Of Mice and Men

by John Steinbeck

A Study Guide

WRITTEN AND COMPILED BY

Sam burke and bonita ting
Study Guide: Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men is the poignant story of two migrant workers trying to make their way
through the aftermath of drought and depression in 1930s America. Caught in a world of
grinding work and little promise, George and Lennie are driven by a dream of one day owning
some land of their own. Lennie, though a big bulk of a man, has a mental disability that renders
him a child-like character with little understanding of the world. George, as his guardian and
companion, delicately balances both responsibilities while maintaining a tenuous connection
between Lennie’s world and reality. John Steinbeck takes us through the inevitable conflict
between Lennie’s naiveté and the harsh, unforgiving circumstances of the real world, to reveal
some indelible truths about friendship, survival and compassion.

About the Author

John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California in 1902 to a family of modest means. He grew up
in rural California, working as a ranch hand during his teen years. At the age of 17, he enrolled
at Stanford University but had little academic success and failed to graduate. In 1925 he began
writing as a journalist and later, as a caretaker of a Lake Tahoe estate, he turned his attention
to writing novels. His first novel, Cup of Gold, was published in 1929, the year of the stock
market crash that preceded the Great Depression. In 1935, he published Tortilla Flat and began
to be recognized as a serious writer. His crowning work, The Grapes of Wrath, won him the
Pulitzer Prize in 1940. After a stint in Europe during WWII, Steinbeck returned to America and
worked as a screenwriter and filmmaker in Hollywood through the 1940s and 50s. He received
the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962. He died in 1968 in New York City.

In Of Mice and Men, published in 1937, Steinbeck returns to his birthplace of Salinas and to
the experiences and people of his youth in rural California. As in many of his novels, Steinbeck
explores the lives of people who are tied to the land and the hardships and injustices they
faced. Steinbeck was involved with politics throughout his life and that interest appears time and
again in his work through his commentary on the social and economic circumstances of his
country that allow for the exploitation of its weaker and less advantaged citizens.

The Great Depression

On October 24, 1929, the stock market crashed (Panic of 1929), leading to the deepest
economic depression the nation had ever known. It lasted until 1939, when World War II broke
out in Europe. The causes of the Depression were several, including loss of foreign markets, a
farm depression that cut farm purchasing power, and lack of buying power for most people.
The problems were compounded by a six year drought that turned America’s fertile farmlands
into a dust bowl. The effects were also several, including – business bankruptcies, bank
closings, factory shutdowns, farm foreclosures, and massive unemployment (1 out of 4 workers
in 1933).

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Background Information

The play, Of Mice and Men, is based upon John Steinbeck’s short work of fiction of the same
name, and is often referred to as a novella or novelette.

How the book evolved: Of Mice and Men went through several stages of development
before it reached the form we know today. Completed in 1936, early drafts took long to write
because Steinbeck felt that he needed plenty of time to tell the story in a way that would not
patronize or exploit the people he was writing about. A further delay occurred when half the
manuscript was destroyed by Steinbeck’s dog and had to be rewritten.

In its early form the book was called Something That Happened, a matter-of-fact title that
reflects its content as a work concerned with presenting people and the events that shape their
lives as they are, rather than analyzing how they should be; in other words, “a mechanistic’ view
of man. Underlying this view is the idea that man cannot influence his fate and that there is no
ultimate purpose in the individual life or in the universe. Like the itinerant ranch hands,
mankind is traveling from nowhere to nowhere. But there are features within Of Mice and
Men that illustrate the beginning of the drama of consciousness. The characters do not meekly
accept a fate they don’t understand, but try to change their own or others lives. Steinbeck
strove to “celebrate man’s proven capacity for greatness of heart and spirit…for gallantry in
defeat”. (Steinbeck, 1962 Nobel Prize speech)

“The naturalistic character, George, lives in a dream world made up of vague wishes and
desires, with no particular focus. Seen from one point of view, the farm could represent
such a vague desire in George’s life. Yet George is not a completely unconscious
dreamer. We learn that he actually has found a farm that is for sale. He is impractical,
true. He and Lennie do not have even close to the amount of money required, however
when Candy offers his money, George shows himself capable of quick, practical thought.
In the end, the dream is destroyed by forces beyond George’s control: natural forces –
the heredity that created Lennie the way he was – and social forces that made Curley
and his wife the way they were and put them and Lennie in a particular place at a
particular time. Lennie was not a self conscious human being. He had no concept of his
own motivations, in fact, he could not even remember what he had done a few minutes
before. His fate is the result of forces totally beyond his control. We see this clearly in
the way that George arranges to shoot him so that he does not even know it is
happening.

However, at least some of the destruction of the dream lay in George’s own actions. For
him, the farm could not exist without Lennie. He says to the unhappy Candy in the barn,
“-I think I knowed from the very first. I think I knowed we’d never do her. He usta like
to think about it so much I got to thinking maybe we would.” This is a problem in
George’s own character. He needed Lennie to make him a stronger man. But, he is
conscious of who he is and what he is doing. He knows he is a man who tends to drift,
like the majority of the men in the world around him. But he had tried to construct, with
Lennie, something different. The two of them had built a barrier against the loneliness
common to the ranch hands, and there was even the possibility of hope for the future.
Natural forces helped defeat George, but weaknesses within his own character
completed his defeat.

