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OF Mice and Men John Steinbeck
Chapter 1 • In the beginning of the novel starts with a rich description of the physical setting. Explain the effect on the mood of the novel by beginning the narrative with the description. What is Steinbeck trying to suggest about the area by the Salinas River? • Compare and contrast the two men who come into the the clearing by the river. Why do you think Steinbeck introduces the men by describing their physical features, highlighting the fact that one is small and one is huge? What can the reader infer about the two men based on their descriptions?
Chapter 1 • Even though Lennie’s mentality keeps him from fully understanding the world around him, he is very sensitive to George’s feelings. Describe an incident that shows Lennie’s compassion for George. • Explain the idiom, “Live of the fatta the lan’” • Identify two prominent themes or motifs from chapter 1.
Chapter 2 • The old man tells George and Lennie about a blacksmith who used to work at the ranch and suddenly quit. Quote what the old man says was the reason for his departure. What does the old man’s story seem to suggest about the men who work on these ranches? • Why does George not let Lennie speak to the boss?
Chapter 2 • Who is Curley? What does it mean when Candy says he is “handy?” What kind of person is Curley? Use specific examples from the text to support your claim. • What does the reader learn about Curley’s wife? Why might this be important to the story?
Chapter 2 • Throughout the chapter, the reader is introduced to the majority of the characters who will play a role in Of Mice and Men. How are the characters connected? What can we learn about Migrant workers during the Great Depression through the narration of the chapter?
Chapter 3 • Why did George at one time play jokes on Lennie? Why did he stop? What do we learn about the interdependence of George and Lennie? • Why does George reveal to Slim what happened to them in Weed? What is Slim’s response? • What do Slim and Whit discover in a pulp magazine? Why is this important?
Chapter 3 • “His voice trailed off. It was silent outside. Carlson’s footsteps died away. The silence came into the room. And the silence lasted” (Steinbeck, 48). Why does the image of silence play an important role at this point in the novel? Who is literally be silenced? Who is metaphorically being silenced, and what role does each man play in the silence?
Chapter 3 • When Curley comes into the bunkhouse, who is he looking for? What he discovers that Slim is not there, what does he assume? What do we learn about Curley’s relationship with is wife? • How are the theme of survival and the power struggle between the weak and the strong highlighted in the chapter?
Chapter 3 • Why does Curley pick on Lennie? Why do you think George encourages Lennie to fight back when Curley hits him? • Throughout the fight there are many animal references referring to either Lennie or Curley. Find evidence from the text and explain how the animal references connect to what the reader already knows about the characters. How do the descriptions of Curley change throughout the fight?
Chapter 4 • At this point in the novel, the reader has been introduced to the main characters in the plot. How would you describe the characters? • Steinbeck spends a great deal of time describing Crooks’ living quarters. What does the reader gain through this description? What do we learn about Crooks?
Chapter 4 • Describe the interaction between Crooks and Lennie. How are these characters similar? How are they different? What can each character learn from the other? • Characterize Curley’s wife as she is presented in the novel. How is the reader supposed to feel about her? • How is the idea of power and powerlessness developed at the beginning and at the end of this chapter?
Chapter 5 • Despite the descriptive setting of the barn and the quiet Sunday afternoon, this chapter begins with an accident. Explain what happened and why Lennie is so worried. • When Curley’s wife is trying to console Lennie, she states: “You can get another one easy. The whole country is fulla mutts” (Steinbeck, 87). How might this statement be applied to more than just animals?
Chapter 5 • How does the reader know that Curley’s wife does not understand Lennie’s mental challenges? How does she respond to Lennie’s explanation for why he likes rabbits? • Why does Lennie panic and what happens as a result of his panic? How is this similar to events earlier in the story?
Chapter 5 • Explain the following image from the novel: “And the meanness and the plannings and the discontent and the ache for attention were all gone from her face. She was very pretty and simple, and her face was sweet and young” (Steinbeck, 92-3). • What is the decision George makes about the girl’s death? What does Candy want to do and why?
Chapter 5 • How does George keep the men from finding Lennie right away? How do we know that this is not where Lennie would have gone? • What do the men suppose happened to Carlson’s gun? Why is this hard to believe?
Chapter 6 • Explain the image of the heron awaiting its prey and its connection to Lennie and his circumstances. • How can we explain the hallucinations that Lennie has while he is waiting for George? • How does George know where to find Lennie?
Chapter 6 • Explain the symbolism in George’s final telling of the farm story. • Earlier in the novel, what foreshadows the final events between Lennie and George? • Why do you think George shoots Lennie?
Chapter 6 • Why do you think George lies to the men about the events that led up to Lennie’s death? • Who realizes what really happened between Lennie and George? • Explain the significance of the final statement in the novel.
