympathy or our disapproval. None
of them is bland. They all have a dream that keeps them going.
You show the importance of dreams in people’s lives and show the
consequences of disappointment, particularly in the cases of the
characters of Candy, the almost useless one–handed swamper, and
Crooks the black stable buck who is treated shabbily because of
his colour.
Task
Write a letter to John Steinbeck to tell him what you think of either the setting or
the themes in "Of Mice and Men"
Of Mice and Men
Page 34 of 46
© ZigZag Education, 2001
Revision focus: character
Dear John,
The characters in your book "Of Mice and Men" make me react strongly in one way
or another. I reckon I could do a thermometer of reactions to the different
characters.
My strongest feelings are brought about by Curley' wife. I feel sorry for the way she
is treated by her vicious husband Curley, whom she married on the rebound to spite
her mother and whom she now detests. In turn, the ranch hands despise her. She
is the only woman on the ranch and is desperately lonely. She longs for
companionship and for someone to talk to. Yet she is seen as a tart, as poison and
jail bait because she spends her time hanging around the bunkhouse and the barn
pretending to look for Curley. Why do you make her the way she is? Is she simply
a pathetic, heavily made–up young woman, flaunting herself, or is she out of place
on the ranch? The men know that messing about with her would cost them their
precious jobs in this time of mass unemployment - 15 million Americans out of
work.
Curley’s wife reminds me of "poor white trash" who need to hate black people to
make their own lives bearable. They need others to be worse off than them. This
brings me to my main point: although I feel sorry for her, I despise her for her Ku
Klux Klan type white supremacist racism. She threatened the poor black, disabled
Crooks saying she could have him lynched or strung up illegally because he dared
speak up against her. Maybe racism was so much a part of the American way of
life that Curley’s wife’s behaviour was normal and acceptable. She could not help
her attitude. It was only after the Civil Rights movements of the 1950s that black
people began to assert their rights to be treated with dignity. It came as a surprise
to some white people that blacks, like Crooks, resented being treated as inferiors.
Task
Place the characters on the reaction thermometer according to who evokes the
strongest (hottest) reaction in you.
Of Mice and Men
Page 35 of 46
© ZigZag Education, 2001
Reaction Thermometer
Which characters evoke the strongest feelings in you? These are "hot" characters.
Those that you feel less about are colder. Put the main characters from "Of Mice
and Men" onto the temperature scale. Then write a short explanation of why you
have ordered them as you have.
Of Mice and Men
Page 36 of 46
© ZigZag Education, 2001
Revision focus: structure & setting
Dear John,
The events of your story "Of Mice and Men" t ake place over one weekend, yet you crammed so many
themes into it. The novel has the two classic ingredients of a Greek tragedy: unity of place and of time.
The plot is enacted during a weekend from when we meet the two main characters late on a Friday
afternoon to Lennie’s death on the Sunday evening. The action mainly takes place on the ranch except
for Lennie’s death, which happens by the pool in the brush, the place where we first meet them. Did you
intend to structure the book like this?
It is also a tragedy because one of the main characters, Lennie Small, dies at the hands of his best friend
and father figure, George Milton. Although I guessed that one of the characters would die, his death was
an unexpected, somewhat brutal, yet deeply moving ending to the book. Did you consider an
alternative ending? Did you intend to write it as a tragedy, or did it just happen that way? Whatever
your purpose, the book is elegantly structured into six short chapters, each similar to an act in a play.
You describe the setting in each chapter so vividly, that I felt that I was actually by the pool in Chapter 1,
in the bunkhouse in Chapter 2 and in the black “stable buck’s” living quarters in Chapter 4.
The vivid way in which you use language to describe how Lennie killed Curley’s wife made me feel that I
was an intruder in the barn. I also felt I was butting in on a private moment when George killed Lennie
in the final chapter. The way you described George, making Lennie picture the dream before he shot
him brings tears to my eyes even now. I don’t know which of the two to feel more sympathy with.
In fact I feel some sympathy with all the characters, even the twisted, vicious and sadistic Curley, and I
feel sorry for the sad life experiences of his extremely racist wife. I cried when Carlson shot Candy’s dog
because the poor old man had no say in the fate of his canine companion.
You are able to make your characters live and at the same time represent human issues like sexism,
racism, loneliness and violence. They feel hurt and pain. They are lonely like Curley’s wife, black,
disabled Crooks and the aged, one-handed Candy, who is nearing the end of his useful life on the ranch.
You also made them into individuals by giving them their own particular way of talking. The language
they use made me picture them in a certain way. I visualised Carlson as a brutish, insensitive bully; Candy
as a downtrodden busybody, Curley as a sadistic, yet cowardly bully with an inferiority complex that
towered over him. Crooks I thought was a bitter, jealous and spiteful man.
