‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck
REVISION SHEET 3
CHAPTER
KEY CHARACTERS
KEY EVENTS
KEY QUOTES
1
George
Lennie
A dead mouse
The dream
What if something bad happens …
Boss suspicious of George
Curley angry at Lennie
Curley’s wife impresses Lennie
“I like beans with ketchup”
“Tell about how it’s gonna be”
“Hide in the brush”
“Say – what you sellin’?”
“He hates big buys”
“She’s purty”
Lennie gets puppy from Slim
George explains to Slim about the past – Weed
Carlson ‘puts Candy’s dog to sleep’
Candy is going to join G/L on their ‘dream place
Lennie grabs Curley’s hand/Slim ‘sorts it out’
Lennie goes to Crooks place
Crooks scares Lennie. Candy joins them
Curley’s wife comes in
George is angry when he returns
Crooks takes to rubbing his back again
Lennie has killed the pup
Lennie kills Curley’s wife
Candy finds her and alerts George
Curley wants to kill Lennie – the Luger has gone
Lennie hides in the brush and George meets him
He imagines a rabbit and Aunt Clara
George kills Lennie
Slim Understands
“He ain’t mean”
“Take a shovel”
“I ought to have shot that dog
myself”
“you got your han’ caught”
“I seen your light”
“S’pose George …”
“I could get you strung up on a tree
so easy”
“Jus’ foolin’”
“You ain’t so little as mice”
“I done a real bad thing”
“Sure, George … I’ll do that”
“I’m gonna get ‘im”
“I di’n’t forget, you bet”
“Ain’t you gonna give me hell”
“I never been made”
“You hadda, George. I swear”
Brush
2
Ranch
3
Bunk
house
4
Crooks
Place
5
Barn
6
Brush
Candy
Boss
George/Lennie
Curley/Curley’s Wife
Slim
Carlson
George/Lennie
Curley
Crooks
Lennie
Candy
Curley’s wife
George
Lennie
Curley’s wife
Candy
George
George
Lennie
Slim
‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck
CHARACTER: LENNIE SMALL
“a huge man, shapeless face ….”
-
“walked … the way a bear drags his paws”
INCIDENT
CHARACTERISTIC
QUOTE
Drinks from the pool
Hides mouse from George (toy)
Sulks about food
‘Toys’ with George … likes a story
Child-like….naive
Forgetful …
Children sulk
Instinctive ….
Enjoys a favourite story
Puzzled by George’s lies
Can’t see below the surface
Wary of Curley
Needs to stroke soft things
Enjoys playing
Dreamer?? Innocent??
Frightened … so he hangs on
“Let go …”
No sense of racism/division
Frightened of life without George
“You gonna be sick”
“I tried not to forget”
“Ain’t a thing in my pocket”
“I like beans with ketchup”
“If you don’t want me I can go off”
“I ain’t got no pup”
“Tell about that place George”
“Make um stop, George”
“I didn’t wanta hurt him”
“I ain’t got no pup”
“Tell about that place, George”
“Make him stop, George”
“I didn’t wanna hurt him”
“I seen your light”
“Ain’t nobody going to suppose no
hurt to George
“Why do you got to get killed”
“Oh, that’s nice”
“Don’t you go yellin”
“I done a bad thing”
“I di’n’t forget, you bet”
“there came a little fat old woman”
“Ain’t you gonna give me hell”
“Tell me like you done before”
Meets the guys on the ranch
Meets Curley’s wife after
Curley has come in
Asks Slim for a pup (via George)
Takes pup away from rest
Excited as the dream draws closer
Incident with Curley’s hand
Meets the other outcasts
Scared at losing George
Angry at puppy
Enjoys stroking Curley’s Wife’s hair
Panics when she screams
Realises what he’s done
Remembers to go to the brush
Wants George to yell at him
Dies happy
Unaware of own strength
Innocent/naive
Scared …hangs on…angry…scared
HAS understood George
Proud at remembering
Guilty conscience
“But not us …. Because I got you an’ …..An’ I got you”
Extra quotes and information

“Strong as a bull”
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
RED RAG TO A BULL!!
