While reading the novel I have learnt that Lennie is child like, he easily forgets things which he has been told and has to be constantly reminded by George. “O.K-O.K I’ll tell you ya again. I ain’t got nothing to do. Might jus’ as well spen’ all my time tellin’ you things and then you forget ‘em and I tell you again”
Lennie also likes George to tell him about there ‘dream’ of having there own land, and is comforted by this, he often calls a upon George to do so.”Lennie said, tell about that place, George I jus’ tol’ you, jus’ las’ night. Go on-tell again, George.”
Lennie enjoys petting things, he has killed many mice in doing so, he is not aware of his own strength at times .His like of petting things has gotten Lennie and George into trouble.
Candy is the swamper he is old in age, tall with shoulders that bend forward, white whiskers. “A tall, stoop-shouldered old man” His hand has been cut from the wrists, in an accident on the ranch, so he has been left with a stub which offend irritates him “He scratched the stump of his wrist nervously. I got hurt four years ago”
To keep him company he has a dog that is old and partly blind, “And at his heels there walked a drag-footed sheep dog, gray of muzzle and with pale, blind old eyes”
Candy put’s up his compensation money for losing his hand towards George and Lennie’s land, so he can leave the ranch before he is made to leave, because of his age he can easily be replaced. “I lost my hand on this ranch. That’s why they give me a job swampin’ an’ they give me two hundred an fifty dollars’ cause I los my hand.”
Slim is a jerkline skinner, he is tall with long black hair, and large lean hands but is graceful with them. His face was ageless with sharp features, he also uses all of his senses to his advantage to asses any situation, and he also speaks with a slow manner.” His ear heard more than was said to him, and his slow speech had overtones not of thougth, but of understanding beyond thougth.” He is also confident and does not need to show off.
Slim has great skill and is good at his job. ”Capable of driving ten, sixteen even twenty mules with a single line to the leaders. He is capable of killing a fly on the wheeler’s butt with a bull whip without touching the mule.” He is wise and carries a presents about him the men on the ranch look up to him and have respect for him, he is knowledgeable on any subject.” His authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject, be it politics or love.”
Slim takes control of a periling situation, by offering George a firm leading hand and friendly support, it’s in Slims nature to take control. “Slim twitched George’s elbow. Come on George. Me an’ you’ll go in an’ get a drink.”
Crooks is only black person the ranch, he is offended referred to as the “nigger”. Crooks is a cripple.”His body was bent over to the left by the crooked spine” His back gives him pain but he is a proud and aloof man.
Because of his race he is isolated from the other men and has his own room in the barn. “Guys don’t come into a coloured man’s room very much” Crooks has seem many people come and go as he his been on the ranch for a long time. He has heard many men talking about there dreams
Curley is the boss’s son, a thin man with brown curly hair and brown of face. “A thin young man with a brown face, with brown eyes and a head of tightly curled hair.” Curley wears a glove to cover his Vaseline hand supposedly keeping it soft for his wife. “Well I tell ya what–Curley says he’s keepin that hand soft for his wife.”
He’s a lightweight fighter and hates guys bigger than him self, Curley likes to pick on these types of guys. “He hates big guys. He’s alla time picking scrapes with big guys. Kind of like he’s mad at ‘em because he ain’t a big guy.”Curley recently married and is very protective as she is the only woman on the ranch.
Curley’s wife has been married to Curley for about two weeks. Curley’s wife has curly hair, full lips and wide eyes and wears lots of make up “She has full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red. Her hair hung in little rolled clusters, like sausages. Because she is the woman on the ranch she gets lonely, she is not meant to talk to any one it will make Curley angry.”I get lonely she said you can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad”
She hangs around the buck house using the excuse that she is looking for Curley. Curley’s wife flirts with the guys on the ranch, giving them the eye, “I seen her give slim the eye.” She is not liked by the guys, and is often referred to as tramp.”Jesus what a tramp that’s what Curley picks for a wife”
Curley’s wife does not like him; she declares this fact to Lennie. “I ain’t told this to nobody before. Maybe I ought’n to. I don’t like curley” She recalls of once been given the chance to be an actor, but that chance was taken away from her, so she married Curley instead.
Within the story of mice and men we learnt about the friendship of two individuals who are so different from one another but still are able to care about each other and form a strong bond between them.
Loneliness seems to be one of the biggest fears within the novel; some of us need companionship, in order to survive in life.
Steinbeck also shows us that there are many different types of people in life, some people can be kind and show loving others can be horrible and spiteful.
The novel taught us that we can all have dreams but sometimes our dreams don’t come true. Life can be unfair, mistakes can be made, and people can be misunderstood.