Of Mice and Men

1. Of Mice and Men Character Revision

2. GEORGE • Friend to Lennie, kind hearted – ‘I got you to look after me and you got me…’ • Feels a sense of duty to Lennie; looking after him gives him a purpose • Can be impatient with him – ‘I could live so easy if it wasn’t for you…’ • He is a thinker – all around him he sees loneliness • Good judge of character – knew Curley’s wife would be trouble • Confides in Slim about his troubled past • Hardworking but dreams of owning own ranch • Often tells Lennie about their ‘dream’ • Prepares for Lennie getting them into trouble - ‘hide in the brush’ • Quick-witted and intelligent – knew Slim could be trusted / Curley’s wife would be trouble • His sense of morality tells him Lennie must die for killing Curley’s wife • He is a realist and understands the world • At the end of the novel when he loses Lennie, he also lost his dream

3. LENNIE • He is slow-witted but ‘a nice fella’ • He is a child trapped in a man’s body – ‘ huge man, shapeless of face’ • He has never learned to control his strength / power • After his strength his innocence is his most striking feature • Often described as animal like - he is described as like a terrier, a bear etc • Can be cunning – plays on George’s feelings of guilt • Instinctive – knows the ranch isn’t a nice place • Relies heavily on George but is fiercely protective of him • ‘Maybe he ain’t bright but I never seen such a worker’ • His fault they left Weed and he loses George ‘every job I ever get’

4. SLIM • Understands the bond between George and Lennie • Shows natural dignity and leadership • Has a natural authority – the men look up to him ‘his words was accepted on any subject, be it politics or love’ • He is a good listener and ‘his ear heard more than was said to him’ • He stands up to Curley when accused of having an affair with his wife • ‘There was a gravity in his manner and all talk stopped when he spoke’ • Steinbeck could use a character like him to show that in all aspects of society there is goodness.

5. CANDY • Lost his arm in a ranch accident and is now reduced to ‘swamper’ • Pathetic figure who passes his time taking orders from other people • Stands up to people twice – Curley (when the others do) and Curley’s wife (in Crooks’ room) but this confidence is short-lived • Only a little is needed to revitalise him – a ranch of his own, a dream to follow ‘ when they can me I wisht they’d shoot me’ • Clings to George and Lennie’s dream as it’s his only hope of escape • Death of his dog shows he is a human being • Steinbeck shows sympathy for him – weak, old, down-trodden • Characterised through his dog • Unwillingly lets Carlson shoot his dog then realise his should have done it himself ‘ I oughtn’t to have let no stranger shoot my dog’ • Calls Curley’s dead wife a ‘goddamn tramp’ because she has killed their dream ‘everybody knowed you’d mess things up’

6. CROOKS • An example of Steinbeck’s compassion • An illustration of the way in which loneliness can corrupt and destroy a man ‘I guy gets too lonely and he gets sick’ • Double burden in their society – a cripple and a negro • Curley’s wife crushes him when he stands up to her – he can’t win against a white person ‘you just know your place nigger’ • His function is to prepare the reader for the destruction of George and Lennie’s dream – he knows it won’t come true ‘seems like every guy got land in his head’ • His character looks for dignity and self respect in a world which gives him none ‘they say I stink, all you stink to me’ • Intelligent – has books in his room – nobody gets to really know him because of his colour / disability

7. CURLEY • Spoilt, restless and arrogant boss’s son • Sees everyone as a potential opponent for a fight ‘no big son-of-a-bitch is gonna laugh at me’ • Keeps a ‘glove fulla vaseline’ for his wife but still visits the brothel with the men • Obsessive over controlling his wife – spends most of his time looking for her • Can be cunning and bordering on sadistic ‘shoot for his guts’ • Picks a fight with Lennie because he thinks he’ll be a pushover • Forced into lying about his damaged hand to save his reputation • ‘He hates bug guys… kind of like he’s mad at them ‘cos he ain’t a big guy’ • ‘His glance was calculating and pugnacious’ • His hands automatically curl into fists when he’s talking to people

8. CURLEY’S WIFE • Overdressed, flirtatious and attractive ‘she had full rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes heavily made up’ • Attention-seeking – prefers negative attention to none at all • Vain – asks Lennie to stroke her hair thus unwittingly causes her own death • Catalyst for the violent scenes in the text • ‘her voice had a nasal brittle quality’ • Nobody to talk to, no social life, only woman on the ranch = lonely • Trapped in a loveless marriage – husband visits prostitutes • Married Curley to spite her mum – ‘He ain’t a nice person.’ • Treated like an object - ‘Curley’s wife’- we never know her name • Turns nasty when put in her place by Crooks and Candy ‘stuck with a nigger, a dum-dum and a lousy ol’ sheep an’ likin’ it cos there ain’t nobody else’ • Dreams of being a movie star ‘I tell ya, I coulda made somethin of myself’ • Had she met the right man, she might have been different • When she dies Steinbeck shows she wasn’t a totally evil person – ‘ She was very pretty and simple and her face was sweet and young’ • Her tragedy lies in the fact we only find out about her just before she dies • Aware of her sexuality – ‘she breathed strongly as though she had been running’

9. REMEMBER… When writing about a character you need to consider the themes of the text Does Steinbeck explore any of the themes through the characters ? Remember key quotes to support your ideas