Incident in Weed
Curley’s Wife “she’s
purty”
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STRONG
Curley’s hand
Killing Curley’s Wife
“I never seen such a
worker ” (Slim)
Killing puppy
CHILD-LIKE
“If I get in any trouble,
you ain’t gonna let me
tend the rabbits”
“He’s a nice fella”
“I can see Lennie ain’t
a bit mean”
“jes’ like a kid”
‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck
CHARACTER: GEORGE MILTON
INCIDENT
Chapter 1
Finds mouse “Give it here”
Annoyed with Lennie
Kind to Lennie – telling him a story
Chapter 2
Talks to boss, won’t let Lennie talk
Tries to warn Lennie about Curley
Senses problems with Curley’s Wife
Shows his anger about Curley
Chapter 3
Tells Slim about his past
Lets Candy in on the dream
Makes Lennie defend himself
Chapter 4
Angry with Candy
Chapter 5
One of the lads at times
Organises details ….
Chapter 6
Meets Lennie
Reassures him
Kills him
“small and quick …. with restless eyes”
CHARACTERISTIC
QUOTE
Angry with bus driver
Impatient … with Lennie
“Guys like us …are the loneliest
guys in the world”
“Jes’ a little stretch”
“all you ever can remember is them
rabbits”
“we ain’t got no ketchup”
“if I was alone I could live so easy”
Protective towards Lennie
Intelligent – recognises danger in
Curley
Warns Lennie against her ……
Good judge of people
“He’s a God damn good worker”
“this Curley punk is gonna get hurt”
Honest – tells all the story
A dreamer??
Understands Lennie
Protective of their future
“You wouldn’t tell – no…..”
“In one month?????”
“Get him Lennie”
“Let go”
“I tol’ you not to tell nobody about
that”
Playing horseshoes with the men
Cunning… taking Carlson’s gun
“you stick with us so we don’t think
you had nothing’ to do with this”
Knows Lennie needs him
He needs Lennie
“You remember every word I say”
“I never been mad”
“George shivered and looked at the
gun”
THE ULTIMATE ACT OF FRIENDSHIP
“She’s a rat trap if I ever seen one”
“I hate his guts”
Extra quotes and information
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Born in Auburn
Knew Aunt Clara
Lennie came working
with George when
Aunt Clara died
Used to make fun of
Lennie until incident
at Sacramento River
when Lennie nearly
drowned
Incident in Weed with
girl in red dress led
them to run away
READ up on the
dream
“the loneliest guys in the
world … but not us…”
WITHOUT LENNIE, GEORGE IS
JUST ANOTHER ITINERANT
WORKER WHOSE DREAMS
HAVE DIED
Robbie Burns Quote:The best laid plans of mice
and men aft gang agley…”
‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck
CHARACTER: CURLEY
“a thin young man with a brown face”
“a work glove on his left hand”
INCIDENT
CHARACTERISTIC
QUOTE
Pugnacious
A Boxer
Treats his wife as an object
“Let the big guy talk”
“Curley’s pretty handy”
“that glove’s full of Vaseline”
“married two weeks”
Attacks Lennie
…then suffers…
Jealous of others (eg Slim)
Wary of Slim
Coward? Scared of Carlson
Picks an easy target
Not so tough
But accepts Slim’s plan
Cares about his reputation
“Where’s the hell’s Slim”
Carlson – “you’re yella as a frog
belly”
“I’ll show ya who’s yella”
“He stood crying, his fist lost in
Lennie’s paw”
“I won’t tell”
Chapter 5
Hears of his wife’s death
Decides who’s done it
A blow to his pride
Angry immediately
Chapter 2
Angry with Lennie at once
Candy describes him
Chapter 3
Angry with Slim
Picks on Lennie
Plots revenge
Suspicious of George
Anger directed at someone he
knows he can attack
Doesn’t trust people easily
“I know who done it”
“I’m gonna get him”
“I’m going for my shotgun”
Slim – “Curley’s gonna want to
shoot ‘im”
“so we don’t think you had nothin’
to do with this”
 CONSTANT CHECKING UP ON HIS WIFE – “You seen a girl around here?”
 ONE OF ‘THE BOYS’- “Think I don’t know where they all went? Even Curley”
 AN ANGRY YOUNG MAN – “Curley’s like a lot of little guys. He hates big guys”
‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck
CHARACTER: CURLEY’S WIFE
INCIDENT
Chapter 2
Flirts with the men
Chapter 4
Joins the other outcasts in the ‘barn’
Threatens Crooks after revealing
some of her past
Chapter 5
Talks to Lennie about her dreams
Flirts with Lennie and dies
“full rouged lips ….her fingernails were red…
she wore…red mules…red ostrich feathers”
CHARACTERISTIC
QUOTE
Flirtatious “I seen her give Slim
the eye”
Lonely
Provocative
George: “Jesus, what a tramp”
“Piece of jail bait”
Lennie: “She’s purty”
Complains about Curley
Questions them about Curley’s
hand ….
