Of Mice and Men 1

Of Mice and MenContext:

Time of Great Depression triggered by 1929 Wall Street Crash

caused mass unemployment

George and Lennie forced to travel to find work in fear of being 'canned'

Racial Discrimination:

racism and racial violence increased during Great Depression

1932, about half of black people in America were unemployed

laws passed which made it legal to segregate white and black people

Civil Rights Act, banned racial discrimination, not passed until 1964

novel set in time when racial discrimination was legal

Crooks:

only black character; treated unfairly

not allowed to live with the other men

told that he 'stinks'

reflects discrimination black people experienced in 1930s America and beyond

KKK

Curley's wife threatens Crooks saying she could have him "strung up on a tree so easy it ain't even funny"

Refers to KKK, history of murdering black people, normally by lynching (hanging them from trees)

American Dream:

America is a land of opportunity

Declaration of Independence:

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claims all men are created equal and everybody has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness

Curley's wife unfulfilled dream to be "in the movies"; normal girl making it big in Hollywood was typical interpretation of American Dream

Racism and the American Dream:

Crooks:

Steinbeck points out that the American Dream is only for white people; black people (like Crooks) are supposed to be satisfied with being treated like second class citizens

George and Lennie:

dream of owning "a little place" of their own, enjoying own freedom

typical example of American Dream

many ranch workers of 1930s would have aspired to achieve

Failure to Achieve American Dream:

none of the men in Of Mice and Men are successful in achieving their dreams

Steinbeck is criticizing concept of American Dream

Of Mice and Men:

Title:

From poem by Robert Burns called 'To a Mouse'

The best laid schemes o' mice and men/ Gang aft agley/ And leave us nought but grief and pain/ For promised joy!

Poem and Plot:

'gang aft agley' roughly translates to 'often go wrong'; fits with George and Lennie's ill-fated plan to own their own farm

Steinbeck's point may be that plans may not work out but they give us hope

John Steinbeck:

Early Career:

not initially successful; faced rejection several times

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idea of keeping faith in distant dream shines through character of George

Success After Of Mice and Men:

Steinbeck's dream came true

became one of most successful and critically acclaimed writers in 20th Century

Background:

Born in Salinas (region of California where novel is set) in 1902

Most of stories set in this area; creates realistic images of settings

Passions:

known to love nature and wildlife

Plot Overview: George and Lennie are traveling to work at ranch

Share a dream about leaving peacefully on farm

Arrive at ranch; Curley (boss's son) immediately aggressive towards Lennie Candy warns George about Curley)

Curley's wife comes into bunkhouse and flirts and chats with men; Lennie finds her pretty George tells him to stay away)

Slim enters (he is contrast to Lennie's aggression); George and Slim become fast friends

Slim gives Lennie a newborn puppy

Carlson (insensitive ranch hand) complains about Candy's smelly dog and says it should be shot; Slim agrees and offers Candy one of his new puppies; Candy's dog is shot and Candy mourns

George and Lennie discuss their dream; Candy overhears and asks to join; they agree

Slim returns with Curley (in bad mood + looking for wife); Curley turns on Lennie and Lennie crushes his hand when George says to fight back; Slim tells Curley to say it was crushed in machine

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Lennie kills his puppy

Curley's wife comes in; tells Lennie about life and dreams; offers to let Lennie touch her hair

Scared by his natural strength, Lennie's wife screams and Lennie snaps her neck; he escapes to the clearing

Candy discovers body and tells George (he goes to find Lennie); Curley is informed and wants to kill Lennie

George humanely kills Lennie

The men arrive; Slim takes George away for a drink

CharactersGeorge Milton

"I got both of 'em here. Think I'd let you carry your own card?"

George is resourceful and relatively intelligent when able to arrange work for Lennie and himself

looks after Lennie's work permit so he can't lose it

"of the fatta the lan'"

George's source of hope is the dream that they will one day own their own farm

"The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features"

George's description is the complete opposite of Lennie's

"Go to sleep Lennie"

George has a paternal sort of relationship with Lennie

"You keep away from him, will you? Don't never speak to him." (about Curley)

George is trying to protect Lennie; he is a good judge of character

"Whatever we ain't got, that's what you want. God a'mighty, if I was alone, I could live so easy"

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George, who is usually friendly and thoughtful, has a malicious side

we can see he has gotten angry with Lennie

it's on his mind that his life could be a lot easier if Lennie wasn't part of it

"I want you to stay with me, Lennie"

George reinforces their relationship

Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world"

Whatever the American Dream is, this is not it

a bunch of lonely farmworkers that George describes as being without family or hope