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 George’s is not a heroic struggle, but we like him because he tries, even though he
knows his own weaknesses. It is this conscious struggle that makes him more than just
a simple victim of fate. In the end scene he does become heroic. He knows what he has
to do, although he hates to do it. He cannot just drift away because he has decided not
to leave the killing to Curley. He is aware that he is not only killing his friend, but his
own chance at a different future. He stands his ground and does it because he has
decided it is the thing he has to do. He is conscious of accepting his fate, and it is this
consciousness in this sometimes weak, small man that gives the scene its dramatic
power.” (Coles Notes)

Steinbeck deliberately intended to write the story in such a way that it could become a play with
little adaptation.

In 1937, the year the book was published, the play was produced in New York (where it won
the Drama Critics’ Circle Award) and in 1940 it was made into a film. However, Steinbeck did
not attend the premiere of his play. It was just as well, because although the play was, as we
know, an immense success, the audience laughed “outrageously” at some of the conversations
between George and Lennie, and at Lennie himself.

Steinbeck did not expect Of Mice and Men to be the enormous success it proved to be. He had
struggled as a writer with little else published before he wrote it at the age of 34. It proved to
be the work that propelled the young Steinbeck to fame, although nearly 30 years were to pass
before he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. The final product, Of Mice and Men,
was titled from the adage, “the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray”. The adage
was coined after the 1785 poem by Robert Burns called “To a Mouse, on Turning up Her Nest
with the Plough.” The relevant lines are:

The best-laid schemes o’mice and men

Gang aft a-gley [often go wrong]
And lea’e us nought but grief and pain
For promised joy.

The title reflects the way in which living things are often powerless to face forces greater than
themselves.

Synopsis of the Play

The story opens with two migrant farm workers, named George Milton and Lennie Small, on
their way to a job loading barley at a California ranch. It is Thursday evening, and they spend
the night along the Salinas River before arriving at their new place of work the next morning.
Here, the reader discovers the main characters of the play, George and Lennie. Because Lennie
is mentally handicapped, George acts as Lennie's guardian, taking care of the large child.
They've been traveling together for a long time, since the passing of Lennie's Aunt Clara. Also,
it's stressed that Lennie's habit of petting soft things, such as a dead mouse or the dress of a
woman, often gets them into trouble, forcing the two men to continuously have to find new
work. Their dream is to own their own farm and be their own bosses in the future. There,
Lennie would be able to "tend to the rabbits."

Upon arriving at the ranch, they are met by an old man named Candy and his very old dog. It is
Candy who explains to them the ways of the ranch and the personalities of the other ranch

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hands. Soon, the boss enters the cabin to see his new workers, quite angry that they had been
too late for the morning shift. He asks both George and Lennie questions, which George
proceeds to answer for the both of them. Eventually, Lennie answers a question, which irritates
George. The entire exchange make the boss suspicious and he warns them he will keep an eye
on the.

The audience also meets Curley's flirtatious wife. As usual, she is "looking for her husband" as
an excuse to meet and converse with the other workers. Of course, George and Candy, who
believe she is trying to seduce them, deny her attempts, but Lennie innocently defends her. As
George warns Lennie to stay away from her, Lennie senses that “this ain’t no good place…it’s
mean here”. George calms Lennie by agreeing to leave once they have enough money to attain
their dream.

Slim enters and announces that his dog has had puppies. Carlson suggests the idea of killing
Candy's old dog and replacing it with one of the new puppies. In addition, George agrees to ask
Slim if Lennie can also have one. Later, George confides in Slim the history of his relationship
with Lennie. He admits that Lennie isn't bright, but that he is a nice person and a hard worker.
Lennie not only provides companionship, but makes George feel smart.

Carlson enters and continues to pressure Candy to allow him to kill his dog. Candy gives in when
Slim joins in the argument. Later, he overhears George and Lennie talking about their dream
and asks to be part of it, offering to advance half of the money they need. Finally, their dream
of having their own farm actually appears to be within reach.

Curley enters and begins to taunt and hit Lennie. Lennie refuses to retaliate without George’s
permission. Lennie grabs Curley's hand and, unwittingly, crushes it with his extraordinary
strength.

Later that night, while George and most of the other ranch hands are visiting a cat house, the
outcast Lennie enters the room of the other outcast, Crooks. At first, Crooks objects to this
invasion of privacy, but eventually Lennie wins him over. Crooks describes the difficulties of
discrimination at the ranch, while Lennie speaks of the dream he, George, and Candy share.
When Candy enters and speaks of his part, attempting to make the dream a reality, Crooks asks
to join them. Curley's wife, looking for company, enters the room. Crooks and Candy argue with
her, but she plays up to Lennie. She leaves when George enters the room. George, in turn is
angry to know that another man, Crooks, has entered their dream.

The next afternoon, all of the trouble George predicted begins to come true. Lennie, by handling
the puppy too much, has killed it. As he tries to hide the animal, Curley's wife enters the barn.
She talks to Lennie about her life and her dream of going to Hollywood to make ‘pitchers’. When
she learns of Lennie's love for soft things, she invites him to touch her hair. He does so, but as
always, holds on too tight. The woman begins to struggle and yell. Lennie panics and shakes
her to quiet her down and accidentally breaking her neck, just like his puppy.

