Of Mice and Men Flashcards
What does the title show(9)
Robert Burns’ poem - to a mouse: “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry”
- our plans often go wrong so we feel grief and pain instead of expected hope and joy
- our best laid plans have as much chance of succeeding as a mouse’s
Novel concludes with Lennie being in the same position as a mouse, trying to avoid being deteced
Just like the mice, Lennie does not receive a funeral(even though Candy’s dog does)
Narrows the gap between the human race and the animal world to expose how primitive life on the ranches is
Just as a mouse may face a violent end at any moment, workers on the ranch can be sacked or “canned” without notice
The title suggests that they had no chance of achieving their dream, even before anything bad happens, making the audience more sympathetic towards them
Men are as insignificant as mice – Lennie will not be missed any more than the mice he has killed
Where is the novel based and what significance does this have(2)
Based in Soledad
-means “loneliness”
Analyse section 1
Scene full of sunlight and happy expectation
-ironic when compared to later events
Scene describe is the place of safety which George will tell Lennie to come if he gets into trouble
-irony - george does come later, but to kill lennie, not rescue
Contrast between George and Lennie - george has sharp strong features, while Lennie has a shapeless face
Lennie nearly walks into George when he stops - thinking and planning even for something as simple and mundane as walking has to be done on his behalf
Lennie admires George - he tries to copy his movements and gestures - suggests reliance, admiration
The detailed snapshot of nature tells us that many other men have stopped here, and imply that George and Lennie are small, unimportant figures in the world – many other tragedies like what happens to them could have happened
The description of the setting gives the idea that George and Lennie are simply a passing part of nature – like the heron, the water snake and the leaves – what happens to them goes unnoticed, the cycle could have repeated countless times already
Lennie’s childlike nature
- Lennie happily throws himself into the water in the pool, excited
- Cannot hide his emotions, so they are simple and transparent - cries like a baby, lip quivers
- preoccupation with the world of the unreal and the imagination
- responds to the story like a child to a bedtime story
Makes us appreciate how difficult it is to look after Lennie, and how much pressure George is always under - seen through the adverbs “morosely”, “sharply”, “angrily”, “disgustedly”, “furiously”
Lennie has a bad memory – forgets about what happens in weed and even his aunt clara – foreshadows forgetting george’s instructions to stay away from curley’s wife, which set off the fatal consequence
Water described as “scummy” – tells us how very little common sense Lennie has by drinking that water – also hints at dirt and corruption – prepares us for a dark ending to the novel
Canine imagery used to describe Lennie
- when george forces him to hand over the dead mouse, lennie comes to him slowly, like a dog who doesn’t want to bring a ball to its master - lennie is reliant on george like a dog is reliant on his master
- lennie lets out a whimpering cry when george throws the mouse into the scrub, and looks up sadly as a dog would look sadly at his owner
- makes him similar to Candy’s dog, therefore when it is shot his death is foreshadowed
Other animalistic imagery also used
-trying to bring the animal that lennie is into the world of people feels dangerous
What does the matching description of section 1 and 6 do(4)
Matching description in the first 4 paragraphs sets the scene for Lennie’s killing
- heron catches and swallows the innocent and unconcerned water snake(same as the lizard in scene 1);
- heron stands there “motionless and waiting” for another prey - could be compared to the ranch - devouring the workers’ life - then waits for more workers to come, and does the same to them
- lennie is as helpless and little as the watersnake and can only wait for the approaching death
Analyse section 2
Curley’s unprovoked aggression indicates that there may be trouble ahead
The way Lennie looks as curley’s wife indicates trouble ahead – curley’s wife wears red, same colour as the dress of the girl in weed, which Lennie touched
George lied 4 times - indicates how desperate he is to take on work at the ranch
Western magazine - the workers look back to the cowboy age of freedom which has given way to the age of cheap labouring
Flies - symbol of death and decay; also describe as sparks - symbolic of fire, conflict, danger and damage
Candy uses the same word to describe Crooks, the Boss and Slim(nice
-has a psychological fear of upsetting anyone
Steinbeck talks a lot about slims physical skills – shows that physical skills were more important than intelligence
Slim “maybe ever’body in the whole damned world is scared of each other” – helps us realise how special the friendship is between George and Lenie, and makes the lost seem greater when Lennie dies
Bunkhouse is similar to that of a prison – the ranch workers are trapped, cannot escape
Those who do not work have to find ways of validating themselves – curley and the boss wears high heeled boots, curley’s wife wears of a lot of makeup
The boss accuses George of exploiting Lennie and taking his pay – the concept of friendship or mutual concern is alien to the culture of the ranch
George predicts that there will be trouble, and curley will suffer at lennie’s hands – foreshadows Lennie crushing curleys hands
Curley’s wife dresses as if she has just been on a theatre cabaret or film set, which we learn later is precisely where she dreams of being – shows her commitment to her belief
As curley’s wife enters “the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off” – the light is used as a symbol for the way that her stupidity is going to cut short her own life and lennie’s, and destroy their dreams
Slim drowns 4 out of the 9 puppies, and kept the 5 biggest ones – example of the culture of the survival of the fittest, shows how primitive and animalistic the society they live in is – 4 puppies die – foreshadows the death of two more dogs(candy’s and lennie’s puppies) and two animalistic humans(curley’s wife and Lennie)
Unlike the dog which answered the coyote in the last sentence of the first scene, candy’s dog has no voice in the last sentence of this scene – represents candy – no voice, no power, not respected – reflects society – lack of respect for the elderly or the sick
Describe what happens in section 1(6)
George and Lennie walked a long way and stop at a pool by the salinas river, they are trying to take up work at a nearby ranch.