Task
Fill in the time-scale grid.
Of Mice and Men
Page 37 of 46
© ZigZag Education, 2001
Time Scale
CHAPTER
DAY
TIME OF
DAY
LOCATION
CHARACTERS
PRESENT
WHAT HAPPENS?
1
2
3
4
5
6
Of Mice and Men
Page 38 of 46
© ZigZag Education, 2001
Revision focus: creating mood & atmosphere
Dear John,
My name is Leanne Rose and I am a year 11 pupil in the bottom English set at my school.
English is not really my best subject, but I try hard to understand it. I am pleased with
myself and with you, because I have just read your book called "Of Mice and Men" all the
way through without any help. When I first saw the title I thought it was going to be a
book about how to care for white mice but Miss Bunter, our English teacher, explained
that it was about people’s plans going wrong and spoiling their dreams of living a good
life. I was a little disappointed, but then I thought what the hell, give it a try. And, you
know, I’m glad I did.
I really love animals and I cried when that large, idiotic oaf, Lennie killed the mice and the
pup by petting them to death. He really did not know his strength. You made him think
and act like an overgrown infant. My mum says there are fifteen Lennie Small clones in
the rugby team my dad plays in; big guys with the minds of small, sly and manipulative
kids. Only they don’t go around killing small furry creatures, smoothing women’s dresses
when they are wearing them or breaking their necks (although I can’t be sure about the
one who plays full back). Having a dull brain in a giant’s body is a combination that spells
danger and death. It seems that trouble, danger and death dog Lennie, and poor old
George always has to clear up the mess.
Any way, I am writing to ask you how you managed to make me picture what was going
on in every chapter of the book. It was as if I had a film or video in my head. You used
what Miss Bunter calls 'sensual' words to make me see, feel, hear, touch, taste and even
smell everything I was reading. For instance, in my favourite part of the book, Carlson
bullies Candy into letting him put his old dog down. Candy feels he has betrayed his
faithful companion of many years and you make me experience his low status among the
men and his depression by your use of what Miss Bunter calls "charged adverbs" like
'apologetically', ‘hopelessly’, and 'softly'. These words help to create a sad atmosphere.
I don’t want to write any more now so Darren is taking over.
Task
Fill in the Sensual Words worksheet.
Hello John,
Leanne has asked me to write to you about the effective way in which you use words to
convey the atmosphere of a place to your reader. I agree with her that your description of
the death of Candy’s dog was particularly atmospheric and touching. I enclose my answer
to a GCSE question on the atmosphere you create in the bunkhouse when Carlson is
trying to convince Candy to destroy his only companion: an old dog. My teacher marked it
and gave it 14/20 which is a middle B.
Of Mice and Men
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© ZigZag Education, 2001
My answer:
Steinbeck's use of language creates a tense, brooding and uneasy atmosphere in the bunkhouse,
the workers’ living quarters. Carlson is putting pressure on Candy to destroy his frail, aged
and half-blind dog against the disabled old swamper’s wishes. We sense Candy’s feeling of
helplessness and this adds to the general unease and listlessness of the occupants of the
bunkhouse. Carlson’s brutal insistence that the dog should be put down because it is old,
toothless, suffering and stinks out the bunkhouse makes the atmosphere even more unpleasant.
It is not a restful place to be if you are a weak, sensitive or sympathetic type of person.
Unfortunately for Candy, Carlson seems to be speaking for everyone when he says of the dog:
“Well, I can’t stand him in here…That stink hangs around after he’s gone.”
The noun 'stink' is heavily charged. It is synonymous with smell and stench but with
overtones of rotting flesh or bodily incontinence. One can imagine the overpowering nature of
such a stench in a confined living space. And bad smells do linger. The reader can be initially
taken in by Carlson’s words and even sympathise with his point of view. No one wants their
living space polluted by disgusting odours. One side of the argument is that killing off the dog
would put him out of his misery and make the air sweeter in the bunkhouse.....yeah, right!! The
other side is that Carlson is totally insensitive to the fact that the dog is all the family that
Candy has left and the attachment goes deep. This insensitivity is communicated to the other
men, creating an unfeeling, and uncaring atmosphere in which finer feelings are either
trampled on or ignored, and the weak literally go to the wall. Steinbeck stresses this when he
describes Candy’s response to the execution of his beloved animal:
“A shot sounded in the distance. The men looked quickly at the old man. Every head
turned towards him. For a moment he continued to stare at the ceiling. Then he rolled
slowly over and faced the wall and lay silent.”