After Lennie flees, Candy finds the woman's body. He gets George and asks for reassurance that
their dream will still be fulfilled, even without Lennie. But, George has already forsaken the
vision. He asks Candy to give him a few minutes head start before telling the others. In that
time, he steals Carlson's gun - the same one used to kill Candy's dog. George reenters the barn
with the others to discover the body and he attempts to convince the men that Lennie should

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only be put away because he meant no harm. But, Curley insists on “shoot[ing] him in the guts”
and they all go out to look for Lennie.

The final scene takes place at the same riverbank where the play opened. Lennie has
remembered to return there after he had gotten into trouble. George finds Lennie, and Lennie
asks George to "give [him] hell", but George side-steps Lennie’s request. They discuss their
dream for the last time. George mercifully shoots Lennie with Carlson's gun to save him for a
certain lynching.

The Characters

Lennie
Lennie is a character central to the story, and despite what happens, is the most sweet,
sympathetic, and simple of the characters. At the heart of this simplicity is his inability to
understand the consequences of his actions, or the power of his own strength. He also has a
very poor memory, and little comprehension of the realities of the world in which he lives. But
he is mentally challenged, so all of this is simply not in his control. He has a love for touching
and petting soft things, is a devoted to his friendship to George, and processes an unusual
physical strength. These characteristics are reinforced each time Lennie is on stage.

Steinbeck makes him an endearing character by endowing him with a very vulnerable innocence
and an unshakeable commitment to an improbable dream. His innocence elevates him to a level
of pure goodness, and George and the audience understand his motivations to be entirely
benign. His commitment to the vision of their own farm offers hope in a hopeless world; indeed,
his enthusiasm is so infectious that he convinces Candy, Crooks and even George to the
possibility of its truth. Sadly, the realities of the time, place, and circumstances are too great an
obstacle for Lennie to overcome, and George must make the painful decision to kill Lennie in
order to spare him from a worse fate.

George
George is as an ordinary man who has an extraordinary sense of morality and responsibility. He
offers Lennie both friendship and guardianship. They fulfill each others need for companionship.
George is the protagonist, as he that faces the internal and external conflicts presented in the
story. He is practical, sometimes short-tempered but a devoted companion. Despite his
complaints about life with Lennie, he never backs away from his role as Lennie’s protector.
George is a realist and knows the ways of the world they live, yet has enough sensitivity to
know that it is wrong to abuse or exploit those who are weaker than you.

George does not shy away from dealing with the issues before him. He is direct in his dismissal
of Curley’s wife and willing to stand up to Curley himself. When faced with the ultimate decision
about Lennie, George is willing, in spite of his feelings, to do what he believes to be necessary.
His experience has given him a tough and gritty exterior but he still believes in the possibility of
the dream he shares with Lennie. While George is the creator of the dream and the preserver of
it through its retelling, however he is a skeptic and knows cannot survive without Lennie.

Candy
Candy is an old man who lost his hand in an accident on the ranch and is employed to clean out
the buildings. Candy has an old dog that once was a great sheep herder but has outlived his
usefulness. Candy fears the time when he himself will no longer be useful. He is very attached
to his dog. Candy understands the loneliness of migrant farm workers and becomes enchanted
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by George and Lennie’s dream of owning a farm. He wants to join them and has a little money
put aside that he is willing to invest in the dream.

The Boss
The Boss is the superintendent who runs the ranch for a big land company. He appears only
briefly in the play and has a confident manner that most of the men who work for him lack. He
is respected by the men who understand his position and see him as “a boss first an’ a nice guy
afterwards.”

Slim
Slim is a lanky and graceful mule-skinner whose natural confidence and wisdom earn him a
quiet respect among the ranch hands. He understands what this kind of work does to a man
and respects everyone’s personal boundaries. His wise, easy going and non-judgmental nature
encourage the usually gruff and taciturn George to open up to him. He has a dog that just had a
litter of pups and he gives one of the pups to Lennie. By the end of the story he becomes
George’s confidante and is the only other person that knows the truth about Lennie’s death.

Carlson
Carlson is a coarse and insensitive ranch hand who is the exact opposite of Slim. He does not
understand the feelings of those around him. He takes life as it comes. Carlson badgers Candy
until he reluctantly agrees to let Carlson kill his beloved old dog.

Crooks
Crooks is the ‘stable buck’ that looks after the mules. A proud and independent “Negro”, Crooks
is named for his crooked body; as a child, he was kicked in the back by a horse. He is an
outcast on the ranch because of his colour. He is lonely and bitter about the racial discrimination
he suffers. He is initially cruel to Lennie suggesting that George may have abandoned him but
Lennie and Crooks come to accept each other, and he too becomes swept up by Lennie and
George's dream.

Curley
This character is most clearly the villain of the piece. He is an arrogant braggart and bully.
Curley is the spoiled son of the boss who likes to pick fights, but only ones that he can easily
win. He is manipulative and insecure. He has recently married a beautiful young girl and his
behaviour as a husband underlines his insecurities.