….VERY LONELY ….
Uses her power and position to
‘Put Crooks in his place’ after
complaining about Curley
“talking to a bunch of bindle stiffs …
an’ likin’ it because they ain’t
nobody else”
“Curley’s wife”:-
“I could get you strung up on a tree
so easy it ain’t even funny”
No name… just ‘an
object that belongs to
Curley’
Frightened?? Of Curley
A victim herself?
Met Curley after being
rejected/used
Needs to talk to someone
Enjoys Lennie’s company
Dies a violent death, afraid to the
end.
“I get lonely”
“I don’t like Curley. He ain’t a nice
fella”
IMPORTANT PART TO READ
“you’re kinds nice fella”
“see how soft it is”
“don’t mess it up”
“you let go”
FINAL PART IN NOVEL
When she’s lying dead …..Candy “you ain’t no good now you lousy tart”
The colour Red:“red rag to a bull”
(Remember - the girl in
Weed wore a red dress)
Curley doesn’t really
love her … just “owns”
her: He’s constantly
looking for her
 Fight with Lennie
follows him
‘accusing ‘Slim’
 He doesn’t grieve
for her
‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck
CHARACTER: SLIM
“a jerkline skinner” (a mule skinner),
“the prince of the ranch”
“a gravity in his manner”
“all talk stopped when he spoke”
INCIDENT
CHARACTERISTIC
QUOTE
Highly respected by others
Pleasant/Friendly
Kind
Good listener. Understanding.
A good judge
“Hell of a nice fella”
“you guys travel around together?”
“No need to thank me about that”
“He’s a nice fella”
“He ain’t mean”
“Take a shovel”
‘Sorts out’ Curley
Voice of authority
Organiser
Kind even to Crooks
Brave, Strong, Confident
Honest. Fair minded
Chapter 5
‘Leader’ in the barn when Curley’s
wife is found dead.
Understands the situation
Realistic
“Slim went quietly over to her”
“I guess Lennie done it”
“Curley’s gonna want to shoot ‘im”
Chapter 6
The only one who appreciates what
has happened
Intelligent
Compassionate
“You hadda, George, I swear you
hadda”
Chapter 2
Candy tells us about him
He meets George/Lennie
Gives Lennie a pup
Listens to George’s story about
Lennie’s past/Weed
Chapter 3
Agrees that it’s right to kill Candy’s
dog
Stands up for Curley
“Oh! Hello Crooks”
“I’m getting ‘God damn’ sick of it”
“I think you got your han’ caught in
a machine”
SLIM is the leader – “Slim’s opinions were law”
SLIM thinks it’s good (NOT strange) that George and Lennie go round together : “Ain’t many guys travel around together … I don’t know
why”
EVERYONE ON THE RANCH RESPECTS HIM AND TRUSTS HIM
‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck
QUOTES
“a lady used to give ‘em to
me but that lady ain’t here”
“He’s jes’ like a kid, ain’t
he?”
“Hide in the brush till you
come”
“he rolled slowly over and
faced the wall and lay silent”
“Say – what you sellin’?”
“I can see Lennie ain’t a bit
mean”
“Curley’s like a lot of little
guys. He hates big guys”
“An’ live off the fatta the lan’”
“That dog of Candy’s is so
God damn old”
“I wasn’t kicked in the head
with no horse”
“Curley’s pants is just crawlin’
with ants”
“that glove’s fulla vaseline”
“He’s seen this girl in a red dress”
“Jesus, what a tramp”
“Got a Luger. It won’t hurt
him none at all”
“Strong as a bull”
“He damn near drowned before we
could get to him”
“I like ‘em with ketchup”
‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck
“Make um stop George”
“I’m gonna shoot the guts outta
that big bastard”
“I seen your light”
“I don’t like Curley. He ain’t a nice
fella”
“I could get you strung up on a tree so
easy”
“I think I knowed we’d never do
her”
“he fell slowly to rubbing his
back”
“You hadda, George.
I swear you hadda”
“Why do you got to get killed”
“I di’n’t forget, you bet,
God damn”
“I think you got your han’ caught in a
machine”
“there came a gigantic rabbit”
“S’pose George don’t come
back no more”
“I done another bad thing”
“I’d make a will an’ leave my
share to you guys”
“Ain’t you gonna give me
hell”
“He says I could go with that show”
“I never been made and I ain’t
now”