Pgs. 1—16

1. Pgs. 1—16 This section introduces not only the setting, but the relationship between Lennie, a mentally-challenged man, and George, his best friend. They are migrant workers on their way to their next ranch job (as barley buckers) in Soledad. They decide to spend the night outside in a clearing before arriving at their new jobs in the morning.

2. Discussion • Identify (citing specific examples) how Steinbeck describes the characters of George and Lennie. • Identify (citing specific examples) what type of relationship George and Lennie have (parent/child, brothers, best friends, and so on). • What is the source of George’s frustration with Lennie.

3. Pgs. 17—37 • In this section, George and Lennie arrive at the ranch and meet Candy the Swamper. • George is not pleased with the conditions of the bunkhouse. Before they meet the boss of the ranch, George tells Lennie to stay out of the conversation. • The boss is not happy that George and Lennie are late and becomes suspicious when George does all the talking. • In this section, the characters of Slim, Curley, and Curley’s wife are all introduced.  • George is wary of Curley and his wife and instructs Lennie to stay away from both of them.

4. Discussion • How does Steinbeck uses description of settings. Identify passages that are particularly descriptive. • Identify the methods Steinbeck uses (citing specific examples) to describe the characters of Candy, Curley’s wife, Curley, and Slim. • Why does the boss seem to be irritated with George. George’s reaction to the boss’s criticism of George? • Candy’s role in the novel? • Curley immediately dislikes George and Lennie? • Speculate on the future role of Curley’s wife.  Steinbeck did not give her a name…

5. Pgs. 38-65 • Slim agrees to provide Lennie with a puppy. • George and Slim talk in depth for the first time, and George relates to Slim about the nature of his relationship with Lennie and what happened in Weed (the site of their last job). • Carlson, a ranch hand, complains about Candy’s old and sick dog and, with Slim’s blessing, convinces Candy that he will humanely put the dog out of his misery with a single gunshot. • Because Candy has a fair sum of money, he joins Lennie and George in the pursuit of their dream to buy their own ranch. • After discussing this, Lennie is blissful as Curley enters. Sensing derision, Curley attacks Lennie, punching him repeatedly. Lennie does not fight back but stops Curley’s fist and crushes it in his grasp. Slim convinces Curley to inform everyone that his hand got caught in a machine.

6. Discussion • Why Candy agreed to let Carlson shoot his old and sick dog. • How Steinbeck created suspense and tension while the bunkhouse men waited to hear the sound of Carlson’s shot gun outside, killing Candy’s dog. • Why Curley, without provocation, attacks Lennie. • Why Curley agreed so readily with Slim’s suggestion that his hand was caught in a machine. • Identify the reactions of George and Lennie at the end of this section. • Why was Lennie ashamed?  Why was George still confident?  How did Candy feel?

7. Pgs. 66-83 • Crooks, lives apart from the other men, segregated in his own quarters. • Most of the other workers are spending a night in town, while Lennie wanders in and enters Crooks’s quarters. Crooks tries to convince him to leave, but Lennie innocently charms his way in; also, Crooks is lonely and eventually welcomes the company. • Lennie talks about his dream of owning a ranch filled with rabbits, and Crooks discusses his isolated childhood, being a member of the only black family for miles. • Crooks begins to torture Lennie, telling him that George may leave him and that no workers ever achieve their dreams.  • Lennie is visibly upset and Crooks eventually backs off as Candy enters. • Candy also discusses the dream, and Crooks is briefly interested in joining the dream. Curley’s wife enters, berates all of them, and actually threatens Crooks with a lynching.

8. Discussion • Why Lennie is clueless about why he should not be in Crooks’s living quarters. • Why Crooks allowed Lennie into his segregated quarters. • What Crooks and Curley’s wife have in common. • Why Crooks is initially so mean to Lennie, telling him that George may leave him. • Do you think Curley's wife’s threat to Crooks is serious. • Why Crooks cowers at Curley's wife’s suggestion about being “strung up on a tree.”

9. Pgs. 84-98 • the death of Lennie’s puppy and Curley’s wife • Lennie is in the barn and is obviously upset and seems to find innocent comfort with Curley’s wife. • They mutually comfort each other, as they both discuss their dreams.  • With Curley’s wife’s permission, he begins to pet her hair. However, he panics when she tells him to stop, and he eventually breaks her neck. • After Lennie runs away to his hiding place, Candy finds the dead body, shortly followed by an outraged Curley.  • Curley vows to have vengeance on Lennie.

10. Discussion • Why the death of Lennie’s puppy is not described in “real time” but instead after the death of the puppy. • Think Steinbeck has portrayed Curley’s wife more sympathetically • Similarities of the situations of Lennie and Curley’s wife. • Why Lennie seemingly blames his puppy for its death. • Curley’s wife was partially responsible for her own death. • Why George asks Candy to pretend he knows nothing about the death.

11. 99-107 • Lennie, as instructed by George earlier (should trouble arise), is again in the clearing, next to the riverbed. • George, who has stolen Carlson’s luger, finds Lennie, as he hears the mob of men, led by Curley, approaching. • Lennie has two auditory visions, one of his Aunt Clara and one of a giant rabbit, both spoken through Lennie’s voice. • His aunt and the rabbit basically berate him for the troubles he has caused. After these visions, George tries to calm Lennie, telling him he never meant the mean things he had said. • At Lennie’s request, George calmly tells Lennie again about the dream of owning their own land, including rabbits. • As the mob approaches, George shoots Lennie in the back of the head. Only Slim understands what has happened.

12. Discussion • why Steinbeck would end the novel where it began. • the cycle of life. • George had any other alternatives to shooting Lennie (especially with the mob approaching). • identify why Slim was the only person who truly understood what George did and why he had to. • why they think Slim is so understanding.