Curley's wife
Curley’s unnamed wife is an interesting and complex character. After Curley, she presents the
most imminent threat to Lennie and George’s well-being. She is initially presented as a
provocative “tart” who goes about giving the hired hands “the eye”. In Act III, we discover her
to be extremely lonely and trapped in an unsatisfying marriage. She reaches out for
companionship amongst the men who work on the ranch, but they reject her. She is a woman
and married to the boss’s son – she can’t be their friend. We find that she too has a dream that
contrasts sharply with her monotonous life on the ranch.

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Studying the Play:

Reality TV could have claimed its roots in the writings of Steinbeck. Before this time, literature
had usually reflected the lives of genteel people. But the social and economic reality created by
the Great Depression greatly influenced Steinbeck who was concerned with presenting a true
picture of the struggles of the common man. By the 1930s, European political demands for
social justice and equality for the working classes also began to make themselves felt in
America. There now emerged a new realism and an interest in the lives of the everyday people,
including the poor. Steinbeck shared this, and his writing reflected the real struggles and issues
of his time. When you see the play Of Mice and Men, consider a play, movie or TV show that
might reflect the reality of 2006 as Steinbeck’s play Of Mice and Men reflected the reality of
1937.

Language:

 note the uneducated use of the double negatives, such as “I ain’t got no people”

 the limited and crude vocabulary which makes characters more convincing than they
otherwise might be
 the slang and colloquial language (jack for savings, booby-hatch for a mental
hospital, canned for getting fired, and bums or stiffs for tramps and hobos) as well as
the use of inappropriate racial terms (“nigger”) which are offensive and not used
today, yet were not considered inappropriate in the 1930’s

Foreshadowing:

 Lennie gets into trouble in Weed over touching the soft material of a young woman’s
dress - petting “something soft.”
 George tells Lennie to go to the river and hide if something goes wrong and George
will find him there
 George warns Lennie that Curley’s wife is a trouble-maker
 Candy’s dog is shot to put it out of its misery

Steinbeck’s presentation of the poor:

People disagree about the literary influences that contributed to Steinbeck’s style. He did,
however, depart from many of the conventions that had characterized American literature in the
1920s when times were more prosperous. His sympathetic presentation of the poor and
disadvantaged made him extremely unpopular with exploitative employers and landowners
whom he held responsible for perpetuating the cycle of poverty and deprivation.

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 Themes and Key Issues

The American Dream:

 George and Lennie dream of owning a place of their own, and being their own bosses

 Candy, upon hearing about the dream, wanted to join them so that he would not be left
alone, especially after they killed his old dog

 Crooks, the Negro outcast, wanted to join them so that he wouldn't be alone and so that
he would have something of his own as well

 The impossibility of the American Dream, as many discovered through this time period

Human Loneliness

 Candy's only companion, his beloved dog, is killed

 Curley’s wife is trapped in life with no companionship. Curley's wife is so overwhelmed

by her loneliness that she looks for friendship from the men who work on the ranch.
They will have nothing to do with her, as they don’t want to anger Curley. So she seeks
out the friendship of Lennie, who is too naive to know this will create problems for him.
"Think I don't like to talk to somebody ever' once in a while?"

 Crooks’ life of isolation - Crooks feels "...A guys goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. Don't
make no difference who the guy is, long's he with you..." He would work for nothing, as
long as he could communicate with others.

 George and Lennie’s reliance on each other for companionship

 Other symbols of loneliness:

o Soledad, the name of the nearby town and Crooks’ birthplace, means “lonely” in
Spanish.
o The way that George can so often be found playing solitaire, a card game for one
player, is a reminder that, as George will soon discover, we are all alone in the
end, despite our friendships.

Mutual Dependency and Friendship

 Candy and his dog; Candy's need for the companionship of his dog also stresses the
importance of true friendship. After the passing of his old dog, Candy attaches himself to
the dream Lennie and George share.

 George and Lennie; they share a bond not usually seen among the migrant ranch hands.
Steinbeck stresses how ranchers are loners, and George and Lennie are the only ones
who travel in pairs. They seem to be two halves of the same person, and they know how
special together they truly are. "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest
guys in the world...They got no family. They don't belong no place...With us, it ain't like
that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us..."

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  George shooting Lennie to help him escape from a brutal lynching

Innocence

 Lennie's not understanding why he shouldn't enter Crooks' room

 Curley’s wife search for someone to talk to in inappropriate places

Contrasts:

 Small vs. large: George vs. Lennie

 Perceived intelligence vs. mental retardation: George vs. Lennie
 Strength vs. weakness: in Lennie, in George
 Worldliness vs. innocence: Curley and Lennie
 Character Contrasts:

o Curley and his wife

o Curley and his father
o Curley and Lennie (size, meanness vs. innocence)
o Curley and the other ranchers

Discrimination, Inequality and Social Injustice

 Racial: Crooks, as a ranch outcast, lives in a room all alone

 Sexual: Curley’s wife – Few women in the 1930s were able to be economically
independent of men, and marriage was really their only option for survival. The
nameless woman marries a small-minded man who has no hesitation about leaving her
at home on a Saturday night while he probably visits a brothel. He suspects her of being
unfaithful and frowns on her attempts to fulfill the basic human need for company. To
the workers, she is jail bait. It is not worth their jobs to talk to her. The bunkhouse is
the domain of men only, and there is no female company on the ranch. The power of
employers and their family members represented by the boss and Curley. The boss
makes his position very clear toward the white workers when he is confrontational with
George at the interview during his only appearance in the play.
 George, Lennie and Candy all worry about getting “the sack.” Even the widely respected
Slim has no power to influence the vicious and vindictive Curley when he sets out to kill
Lennie.
 Candy demonstrates the plight of farm workers with disabling injuries who have no
family or place to go. He has some financial compensation, but this is useful only if he
has someone to care for him. In the 1930s, state-provided social services and homes for
older people were virtually nonexistent.