Steinback seems to say that you can't build a nation on these men

"Don't you even take a look at that bitch, she's gonna make a mess, Jesus what a tramp" (about Curley's wife)

George is good judge of character

warns Lennie that Curley's wife will get them into trouble and warns him to stay away

"I seen the guys that go around the ranches on their own. That ain't no good. They don't have no fun. After a long time, they get mean."

although he sometimes speaks of how easy life would be without Lennie, he doesn't actually want to leave without him

he is used to being in constant company of someone familiar and wouldn't want to be lonely

understands effect loneliness has on people

"work my month an' I'll take my fifty bucks an' I'll stay all night in some lousy cat house"

Events of story prove that intelligence alone is not enough to fulfill a dream

"I think I knowed from the very first. I think I knowed we'd never do her"

George always knew deep inside that the dream will not be fulfilled

kept believing for the sake of Lennie

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shows they were true friends

"I ain't got no people"

George has no friends or family apart from Lennie

"I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you." Lennie)

George needs Lennie as much as Lennie needs George

"he's a god damn nuisance most of the time" and "used to goin' around with a guy"

George has gained sense of duty when looking after Lennie

doesn't always acknowledge it

"you hadda George, you hadda"

understands that responsibility extends to killing him in order to spare him a brutal death

Slim recognizes this and consoles George

"Get 'im, Lennie"

has strong sense of justice

won't let Curley just beat up Lennie for no good reason

"I used to have a hell of a lot of fun with 'im. Used to play jokes on 'im cause he was too dumb to take care of himself"

George hints to Slim about how he used to treat Lennie

George used to be mean to Lennie

Lennie SmallLennie is aware of good and bad, in sense of what will make George happy and sad; never realises until it is too late

"a huge man"

contrast to name Lennie Small

first thing people notice about him is physical stature

"Maybe he ain't bright, but I never seen such a worker. He damn near killed his partner buckin' barley. There ain't nobody can keep up with him." Slim)

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superior physical strength makes him good worker

"I didn't want no trouble"

despite physical strength, aviods confrontation

does not want to be involved in conflict with anyone else

"Curley's fist was swinging when Lennie reached for it. The next minute Curley was flopping like a fish on a line, and his closed fist was lost in Lennie's big hand."

when he gets himself in trouble, he is very capable of defending himself

"Lennie dabbled his big paw in the water..." and "You tol' me to, George"

Steinback decribes Lennie's physicl appearance and strength as being more like a bear than a human

his personality is more similar to that of a loyal dog; George as master

"Aunt Clara... she stopped givin' 'em to ya. You always killed 'em." George)

Lennie accidentally kills mice in his pocket

has history of killing mice this way

Lennie lacks control over his strength

"I didn't bounce you hard"

kills puppy Slim gave him by playing too roughly with it

doesn't even realise natural strength

"We got to get him in to a doctor ... Loks to me ever' bone in his han' is bust."

when defending himself against Curley's attack, Lennie uses excessive force

seriously damages Curley's hand

"He shook her; and her body flopped like a fish. And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck."

most serious incident of novel

Lennie accidentally breaks Curley's wife's neck while trying to make her stop screaming

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"Suddenly Lennie's eyes centered and grew quiet, and mad. He stood up and walked dangerously towards Crooks."

flashes of aggression can be seen in Lennie's behaviour

shows aggression towards Crooks when he suggests George has abandoned him

"Come on, George. Tell me. Please, George. Like you done before."

Lennie is childlike in the way he acts

hearing George talk about the dream farm is like a favourite childhood story

story soothes and comforts him

"I could go off in the hills there. Some place I'd find a cave."

Lennie shows he knows how to make George feel guilty bys ying he will go off alone in the wilderness

"I don't like this place, George. This ain't no good place. I wanna get out of here."

Lennie gets scared easily when things are violent/threatening

he tells George he wants to leave after he meets the intimidating and unfriendly Curley on his first day at the ranch

"They had walked in single file down the path, and even in the open one stayed behind the other."

Lennie relies heavily of guidance from George, following his lead

can be seen in the way they walk: George ahead and Lennie following behind

"I di'n't forget, you bet, God damn. Hide in the brush an' wait for George."

when Lennie kills Curley's wife, he remembers that he needs to go and hide in designated spot and wait for George to come and help him

"Get 'im, Lennie"

relies on George to get him out of trouble

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when Lennie is attacked by Curley, wait for George's approval before he retaliates

"I done a real bad thing... I shouldn't of did that. George'll be mad."

isn't always able to control himself

when he does something 'bad', first worry is that George ill be mad at him

SlimVery mysterious character

Don't know much about his past or where he comes from

"He moved with a majesty achieved only by royalty and master craftsmen."

from very beginning, he is portrayed as natural leader

"There was a gravity in his manner and a quiet so profound that all talk stopped when he spoke."

has a natural gravity that draws people towards him

when he talks, people listen

"His authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject, be it politics or love."

people follow Slim's instructions because they repect him rather than fear him (unlike Curley)

"George looked over at Slim and saw the calm, Godlike eyes fastened on him."

