Of Mice and Men: Character Quotes and Critical Analysis Flashcards

These flashcards cover key vocabulary, character profiles, and critical analysis from the lecture notes on Steinbeck's 'Of Mice and Men'.

Crooks

A character who represents systemic racism and the harsh cynicism born of forced psychological and social isolation on the ranch.

Lennie Small

A character embodying childlike innocence and unwavering loyalty, whose tragic vulnerability is paired with uncontrolled physical strength.

Curley's Wife

A nameless character representing gendered oppression and broken ambitions; her provocative behavior is a result of extreme loneliness and objectification.

Systemic Racism

The explicit, everyday prejudice Crooks endures, such as being physically barred from playing cards and being told he "stinks."

Lennie's Fatal Flaw

His uncontrolled physical strength; despite having no predatory instinct, his inability to understand his own power leads to tragic consequences.

The American Dream

In the novella, an impossible illusion described by Crooks as something that "nobody never gets" and is "just in their head."

Tending Rabbits

A symbol of Lennie's innocent nature and his yearning for safety and gentleness in a harsh, predatory world.

Gendered Oppression

The status of Curley's wife as her husband's property, leaving her trapped in a loveless and coercive environment where she has no right to talk to anyone.

The Weak Ones

The disenfranchised figures (Crooks, Lennie, and Candy) isolated by race, mental disability, age, and gender who are left behind when the able-bodied men leave for town.

Shattered Hollywood Dream

The tragic backstory of Curley's Wife, involving naive aspirations of being in the movies and wearing nice clothes in big hotels.

Social Isolation

A central theme capturing how being "forced into segregation" or being "nameless" breeds despair and psychological distress.

Cynicism

The worldview held by Crooks after watching countless itinerant workers fail to achieve their hopes of owning land.