Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck || Grade || Optional English || Summary and Exercise

 About this Novella:

·         It is a novella published in 1937 A.D. It is based on writer’s real-life experience as a migrant worker. He worked as a migrant worker in the 1920s.

·           Setting (Time and Place): on farmland of Salinas Valley in California in the 1930s. It takes place during the Great Depression era (Economic Crisis in America from 1929-39/40)

·        Narration/Point of view: Third person omniscient narrator

  Themes: dreams, loneliness, companionship/friendship, racism, powerlessness, fate, nature, etc.

Characters:

1.      Lennie Small- He is a mentally handicapped, large, and very strong migrant worker. He depends on his friend Geeorge’s advice in situation he does not understand. He shares the dream of owning a farm with George

2.      George Milton- He is Lennie’s frined and migrant worker. He dreams of owning his own land some day, but he realizes the difficulty of making this dream come true. He gives Lennie advice and tries to watch out for him, ultimately taking responsibility for not only his life but also his death.

3.      Slim- The leader of the mule team at the ranch(farm) whom everyone respects.

4.      Candy- He is an old handyman who lost his hand in a ranch accident. He thinks one day he will be fired form the job. So, he convinces George to let him join their dream of a farm because he can bring the necessary money to the scheme. He is an old dog.

5.      Crooks- The black stable worker who cares for the horses. A symbol of racial injustice, Crooks is isolated from the other hands because of his skin color.

6.      Carlson- The insensitive ranch worker who shoots Candy's dog. He has a gun, which George later uses to mercifully kill Lennie.

7.      Curley- He is the son of the ranch owner. He is a little guy who fights with bigger guys like Lennie. He is recently married and extremely jealous of any man who looks at or talks with his wife. Lennie crushes his hand, earning Curley's future enmity.

8.      Curley's wife- The only character in the novel who is given no name, she is Curley's possession. She teases and infuriates the ranch workers into talking with her, an action that causes Curley to beat them up. George sees her as a "tart(prostitute)," but Lennie is fascinated by her soft hair and looks.

 

Summary:

It is a Thursday night. George Milton and Lennie Small are on the way to start temporary jobs at the ranch(farm). George is small and quick, while Lennie is very large and strong but has a mental disability and relies on George’s assistance to function well in society. They have been dropped off further away than they expected by a bus driver, so George decides that rather than walking a long way to the ranch, they should camp by the Salinas River and go to work in the morning so that they can enjoy some freedom for one more night before working for someone else again.

George gives Lennie instructions, such as not drinking too much water from a nearby pool and to throw away a dead mouse he has been carrying in his pocket. George warns Lennie not to speak when they go to the ranch the following day and tells Lennie to return to that spot if he runs into any trouble while working on the ranch and hide. It becomes clear that Lennie enjoys stroking, or ‘petting’, soft things, but often kills them because he does not know his own strength. Lennie gets the dead mouse again and tries to hide it from George. George tells Lennie how difficult life is due to looking after Lennie, reminding him that they had to run away from their previous job in Weed. Lennie then threatens to leave George and live in a cave. George is sorry and tells him to stay. Before sleeping, George describes their dream to Lennie; they want to buy their own small farm where they will grow their own food, rear animals and keep rabbits for Lennie to look after.

The following morning, George and Lennie arrive at the ranch and meet Candy first, who tells them that the boss of the ranch is angry about them coming late (he expected them to arrive the day before) but is usually a pretty nice fellow. The Boss arrives and questions his new workers about their late arrival and then their skills and previous employment. George speaks for Lennie, making the Boss suspicious. George lies, telling him that Lennie is his cousin and he looks after him because he was kicked in the head by a horse as a child. Although still mistrustful, the Boss tells George and Lennie that they will be working on Slim’s grain team.

