Of Mice and Men

Question 1

Lennie Small

Answer 1

A huge man but with a child like understanding of
the world. He has a selective, short-term memory
and always gets in trouble. He looks up to George as a father figure and takes pleasure in hearing of the dream ranch and the rabbits they will have.

Question 2

George Milton

Answer 2

He is the opposite of Lennie both in size and
intelligence. He is no saintly hero and, although he loves Lennie, he becomes easily frustrated and annoyed with him. He protects Lennie and kills him to spare him from Curley’s torture.

Question 3

Slim

Answer 3

Slim is the well respected and admired ranch foreman.
He is a wise figure with ‘god-like’ eyes whose opinions
and decisions the men respect. He decides to shoot
Candy’s dog.

Question 4

Candy

Answer 4

He is the crippled old ‘swamper’. After his dog is shot,
he makes George and Lennie’s dream become more of
a reality by offering them all his savings

Question 5

Crooks

Answer 5

Crooks in the ‘negro stable buck’ who is segregated from the white workers because of his skin colour
and lives close to the animals. At first, he is bitter and cynical when Lennie tells him about the American dream but finds himself being drawn into it. His hope for the future is destroyed when Curley’s wife crushes his dignity and threatens his life

Question 6

Curley’s Wife

Answer 6

She is the only woman on the ranch and her lack
of worth in the eyes of the men is suggested by the fact she is not named; she is just a possession of her husband. She is lonely but the men see her a negative light and think ‘she got the eye’. Sadly, her dream of becoming a movie star ends with her death at Lennie’s hands.

Question 7

Curely

Answer 7

Curley is a violent bully and the son of the Boss. His real reason for hunting down Lennie is in revenge for the humiliation of having his hand crushed, rather than for the death of his wife.

Question 8

Carlson

Answer 8

Carlson shoots Candy’s dog and is a representative figure of the tough, unfeeling men on the ranch.

Question 9

Chapter 1

Answer 9

George and Lennie are chased out of Weed ( touching a womens dress ). Whilst making their way to the ranch for work, they set up camp for the night. We learn about their relationship and their dream about owning their own ranch.

Question 10

Chapter 2

Answer 10

At the ranch, they meet most of the main characters: Candy, Curley, Curley’s wife, Slim and the Boss. George realises that Curley is potentially a dangerous character and he warns Lennie to stay away from Curley’s flirtatious wife.

Question 11

Chapter 3

Answer 11

Candy’s dog is shot by Carlson because he is old and
suffering. Candy overhears George and Lennie discussing their dream of owning a ranch and he offers them all his savings to become involved in it. Curley picks a fight with Lennie in front of the men. Lennie crushes his hand and humiliates him.

Question 12

Chapter 4

Answer 12

Candy, Crooks, Lennie and Curley’s wife are left on the ranch as everyone else goes into town. Crooks has a momentary hope of being part of the dream until Curley’s wife cruelly belittles him and reminds him of his position as a black man.

Question 13

Chapter 5

Answer 13

Lennie kills his puppy. He accidentally kills Curley’s wife by breaking her neck when he was stroking her hair. Curley and the men form a posse to hunt Lennie down. George knows he has to kill Lennie himself.

Question 14

Chapter 6

Answer 14

George finds Lennie in the brush and as he tells him about their dream ranch, he shoots him in the back of the head.

Question 15

The Wall Street Crash

Answer 15

The Wall Street Crash happened in 1929 when the prices on the New York Stock Exchange collapsed. Many people blamed the banks for this disaster because they risked people’s deposits on the Stock Market. The consequences of this were difficult to accept because The Roaring Twenties were a boom time of prosperity and the feeling that life was improving again after WW1.

Question 16

The Great Depression

Answer 16

America was plunged into The Great Depression after the stock market crashed. By winter 1932, the country was in the greatest economic depression of its history with over 13 million people unemployed and many people starving and homeless.

Question 17

The Dustbowl

Answer 17

The Dust Bowl occurred when a series of dust storms in 1930s America caused major damage to agricultural land in some states. This meant much of the land could not be farmed and as a result farmers lost their livelihoods and were forced into an itinerant
lifestyle

Question 18

The American Dream

Answer 18

The American Dream was the dream of a life that could be better, richer and more fulfilling for everyone. People dreamed of having their own land and being independent after the effects of the Wall Street Crash. America had always been seen as the ‘land of
opportunity’ where any dream could be achieved through hard work.

Question 19

Migrant Workers

Answer 19

As a result of the economic and agricultural problems, many farmers migrated to California as people thought it provided a better chance of employment. George and Lennie are examples of these migrant workers who move from ranch to ranch looking for work and having to accept low wages. This was a very insecure and unstable way of life.

