I hope you are excited, because you are about to read an amazing book! Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is his masterpiece. I know Kevin and Daniel enjoyed The Grapes of Wrath, so you know what to expect from Steinbeck - impeccable character development, fascinating plots, and gut wrenching moral dilemmas. Steinbeck desired to tell the stories of the people who lived on the margins of society. To do this he would go live and work with them. Before he wrote The Grapes of Wrath, he went to Oklahoma, joined some migrants and traveled with them to California. Once there he lived with them in their camps and worked alongside them in the fields and orchards of California. If anyone knew how the migrant farmers of the 1930’s lived, thought, talked, and dreamed, Steinbeck did. Of Mice and Men reveals the deepest dreams and fears of its characters. This book grapples with the dream of land ownership and friendship, and the fear of loneliness. I want you to note the different relationships between the characters, particularly Lennie and George, Curley and his wife, and Candy and his dog.
There are many themes to explore in this book which makes it difficult to hone in on one, but I do not want to ruin the story by telling before hand what to look out for. So please enjoy the book, and we will discuss it once you have finished it. There are only a few questions for each chapter, most questions will be for when you have finished the book. A little different this time, hope I’m not confusing you. Also I am going to have the three of you answer different questions. This will lend a better exchange of ideas.
Chapter 1
A cat house is a house of prostitution.
1. What types of images does Steinbeck use to describe Lennie? What is the purpose of this?
2. “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world.” The entire dialogue after this line is important to contrast with the speech George makes about what he would do if he did not have Lennie. He does not really want that life, because that is the life of men who have no one. But this speech describes the typical life of ranch hands. It is a lonely empty existence.
Chapter 2
Pants rabbits are fleasJ
A tart is a flirt.
1. What type of a guy is Curley? How about his wife?
2. What is your response to Carlson’s desire to shoot Candy’s dog? The event is very important and serves as foreshadowing to the larger story.
Chapter 3
1. Slim is described as “God-Like” early in this chapter. Did you catch it? Why is he described this way?
2. What does the men’s discussion about Candy’s old dog show about them?
IMPORTANT - after his dog is shot, Candy regrets that he did not do it himself. This sticks with George.
3. What does Curly do to Lennie? How does Lennie respond? This important scene shows the reader the great strength Lennie possesses.
Chapter 4
“Pitchers” are movies. Back then they would have called movies “picture shows.” So Curley’s wife is talking about being an actress.
1. What do Lennie’s interactions with Crooks show about him?
2. Who else is lonely on this ranch?
Chapter 5
If this chapter had a title it would be “Broken Dreams.” Here we see the dashed dreams of Curley’s wife as well as George and Lennie’s dream die.
1. What is Lennie’s response to the dead puppy?
2. What is Lennie’s response to the death of Curley’s wife?
3. What do George and Candy fear Curley will do to Lennie?
Chapter 6
We are now back at the place where the book began. It is such a lovely spot, lush, green, peaceful. Yet the contrast to what is about to happen there is deep.
1. What do we learn about George and Lennie’s relationship in this scene?
2. George tells Lennie that they are going where, “ever’body gonna be nice to you. Ain’t gonna be no more trouble.” Why is George saying this?
3. How do the other ranch workers respond to what George does?
I am going to assign certain questions to be answered by each of you. Then you will choose any 3 additional questions to answer.
Kevin - Chapter 1, Q. 1. Ch 2, Q 2. Ch 3, Q. 3. Ch 6, Q. 2.
Daniel - Chapter 1, Q 1. Ch 3, Q 3. Ch 4, Q 1. Ch 6, Q. 2.
Tyler - Chapter 2, Q 1 and Q 3. Ch 5, Q 2. Ch. 6, Q 3.
Let me know if you need any guidance or if this confuses you. Enjoy the book, it really is amazing!
Info:
The title comes from a poem by Robert Burns, Scotland’s National Poet. Here is the poem along with a translation. Scottish English is certainly different than what we are used to.
Robert Burns, To a Mouse (Poem, November, 1785)
Scottish national poet (1759 - 1796)
The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men,
Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!
Translation:
The best laid schemes of Mice and Men
oft go awry,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!
9 comments:
on the assignment you asked me to answer Ch 2 Q. 1 & Q. 3, but i didn't see a question 3 for chapter 2, it might be me, but just wanted to be sure.
I'm so sorry Tyler! That should be Ch 3, Q 1 and Q 3. Thank you for catching that, again, I'm sorry for the confusion. Enjoy the book!
hapter 1
1. What types of images does Steinbeck use to describe Lennie? What is the purpose of this?
Huge man, shapeless face, large pale eyes, wide sloping shoulders, and walks similar to a bear.
Chapter 2
1. What type of a guy is Curley? How about his wife?
Curley is a jerk who likes to pick fights, usually with bigger guys, because if he beats them, everyone talks about him and if he loses, the big guy gets criticized for picking on a smaller guy. Curley’s wife doesn’t even like Curley that much, who would, but still she’s married to him, so considering that, she enjoyed just walking around the other guys and talking to them, although for the most part they all know that and she knows that she shouldn’t.