The Boss’s son, Curley, enters the bunkhouse and sizes Lennie up, demanding that he talks to him. After Curley leaves, Candy warns George that Curley is a boxer who enjoys beating up bigger men. Curley’s wife also enters the bunkhouse later, when Candy isn’t there, and flirts with George and Lennie, and then Slim, who passes by. After she leaves, George warns Lennie to stay away from her because she is trouble. Slim talks to George and Lennie and is impressed by their friendship, which is unusual for itinerant(migrant) workers. Then Carlson enters and complains about the smell of Candy’s old dog. He asks Slim about his dog’s puppies and suggests that Candy should kill his own dog and replace it with a puppy from Slim.

Slim and George talk about a puppy that Slim will give Lennie. George then opens up to Slim about his friendship with Lennie, explaining that they grew up together and he began to take care of Lennie after his Aunt Clara died. George also discusses their departure from their previous job due to Lennie touching a woman’s dress and not letting go, after which she accused him of rape. Carlson and Candy enter the bunkhouse and Carlson tells Candy that he should put his dog down because it is too old and is suffering. Slim offers Candy one of his puppies as a replacement. Carlson finally persuades Candy to let him shoot the dog. He takes the dog outside and a shot is heard; Candy stays in the bunkhouse, lying on his bed and staring at the wall.

Most of the men leave the bunkhouse, except George, Lennie and Candy. George and Lennie discuss their dream of owning a farm, overheard by Candy, who wants to get involved. He offers to contribute his life savings, which would enable the men to buy a piece of land which George knows about. Curley, Slim, Whit (another ranch hand) and Carlson re-enter the bunkhouse. Curley apologises to Slim for accusing him of being with his wife and the men mock him for his insecurity about her. Angry, Curley accuses Lennie of laughing at him and starts to punch him; Lennie panics but does not react until George shouts at him to fight back. Lennie grabs Curley’s hand and crushes it. Curley has to go to hospital and is told by Slim that he must not reveal the truth of his injury and should say his hand was caught in a machine.

On Saturday night, most of the men have gone into the nearby town to go to a brothel, leaving behind Lennie, Candy and Crooks (a disabled man who works in the stables and is the only black man on the ranch), as well as Curley’s wife. Lennie goes to Crooks’ room in the stable. At first, Crooks is reluctant to allow Lennie into his room, angry that he isn’t permitted to be in the white men’s room. However, Lennie’s innocence finally wins him over and the two talk. Lennie forgets that George doesn’t want him to talk about their dream and mentions it. Crooks is mean to Lennie, suggesting that George might not come home and Lennie becomes more and more distressed. Candy walks into Crooks’ room looking for Lennie. Crooks tells him and Lennie that they will not own a farm, but Candy explains that they have money to buy it. Crooks is interested in joining them.

Curley’s wife enters and the men tell her to leave. She mocks them, but then describes how lonely she is. She asks about Curley’s hand and the men deny Lennie’s involvement, making her angry because she feels excluded by them. Candy tells her to leave and says that if she got them fired they would buy their own farm, making her laugh at them; Crooks also tells her to leave his room. She threatens Crooks, saying that she could get him lynched. She finally leaves when Candy says he can hear the rest of the men arriving home. George comes to find Lennie and is angry with him for being in Crooks’ room and for discussing the farm. Crooks claims that he is no longer interested in being involved anyway, and that it is an unrealistic dream.

On Sunday afternoon, Liennie’s puppy dies. He has accidentally killed the dog through stroking it too hard and is worried that George will find out and stop him from looking after the rabbits when they get their farm, so he tries to hide it under some straw. Curley’s wife enters and tries to talk to Lennie. At first, he tries to ignore her because he knows that George doesn’t want him to speak to her. However, she notices his puppy and comforts him so he starts talking to her. She opens up to him about her dislike of her husband and her aspirations of becoming a movie star.

Lennie speaks to her about the farm he and George will have and the rabbits he will look after. He tells her that he likes to pet soft things. She says that she understands and offers him her hair to stroke, which he does. However, he strokes her hair too hard, making her panic and shout. Worried that he will get into trouble, Lennie covers her mouth with his hand and shakes her. He breaks her neck then leaves, aware that he has done something wrong.