George immediately considers Slim to be a trustworthy character

they have frank, open discussions

"You hadda, George, I swear you hadda."

reassures George when he shoots Lennie at end of novel

"I think you got your han' caught in a machine. If you don't tell nobody what happened, we ain't going to. But you jus' tell an' try to get this guy canned and we'll tell ever'body, an' then you will get the laugh."

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after Curley attacks Lennie and Lennie breaks his hand, Slim takes George and Lennie's side

ensures George and Lennie won't be fired from the ranch

"Oh! Hello, Crooks. What's'a matter?"

much more respectful attitude than some of other ranch workers

while many men are racist and abusive towards Crooks, Slim treats him more like an equal

"He looks out for his team ... a real skinner"

completely dedicated to looking after his team

less interested in having fun and playing games

"Slim's opinions were law"

because he is so respected, he takes on role of maintaining order

"Carl's right, Candy. That dog ain't no good to himself. I wisht somebody'd shoot me if I get old an' a cripple."

able to make difficult decisions that might hurt others

approves the shooting of Candy's dog

"I would of had to drowned most of 'em anyways."

drowns some of his puppies in a remorseless way

doesn't find difficult decions too painful

CurleyExample of injustice in society: not hardworking or particulary intelligent but still enjoys life better than any of ranch workers

"Curley's pretty handy. He done quite a bit in the ring." Candy)

physically small

strong and has a past as a boxer

"Curley's like a lot of little guys.. He hates big guys. He's alla time picking scraps with big guys."

known to dislike 'big guys'

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has a history of fighting with people who are bigger than him

"Like the boss, he wore high-heeled boots."

Curley enjoys privileged life compared to other men as boss's son

boots he wears shows he wants his high status to be visible

"He glanced coldly at George and then at Lennie. His arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists."

from very first time we meet him, Curley is threatening towards Lennie (who is gentle and non-confrontational)

makes reader dislike Curley

"He slashed at Lennie with his left, and then smashed down his nose with a right."

Curley brutally attacks Lennie for no good reason at all

"I'm gonna shoot the guts outta that big bastard myself, even if I only got one hand."

when Lennie kils Curley's wife, Curley's first reaction is to get violent revenge on Lennie

rather than any sadness that his wife has been killed, Curley feels like Lennie personally insulted him

"Curley says he's keeping that hand soft for his wife" Candy)

displays alot of unpleasant behaviour

makes crude and sexual comments about his wife

"I don't like Curley. He ain't a nice fella." Curley's wife)

Curley's wife confides in Lennie

she thinks Curley is an unkind person and a bad husband

Curley's WifeSteinbeck does not reveal Curley's wife's name; suggests she is not important enough to have a name

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By using husband's name to identify her, creates sense that she is a possession of Curley

Her dream of being a star seems unrealistic; debatable how close she came to achieving it - maybe a fantasy to escape the misery of her life with Curley

"Well, I think Curly's married... a tart." Candy)

most of men on ranch have a generally negative view of Curley's wife

make derogator comments about her

"heavily made up"

she is glamorous

embodies traditional ideas of feminine beauty

"Her fingernails were red. Her hair hung in little rolled clusters, like sausages. She wore a cotton house dress and red mules, on the insteps of which were little bouquets of red ostrich feathers."

Steinbeck associates colour red with Curley's wife

red has connotations of passion and seduction

"She's purty."

Lennie, who is most naive of all the men on ranch, is immediately drawn to he beauty

"I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely."

she is clearly bored and lonely on the ranch

always looking for someone to talk to

most of men want nothing to do with her for fear of getting in trouble with Curley

"I don't like Curley. He ain't a nice fella."

she confesses to Lennie that she is in an unhappy marriage

she doesn't love Curley

"Coulda been in the movies"

her life has not turned out how she dreamed it would

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reveals that her childhood ambition was to become a Hollywood film star

"I coulda sat in them big hotels, an' had pitchers took of me."

she is stuck on the ranch - a dusty, dry and bleak environment

she longs for the glamour that comes with a film star lifestyle

"I ast her if she stole it, too, an' she says no. So I married Curley. Met him out to the Riverside Dance Palace that same night."

unable to fulfill her dream because her mother stole her letters from a film producer

instead married Curley

"the weak ones" (refering to Crooks, Lennie and Candy)

she is rude and insulting to people she considers to be weak

"I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain't even funny."

particulary cruel to Crooks

as white person, Curley's wife has certain privileges that Croks does not

uses her power to humiliate and dehumanise Crooks

Crooks"You got no right to come in my room. This here's my room. Nobody got

any right in here but me."