Lennie has been keeping a dead mouse to pet, and George throws it away
They had to leave their previous work for some reason to do with Lennie(not stated yet)
Lennie goes to collect wood for the fire, but retrieves the dead mouse, and George takes it away from him again
George tells Lennie about the farm they plan to have one day.
George makes Lennie promise to come back here if there’s any future trouble
Describe what happens in section 2(8)
George and Lennie are shown the bunkhouse by the old swamper(Candy).
The boss and the stable hand is talked about.
They meet the boss
Curley comes in and picks a fight with Lennie
Curley’s wife visits the bunkhouse, and Lennie stares at her
George warns Lennie about curley and his wife, and tells him to go to the pool if there is trouble
Slim comes in, talks about his dog which just gave birth.
They meet curley again and goes out to have dinner
Describe what happens in section 3(9)
Slim gives one of his dog’s puppies to Lennie
George talks to slim about Lennie, about aunt clara and why they were run out of weed
Carlson persuades candy to let him shoot candy’s dog
Whit shows slim a letter from the magazine by someone who once worked on the ranch
Whit convinces George to go with them to visit the local brothel next night.
Curley bursts in looking for his wife.
George and Lennie discuss their dream, candy overhears and asks to buy himself in.
curley comes back and picks a fight with Lennie,
Slim tells curley to say he injured his hand with a machine
Analyse section 3
Makes us think for a brief moment that George and lennie’s dream might actually happen, and is then shattered by curley.
Shooting of candy’s dog shows us the cruelty of the world and prepares us for the shooting of Lennie
Steinbeck uses light as it would be used on stage – to create mood and atmosphere – “although there was evening brightness showing through the windows of the bunk house, inside it was dusk” – suggests intimacy and cosiness
Lennie’s essential harmlessness is emphasises – slims repeated judgment that Lennie is nice
Lennie’s breathless infatuation with his puppy which he tries to smuggle in – demonstrates his childlike simple mindedness
The procedure of killing candy’s dog is similar to that of killing Lennie – both shot in the back of their head with carlson’s gun, after their fate has been decided by slim, who discounts any other option – these killings are seen as mercy killings in the world of the ranch, but for us it is unnatural and uncivilised, and the lack of compassion disturbs us – candy has no right to be heard, just like when slim decides it is more humane to shoot Lennie – killing is the accepted answer to a social problem(the old, or infirm or the damaged)
Candy said he has had his dog all its life – exact reflection of the relationship between Lennie and George – also said that the dog was a brilliant sheep dog – slim says he’d never seen anyone work with such strength – likens candy’s dog to Lennie even more, foreshadows the ending when the dog is killed
George recites a more detailed, defined, specific, concrete and tangible version of the dream that he recited in the opening scene – suggests that they are closer to making a reality
Lennie does not understand that George is not angry at him – his aggression was in self-defence, so George is not angry – Lennie does not understand this – again demonstrates his simple mindedness
Describe what happened in section 4(5)
Lennie wanders into the harness room where crooks lives after the other men are out on the town.
Crooks talks to Lennie, teases him that George might leave him and is frightened by his reactions.
Candy joins them and tells crooks their dream.
Curley’s wife comes in and laughs and threatens them.