Candy goes into the barn and finds Curley’s wife’s body. He runs to get George and the two discuss what has happened and predict that Curley will want to kill Lennie. Candy asks about the dream of buying a farm and the two realise that this is now never going to happen. George is worried that Curley will suspect that he was involved in his wife’s death and asks Candy to pretend he hasn’t seen him before he leaves the barn.

Alone with Curley’s wife’s body, Candy lets out his frustration and anger, blaming her for the destruction of their dream. He cries before going to find the rest of the men to tell them about her death. The men enter and Curley demands that Lennie be found and killed. Carlson says that his gun is missing and they suspect that Lennie has taken it. George tells the men to go in a different direction to where he knows Lennie will be.

Lennie is hiding in the bushes next to the clearing he and George stayed in at the start of the book. He hallucinates, seeing his Aunt Clara and a giant rabbit. George finds Lennie and speaks to him, telling him that he is not angry and trying to calm him down. Lennie asks George to describe the dream of the farm and he does so. As he does this, George asks Lennie to take off his hat and look out at the river. George shoots Lennie at the back of his neck. The others arrive, and George leads them to believe Lennie had Carlson's gun which George wrestled away from him and shot in self-defense. Only Slim comprehends the truth, and he takes George off up the footpath for a drink.

MCQs:

Of Men and Mice

-John Steinbeck (American writer)

About this novel

Setting: Themes: Characters:

Summary:

 

Short Question-Answers:

Long Question-Answers:

MCQs:

1.      For how long do Lennie and George expect their jobs to last?

i.Around a month or two      ii. Six months              iii. One year

iv. They expect to work permanently at their new jobs

2.      What does Crooks do to upset Lennie on the night the other men go into town?

i.                    He makes Lennie feel unwelcome in his room

ii.                  He argues with Lennie about being excluded from the bunkhouse

iii.                He suggests that George will abandon Lennie

iv.                He tells Lennie he will never own any rabbits

 

3.      What makes the dream of owning a home, a ranch and some rabbits a sudden possibility for Lennie and George?

i.                    Slim's sudden interest in joining them

ii.                  Candy's offer of his life savings

iii.                Their high wages on the ranch

iv.                Crooks's offer to work just for his keep on their land

 

4.      Why does George shoot Lennie?

i.                    He can no longer bear the burden of looking after Lennie

ii.                  He is angry with Lennie for ruining the dream of owning a place of their own

iii.                He knows that Lennie has no chance of escape from violent justice this time

iv.                He feels sorry for Curley's loss

 

5.      Why does Curley's wife seek out Lennie in the barn?

i.                    She is drawn to Lennie because he injured Curley

ii.                  She wishes to tell him about her dream of becoming a movie star

iii.                She is looking for something she needs in the barn and bumps into Lennie by chance

iv.                She is looking for Slim, but finds Lennie by chance

 

6.      Why did Lennie and George have to leave Weed?

i.                    The job digging a cess-pool had come to an end

ii.                  The men of Weed believed that Lennie attacked a young woman

iii.                They were fired from their last job

iv.                They left Weed in search of more highly-paid work

 

7.      What are George and Lennie employed to do at the ranch?

i.                    Pick fruit

ii.                  Cut and bale hay

iii.                Clean outhouses

iv.                Buck barley

 

8.      Why does Lennie eventually begin to talk to Curley's wife? Choose the best answer.

i.                    He ignores George's warning because he thinks she is pretty

ii.                  He is interested in hearing about her life

iii.                He wants to tell her about the puppy

iv.                He discovers that she also likes rabbits

 

9.      Why is Curley often looking for his wife?

i.                    He is jealous

ii.                  She wanders about trying to befriend the workers on the ranch

iii.                She does not like Curley or feel loved by him and is in search of an escape

iv.                All of the above

 

10.  Why does George look out for Lennie?

i.                    George automatically feels responsible for everyone

ii.                  George made a promise to Lennie's Aunt Clara to look out for him

iii.                Lennie followed George out to work and the two men got used to being together

iv.                George fell in with Lennie by chance and expects to leave him as soon as it is convenient