Crooks is treated unfairly, but also master of his own environment

he has his own barn and is very strict about who he allows inside

"There wasn't another colored family for miles around. And now there ain't a colored man on this ranch an' there's jus' one family in Soledad."

Crooks reveals information about his childhood to Lennie

reveals his family were one of the only black families in the area

"crooked back where a horse kicked him" and "He had thin, pain-tightened lips"

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Crooks gets his name because of his crooked back

it is clear his physical ailment causes him tolive his life in pain

"Ya see the stable buck's a nigger." Candy)

racist attitudes are presented throught novel

racist language from Candy goes unchallenged by others

"They play cards in there, but I can't play because I'm black."

he is forced to live seperately from other men as racial segregation is strictly enforced in ranch

"I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain't even funny."

Curley's wife's verbal attack on Crooks shows he has no power

"Crooks had reduced himself to nothing. There was no personality, no ego."

Crooks closes himslef from everbody in response to attack

shows crippling effects of racism on individuals

CandyCandy fears loneliness; with his dog gone, he is left with nobody

Therefore he attaches all his hope to George and Lennie's dream

"Tall, stoop shouldered old man."

old and physically weak character

lost his hand as a result of an accident with farm machinery

"A drag-footed sheep dog, grey of muzzle and with pale, blind old eyes."

Candy and dog share many similarities

described through his dog

helps reader imagine Candy themselves

"a lousy ol' sheep" Curley's wife)

Curley's wife is quick to point out Candy's physical weakness

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"grinning with delight"

when Candy hears about George and Lennie's dream, he realises he could be involved

prospect of living on a farm with George and Lennie gives him a new lease of life after death of his dog

"An' they give me two hundred an' fifty dollars 'cause I los' my hand. An' I got fifty more saved up right in the bank, right now."

Candy reveals he has money saved up which he can contribute to the purchase of the small farm

shows Candy is useful

"Old Candy lay down in the hay and covered his eyes with his arm."

he pins all his hopes and dreams on being able to purchase the farm

heartbroken at end of novel when Lennie ruins it by killing Curley's wife

"I had him so long. Had him since he was a pup."

loves his dog very much

relies on it for companionship

"I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn't oughtto of let no stranger shoot my dog."

expresses regret that he did not kill dog himself

Boss"a stocky little man" and "nice fella"

'stocky' indicates wealth

nice as opposed to Curley, his son

"I said what stake you got in this guy? You takin' his pay away from him?"

suspicious of George's intentions towards Lennie

worried he is taking advantage of his mental state

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Carlson"powerful, big-stomached man"

physical description

one of ranchworkers

main involvement is when he kills Candy's dog, something he seems to enjoy doing (shows him as tough and insensitive)

George uses Carlson's "luger" to kill Lennie

Whityoung ranch worker

little involvement in plot of story

sent to fetch deputy sheriff when Curley's wife's body is found

ThemesHopes, Dreams & RealityGeorge and Lennie:

George and Lennie's dream is a powerful source of hope; Candy and Crooks bth get drawn into it

Provides them with fantasy which allows them to escape harsh realities of life on ranch

"I could cook and tend the chickens and hoe the gardens some." Candy)

Many impoverished ranch workers have George and Lennie's dream of self-sufficiency and freedom

"An' never a God damn one of 'em ever gets it." Crooks)

For Lennie, the dream is like a comforting and calming childhood story

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"Come on, George. Tell me. Please, George. Like you done before."

When Lennie kills Curley's wife, George admits that the dream is dead

He suggests the dream was nver a realistic possibility in the first place

"I think I knowed we'd never do her."

Curley's Wife:

Curley's wife talks about how she was on her way to Hollywood stardom

Suspects her mother hid a letter which meant she couldn't fulfill her dream

"I never got that letter... I always thought my ol' lady stole it."

Her dream seems unrealistic and maybe even pathetic

Steinbeck may be suggesting that this unrealistic dream isa way of escaping the misery that surrounds her

"Coulda been in the movies, an' had nice clothes- all them nice clothes like they wear."

Racial PrejudiceCrooks:

Crooks is segregated from the other ranch workers

This is ecause of racist attitudes

He recognises that the other men think they are superior to him

"They play cards in there, but I can't play because I'm black. They say I stink."