Broken Dreams

 George, Lennie and Candy (their own place)

 George (promise to take care of Lennie)
 Lennie (keeping his soft furry pets alive)
 Curley’s wife (wanting to be important in her own right – a movie star)

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  George and Lennie’s Farm - The farm that George constantly describes to Lennie, those
few acres of land on which they will grow their own food and tend their own livestock, is
one of the most powerful symbols in the book. It seduces not only the other characters
but also the reader, who, like the men, wants to believe in the possibility of the free,
idyllic life it promises. Candy is immediately drawn in by the dream, and even the cynical
Crooks hopes that Lennie and George will let him live there too. A paradise for men who
want to be masters of their own lives, the farm represents the possibility of freedom,
self-reliance, and protection from the cruelties of the world.

Contrasts:

 Small vs. large: George vs. Lennie

 Perceived intelligence vs. mental retardation: George vs. Lennie
 Strength vs. weakness: in Lennie, in George
 Meanness vs. innocence: Curley and Lennie
 Character Contrasts:

o Curley and his wife

o Curley and his father
o Curley and Lennie (size, meanness vs. innocence)
o Curley and the other ranchers

Setting:

The novel is set near the town of Soledad, a real town in southern California. The town lies on
the Salinas River, an area with which Steinbeck was well acquainted as he was born in the town
of Salinas, further to the north. The introduction takes place beside the river, while the central
portion of the play takes place on the ranch where George and Lennie find jobs. Again,
Steinbeck knew this kind of place well as he had worked as a ranch-hand and casual labourer.

The entire play takes place between Thursday sunset and Sunday sunset. All the action is
located in four places – the bunkhouse, Crooks’ room, the barn and the river. The last part of
the play returns to the exact spot and time of day where the play started, by the river at sunset
- giving a kind of completeness and symmetry to the structure of the play.

The background to the play is also important. Climatic changes had turned large areas of the
American West into a dustbowl of infertile land. Many farmers lost their farms and were forced
into the life of itinerant workers. Their numbers were swelled by large numbers of unemployed
due to the Depression of the 1930s. Since so many workers were available, pay and conditions
were very poor, as farm-owners exploited the situation. Much of the work was seasonal, so
these workers seldom settled in one place, and were forced to lead a solitary life, seldom with a
family.

John Steinbeck was deeply concerned about the plight of these poor farmers and itinerant
workers, as may be seen in his most popular book, The Grapes of Wrath.

To gain a deeper insight into the background and social conditions of the time, as well as the
writing style of Steinbeck, it is recommended that you read The Grapes of Wrath.

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Biblical Allegory:

Two critics, Peter Lisca and William Goldhurst believe that in Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck was
beginning to work out the Biblical allegory (which he later developed in East of Eden) based on
the story of Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:1-9). This story raises the question of the responsibility
which men, as brothers in the family of man, must take for each other. When Cain was trying
to hide from God the fact that he had killed his brother, he asked, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
George is not Lennie’s brother – although he tells the boss that he is his cousin – but he is in a
very real sense his “keeper” and he does in the end become his murderer. George kills out of
compassion and love for Lennie: “I ain’t gonna let ‘em hurt Lennie.” He also kills out of
knowledge. He knows it is the least painful possible end for his friend and he knows also that it
will destroy his own dream. The situation of the two men raises the complex question of love
and responsibility for one’s fellow man.

George represents Cain, the first-born son of Adam and Eve, who worked as a farmer and killed
his brother Abel, who worked with livestock. Cain was exiled for his crime and forced to wear
the “mark of Cain” on his forehead. The “C” names in the story – Candy, Crooks, Carlson,
Curley, Curley’s wife – all represent the descendants of Cain. Lisca notes that there are no “A”
names because Abel did not have any descendants.

The setting adds symbolism to this Cain and Abel theme. The setting is agricultural; we are not
shown any scenes of machinery or urban life to distract us from the allegory. The characters
are migrant workers, which reinforces the idea that the sons of Cain were condemned to tramp
the earth. The farm that they plan on is symbolic of the Eden that is forever denied to them.
As Crooks comments: “Jus’ like heaven. Everybody wants a little piece of land. Nobody never
gets to heaven and nobody gets no land.”

Passage from Genesis 4:1 – 9

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And the man knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have

gotten a man with the help of Jehovah. 2And again she bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a

keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3And in process of time it came to pass,

that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto Jehovah. 4And Abel, he also

brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And Jehovah had respect unto Abel

and to his offering: 5but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very

wroth, and his countenance fell. 6And Jehovah said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is

thy countenance fallen? 7If thou doest well, shall it not be lifted up? and if thou doest not well,

sin coucheth at the door: and unto thee shall be its desire, but do thou rule over it. 8And Cain

told Abel his brother. And it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against

Abel his brother, and slew him.