Other men comes back and George goes in to find lennie
Analyse section 4
Crooks sleeps in a “long box filled with straw” – worse treatment than that of the other ranch workers
“on which his blankets were flung” – lack of care
The ease with which curley’s wife can humiliate crooks shows the harsh injustice of the world
Crooks “proud and aloof” – comes from the fact that he has no dreams, no illusions about life being fair, which gives him the strength to be proud. As he has no hopes, it is almost as if no one can hurt him
Others does not let crooks into the bunkhouse because he “smells” – makes him the same level as candy’s dog, as the same complaint was filed against it too
Crooks torments Lennie so Lennie feels what it is like to be utterly friendless – lennie’s reactions help demonstrate what being friendless can do to a person, and help us appreciate the pain that crooks suffers
If curley’s wife accuses crooks of a sexual assault, his colour would mean that he would never be given a fair hearing – racial discrimination
Crooks retracts his offer to help – curley’s wife’s cruel treatment has reminded him of how unpleasant people with any power tend to be towards black people
Describe what happened in section 5(6)
Lennie has killed the puppy slim gave him and tries to bury it secretly in the barn.
Curley’s wife comes in and talks to Lennie, she invites Lennie to stroke her hair, and panics.
Lennie panics and tries to prevent her from screaming and accidently kills her.
Candy comes in to find curley’s wife, informs George first before informing everyone else.
A manhunt is organised to find Lennie.
Candy is left alone in the barnhouse.
Analyse section 5
“I think I knowed we’d never do her” – lennie was as important in the dream as the money, also that George wanted the farm because it was the only way to find peace for Lennie, rather than something George wanted to do
Lots of things foreshadowing curley’s wife death – death of the puppie, death of the mice, curley’s wife wearing red – same as the girl in weed
Lennie experiences a George like outburst of anger at the puppy for being responsible for its own death – calls it a son of a bitch – the same way George referred to Lennie – likens Lennie to the puppy, foreshadows the death of Lennie from the death of the puppy
Slim drowned 4 puppies – 4 dreams dies with curley’s wife – george’s, lennie’s, her own, and candy’s
Tragic irony is that the deterrent(anger, and a ban on tending rabbits) which was designed to prevent Lennie from getting into trouble is the cause of the killing which destroys so many dreams.
Candy cared more about the farm after finding dead curley’s wife – unexpected, as normal people will express shock and grief at the violent death of a young women – shows how little bonds were between people at that time.
Candy feels neither sorrow nor respect for her, but only resentment that, in her death, she has robbed him of the dream of security which buying the farm would have bought him
Curley is determined to shoot Lennie, in revenge for his hand, not his wife
Lennie does not get a trial, he is simply sentenced to death by curley without even waiting for the sheriff – today we would expect Lennie to be punished for manslaughter, and the next steps should be for the need to protect the public, not the lust for revenge
Everything George has done to protect Lennie has failed – “the best laid plans of mice and men often goes awry”
Curley is as remorseless as Carlson had been over the need to shoot candy’s dog
Candy laying in the hay with his arm covering his eyes – same inertia in his face as when he was waiting for Carlson to shoot his dog, now he is waiting for Lennie to be shot, like a dog
“her words tumbled out in a passion of communication” – “tumbled” – suggests she is brimming with things she has to say – “passion” – further emphasises her fiery and impulsive nature
Describe what happened in section 6(4)
Lennie waits for George near the pool.
He sees a vision of aunt clara and a giant rabbit.
George arrives and comforts Lennie before shooting him.
Slim comforts george
Analyse section 6
Water snake had a “periscope” as its head – periscope usually on submarines, weapons signifying death, danger, concealed
The illusions shows lennie’s guilt and genuine inability to control himself – a giant with the mind of a baby – also shows how disturbed lennies thoughts are and his inability to make sense of everything that has happened.
They also show how much Lennie suffers since he cannot please George for long, or live a trouble free life – they both hurt him
The same setting as the opening scene – once filled with hope, now a scene of despair
“the wind drives through the top of the trees, and then dies” – the wind of lennie’s life and breath will die
The wind blows, but the landscape settles back to how it has always been – nature itself is not affected by the cycle of life and cruel, sudden death – the world of the pool and the ranch will only be disturbed for a moment by the violent events which involve Lennie, afterwards, everything will be the same as before – nothing will have been learnt or changed, this same story could have been repeated countless times
Lennie drinks from the pool – in first scene, he submerged his head and hat in pure and innocent joy, now his lips barely touch the water – shows nervous, uncomfortable – his sitting position is the same as what George had in scene one – still worships george
George kills Lennie just like Carlson killed candy’s dog, kindly, leading the obedient animal outside gently to a fate it did not anticipate
Lennie’s death is the result and the fault of the society he lives in – one devoid of compassion, community, and any insights into the needs of the vulnerable or how to look after them
Curley only interested in confirming Lennie is dead – lack of care for men and for death
Carlson, who represents the normal ranch hands back in that time – demonstrates that no one has the capacity to understand, or to see the need to do things differently other than simply violence