The real build up to the dog’s death begins with the violent, insensitive Carlson engaging the
reader’s senses of smell and sight by firstly, sniffing the air inside the bunkhouse and then
looking down to locate the source of the bad smell. He then speaks to Candy:
“God Almighty that dog stinks. Get him outa, here Candy! I don’t know nothing that
stinks as bad as an old dog. You gotta get him out.”
We experience Candy’s fear because, instead of defending his dog, he apologises to Carlson, the
instinctive bully, for having the dog so long. Steinbeck makes him utter the feeble sentence:
"I been around him so much I never notice how he stinks"’
The reader senses Carlson’s insensitivity through the language he uses to persuade, or rather
browbeat Candy to get rid of his dog. Steinbeck lets us know that Candy is wounded by
Carlson’s verbal battering because he “squirmed uncomfortably“ at what Carlson was saying
about his dog. The mood in the bunkhouse at this time is one of subdued menace because
vulnerable victims like Candy cannot afford to challenge the might of their oppressors.
Carlson has no respect for old Candy’s attachment to the dog he has had since it was a pup.
Carlson’s only concern, like all bullies, is to get his own way.
Of Mice and Men
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© ZigZag Education, 2001
The men in the bunkhouse either seem to support Carlson, consider it none of their affair or are
indifferent to Candy’s feelings. It was in vain that, as Steinbeck puts it, "Candy looked for
help from face to face" as if pleading for some comfort in his grief." The collective opinion does
not respond. There is no friendship or camaraderie in the bunkhouse. There is a temporary but
sustained atmosphere of anticipation constructed out of the expectation that the dog will be
killed at an unknown point in the near future.
This shows that life in the bunkhouse is so dull that any diversion attracts momentary and
intense attention, mainly card games and chitchat. Candy’s feelings are of little significance,
except perhaps to Slim, who tells Carlson to take a shovel with him to bury the dog. Slim also
promises Candy a puppy from his bitch’s litter but, instead of lightening the mood, Slim’s offer
makes poor Candy feel worse. His dog has not yet died and he is being offered a replacement.
The mood, therefore, is one of insensitivity and detachment. Candy feels isolated in a group of
men who refuse to rally to his cause.
The atmosphere is dominated by Carlson’s over powering determination to destroy the dog. We
have to contrast this with Candy’s feeble and apologetic efforts to stand his ground. His
attempt to enlist support from Slim, the most powerful and respected ranch hand, is
unsuccessful. He fixes Slim with a pleading gaze, to “find some reversal. And Slim gave him
none.”
The tension is momentarily eased when everyone’s attention, except Carlson’s, is diverted from
the proposed killing to Whit, "a young labouring man" and his excitement at a magazine
article. But the mood again becomes increasingly tense and embarrassing for the reader because
we sense:
a)
what Carlson is building up to and
b)
we feel that Candy is becoming increasingly depressed about the fact that he is powerless
against Carlson.
Carlson's appeals to Candy that the dog is suffering and should be put out of his misery make
it seem that he wants to deprive Candy of the only friend he has in the world. Carlson’s words
make sense but are empty of compassion for both the dog and for Candy. The reader is left with
the impression that there is a strict pecking order in the bunkhouse with Slim and Carlson at
the top while Candy is at the very bottom. The overall atmosphere is a blend of desperation,
insensitivity to feelings and resignation to one's lot.
Candy’s loneliness and despair are evident, as is his low status. He feels powerless to speak for
himself but that is the way things are in the brooding atmosphere of the bunkhouse where
Steinbeck makes silence fall intermittently to emphasise the tenseness of the relationships
between the inhabitants. He repeats the simple, but effective sentence:
“The silence fell on the room again.”
This, combined with the sentence:
“A minute passed, and another minute.”
shows that time drags slowly in the bunkhouse and its inhabitants feel every moment as they
anticipate the single shot that signifies the death of Candy’s companion.
Of Mice and Men
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© ZigZag Education, 2001
Task
1. List the good points about Darren's essay.
2. What improvements do you think Darren could make to his essay?
3. Take a piece of your own writing and analyse it in the same way, i.e. listing its
strong points and its areas for development.
Doing this frequently will help you improve your writing style.
Of Mice and Men
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© ZigZag Education, 2001
Sensual Words.
Make a list of words that describe what our senses tell us.
sight
grotesque
Of Mice and Men
sound
smell
touch
taste
noisy
nauseating
jagged
bitter
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© ZigZag Education, 2001
Revision Focus: author’s intention
Dear John
I am writing to you on behalf of our English group, Leanne, Andy and Darren. We are in Year 11, Set 2 at Oxwell School
and have read your book "Of Mice and Men" as one of our GCSE exam texts. We want to know how you wanted your
readers to feel about the characters you wrote about.