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 9
And Jehovah said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: am I my

brother's keeper?

The Play

• Theatre Calgary’s Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

• Directed by Dennis Garnhum
• Starring Ashley Wright
• A co-production with Canstage, Toronto

Before the Curtain Rises

1. Role Play Assignments:

Have small groups of students improvise skits demonstrating one of the following situations
(analogous to situations that arise in the play):
• You feel responsible for someone and it makes you feel tied down (eg: your kid brother
is trying to tag along with you.)
• A bully is picking on your friend. You don’t like it, but you don’t want to start trouble.
• Your little brother likes to hear the same story from you over and over about something
fun the two of you are going to do together.

2. Pre-Reading A Passage:

Read aloud to students pages 8-10, of Of Mice and Men: “Lennie got up on his hands and
knees…” to “…because they was so little.” Have students discuss what the passage tells them
about George and Lennie – their personalities, their attitudes, and their relationship to each
other. You might use these questions as prompts: Why do you think these two are cooking
over a campfire? Are they related? What’s the matter with Lennie? Why won’t George let him
keep the mouse? Elicit their predictions about what happens next, then have them attend the
play to test their predictions.

Journal Writing Assignments:

1. Write a newspaper article on the incident in Weed.

2. Discuss the pros and cons of euthanasia (This can be developed into a debate!)

3. Decisions, Actions, & Consequences: What is the relationship between decisions and
consequences? How do we know how to make good decisions? How can a person’s
decisions and actions change his/her life? How do the decisions and actions of characters
reveal their personalities? How do decisions, actions, and consequences vary depending on
the different perspectives of the people involved?

4. Creative writing – dreams and ambitions: Why do humans need to dream?

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5. Of Mice and Men is a play about dreams. Identify what each person wants as his or her
dreams and comment on why it is important for each one: Lennie, George, Curley, Curley’s
Wife, Candy, Crooks.

6. What conditions force people to migrate in search of a better life?

7. Is killing ever justified?

8. Why does the play say about friends and companionship?

9. Who are the empowered and how do they control the powerless?

10. Write short curriculum vitas (life histories) for two of the following characters as if they were
applying for a job: George, Lennie, Curley, Slim, Candy, Crooks. Remember to include age,
address, educational history and achievements, work experience and interests.

11. Discuss crime and punishment as understood by Lennie and then by George.

12. Do you think George is right in shooting Lennie?

13. Describe George’s life as you think it would be after Lennie’s death.

14. The last stanza of Robert Burns, “To a Mouse, on Turning up Her next with the Plough,”
reads
Still though art blest compar’d wi’ me!
The Present only toucheth thee:
But oh! I backward cast me e’e
On prospects drear!
An’ forward tho’ I canna see,
I guess an’ fear!

Explain how Steinbeck could have meant this last stanza of the poem, which furnished his
title, to stand implicitly as George’s last statement to his friend and, by extension, to the
viewer.

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15. After viewing the play, have the students brainstorm and fill in the following charts:

Techniques Chart

On the character/techniques chart, identify examples of animal and name symbolism for
each character. Some characters have several “animals” associated with them, and some
have none.

Character Name Symbolism Animal Symbolism

Milton was an English writer who None found
George Milton created a vision of a perfect world in
Paradise Lost.

Lennie Small

Curley

Curley’s Wife

Crooks

Slim

Candy

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 Foreshadowing Chart

On your own paper list examples of foreshadowing using the clues below.

1. Weed
2. the brush
3. the mouse
4. the pup
5. Candy’s dog
6. the Luger
7. people Curley likes to fight with
8. George’s warnings to Lennie

Theme Chart

In each box below identify with specific examples how each theme relates to the character.

Characters Alienation Economic Dreams

Injustice Responsibility

Lennie

George

Curley

Curley’s Wife

Candy

Crooks

Slim

Society’s Role

Other
Characters

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16. Read the passage from Genesis 4:1-9 carefully, and make a list of times in the play when
people are their “brother’s keeper” – times when they are guardians over another person,
looking out for that person’s welfare. George clearly is a caretaker for Lennie, but there are
other instances in the play where different characters help each other. Then, write a
paragraph discussing these questions: “In what ways is George Lennie’s keeper? And “In
what ways is Of Mice and Men a retelling of the Book of Genesis?”

17. Think of one character in the play that makes either a good decision or a bad decision.
Identify that decision, tell how it affects that character, and say why you think the decision
was a good one or a bad one. You may want to consider how the decision affects other
characters in positive or negative ways. You may also want to discuss the consequences of
that decision.

18. The Author’s Craft: Catharsis: According to Aristotle, representations of suffering and death
in literature paradoxically leave the audience feeling relieved rather than depressed. How did
you feel at the end of this play? Is there anything uplifting about the way things have
turned out?

19. Describe the funeral service that might be held for Lennie. Does George say a few words?
Is there an inscription on Lennie’s gravestone?

