Of Mice and Men
Exam Preparation
Chapter One
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Soledad description
George and Lennie - physical description
Lennie and dead mouse
Lennie wants ketchup
George rants at Lennie (could live so easily on
my own)
• Lennie – I could go off in the caves
• George describes the dream
Chapter Two
• Description of the bunkhouse
• Candy talks to George and Lennie – about the Boss and
about Crooks
• The boss comes in and speaks to them
• Boss leaves, candy come back in – tells them about Curley
and his wife
• George warns Lennie about Curley
• Culey’s wife comes in looking for Curley
• Slim comes in – talks to George
• Carlson is introduced –first mentions Candy’s dog
• Curley comes in- looking for wife
• Chapter ends with the dog
Chapter Three
• Slim and George discuss the puppy Slim has just given to Lennie. They
have a heart to heart.
• Lennie comes in with the pup
• Candy comes in with dog
• Carlson comes in – complains that the dog smells then suggests he should
be put down.
• Candy says no and looks for reassurance from Slim
• Whit comes in and shows Slim the magazine letter from Bill Tenner
• Candy agrees to Carlson taking the dog to shoot
• The men play cards – tense
• They talk about going into town (Susy’s place)
• Candy comes in looking for wife and the others follow him thinking he will
fight Slim
• Leaves Lennie and George who talk about their dream.
• Candy listens and asks to join
• The men all return
• Curley comes in accusing Slim of being with his wife.
• He picks a fight with Lennie – Lennie crushes his hand
• Slim tells Curley to tell other that he “caught it in a machine”
Chapter Four
• Description of Crook’s room – Saturday night; most men
have gone into town
• Lennie goes in – Crooks torments him
• Candy comes in looking for Lennie
• They tell Crooks about their dream – Crooks mocks, then
wants to join
• Curley’s wife comes in - torments Crooks – Candy sticks up
for him
• George gets back
• Crooks, reminded of his status, no longer wants any part of
the dream
• Chapter ends with Crooks sitting alone rubbing liniment
into his back - a reminder of his loneliness, segregation and
disability
Chapter Five
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Description of the barn – Lennie and puppy (already dead)
Curley’s wife comes in
She talks about her loneliness and her dream
She lets Lennie stroke her hair – panics and he kills her
Lennie leaves - heading for the brush
Candy finds Curley – he goes to get George
Candy asks if he and George can still achieve the dream – he knows
they won’t
George asks candy to tell the men, leaving George time to get out
of the way
Curley is mad and organises everyone to go after lennie
Carlson’s gun is missing – they all assume Lennie took it – really,
George has it
The men all leave and Candy is left with the body.
Chapter Six
• Description of Salinas river – water snake eaten by heron
• Lennie appears – he imagines seeing his aunt Clara and a giant pink
rabbit – both speak to him, berating him for ruining everything
• George finds Lennie and Lennie is surprised that he doesn’t “give
him hell”
• George tells Lennie about the dream as Lennie stares into the
distance, imagining it.
• As the sound of the men gets closer, George shoots Lennie in the
back of the head
• The men turn up - Curley and Carlson are impressed that George
has shot Lennie. Only Slim understands.
• Slim leads George off to go and have a drink
• Carlson is left – his final words “Now what the hell ya suppose is
eatin’ them two guys” – Steinbeck’s final reminder of how few
people understand each other anymore.