1.
Why
did Steinbeck choose the title Of Mice and Men?
Steinbeck chose the title Of Mice and Men after reading a poem called “To a Mouse” by Robert Burns, in which the poet regrets accidentally destroying a mouse’s nest. The poem resonates with several of Of Mice and Men’s central themes: the impermanence of home and the harshness of life for the most vulnerable. The struggles of the mouse whose home is destroyed parallels with the struggles of George, Lennie, and other migrant workers whose dreams of purchasing land are destroyed by the trials of the Great Depression. Their own fate is not so different from the poem’s mouse, or the dead mouse Lennie pulls from his pocket—the characters are destined for destruction beyond their control.
2.
What
happened in Weed?
In the town of Weed, Lennie—a lover of soft things—touched a
girl’s dress, became frightened when she started to “squawk,” and was accused
of rape after the girl reported Lennie to the authorities. The men of Weed ran
George and Lennie out of town, and the two escaped by hiding in an irrigation
ditch until nightfall. This anecdote foreshadows the death of Curley’s wife,
which happens as a result of a nearly identical misunderstanding. Because
George observes first-hand the misunderstanding in Weed, he can be sure that
Lennie is not guilty of deliberately murdering Curley’s wife (and so can the
reader).
3.
Why
does Carlson shoot Candy’s dog?
Carlson shoots Candy’s dog because it is old, sick, and no
longer able to work as a sheep dog. Carlson says the dog “ain’t no good” to
Candy, unable to see that the dog still has value as Candy’s friend and
companion. This assertion reveals how in the world of migrant laborers,
companionship is so rare and undervalued that many laborers don’t even
recognize a loving relationship when they do see it. The shooting of Candy’s
dog is also framed as a merciful act intended to prevent the dog’s suffering,
which foreshadows George’s decision to shoot Lennie rather than let him be
imprisoned or tortured by Curley.
4.
Why
does Curley attack Lennie?
After Slim denies Curley’s accusation that he was hanging
around Curley’s wife, Curley looks to take his anger out on an easier target,
and chooses Lennie. Lennie is “smiling with delight” as he dreams about the
future farm, ignorant that he has attracted Curley’s humiliated anger. By
picking on Lennie, Curley demonstrates that he is willing to prey on the most
vulnerable in order to maintain his dominance over the workers. Of Mice and Men
suggests that this is one way that the property-owning classes uphold their
power.
5.
Why
does George kill Lennie?
George knows that if he doesn’t kill Lennie himself, Curley
will torture and murder Lennie in a more inhumane way, making Lennie suffer for
killing Curley's wife. George must choose between mercifully shooting the
friend he loves with his own hands, or allowing Lennie’s inevitable lynching by
a mob that does not care about Lennie’s fate. Of Mice and Men argues that on
the bottom rung of the American economy, the destitute are left with only stark
and terrible choices.
6.
Why
does Lennie have a dead mouse in his pocket?
As the story begins, Lennie has a dead mouse in his pocket
because he likes to pet soft things but doesn’t know his own strength and
accidentally killed the mouse when he pet it too hard. When George realizes
that Lennie has a dead mouse in his pocket, he asks him what he would “want of
a dead mouse, anyways,” and Lennie explains that he “could pet it with [his]
thumb while [they] walked along.” Even after George throws the mouse into the
woods, Lennie finds it and tries to hide it once again, saying, “I wasn’t doin’
nothing bad with it, George. Jus’ strokin’ it.” The dead mouse introduces
Lennie’s clear obsession with soft things and unintentional destruction of
them, foreshadowing future events in the story.
7.
How
is Lennie different from the other men?
From the first pages of the novella, Steinbeck makes it clear that Lennie is different. Despite his large size, he comes across as childlike, and George seems to have to take care of him. For example, George warns Lennie not to drink too much water and has to repeatedly remind him where they are heading, saying, “So you forgot that awready, did you? I gotta tell you again, do I?” It is not until later in the story when George confides in Slim that readers learn some clues about Lennie’s “differences.” George says, “He ain’t no cuckoo . . . He’s dumb as hell, but he ain’t crazy . . . I knowed his Aunt Clara. She took him in when he was a baby and raised him up.” Even though there is never a specific diagnosis given to Lennie, he seems to have a different intellectual ability than the other adult men just as Slim describes when he says, “He’s jes’ like a kid, ain’t he.
8.
Why
do George and Lennie travel together?
George and Lennie travel together because they have known
each other since they were children and a natural friendship developed over
time. George explains their history when he confides in Slim, saying, “Him and
me was both born in Auburn. I knowed his Aunt Clara. She took him in when he
was a baby and raised him up. When his Aunt Clara died, Lennie just come along
with me out workin’. Got kinda used to each other after a little while.” George
explains to Slim that even though Lennie can be a challenge, their friendship
and companionship make life better for both of them.
9.
Why
does Lennie kill Curley’s wife?
Lennie kills Curley’s wife because of his inability to
control his own strength and emotions. However, Lennie doesn’t simply kill
her—several unfortunate events lead to her death. First, Curley’s wife insists
on talking with Lennie even after he warns her that he “ain’t supposed to”
because “George’s scared [he’ll] get in trouble.” Then Curley’s wife invites
Lennie to pet her soft hair, but when he gets too rough, she “jerked her head
sideways, and Lennie’s fingers closed on her hair and hung on.” Finally, when
Curley’s wife yells at Lennie to let go, he panics in fear that George will get
mad and not let him tend the rabbits, so he puts his hand over her mouth. The
more Curley’s wife struggles and yells, the angrier and more scared Lennie
becomes, leading him to shake her harder until “she was still, for [he] had
broken her neck.”
