Of Mice and Men

Juncture

A joining together; the point at which two things are joined; any important point in time

Recumbent

in a reclining position, lying down, in the posture of one sleeping or resting

What is the opening setting of Of Mice and Men?

A valley a few miles north of Soledad containing the Salinas River.

What is George to Lennie?

George is Lennie's father figure, guardian, and role model

Describe George and Lennie's dream.

George and Lennie want to live on their own farm, with their own house and their own land that they could tend to, and some rabbits and room to have friends over.

How does John Steinbeck introduce George and Lennie?

He has them talk around a campfire about their dream, and George telling Lennie off to show his and Lennie's relationship with each other.

Liniments

a medicinal liquid that is rubbed into the skin to relieve muscular stiffness and pain

Bindle

a bundle of clothes or bedding

How does Candy get George to stay in his bed?

He tells a tall story about how the bed's last occupant was a very clean man.

Why is Curly resentful to Lennie?

Because Curly is short, and Lennie is a huge man, so Curly feels like he has to prove his toughness by fighting and hating Lennie. He is also jealous of Lennie's hugeness, and afraid his wife will like him.

Why was Lennie kicked out of Weed?

He wanted to pet a girl's pretty red dress, and when she screamed he panicked and wouldn't let go, so he was accused of rape and he and George were forced to flee.

Idears

to devise/ideas

Why did Candy want to be part of George and Lennie's dream?

He knew that since he was old and one-armed, he would get the can any day now, and then he'd have nowhere to go. If he had his own place, he'd be in charge of his own future and he'd have a place to stay.

What is the significance of the scene when Lennie crushed Curly's hand?

It showed that Lennie was like a little child, and needed to be told what to do every step of the way, and that he could be used.

What does Lennie realize when Crooks tortures him about George not returning?

He realizes how dependent he is on George to survive.

Why does Crooks want to join George and Lennie's dream?

Since he is black, he is always left alone, and so he is incredibly lonely. On the farm, he would never be lonely or mistreated because of his skin color.

Skinner

a person who prepares or deals in animal skins

What are some of the rising actions in Of Mice and Men?

When Curly tried to provoke Lennie the first time, when Lennie broke Curly's hand when he was provoked the second time, when Lennie killed the dog on accident, and when Crooks tormented Lennie. Also when Lennie killed Curly's wife.

Why did Curly's wife marry Curly?

She wanted to escape her mom, who wasn't letting her go out and become famous or important. Curly's wife also wants to not be lonely and be in charge of her own life.

How was Curly's wife killed, and why?

She spoke to Lennie, and he covered her mouth because he didn't want her yelling for George to hear and not let him tend the rabbits, and he accidentally suffocated her. When he shook her a little bit to warn her and quiet her, he broke her neck and she d

Why did George tell Lennie about their dream when he was about to kill him?

He wanted Lennie's last thoughts to be happy.

Why did George kill Lennie?

He had to protect himself and others, and he knew the alternative was sending Lennie to a crazy house, which would be worse than death. He also knew that if he didn't do it, Curly would kill him painfully.

What did Slim understand about what George did?

He understood how hard it had been for George, and was sensitive about it.

What was the climax?

When George was speaking to Lennie about their dream and was about to shoot him.

What was the falling action?

George thrusting the gun away from him and all of the other ranchers asking him questions.

What was the resolution?

Slim takes George to get a drink and the other men go back to the ranch to eat.

What makes george believe that his dream will come true?

Lennie's childlike faith in him.

What does the fate of Candy's old dog foreshadow and how?

It foreshadows Lennie's death, because they were both killed out of mercy.

In Of Mice and Men, Lennie never changes and is extremely innocent. What does this foreshadow?

He is so innocent and utterly helpless that the reader knows that he is set up for doom.

What did George learn from his experience of taking advantage of Lennie? (when he told him to jump off a bridge and he almost did), What did he learn in the novella?

He learned that it is wrong to take advantage of the weak. In the novella, he learned that it is wrong to prey on the weak.

How does George change throughout the book?

He becomes less idealistic, something brought on by traveling with Lennie for so long. When he is forced to kill Lennie, he puts aside his idealistic dreams of a perfect world and realizes that the world is designed to prey on the weak.

When Candy's dog is shot, Candy is very upset. Why?

He is upset because he is afraid that this is the fate that awaits him when he gets too old and useless, like his dog.

What does Curly's wife do in her greatest moments of vulnerability?

She seeks out other's vulnerabilities.

What does the dead mouse in Lennie's pocket symbolize?

The fate that awaits weak and unsuspecting creatures.

What kind of society does the ranch represent?

A society that does not consider the welfare of its weaker members, and in which those who have power wield it irresponsibly. This is like when Slim drowned four puppies that the mother could not feed, and when all of those people took advantage of others

How does the novella present women?

It presents them as either the caretakers or sex objects of men, implying that, like in the Garden of Eden, they are an evil temptation that causes men's fall from perfection.

Why is Crooks' character more believable?

He isn't overly idealized or antagonistic, and acts realistically in the situations. He is one of the most complex and believable characters in the story.

How are George, Lennie, and Curly's wife alike?

They all share an idealistic dream of the way life should be, despite their conflict with reality.

What does Slim represent?

A voice of reason.

What does the idealized farm represent, and how do we know this?

It represents heaven, because it is too idealized to be true. In the end, Lennie wants to go to this place "right now", and George agrees and shoots him. He is sending Lennie to heaven, to his dream place.

What does the rancher's ignorance of George's predicament represent?

The rancher represent the real world, a world in which the strong vanquish the weak, and the delicate bond of friendship is not appropriately mourned because it is not understood.

What voice does the author use?

Third-person omniscient

What lie did George feed The Boss to explain why he and Lennie traveled together?

He said that they were cousins and that Lennie got kicked in the head when he was a kid.

Who is Slim?

Slim is a skilled and respected mule driver who is calm, has self-respect, and has a certain gravity to his words.

What happened before Lennie crushed Curly's hand?

Curly found Slim alone in the barn and tried to accuse him of flirting with his wife, but this wasn't true, so he came back to barn flustered and irritable.

To where did Lennie flee after he killed Curly's wife?

He went to the pool by the Salinas River where he and George were first introduced.

How did George kill Lennie and what did he tell the other ranchers?

He told him the story of the farm, telling him to look across the river as if he could see it, and take off his hat, and then shot him. He told the other ranchers that he had wrestled the gun from and then shot him.