20. What did George want out of life? What were his values? How did his dreams compare
with yours?

21. The statement on the back cover of some Of Mice and Men paperbacks reads: “the
wanderers of today may wear their hair long and speak a different jargon, but their trip is
one that men (and women) have taken for as long as this country has been pushing at its
frontiers.” Do you agree with this? In what ways do George and Lennie compare with
today’s “wanderers” – or do they? Do you agree that this play is about “the painful search
for self”?

Extension and Enrichment Activities

Twelve Enrichment Ideas which ask students to look more deeply into some of the
themes referred to in Of Mice and Men:

1. THE AMERICAN DREAM

(Suggested grade levels: 9-12)

After a brief study of what the American Dream was to various peoples in history, have
the students complete the following activity to bring the idea closer to home.

Students are to interview people from three different generations (one is themselves) to
obtain their North-American dreams and to gain insight as to if the dream was fulfilled.

The student is then to pick two songs – one for either of the two people interviewed and
one for themselves, which represents the interviewees North American Dreams. The
student should provide both the song and the lyrics.

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 A brief synopsis of the interviews and why the student picked the songs that he /she did
may be presented orally or in the form of an essay.

2. TOLERANCE UNIT (Suggested grade levels: 9-12)

In an effort to increase multicultural awareness and promote an understanding of our

diverse world, this mini-unit would hope to challenge the students to evaluate their
perceived world and, in the process, create a new sense of reality. The ultimate goal is
to eliminate potentially harmful perceptions and nurture a more tolerant viewpoint of
people who are different from them. Tolerance is an essential component democracy but
is often forsaken in the name of American Individualism. Tolerance on the part of each
and every citizen means an attitude devoid of arrogance in relations between
generations, the sexes, individuals and communities. With this unit, a summary of choice
theory and the five basic needs will be taught and it will be demonstrated how they are
applicable to all humans, regardless of differences in meeting those needs. Also, the unit
will bring together two communities of different students and cultivate awareness.

Please see:
http://www.bowlingforcolumbine.com/library/teachers/page.php?content=12

3. POETRY & PARADOXES OF LOVE: GEORGE AND LENNIE’S FRIENDSHIP

(Suggested grade levels: 11-12)

• Study Blake's "The Lamb" and "The Tyger" to enable students to discuss the paradox of
God (of the gods), hence, of the paradoxical friendship George enacted for Lennie in the
shooting scene.
• Read Donne's "Song: Sweetest Love, I Do Not Go." This poem again gives students the
opportunity to discuss the paradoxes of love, hence, George's friendship with Lennie.
See especially lines 27-32: "When thou weep'st, unkindly kind,/My life's blood doth
decay./It cannot be/That thou lov'st me, as thou say'st,/If in thine my life thou
waste,/That art the best of me."
• Read "To Lucasta, Going to the War" by Lovelace. Again, the paradox of love is
wonderfully applicable to George and Lennie's predicament.

6. HUMAN EMOTIONS: LONELINESS AND SEPARATION, OBSESSION AND

HELPLESSNESS ARE FEELINGS THAT ALL OF USEXPERIENCE at one point or
another in our lives.
(Suggested grade levels 11-12)

Students are to prepare a presentation using both print and internet resources which
show that human emotions such as the loneliness that Curley’s wife, Crooks, Candy, and
George and Lennie experience in Of Mice and Men occur in other pieces of literature and
are a natural part of real life. Students should concentrate on a specific thesis
statement. For example: the causes and cures of loneliness according to Emily
Dickinson.

Here are some internet resources to help get your students started:

a) Discovery Lesson Plan: Tales of Edgar Allen Poe

http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/pdf/poe/poe.pdf

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 b) Section Guide Teacher Lesson Plans ... include Dickinson's sense of being
alone, her isolation and loneliness, her longing for happiness, her depression…
http://www.education-world.com/ a_tsl/archives/04-1/lesson038.shtml

c) “Dealing With Loneliness” (HealthQuest Article)

“It can come as a sense of emptiness: of feeling disconnected, alone even in a

crowd. Often, it's accompanied by sadness, resentment or anxiety. "There are
many emotions linked to loneliness. Ironically, it rarely travels alone," observes
WarrenShepell counsellor Peter Crawford-Smith.

New situations trigger loneliness: the loss of a partner, a move to a new

community, a job promotion or transfer. On the other hand, loneliness can creep
in when relationships and situations become repetitive or routine. Boredom and
loneliness frequently go hand in hand.

Given the importance that some people attach to being popular or successful, it's
not surprising that many find it hard to admit they're lonely, even to themselves.
"Loneliness is a part of being human; no one is immune," reminds Smith.

"In many ways, loneliness is a healthy signal. It can stir us to make changes; to
begin a process that may increase social contacts; improve relationships and
explore activities that offer learning and growth," he explains. "These activities
needn't always involve others. We can feel content or connected even when we
are alone."

One thing is certain: we cannot wish our way out of loneliness. Nor can we
escape it by wishing others would change - either by gossiping about them, or by
sedating ourselves with alcohol, frantic activity, and other excesses.” This article
suggests some constructive ways to begin deal with loneliness.

7. A SOCRATIC SEMINAR APPROACH TO THE PLAY OF MICE AND MEN (Suggested

grade levels: 11-12)

This activity can be designed in two shorter periods or be used during one block period. While
the teacher does get the seminar organized, the seminar itself is entirely student-driven. During
the actual seminar, the teacher should sit outside the circle of responders and not interject.

