Of Mice and Men - Themes Flashcards
What are the two major themes in Of Mice and Men?
Loneliness and Dreams
Explain how George represents The American Dream.
Because from the start he and Lennie want to get a place on their own to live in freedom.
George even already knows of a place he thinks they could buy.
Why does Lennie get angry at Crooks?
Because Crooks suggests George won’t come back to him. He fears loneliness.
What is Curley’s wife’s dream?
To become a movie star.
How does Curley’s wife face loneliness?
Because she is married to someone who she doesn’t love, there are no other women on the ranch, there’s nothing to do and all of the other men on the ranch fear her.
How does Candy face loneliness?
His only companion, his dog, is shot dead by Carlson.
What is Candy’s dream?
Candy shares the same dream as George and Lennie - to own his own place and be free.
How does Crooks face loneliness?
Because due to Crooks being black, all of the ranch men disregard him, and he’s isolated in his own room, away from everyone else. He is thrilled when Lennie and Candy join him in this room for once.
What is Crooks’s dream?
That everyone is treated equally. Crooks knows his cival rights. He also remembers as a child when he played with white children, and longs for his relationship to be like this again.
How is racism shown in the book?
Crooks is isolated in his room all of the time, and he is thrilled when the Lennie and Candy join him. Crooks just wants equal rights.
When Candy’s wife comes into the room, she says that she could “get him tied up to a tree so easily it’s not even funny”. This is a reference to the KKK, and again shows emphasis on how dangerous and awful times were for black people during these times.