Chapter 3
1. Slim is described as “God-Like” early in this chapter. Did you catch it? Why is he described this way?
I don’t really know why, it says “he looked back with God-like eyes,” maybe because the way he was responding? I’m not sure.
3. What does Curly do to Lennie? How does Lennie respond? This important scene shows the reader the great strength Lennie possesses.
Curley sees Lennie smiling and more than half willing takes it for laughing at him. So Curley starts to punch and beat him up. Lennie is scared, doesn’t know what to do, and when George says to him, “Get’im, Lennie!” and he catches Curley’s hand and crushes it, almost every bone in his hand.
Chapter 5
1. What is Lennie’s response to the dead puppy?
He has quite a few different reactions, one he is sad about the puppy and he’s sad about not being able to tend the rabbits. Another is he thinks he might be able to hide it, and yet another is he is angry at it for dying because he won’t get to tend the rabbits.
2. What is Lennie’s response to the death of Curley’s wife?
He was bewildered and scared.
Chapter 6
3. How do the other ranch workers respond to what George does?
Slim and was sympathetic, Carlson was amazed as was Curley.
1. What types of images does Steinbeck use to describe Lennie? What is the purpose of this?
Lennie is being portrayed as someone without common sense. Basically, mentally retarded. Steinbeck describes him as a forgetful, stupid person. I honestly don’t know why Steinbeck puts this type of character in his book, but I suppose that as I read further in the book, it will be come clear.
1. What type of a guy is Curley? How about his wife?
Curly is a hot-tempered man. He looks for trouble, because he thinks that he can come out victorious. He enjoys creating conflict and thrives on revenge. His wife is a flirtatious woman who isn’t satisfied with her husband.
2. What is your response to Carlson’s desire to shoot Candy’s dog? The event is very important and serves as foreshadowing to the larger story.
It seems like Carlson’s thought of eliminating Candy’s dog is cruel. He is just wanting to get rid of something that is irritating to him. It seems unnecessary. Carlson is pressing Candy to allow him to shoot the dog, and Candy reluctantly agreed.
3. What does Curly do to Lennie? How does Lennie respond? This important scene shows the reader the great strength Lennie possesses.
Curly starts punching and attacking Lennie. Lennie is too scared to defend himself, and lets Curly punch him until George tells Lennie to ‘get him’. Curly swings at Lennie, but Lennie grabs his fist and crushes it. He is too scared to let go, and George has to slap him to make him let go. Lennie is just scared, and doesn’t want to hurt anyone.
2. Who else is lonely on this ranch?
Crooks is lonely. He has a bad back, and isn’t good for much work. He isn’t allowed to stay in the bunk house with the rest of the men, so he has a separate room in the barn. He is ostracized from the rest of the men. He stays in his room most of the time.
2. What is Lennie’s response to the death of Curley’s wife?
He doesn’t think about Curley’s wife particularly, or Curly. He is mainly concerned that George will be extremely mad at him. He is concerned that he will not be able to care for the rabbits since he has done this. It seems that Lennie doesn’t have a high regard for life. Or maybe he is too stupid to realize the fragility of life.
2. George tells Lennie that they are going where, “ever’body gonna be nice to you. Ain’t gonna be no more trouble.” Why is George saying this?
Because George is about to kill Lennie. He is sending to him to a place where he won’t be in anymore trouble. A place where there are no judgment. I think George realizes that as long as Lennie is alive, there will always be trouble for him. He will keep being disappointed and taken advantage of. I don’t think that killing Lennie is the right approach though. George should have helped Lennie escape from Curly and taken him to someone else. Someone who could care for him, a place where he wouldn’t get into any trouble.
Chapter 1
1. What types of images does Steinbeck use to describe Lennie? What is the purpose of this? Steinbeck portrays Lennie as a huge man with sloping shoulders and a slight drag to his feet; like a bear walks. Then Lennie is compared to a terrier that does not want to bring a ball to its master. When George throws the dead mouse away for the second time, Lennie whimpers like a puppy. Then he crawled around the fire instead of standing up and simply walking to his desired destination a few feet away. Steinbeck continually refers to Lennie’s actions similar to those of animals. This imagery helps the reader to see how ridiculous Lennie is. Lennie also suffers from a severe case of short term memory loss.
Chapter 3
3. What does Curly do to Lennie? How does Lennie respond? This important scene shows the reader the great strength Lennie possesses. Looking for a fight, Curly walks over to Lennie and starts punching and clawing at him. At first Lennie is confused and hesitant. George tells Lennie to let Curly have it and Lennie catches his fist in midair and smashes his fist. Lennie was simply acting out of self defense.
Chapter 4
1. What do Lennie’s interactions with Crooks show about him? I think it shows that Lennie views all individuals as equal. He bears no malice against anybody, including black people. He always gives people the benefit of the doubt; assuming the best in others.