Crooks is used to being treated badly and is defiant about it; pretends not to care

"They say I stink. Well, I tell you, you all of you stink to me."

Because he has little power, he is defensive of what he has

The barn where his lives is his domain and he likes to control his space by not letting others come in

"You got no right to come in my room. This here's my room. Nobody got any right in here but me."

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Nobody challenges the racist attitudes, suggesting it is accepted as normal part of life

When Crooks asks Curley's wife to leave she threatens him

This attack is Curley's wife's reminder to Crooks that as a white person, she has power over him

"I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain't even funny."

Loneliness and CompanionshipGeorge and Lennie:

Through George's repetition of the same story, Lennie has learned that his relationship with George sets him apart from other ranch workers

"I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you."

George confides in Slim that he has "got no people of his own" and that he has gotten "used to goin' around with" Lennie.

Although both benefit from relationship, Lennie depends on George

Lennie could not survive alone

"How'd you eat? You ain't got no sense enough to find nothing to eat."

George understand importance of friendship and fears being alone

"guys like us, that work on ranches, are the lonliest guys in the world"

Crooks:

He has lived most of his life alone

Faced racist abuse and isolation; as a result he became bitter

Spitefully taunts Lennie, trying to make him belive that George would abandon him

"S'pose George don't come back no more. S'pose he took a powder and just ain't coming back. What'll you do then?"

Curley's Wife:

She suffers from lonliness and isolation

Her husband, who she doesn't like anyways, ignores her

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The men avoid talking to her for fear of getting in trouble

She confides in Lennie

"I get lonely"

This loneliness helps us understand some of the spiteful things she says to Crooks

Candy:

Relies on his dog for companionship; to stop him feeling lonely

Candy and his dog have been companions for a long tim; suggests strong connection

"I had him so long. Had him since he was a pup."

When Candy's dog is killed, he is reminded his days are numbered because he is no longer useful

"They'll can me purty soon. Jus' as soon as I can't swamp out no bunkhouses they'll put me on the county."

Danger of Realtionships:

Curley and his wife are stuck in unhappy

For Curley's wife in particulary, this realtionship is source of stress and anguish

George's companionship with Lennie stops George from feeling lonely, in the end he is forced to make painful decision to kill Lennie

George frequently says he "could live so easy" without Lennie and ending shows that perhaps that is true

Candy's heartbreak when his dog is killed shows that this companionship only brought him pain in the end

Happiest characters are the ones that don't depend on anyone else

Slim and Carlson seem to have accepted that they will be alone, makes their lives more straightforward

The Weak and StrongWeakness:

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Candy is old and has a missing hand as a result of an accident on the ranch

Because of his physical weakness, Candy lives in fear that he will one day be considered useless and be thrown out onto streets

"They'll can me purty soon. Jus' as soon as I can't swamp out no bunkhouses they'll put me on the county."

Lennie is physically strong and a very good worker.

He is able to "put up mre grain alone than most pairs can"

However, he has some form of a mental (maybe learning) disability; easy for other men to take advantage of him; he is timd and avoids confrontation

"Sure, he's jes' like a kid. There ain't no more harm in him than a kid neither."

Curley's wife, as the only woman on the ranch, has limited freedom

She is trapped with her husband, Curley, who "ain't a nice fella" and admits she feels "lonely" as a result of the way she's treated

Crooks experiences racial discrimation

He is segregated from other ranch workers, forcing him into lonely isolation

"They play cards in there, buy I can't play because I'm black."

Strength:

Crooks tries to look strong by exerting power over Lennie

Crooks is more intelligent than Lennie and therefore able to trick him into believing that George could leave him.

"S'pose George don't come back no more. S'pose he took a powder and just ain't coming back. What'll you do then?"

Curley's wife has power over Crooks because she is white

She uses this power to threaten and dehumanise him

"I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain't even funny."

Curley is self-conscious about his small size and compensates for this by "alla time picking scraps with big guys"

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WomenSexist Attitudes to Women:

Before Curley's wife is introduced in person, Steinbck includes a converstaion between ranch workers where derogatory things are said about her

e.g. Candy calls her a "tart"

Evokes sympathy for Curley's wife who is surrounded by all these sexist men

Brothels:

General attitude the men have towards women is also seen through their tendency to spend their money in brothels

"Old Susy's place"

Curley's Wife's Feminity:

Curley's wife is presented as glamorous and "heavily made up"

She is meant to stand out in predominantlymale surroundings

Curley's wife embodies traditional model of feminine beauty

Curley's Wife's Flirtatiousness:

Curley's wife has a flirtatious manner around the ranch workers

"She put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward."