of mice and men study guide

Lennie

Personality: Childlike, gentle, physically strong, easily frightened, fixated on soft things.

Role: Represents innocence; George's companion; central cause of the tragic ending

george

Personality: Smart, quick-witted, protective, sometimes harsh but deeply loyal.

Role: Lennie's caretaker; symbol of moral struggle; dreamer of a better life.

slim

• Personality: Calm, wise, respected, compassionate.

• Role: "Prince of the ranch"; serves as a moral compass and voice of reason.

carlson

• Personality: Practical, insensitive, straightforward, unemotional.

• Role: Pushes for Candy's dog to be shot; represents the harshness of ranch life.

crooks

• Personality: Intelligent, bitter, isolated, proud.

• Role: Represents racial discrimination and the damaging effects of loneliness

curley's wife

• Personality: Lonely, flirtatious, frustrated, attention-seeking.

• Role: Represents sexism and crushed dreams; catalyst for the climax.

Curley

• Personality: Aggressive, jealous, insecure, pugnacious, possessive.

• Role: Antagonist; creates tension; represents abuse of power.

whit

• Personality: Young ranch hand, social, curious, eager for excitement.

• Role: Shows what typical ranch life looks like; highlights loneliness.

candy

• Personality: Old, disabled, hopeful, desperate for companionship.

• Role: Loses his dog; wants to join the dream; symbol of aging workers.

aunt clara

• Personality: Caring, gentle, responsible.

• Role: Lennie's guardian before George; appears in hallucination at the end.

Evidence Lennie is more aware than people assume

He remembers George's instructions when the consequences are serious (e.g., hiding in the brush).

• He understands when he has done something wrong and fears George's disappointment.

• He can repeat details of the dream, showing long-term memory and emotional understanding.

Describe the ranch environment + "the fittest"

• The ranch is harsh, lonely, competitive, with men doing exhausting labor and little security.

• Fittest: Strong, independent, emotionally detached workers (like Slim or Carlson).

• Least fit: Those who are disabled, dependent, or socially marginalized—Lennie, Candy, Crooks.

"Survival of the fittest" at the end

• Lennie, who cannot survive alone or adapt, is killed.

• George must make a brutal choice to protect Lennie from a crueler fate.

• The men who are tougher and more independent (Curley, Carlson) continue on unaffected.

• This reflects a world where the vulnerable are not protected.

Motif: "Corrupting power of women" + why it's false

Curley's Wife is blamed for trouble; the men fear her sexuality.

• She is seen as a "trap" even though she is just seeking attention.

Why false:

• She is actually lonely and powerless, not corrupting.

• The real corruption comes from male insecurity, social isolation, and sexism, not women.

Slim as "God-like" (two examples)

• Other ranch hands accept his opinions as final—"His word was law."

• He comforts George after Lennie's death with deep understanding and dignity.

• He is described with light imagery and calm authority.

Importance of Salinas, California

Steinbeck's hometown—he writes authentically about migrant workers.

• Salinas Valley was a major farming region during the Great Depression.

• Reflects historical poverty, labor struggles, and American Dream ideals.

Evidence of the Great Depression

• Men travel from ranch to ranch for work.

• Low pay ($50 a month).

• Characters have no home or security.

• Dreams are minimal because opportunities are scarce.

American Dream → American Nightmare

The Dream:

• Freedom, self-sufficiency, owning land, living "off the fatta the lan'."

The Nightmare:

• Society prevents the poor and marginalized from achieving it.

• Economic hardship, loneliness, and discrimination crush their hopes.

• Lennie's death ends the possibility entirely.

Sequence before George tells the dream

Lennie gets into trouble → George scolds → Lennie says he'll leave → George reassures him → they tell the dream.

Importance:

• Calms Lennie emotionally.

• Gives both men purpose and hope.

• Strengthens their bond.

Why hallucinations are Aunt Clara & a rabbit

Aunt Clara = Lennie's guilt + conscience.

• Rabbit = his greatest desire and fear of disappointment.

They represent shame, fear, and emotional collapse.

Man vs. Nature Conflict

Lennie's physical strength (a natural trait) harms animals.

• Setting shows peaceful nature contrasting the violent human world.

• Dreams of farm life conflict with harsh economic reality.

Loneliness as conflict

Characters act out of fear and desperation.

• Curley's Wife seeks attention, leading to tragedy.

• Crooks becomes bitter.

• Candy clings to the dream out of fear of being alone

How the dream empowered & later disempowered characters

Empowered:

• Gives Lennie hope.

• Gives George purpose.

• Gives Candy and Crooks belonging and possibility.

Disempowered:

• Lennie's death ends the dream for all.

• George is emotionally destroyed.

• Candy and Crooks return to hopeless isolation.

Steinbeck emphasizing Curley's Wife's humanity

• Describes her peacefully after death, no longer confined by sexism.

• Shows her dreams of acting and her regrets.

• Presents her as a lonely young girl, not a villain.

Two other Steinbeck novels + common theme

• The Grapes of Wrath

• East of Eden

Common Theme: The struggle of marginalized people, dignity of the poor, American Dream failure.

Why George & Lennie stay together + literary theories

1. Companionship in a lonely world.

2. Mutual protection—George protects Lennie; Lennie provides purpose for George.

3. Shared dream that keeps them motivated.

Literary theories:

1. Ego and ID

2. symbiotic relationship

Themes from "To a Mouse" + connection

1. the relationship between man and nature is broken (connection: animals/people dying, disruption of eden)

2. situational mortality (connection: george killing lennie)

3. plan for the future, but not for fate (connection: the dream, curley's wife's death, lennie's death)

4. would you rather have full knowledge of the past, present, and future, or be in the moment (the mouse)

Freud's psychoanalytic theory examples

Lennie's id: desires soft things, food, comfort.

• George's superego: moral responsibility.

• The dream farm = wish fulfillment.