Of Mice and Men By John Steinbeck

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English                Philipp Rüdiger

Of Mice and Men                                                                                            21.11.2004

Of Mice and Men

By

John Steinbeck

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. Background Information

  1. Describe the historical background to the novel i.e. the USA in the mid/late 1930’s

B. Summary        

  1. Write a plot summary

D. Character Description

  1. George
  2. Lennie
  3. Slim
  4. Candy
  5. Crooks
  6. Curley
  7. Curley’s wife

E. Essays

1. How significant is the theme of loneliness in Of Mice and Men?

2. To what extent is it correct that The Great Gatsby, Death of a Salesman and Of Mice and Men explore important, but different aspects of ‘The American Dream’?

3. What is the importance of dreams and dreaming to the success of Of Mice and Men?

 

A. Background Information

Describe the historical background to the novel i.e. the USA in the mid/late 1930’s

The USA of the mid and late 1930 was still suffering from the Great Depression. Many thousands were unemployed and had lost their homes. These people would often wander around the country, searching for jobs and a place to rest. John Steinbeck clearly outlines the lives of these men, traveling around from one job to the next, in his book Of Mice and Men.

The depression had been caused by the stock market crash in 1929. Most Americans blamed President Hoover because he had been the President at the time and did know what to do about it. The Midwest suffered even more as the dust bowl crisis came into play. As the employees were dependant on their jobs employers could easily cut wages or even make them move at their will. When Roosevelt came into office he initiated many government programs supporting the suffering Americans.

B. Summary

Write a plot summary

George Milton and Lennie Small, two migrant workers, arrive south of Soledad and spend a night next to Salinas River. As the two settle down it becomes clear that Lennie, a tall man with a “shapeless” face, has some sort of mental disability while George is relatively short and seems rather intelligent. Lennie also seems dependant of George as he looks out for him and helps him wherever he can. When George finds that Lennie has been carrying a dead mouse he throws it away. Through this we also find out that Lennie likes touching soft things. Even though George seems rather annoyed it is obvious that he does not really mean what he says. George then tells Lennie about their shared dream of buying a piece of land on which they plan to farm and keep rabbits.

The next morning visit the nearby ranch in order to ask for a job. George fearing the boss’s reaction to Lennie tells him not to say a word. As soon as they are hired, they get to know Candy, and old “swamper” with an even older dog and Curley, the boss’s mean son. As soon they are alone in their bunkhouse Curley’s wife appears, whom he had just married, and flirts with them. The other workers soon return from the fields for lunch and George and Lennie meet Slim, the most popular worker on the farm. George and Slim have a short conversation in which Slim comments on the rarity of George and Lennie’s friendship. When Carlson, another worker, joins in he suggests that Candy’s old, smelly dog should be shot and Candy could have one of Slim’s newly born puppies.

George confides in Slim how often Lennie has gotten them both in trouble for example when he touched a woman’s dress and was accused of rape. Slim lets Lennie have one of his puppies and allows him to enter the barn where the puppies all are. Carlson meanwhile still tries to convince Candy to kill his dog and at last he succeeds telling him that death would be a welcome relief for the suffering animal. Carlson promises Candy to make it painless and leads the dog outside where after some time a shot is heard.

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Curley following one of his jealous suspicions searches for Slim and his wife and heads to the barn. Candy overhears George and Lennie talking about their dream and offers his savings if they allow him to live with them. When Slim returns to the bunkhouse he criticizes Curley for his suspicions. Out of anger Curley starts a fight with Lennie, who simply crushes his hand. Slim warns Curley not to tell anyone about this incident.

The next day most of the workers have left the farm and Lennie visits the black stable-guy in his accommodation and Candy joins in. As ...

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