Of Mice and Men
– Section Six
This icon indicates that teacher’s notes are available in the Notes Page.
For more detailed instructions, see
the Getting Started presentation.
This icon indicates that a useful web address is included in the Notes page.
This icon indicates the slide contains activities created in Flash. These activities are not editable.
1 of 17
© Boardworks Ltd 2003
Plot summary exercise
Complete the plot summary by filling in the blanks:
river
Lennie arrives at the _________
and has a drink. He
imagines his Aunt Clara and then a gigantic _________
rabbit
George
telling him off. ___________
arrives and talks to Lennie.
gun
He has Carlson’s _______.
George hears the men
approaching. He _________
shoots Lennie in the head.
2 of 17
© Boardworks Ltd 2003
Quiz
3 of 17
© Boardworks Ltd 2003
Echoes of the first scene
Steinbeck makes this last scene echo the first one, by
using phrases and images that are similar in both. Find
some instances of this technique and write them on the
board. Here is one example to help you.
Section One
'A water-snake slipped
along on the pool, its
head help up like a
little periscope.'
4 of 17
Section Six
'A water-snake glided
smoothly up the pool,
twisting its periscope
head from side to
side.'
© Boardworks Ltd 2003
Echoes of the first scene
Why do you think Steinbeck uses this technique in the
last section of the novel?
It strengthens the sense of the novel having come full
circle. Just as in nature, where animals are born, live and
die, so too do humans. Throughout the book, we have
seen animal images used in connection to Lennie. Now,
like Candy’s dog, Lennie is ‘put out of his misery’.
Steinbeck chooses to finish his story in the same place that
it started. The novella has shown us the brief life, and
death, of one man.
5 of 17
© Boardworks Ltd 2003
Lennie
In this final section, we see more of Lennie’s character. The
reader has a strong sense of foreboding about what will
happen to him. Answer the questions below to test your
understanding of Lennie’s character.
Look at the way Lennie drinks from the river in this section.
Why is this different from the way he drinks in Section One?
What do you think the significance is of the two visions
Lennie has?
Why do you think Steinbeck chooses to have George shoot
Lennie at the end of the book, rather than one of the other
characters?
Lennie remains an outsider throughout the novel, different to
and separate from other people. What is Steinbeck saying
about how society relates to outsiders?
6 of 17
© Boardworks Ltd 2003
Character descriptions
7 of 17
© Boardworks Ltd 2003
In the hotseat
8 of 17
© Boardworks Ltd 2003
Dramatic tension
There is a high level of dramatic tension in this section, as
we reach the climax of the novel. The tension becomes
especially high as George builds up to shooting Lennie. Find
some quotations from this section that develop the dramatic
tension. An example has been provided for you.
'And the shouts of
the men sounded
again, this time
much closer than
before.'
9 of 17
© Boardworks Ltd 2003
Dramatic tension
What is it about the way that Steinbeck writes this
scene that creates a high level of dramatic tension?
Here are some ideas:
The story of the ‘dream farm’ is repeated again. This
time, though, the reader knows that there is no chance
of George and Lennie fulfilling their dream.
George must shoot Lennie rather than allow the men
to hurt him - he is forced to kill his closest friend.
The other men are getting closer, and George must
shoot Lennie before they arrive. The sound of the men
approaching increases the tension, leading to the
climax of the section.
10 of 17
© Boardworks Ltd 2003
The American Dream
The themes of the novel are resolved in this section,
particularly the men’s unfulfilled ‘American Dream’. Answer
the questions below to show your understanding of this
theme.
Look at how Candy responds to Curley’s wife’s death in
the previous section. Why does he start to cry?
Now look at Lennie and George and their final discussion
about the farm. Why is this the subject of the last
conversation that they ever have?
Do you think they ever stood a real chance of achieving
their dream?
What point do you think Steinbeck is making about the
American dream?
11 of 17
© Boardworks Ltd 2003
The title
The title Of Mice and Men comes from Robert Burns’
poem ‘To a Mouse’.
The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men
Gang aft agley,
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,
For promised joy.
How are these lines relevant to the book?
12 of 17
© Boardworks Ltd 2003
Questions
1. Why do you think George shoots Lennie?
2. When George shoots Lennie, of which other incident
in the book does this remind you?
3. Why do you think Steinbeck echoes the earlier
incident in this way? Try to think of more than one
reason.
4. What do you think the significance is of Slim inviting
George to go for a drink at the end of the book?
13 of 17
© Boardworks Ltd 2003
Revision
14 of 17
© Boardworks Ltd 2003
Revision strategies
15 of 17
© Boardworks Ltd 2003
Essay questions
The novel Of Mice and Men shows the reader how
characters who do not fit into society are destroyed by
it. Discuss this statement, referring closely to events in
the novel.
Write a detailed analysis of the character of Curley’s
Wife, showing how and why Steinbeck uses her to
develop the theme of the outsider in Of Mice and Men.
16 of 17
© Boardworks Ltd 2003
Essay questions
Discuss the theme of the ‘American Dream’ in Of Mice
and Men, looking at all the characters who have a
dream of some type. Explore what happens to people’s
dreams in the novel and what Steinbeck might be
saying about this theme.
Write a detailed analysis of the character of Lennie.
Look particularly at the symbolism associated with him,
and the meanings that Steinbeck creates.
17 of 17
© Boardworks Ltd 2003