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Of Mice and Men SSR Presentation. Student Mrs. Gatz English 9. Introduction. Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men . Boston: Penguin, 2001. Book. Setting. On a ranch in California’s central valley About 1930 The Great Depression. Plot: Exposition. We meet Lennie and George.
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Of Mice and MenSSR Presentation Student Mrs. Gatz English 9
Introduction Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. Boston: Penguin, 2001. Book.
Setting • On a ranch in California’s central valley • About 1930 • The Great Depression
Plot: Exposition • We meet Lennie and George. • They are on their way to new jobs. • Lennie likes to pet soft things, including dead mice. • George takes care of Lennie and tells him to keep quiet when they talk to their new boss. • Lennie and George have a dream of owning their own land. • George tells Lennie to return to that place if he gets in trouble.
Plot: Rising Action • George and Lennie arrive at their new job. • George and Lennie meet their boss and his son, Curley. • George tells Lennie to avoid Curley because he likes to fight. • Curley’s pretty wife visits the bunkhouse looking for attention. George tells Lennie to avoid her, too. • George and Lennie meet Slim, Carlson, and Candy. • Candy points out Crooks, the African American stable buck who is isolated from the others on the ranch.
Plot: Rising Action, continued • Slim’s dogs has just had puppies. Lennie asks George if he can have one. • George confides in Slim about Lennie’s past behavior. • Lennie gets a puppy from Slim. • Carlson persuades Candy his dog should be killed. • George, Lennie, and Candy make plans to buy a piece of land. • Curley and Lennie fight, and Curley is sent to the doctor.
Plot: Climax • We learn that Lennie has killed his puppy. • Curley’s wife tells Lennie about her dream to become an actress. • Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife. • Candy and George discover the body and the news comes out. • George goes to find Lennie while the others hunt him down with plans to kill him. • When George finds Lennie, he describes their dream one last time, then he puts Lennie out of his misery.
Plot: Resolution • The only comfort George has at the end of the book is the friendship of Slim. • The other men simply don’t understand why George is so sad.
Conflicts in the Novel • Conflict # 1: Man vs. Man • One of the main conflicts in the story is between Curley and everyone else. Curley’s behavior causes him to be argumentative with everyone.
Conflicts in the Novel • Conflict # 2: Man vs. Society • Another conflict in the story is between George and Lennie and society. George and Lennie are clearly not rich, and so they need to work very hard to have very little. It is this conflict which causes them to desire to own their own land.
Conflicts in the Novel • Conflict # 3: Man vs. Self • Another conflict in the story is between George and himself. At the end of the story, George knows that Curley is going to want to kill Lennie or have him locked up. George remembers Candy and his dog and sees similarities between himself and Candy. He has to decide what would be best for Lennie.
Character: George • George Milton is described as “small and quick.” He is clearly more intelligent than Lennie, which really isn’t saying much. He is realistic when it comes to his hopes of owning his own land. He is a good and loyal friend to Lennie and takes the best care of him that he knows how.
Character: Lennie • Lennie is a gentle giant with the mind of a child. He doesn’t know his own strength, and so that sometimes gets him in trouble. He doesn’t read people well.
Character: Slim • Slim is described as “the prince of the ranch.” He is well-respected and his word is law. He is intelligent and very loyal.
Theme There are a number of themes in the book, but one of the main themes is that of friendship. The friendship between George and Lennie is central to the plot. Even Lennie, who seems oblivious to a lot of things, realizes how important friendship is when he explains to George, “Because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why” (14). This idea is emphasized from time to time throughout the novel, making the reader see how important it is to have a friend. George and Lennie have each other, while other men who do what they do have no one. Through George and Lennie, Steinbeck shows us the true importance of friendship.
Literary Devices • Steinbeck uses foreshadowing when at the beginning of the novel, George tells Lennie to return to the brush down by the river if he gets in trouble. • There is also foreshadowing in the novel when Candy’s dog, who is his only friend, is killed. We might guess that the same will happen to George and Lennie.