Did you just write the short novel as a sad, but entertaining story? Or were you trying to tell your reader more? Darren,
the know-all one of the group, says that you wrote many books about the plight of poor white people who lived through
the great depression of the last century-the 1930s to be precise-and "Of Mice and Men" is one of them. He also says
that you lived among these people in refugee camps in California to research material for your books like "The Grapes of
Wrath", "Tortilla Flat", "Sweet Thursday", and "Cannery Row". He concludes that your books are a brilliant social history
of the waste of human life, misery, exploitation, homelessness, poverty and unemployment at a period of time when life
seemed cheap and pointless. Quite depressing really.
So how does "Of Mice and Men" fit into this? Is Darren right about the way banks evicted people from their homes
because they couldn’t pay back their loans? Was it your intention to portray George and Lennie as symbols of the
millions of people forced to leave their homes and follow their dreams to California, in the hope of finding work or a plot
of land that they could call their own? What about Social Security? Darren says they didn’t have it then. Candy would
have benefited from it. He would have gone into a home or sheltered housing nowadays. He would have received
money from the government when he retired. This is called a state pension. My Uncle Dick gets one. He collects it
every Thursday on his way to the betting shop.
Crooks could have had the boss and Curley’s wife for racial discrimination. Darren says that they didn’t have equal
opportunities policies then like they have now. So everyone thought it was OK to call Crooks a nigger to his face. He
even said that most white Americans called black people that and some black people referred to each other as niggers.
Nowadays we know it is deliberately offensive and against the law to call people racist names. Is it true that they
wouldn’t let Crooks sleep in the bunkhouse because of his colour? Darren says that this was called racial segregation
and it was like what they called apartheid in South Africa. In the southern states of America black people could not live
or eat among whites and certainly could not socialise with them. In fact, blacks were not considered to be quite human
and had to be kept in their place. They were all but slaves. Darren says that you were showing Crooks to be a semislave. He was the only one tied to the ranch. His room was under the dung heap away from the other men’s living area.
The boss regularly took out his anger on Crooks, as if he was his property to be knocked about.
Did Crooks eat with the others? Or did they let him play games like horseshoes with them? It’s hard to visualise this
because Leanne is black and if anyone in our school thinks they can mistreat her or make fun of her in any way because
of her colour, they’d better think again. Darren says we have race equalities policies and such like. He also says that in
America black people have learnt to handle racism. Were you trying to show how degrading racism is to black people as
well as to the racist white people? Anyway we like the way your book has made us think about all these things.
Task
Place the characters on the hierarchy triangle with the most powerful at the top and
the least powerful at the bottom.
Of Mice and Men
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© ZigZag Education, 2001
Hierachies
A hierarchy is a system of stratification which places people in order of importance.
They are typically triangular, with the singular most important (influential, powerful,
rich) person at the pinnacle and moving downwards towards the mass of relatively
unimportant people at the bottom.
People at the top of a social hierarchy would own a greater share of wealth and power
whereas people at the bottom own little and make a living by selling their labour to
people higher up.
Think about hierarchies in relation to "Of Mice and Men". Place the following
characters on the hierarchy:
Candy, George, Lennie, Curley, Curley's wife, Slim, Carlson, Crooks.
Give reasons for each of your choices.
The Boss
Of Mice and Men
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© ZigZag Education, 2001
Writing Tasks
Task 1
What do you think happens to George after the close of the novel? Until now he has
always had Lennie and a dream to share with him but now he is just another rancher
on his own. Write a short description of what might become of George. Will your
description be positive or negative? When you have written it evaluate how realistic
your story is. Was the outcome based on your personal feelings or evidence in the
text?
Task 2
Imagine George and Lennie had achieved their dream of living on the "fatta the land".
Write a short description of what life might have been like for them.
Now evaluate your story. How realistic was it? On what basis did you choose what it
might be like, i.e. did you write according to the evidence of the text or did you buy
into the dream too?
Task 3
Write the reference George and Lennie brought with them to the ranch.
Task 4
Write a newspaper article or radio news bulletin about the murder of Curley's wife.
Task 5
Choose one of the main characters from "Of Mice and Men". List what the conditions
of your character's life are in the book. Include the following:
 what work they do
 what they own
 how much power they have
 how they are treated by others
Now write a short description of how life might be different for your character if
they existed now. List the reasons for these differences.
Of Mice and Men
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© ZigZag Education, 2001