Of Mice and Men - Character (George) Flashcards
A quotation showing George’s complex personality at the start of the novel.
“You never had none you crazy bastard. I got both here. Think I’d let you carry your own work card?”
(George)
A quotation showing George and Lennie are different from other migrant workers.
“Guys like us that work on ranches are the loneliest guys in the world”
(George)
A quotation showing George and Lennie’s Dream.
see also Theme of Dreams
“‘An’ live off the fatta’ the lan’,’ Lennie shouted, ‘An’ have rabbits!’”
(Lennie)
A quotation showing George understands that Lennie causes trouble.
“Course he aint mean. But he gets in trouble alla the time because he’s so God damn dumb. Like what happened in Weed.”
(George)
A quotation showing George knew they would never achieve their dream of owning the ranch. (Said to Candy after Lennie kills Curley’s wife).
(see also Theme of Dreams)
“I think I knowed from the very first. I think I knowed we’d never do her. He usta like to hear about it so much I got to thinking maybe we could.”
(George)
A quotation showing George’s decision to kill Lennie at the end of the novel.
(see also Theme of Dreams)
“And George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head. The hand shook violently, but his face set.”
Analysis of “You never had none you crazy bastard. I got both here. Think I’d let you carry your own work card?”
(George)
George has a complex personality. On one hand he is hot-tempered and becomes easily annoyed and frustrated with Lennie. His swearing and clear annoyance at Lennie exemplifies this.
On the other hand, George cares about Lennie and looks after him. He knows Lennie is forgetful and loses things and so takes care of his work card for him. Although he becomes irritated, the strong bond between the characters is evident.
Analysis of “Guys like us that work on ranches are the loneliest guys in the world”
(George)
George knows that he is lucky and different because of his friendship with Lennie. Other migrant workers are characterised as extremely isolated, travelling alone and moving often, so they are unable to make lasting relationships. George and Lennie’s friendship contrasts with this.
George emphasises the different between him and Lennie and other migrant workers by using hyperbole to exaggerate just how isolated migrant workers are.
Analysis of “‘An’ live off the fatta’ the lan’,’ Lennie shouted, ‘An’ have rabbits!’”
(Lennie)
(see also Theme of Dreams)
George tells Lennie the story of their dream as if it were a bedtime story for a child. This reinforces the dynamics of George and Lennie’s relationship with George as the leader or parental figure.
Their dream is simple - they want to have their own farm and be able to live off their own produce.
This dream stems from the fact that, currently, they have no home of their own and have to work hard for any money and something to eat. The dream would change their life from one of hardship to one of simplicity but plenty.
Analysis of “Course he aint mean. But he gets in trouble alla the time because he’s so God damn dumb. Like what happened in Weed.”
(George)
George knows that Lennie causes problems. He tries to defend him to Slim, but is unable to hide the fact that Lennie’s child-like personality and enormous strength have got them into serious trouble before.
He reminds the reader of the incident in Weed where Lennie wouldn’t let go of the girl’s dress and she thought he was attacking her. This incident foreshadows what happens later when Lennie won’t let go of Curley’s wife’s hair and is important to the plot of the novel.
“I think I knowed from the very first. I think I knowed we’d never do her. He usta like to hear about it so much I got to thinking maybe we could.”
(George)
(see also Theme of Dreams)
George realises that the dream was never achievable. He always suspected they could never do it, but allowed himself to believe when Candy made the farm a real possibility.
Now that he has admitted that they will never be able to make it happen, George’s outlook becomes extremely pessimistic and he clearly knows what he must do.
Candy is also affected by the knowledge the dream will never happen. He will be left old, crippled and alone on the farm in Soledad without his dog and worrying about his future. The characters reactions to the end of the dream show the change in mood that follows Curley’s wife’s death.
Analysis of “And George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head. The hand shook violently, but his face set.”
(see also Theme of Dreams)
At the end of the novel, George makes the terrible decision to kill Lennie, however his reasons for doing this are presented as honourable. He wants to save Lennie from a horrible death at Curley’s hands and he doesn’t want to let someone else pull the trigger, like Candy let happen to his dog.
He clearly doesn’t want to kill Lennie as his hand shakes and he has to compose himself.
George’s decision to kill Lennie is not only the death of their friendship but also symbolises the destruction of their dream.
George’s life will be very different from this point on. He will no longer have companionship and hope. Instead he will be just another migrant worker.