• Have students generate at least 3 discussion questions each about the play.
• In groups of 3-4, have the students choose the best 2-3 questions from their group. As a
class, generate a list of 21-30 questions and write these on the board or on an overhead.
• Divide the questions into 3 groups of 7-10.
• Divide the class into three groups and give each group a list of 7-10 questions. Students
should write down their list of questions.
• Each student should brainstorm / free write about the assigned questions. This can be
given as homework or during a 10-minute silent time in class.
• Each group gets the opportunity to act as responders and discuss their questions for 15
minutes. The group should sit in a circle where the other students in the class can
observe them and take notes on points raised that they find important. Before this
happens, the teacher should designate a student seminar leader. This person's role is to

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 keep the students focused, make sure all the questions get addressed during the time
allowed and everyone gets a chance to respond. This person is welcome to add his/her
opinion at times but is primarily there to act as a facilitator.

Depending on how much time you give the students to discuss, this seminar can count as a quiz
and the teacher can score their participation with the following rubric.

Excellent Average Poor

Respondent's Clear Basic Responds little if
depth of understanding of understanding / at all to the
commentary and strong insight insight, but could questions.
into the questions. expand on ideas. Comments imply
Responds Usually responds that respondent
appropriately to well but at times is ignoring
other comments. gets away from the what's being
topic. said by others.
Respondent's Propels the Helps at times with Distracted and
commitment discussion forward the process but unfocused
to the exercise in a meaningful doesn't always during the
way. Engaged seem to be process. Clearly
with and listens to listening to others. not listening to
others. others.

8. MOCK TRIAL
(Suggested grade levels: 10-12)

The students plan and participate in a mock trial for George or Lennie. Either decide the
innocence or guilt of George’s killing of Lennie or of Lennie’s (had he lived) killing of
Curley’s wife. Students may take the roles of characters or defense or prosecuting
attorneys, judge, bailiff, etc.

9. AP Writing Prompt
(Suggested grade levels: 11-12)

In great literature, no scene of violence is gratuitous. Of Mice and Men confronts the
reader or audience with several scenes of violence. In a well-organized essay, explain
how the scene or scenes contribute to the meaning of the complete work. Avoid plot
summary.

10. Research
(Suggested grade levels: 9-12)

This may be completed before, or after the play. Students either pick a topic or are
assigned one, gather information for one or more days in the library individually or in
groups, and then write a report, present their information to the class or complete a graphic
to put on the wall.

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 Suggested topics
• Migrant farm workers
• The New Deal
• The farm depression of the 1920s
• The Stock Market crash
• Herbert Hoover’s policies
• John Steinbeck
• The Thirties in America
• Harvesting wheat (by hand and with a combine)
• The Great Depression
• The economic history of the United States in the 1920s and 1930s
• The political events in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s
• The Roaring Twenties
• Soledad, California (means solitude or loneliness or a lonely place in Spanish)
• The Dust Bowl
• The Salinas Valley and Salinas, California
• California agriculture
• The history of slavery and the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s
• The growth of labour unions in the 20th century

11. THEME / POSTER ASSIGNMENT

(Suggested grade levels: 9-12)

This assignment has students completing a two day project, creating a poster based on one of
the themes of Of Mice and Men. These can include honesty, love, friendship, hope, isolation,
dreams, loyalty, hopelessness, etc.) The five elements of each poster include:
• The theme word, featured prominently
• A dictionary definition of the word
• A quotation (from a movie, book, song, poem) which features the word
• A symbol (including illustration) of the word and an explanation of its relevance
• A one-sentence explanation of how the word has an effect on people’s lives

12. REWRITE A SCENE

(Suggested grade levels: 9-12)

Rewrite a scene as it might have happened if another decision had been made or
something else had happened. For example:
• What if Candy had come in while Lennie was patting Curley’s wife’s head?
• What if Crooks hadn’t backed down when Curley’s wife turned nasty?
• What if the searchers had gotten to Lennie before George did?

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 References

Boehme-DeCew, Cece. West Hills High School (Santee, California) English teacher, for the idea
of enrichment activity Theme/Poster Assignment.

Coleman, Ruth with Tony Buzan. Barron’s Literature Made Easy John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and
Men. United States: Barron’s Educational Series, Inc., 1999.

Coles Editorial Board. Coles Notes for Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men and Other Novels. Toronto:
Coles Publishing Company, 2001.

Dusenbury, Winifred L. The Theme of Loneliness in Modern American Drama. Gainesville:

University of Florida Press, 1960.

Goldhurst, William. “Of Mice and Men: John Steinbeck’s Parable of the Curse of Cain,” in
Jackson J. Benson, The Short Novels of John Steinbeck. Durham, NC: Duke University Press,
1990.

Levine, Gloria. Of Mice and Men Teacher Guide. Texas: Bantam Books, 1998.

Lisca, Peter. John Steinbeck: Nature and Myth. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company,
1978.

Moore, Michael. “Library Teacher’s Guide Tolerance Unit.” Bowling for Columbine
<http://www.bowlingforcolumbine.com/library/teachers/page.php?content=12>.

Schaffer, Jane. “Jane Schaffer’s Unit: Of Mice and Men.”

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