Question-Answers of "Of Mice and Men"

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.