Of Mice and Men: Plot, Themes, and Characters

• The text provides information about the novel "Of Mice and Men," including its plot, themes, vocabulary, context, characters, and sample exam questions.

Plot Summary

• George and Lennie are on the run from Weed
• They dream of owning their own ranch, and are on their way to a new ranch for work
• At the new ranch, they encounter Candy, Curley, Curley's wife, Slim, and the Boss.
• George warns Lennie to avoid Curley's wife.
• Carlson shoots Candy's old and suffering dog.
• Candy joins George and Lennie's dream to buy a ranch, offering his savings.
• Curley starts a fight with Lennie, who crushes Curley's hand.
• Crooks, Lennie, Candy, and Curley's wife are left alone on the ranch.
• Crooks initially hopes to join the ranch dream, Curley's wife crushes his hope.
• Lennie accidentally kills Curley's wife.
• A posse is formed to hunt Lennie down.
• George finds Lennie and shoots him in the back of the head while recounting their dream.

Themes

• Loneliness
• Dreams
• Natural world
• Prejudice
• Friendship
• Violence
• Survival of the fittest
• Marginalization
• Victims
• The weak and the strong
• Animals
• Justice

Vocabulary

• Mood: The atmosphere or feeling in a literary work.
• Stereotype: A widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.
• Isolation: The state of being alone or lonely.
• Misogyny: Dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women.
• Atmosphere: The pervading tone or mood of a place, situation, or creative work.
• American Dream: The ideal of a happy and successful life, which often includes wealth, a house, and a family.
• Personification: The attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.
• Segregation: The action or state of setting someone or something apart from other people or things or being set apart.
• Novella: A short novel or long short story.
• Itinerant: Traveling from place to place, especially working in different places for relatively short periods.
• Hostility: Hostile behavior; unfriendliness or opposition.
• Pessimistic: Tending to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen.
• Symbolism: The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities.
• Derogatory: Showing a critical or disrespectful attitude.
• Futile: Incapable of producing any useful result; pointless.

Context: Historical Background

• The Wall Street Crash of 1929 led to economic collapse due to risky bank investments.
• The Great Depression followed with widespread unemployment and homelessness.
• The Dust Bowl, a series of dust storms in the 1930s, damaged agricultural land and forced farmers into an itinerant lifestyle.
• The American Dream was the ideal of a better life through hard work and independence.
• Migrant workers like George and Lennie sought employment in California, facing low wages and instability.

Character Descriptions

• Lennie Small: A large man-child with a childlike understanding, short-term memory issues, and a dependence on George; he enjoys hearing about the dream ranch.
• George Milton: Lennie's opposite in size and intelligence; cares for Lennie but is often frustrated.
• Slim: A well-respected and wise ranch foreman whose opinions are highly valued.
• Candy: An elderly crippled "swamper" who offers his savings to join George and Lennie's dream.
• Crooks: A black stable buck isolated due to his race; he initially rejects the dream but later longs to be included until reminded of his place by Curley's wife.
• Curley's Wife: The only woman on the ranch, seen as a possession of her husband; lonely and dreams of being a movie star.
• Curley: The boss's son, a violent and possessive bully who seeks revenge on Lennie for crushing his hand.
• Carlson: Shoots Candy's dog; represents the tough, unfeeling men on the ranch.

Sample Exam Questions

• Analyze how John Steinbeck uses the character of Crooks to highlight aspects of American society in the 1930s.
• Examine George's speech and behavior to understand his character within the specified excerpt.
• The novella's title comes from Robert Burns' poem 'Ode to a Mouse', highlighting the theme of destroyed hopes and dreams.
• Key events occur over three days, from Thursday night to Sunday evening, marking significant plot developments.