Question 20

Time Frame

Answer 20

The events of the novella take place over 3 full days.
• It opens with George and Lennie camping on a Thursday night on their way to the ranch.
• On Friday evening, Candy’s dog is shot, and Lennie breaks Curley’s hand.
• On Saturday, the men go into town and the ‘weak’ characters are left behind.
• On Sunday afternoon, Lennie kills Curley’s wife. In the evening George shoots Lennie

Question 21

Show how John Steinbeck uses the character of Crooks to highlight some aspects of American society in the 1930s. [A1]

Answer 21

John Steinbeck uses the character of Crooks to highlight several aspects of American
society, including the racism and prejudice against black people, the loneliness of most
Americans, who wandered from job to job, and also the realisation that the American
Dream, whatever version they have, will never come true, but will instead be destroyed.
Firstly John Steinbeck uses the character of Crooks to show the racism against the black
people who had recently been released from slavery. This is evident from the start of the
book when Candy tells George that Crooks ‘gets it’ from the Boss every time the Boss is
angry. Crooks is unable to do anything about it because he is a black man with a crippled
back, who, if fired, will be unable to find work with anyone else. This is again displayed
further on in the novel when Curley’s wife claims that she can ‘get [him] strung up so
fast it ain’t even funny’ if he gets her ‘into trouble’. This again highlights the fact of racism
in American society as it shows that black people were considered as less than married
white women; women weren’t thought of highly in American society, but only as objects to
admire and possess. Racism is also evident in Candy’s use of the ‘n’ word when referring
to Crooks, because, although Candy has no particular objection to Crooks, it shows that
he views Crooks’ position as justified and rightful or else he wouldn’t deign to use that
language.
Steinbeck also uses Crooks to illustrate the loneliness that was felt by the black people
and also the travelling workers in American society who had nothing to do other than
wander by themselves looking for work. This is evident in Crooks’ refusal to allow Lennie
into his room, but eventually obliges, which shows that although he resents the idea of
people who hurt him, he is still willing to let Lennie in because he wants company and also
because Lennie is unlikely to grasp the meaning of racism.

Question 22

Show how John Steinbeck uses the character of Crooks to highlight some aspects of American society in the 1930s. [A2]

Answer 22

Steinbeck portrays the realisation that the American Dream is nothing but an illusion through Crooks as he is willing to join in
with the dream with Lennie and Candy. However, when Curley’s wife enters the room, he tells the others he was ‘just fooling’
showing that because Crooks has been subject to racism and prejudice for the majority of his life, it is easier for him to accept
the fake nature of the American Dream. I think that whilst Crooks was able to forget that he was discriminated against, due
to the company that was present, Lennie, ‘a dum-dum’ and Candy ‘a lousy old sheep’, he was able to believe in the dream.
However, it was shattered as soon as reality pervaded the room in the form of Curley’s wife, who has her own dream, that
she thinks will come true unlike everyone else’s.
Finally, Steinbeck uses Crooks to show the things that the black population of America dreamt about because as Lennie
enters the room, Crooks is reading a book about civil rights and quotes its contents to him at the start of their conversation.
‘You have no right being in a black man’s room’ shows that Crooks is considered low down on the social ladder but is also
concerned about preserving what little dignity and self respect he has left. He is eager to ensure that people don’t violate
his rights. Furthermore, he probably wants to be treated as a normal person, as he accepts the invitation to join the white
workers in the bunkhouse at Christmas, even though they prompt pick a fight with him and use him as entertainment.
Overall, I think that Steinbeck uses the character of Crooks to show the main problems with American society in the 1930s,
particularly towards black people and also towards lower class workers and people who didn’t have a lot of money.

Question 23

Look closely at the way George speaks and behaves here. What does it reveal about his character?

Answer 23

At the start of the extract Steinbeck presents the character of George as a quick thinker
as when he realises that Curley’s wife is dead, despite his exclamation of ‘Oh Jesus Christ!’,
he makes a speedy recovery and acts fast, immediately getting ‘down on his knees beside
her’. His methodical approach to checking to make sure she was dead is demonstrated by
the declarative sentence ‘He put his hand over her heart’ and reflects his calm, measured
attitude towards the bad news.
George’s character is also presented as rather distant, as he removes all emotion from his
face, ‘his face was as hard and tight as wood, and his eyes were hard’. This presents him as
quite cold and implies that he is almost resigned to the fact that Lennie has killed Curley’s
wife and has already accepted it. He looked ‘coldly’ at Candy and this adverb suggests
that he has put up a protective façade or shield to try to hide the fact that he is affected
by the incident. However, his true feelings are exposed as he admits in defeat ‘hopelessly’
that ‘I should of knew’, even stating ‘I guess maybe way back in my head I did’, which also
suggests that he already had an idea of the events that would occur, presenting him as
perceptive and also emphasising his relationship with Lennie as he knows him well.
It is evident that George cares deeply for Lennie as he hesitates, demonstrated by the
use of ellipsis, ‘Guess…we gotta tell the…guys’ which implies that he doesn’t want to ‘lock’
Lennie up. His concern for Lennie shines through, ‘Why, the poor bastard’d starve’, which
shows he cares for his well being. The fact that he ‘was a long time in answering’ before he
admits that ‘we can’t let him get away’ suggests that his real feeling won’t allow Lennie to
escape.
George is also presented as defeated as he speaks ‘softly’ and his dedication to Lennie is
shown at the end of the extract as he says ‘sharply’ that ‘I ain’t gona let ‘em hurt Lennie’
and this dialogue shows how defensive he is of his friend, even when Lennie is clearly in
the wrong, which also portrays him as loyal.
George’s insistence that ‘Lennie never done it in meanness’ could suggest his denial of the
gravity of the incident yet he is not delusional and realises that ‘there ain’t no way out’. He
moves on from the event quickly, forming a plan which reflects his intelligence. He orders
Candy ‘Now you listen’ and his use of an imperative shows that he knows how to assert his power.