10. Why is Crooks’s room
set apart from the others?
Race is the central reason why Crooks has his own room set
apart from the other men at the ranch. When Lennie visits Crooks’s room trying
to make friends, Crooks keeps his guard up and explains the situation, saying,
“You got no right to come in my room . . . You go on get outta my room. I ain’t
wanted in the bunk house, and you ain’t wanted in my room.” When Lennie
persists and asks why Crooks is not allowed in the bunkhouse, Crooks presents
the clear racial reasoning when he says, “ʼCause I’m black. They play cards in
there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you,
you all of you stink to me.” This segregation presents the larger topic of
racism and social position throughout this story as Crooks is ultimately “put
in his place” just as the ranch workers have their place in the lowly
bunkhouse.
11. What does Slim do at
the ranch?
Slim’s job at the ranch is a jerkline skinner, the head mule
driver, and “the prince of the ranch, capable of driving ten, sixteen, even
twenty mules with a single line to the leaders.” Aside from Slim’s specific job
at the ranch, he is looked up to by all, making him a leader in his work and
among the men: “There was a gravity in his manner and a quiet so profound that
all talk stopped when he spoke. His authority was so great that his word was
taken on any subject, be it politics or love.” Slim holds an unchanging,
respected role at the ranch.
12. Do George and Candy
still plan to buy the dream farm after Lennie’s death?
George and Candy give up on the plan to buy the dream farm
once they realize that Lennie has killed Curley’s wife and his future is bleak.
Without Lennie, the hope of the dream of escaping their difficult life as
ranchers is washed away. After desperately trying to hold on to the possibility
of still pursuing the dream of owning land, Candy asks, “‘You an’ me can get
that little place, can’t we, George? . . . Can’t we?’ Before George answered,
Candy dropped his head and looked down at the hay. He knew.” George explains
that he only believed they would buy a farm one day because Lennie liked to
hear about it so much.
13. Character-sketch of Lennie.
Lennie is George’s friend and the two travel together. Lennie has a
mental disability, making him dependent upon George to manage day to day life
in the difficult environment in which they live and work.
Lennie is physically very strong, but cannot control himself, leading
to escalating acts of accidental violence through the book. He is obsessed with
stroking soft things, such as animal fur. This starts with mice, which he
kills, then leads to his puppy, which he also kills, before the tragic death of
Curley’s wife when he strokes her hair. He does not mean to cause harm but is
not aware of his own physical power.
Lennie is very innocent and sweet-natured; he always means well and is
focused on simple pleasures, which his dream with George reminds the reader of.
He lacks awareness of social conventions and so does not feel the same racism
and prejudice against women that many of the other male characters feel. Lennie
is happy to talk to Crooks and Curley’s wife, despite them being rejected by
the other characters on the ranch.
Lennie only gets angry or aggressive when he feels that his friendship
with George is threatened. For example, when Crooks suggests that George might
abandon Lennie, Lennie reacts angrily, worried that Crooks is threatening
violence against his friend.
14. Character-sketch of George Milton
George is a protective man, who has been caring for his friend Lennie
for a long time. The two men are not related but have been friends since they
were children, so as well as enjoying his company, George also feels
responsible for his welfare. George often talks to Lennie about their dream.
Due to Lennie’s mental disability, George has to take responsibility
for him and finds this stressful and frustrating at times, due to Lennie
getting into trouble. This results in outbursts of anger towards Lennie at
certain points in the novel, although George regrets these quickly.
George recognizes that his friendship with Lennie is special because
men like George would not have had friendships due to moving around so much for
work; it would have been very unusual for two men to travel around together due
to work being scarce.
George is a small, quick-witted man; his intelligence contrasts with
Lennie’s throughout the book; as does his size. George often has to think
quickly in order to cover up for Lennie’s mistakes. Finally, he feels forced to
shoot his best friend in order to protect him from Curley and the other men,
who George believes would have tortured Lennie if they found him first.
15. Themes in the novel "Of Mice and Men"
There are different themes running through Of Mice and Men, all linked
primarily to George and Lennie as the central characters of the novel. Their
plan to own their own farm highlights the theme of dreams, which also involves
Candy and Crooks, as well as Curley’s wife. George and Lennie’s unusual
friendship introduces the idea of companionship, while also contrasting with
the loneliness experienced by characters such as Curley’s wife, Crooks and
Candy.
The theme of dreams is introduced at the start of the book through
George’s description to Lennie of the farm that they hope one day to own
together. They continue to discuss this throughout the text, with Candy also becoming
involved and making it finally seem possible. This dream is very important to
the men because it represents freedom and having control over their own lives,
which they do not have while moving around looking for work.
Most of the characters on the ranch are lonely. George and Lennie stand
out because their friendship means that they are not isolated and this is very
unusual, making some others (like the Boss) suspicious of them. Steinbeck shows
how the lifestyle that the men lead is very damaging to their relationships,
making them lack compassion for others. The loneliest characters in the book
are Candy, Crooks and Curley’s wife. All of these characters are different to
the others on the ranch: Candy is older than the others; Crooks is the only
black man; and Curley’s wife is the only woman. These factors make the
characters isolated and the men on the ranch show no empathy towards them,
instead making them more isolated by treating them badly.
Companionship in Of Mice and Men is primarily demonstrated through the
friendship of George and Lennie, as there are no other meaningful relationships
between people in the book. The unusualness of their bond is emphasized
throughout the novel, particularly through the contrast with the other
characters who are isolated and lonely. Apart from Slim, the men on the ranch
find it difficult to understand why George and Lennie stick together.