Chapter 6
2. George tells Lennie that they are going where, “ever’body gonna be nice to you. Ain’t gonna be no more trouble.” Why is George saying this? Here George is implying Heaven or something like it, a place where earthly problems do not exist. It appears that George felt he had to kill Lennie in a way that was least painful before Curly found him. He would have rather have done it himself than Curly, who would have enjoyed seeing Lennie in pain. One thing that surprised me about Curly was his immediate anger towards Lennie and no remorse towards his wife’s death. Thoughts from George’s conversation with Candy concerning his old dog must have been going through George’s mind.
Book Journal
1. Title: Mice And Men
2. Author:Steinbeck
3. Main Characters:Lennie, George, Curly
4. A few sentences describing the character traits of each of the people you listed above.
Lennie: Lennie is a stupid person. He always gets in trouble, but never does anything out of anger.
George: George is Lennie's partner. Together, they are trying to settle down and own a farm. George sticks with Lennie despite all the trouble he has caused him.
Curly: Curly is a hot-tempered man. He is always looking for trouble and enjoys conflict.
5. Theme of the Book: Right vs. Wrong
6. Summary of the Plot: Two men try to land a job at a ranch. They meet much opposition and some are forced to make decisions.
7. Moral Dilemma:Should George stick with Lennie or get rid of him?
8. What kind of a response did you feel towards to moral dilemma? What was your response towards the characters actions?
It was a tough situation, and I commend George for sticking with Lennie for so long.
9. What did you think of the plot? The writing style? The character development?
The plot was interesting. The writing style was typical Steinbeck. He uses a similar style in 'grapes of wrath'. The character development was not emphasized, but you get a good idea of the character's personality by the way they react in certain situations.
10. What was your overall impression of the book?
I liked the fact that it was relatively short, and I thought that the moral dilemma was interesting to consider.
Good job on the questions Tyler! Steinbeck is very deliberate in the way he describes his characters. His descriptions of them are written beautifully. Lennie is no different. The thing I wanted you to noticed the most is how S. uses animals as a way to describe Lennie. You noticed how he walks like a bear. But he also laps the water like a dog, his hands are described as paws, and George on two occasions says that he is as strong as an "ox." This not only describes the way Lennie acts, but also the way he thinks. He thinks simply, like a child or an animal.
Good job describing Curley! Did you watch the movie? If so, do you think the guy who played him did a good job? Slim is a god-like character. He is tall and confident, and his men respect him. He is the only one that can put Curley in his place. He is fair to his men, and treats his animals well. He is the only one who really understands the relationship between Lennie and George.
The way Lennie crushes Curley's hand and then the puppy serves as foreshadowing to the final event of crushing Curley's wife. That is why the scene with Curley is important as well as Lennie's response to the dead puppy. These scenes predict the unhappy ending.
Good job Tyler, I hope you liked the book. What did you think of it? Please e-mail me your journal entry for this book. Well done!
Kevin,
Good job on both your answers and your journal. Well done!
I really liked what you said about Curley always desiring revenge. This is a very true statement. Instead of being sad about his wifes death, he just wants to kill Lennie.
What I wanted you to noticed about Lennie was the way he was described as an animal. He walks like a bear, drinks like a dog, his hands are described as "paws", etc. This is important to notice because Steinbeck is comparing his movements AND his intellect to that of an animal. It also serves to show that he is gentle and not out looking for trouble.
The scene of Candy's dog being shot is foreshadowing for the larger climax at the end of the story. It also tests the reader. We are sad about Candy's dog, but we can also understand Carlson's logic. The dog is old, probably living in pain, has no teeth, etc. As a society, we usually "put down" dogs like this. So what Steinbeck is doing is making the reader question their beliefs. It is o.k. to kill a dog, what about a person?
Your answer on why G kills L is good. What about the possibility that G kills L so that Curley cannot kill him. I think what Candy said, "I should have killed my dog myself, not let a stranger do it" stuck with George. He did not want to wait and let Curley kill L in a cruel way. We know Curley would not have shot him in the head, he probably would have punched him, dragged him behind his horse, and in the end finally shoot him. This predicament gives the reader a lot to think about.
Well done, I am really looking forward to your essay!
Daniel,
Very good, you noticed Lennie's animal like behavior! I am impressed! These descriptions do an excellent job of showing the reader Lennie's mental capabilities. If he acts like an animal, he probably thinks like one. We see this to be true when he displays his inability to remember things, and also his good nature. He does not hurt people, or judge them. In these ways he is like a child and an animal.
We see this even more when Curley attacks Lennie. Even though he is being hurt, he does not strike back. He is gentle and kind, at the end of the fight, he feels really bad for hurting Curley, even though it is Curley's fault. The scene with Crooks shows this as well, as you pointed out. Very good observation about Lennie seeing good in everyone. He cannot comprehend that people would dislike each other. You did a good job pointing this out in both questions.
Daniel, your answer to the last question is very good! You are right, George did not want Curley to enjoy hurting then killing Lennie, that is why he killed him. Also, George probably was remembering what Candy had said. Since Lennie was often described as an animal, maybe it made it easier to kill him. Regardless it is a very difficult decision George had to make. He also knew that along with the death of Lennie, their dream of owning land died also. It is a dreadfully sad story of broken dreams. I am looking forward to reading your essay. Well done, your answers are very good!
Post a Comment