Of Mice and Men - dreams

'gonna get a little place and live on the fatta' the lan'

'gonna get a little place and live on the fatta' the lan'

George and Lennie's dream. This phrase is repeated throughout the text.

'They had walked in single file down the path, and even in the open one stayed behind the other.'

This is the first time we meet Lennie and George, and it immediately shows their relationship as being in some way unequal.

'Lennie...imitated George exactly.'

Lennie's childlike behaviour is shown here as he copies everything George does, like a child does a parent.

'If I was alone, I could live so easy.'

George's frustration at being Lennie's guardian is clear from the beginning. He knows that things would be easier if he didn't have to look after Lennie.

'I ever seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy.'

The other men on the ranch are suspicious of George and Lennie's friendship from the outset.

'Lennie dabbled his big paw in the water.' 'Like a terrier.'

From the beginning, Lennie is compared to animals through similes and metaphors.

'Lennie...obeyed.'

Lennie does what George tells him to. It is almost like a parent/child relationship.

'They run us outta Weed.'

Lennie has been in trouble before - this is frequent occurrence.

'On one side of the river the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan mountains.'

The setting is important in the text. At the beginning, this place sounds peaceful, calm and beautiful.

'Lennie's whimpering cry.'

Lennie responds to situations like a small child.

'you've broke it pettin' it'

Lennie doesn't understand his own strength and so kills animals even though he doesn't mean to.

'Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world.'

This quotation tells us a lot about the life of ranch workers during the great depression.

'Because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you.'

George and Lennie's friendship is deep and clearly they intend to travel around together forever.

'The old swamper shifted his broom.'

Candy is referred to as old from the moment he is introduced. This shows us that he has worked at the ranch for a long time, and also that work never stopped for ranch workers, regardless of age.

'the stable buck's a n*****'

Crooks is referred to in racist terms by the other characters. They use these terms in a throwaway manner, showing the casual, ingrained racism.

'he wore high-heeled boots and spurs to prove he was not a laboring man'

The Boss is presented as being different and set apart from the ranch workers.

' a drag-footed sheep dog, gray of muzzle, and with pale, blind old eyes'

Candy's dog is describe in extensive detail to show its age and weakness.

'His arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists.'

Curley is immediately threatened by Lennie and his posture reflects his boxing ability.

'Curley's like a lot of little guys. He hates big guys.'

Curley is threatened by anyone who is bigger than him. He uses boxing as a way to gain power.

'Lennie's strong and quick and Lennie don't know no rules.'

Showing Lennie's strength but also his lack of intelligence.

'I think Curley's married...a tart.'

The other men discuss Curley's Wife in sexist and misogynistic terms.

'George laid down his cards thoughtfully, turned his piles of three.'

The men often play cards, and it is often a device used by Steinbeck to slow down the pace of the action. Also, solitaire is a solitary game, played alone.

'I don't want no trouble.'

Lennie doesn't seek out trouble, but it always seems to find him.

'She had full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eye, heavily made up.

Curley's wife is presented as being attractive and sexualized in her behavior from the outset.

'I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her.'

George recognizes the danger Curley's wife poses from the beginning.

'the prince of the ranch' 'he moved with a majesty only achieved by royalty'

Slim is clearly presented as being different - strong, calm and above the mundane lifestyle of the ranch workers.

'It just seems kinda funny a cuckoo like him and a smart little guy like you travelin' together.'

Slim, and the other men, struggle to understand George and Lennie's situation.

'I can see Lennie ain't a bit mean.'

Slim quickly realizes that Lennie is kind.

'If you...shoot him right in the back of the head - why he'd never know what hit him.'

Carlson foreshadows Lennie's death by telling Candy how to shoot the dog.

'I'll shoot him for you.'

Carlson offers to shoot the dog, and this will later come back to haunt Candy.

'S'pose I went in with you guys.'

Cnady, having overheard George and Lennie's dream, asks to be involved. He now sees this as his dream too.

'We'll do her...we'll fix up that little old place...right squack in one month.'

As George, Lennie and Candy realize they can achieve their dream, their excitement builds. It is now so close.

'I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn't ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog.'

Candy acknowledges that he should have been the one to shoot his dog. He regrets the decision he made.

'Curley's rage exploded.'

As the other men wind up Curley, he turns on Lennie who is sat in the corner smiling at the thought of his rabbits.

'Lennie covered his face with his huge paws and bleated with terror.'

During the fight, Lennie is frequently compared to an animal again, showing his physical strength but mental weakness.

'Curley was flopping like a fish on a line.'

This simile shows clearly the strength of Lennie and how overpowering he is. It is also used later to describe Curley's wife when she dies.

'his fist lost in Lennie's paw'

The animal imagery is used to show the differences between Curley and Lennie.

'Crooks...had books.'

The fact that Crooks has books in his room shows us that he is intelligent.

'Crooks was a proud, aloof man.'

Aloof means to keep a distance. Crooks deliberately keeps himself to himself.

'You've got no right to come in my room.'

Crooks is not used to people coming into his room, so he is threatened by Lennie's attempted entrance.

'Why ain't you wanted?' Lennie asked. '"Cause I'm black.'

Crooks is isolated simply because of the colour of his skin.

'A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody.'

Crooks is lonely, and recognizes the disadvantages of ranch life for men.

'I seen hunderds of men come by...every damn one of 'em's got a little piece of land in his head. An' never a ******** one of 'em ever gets it.'

Crooks recongises that Lennie's 'dream' is futile. It will never happen.

'a n***** an' a dum-dum and a lousy ol' sheep'

Curley's wife seeking power over them as they four are all at the bottom in terms of power.

'I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain't even funny.'

Curley's wife threatens Crooks with a lynching. The racism is clear.

'Lennie sat in the hay and looked at a little dead puppy that lay in front of him.'

Lennie has killed his puppy, despite George thinking it would be harder for Lennie to do so.

'G** d*** you,' he cried. 'Why do you got to get killed?'

Lennie is quick to anger in stressful situations and can't control his emotions.

'I get lonely.'

Curley's wife is another person on the ranch who is isolated and lonely.

'He says he was gonna put me in the movies. Says I was a natural.'

Curley's Wife shares her dreams with Lennie. Every character has a dream!

'I don't like Curley. He ain't a nice fella.'

Curley's wife explains her loneliness. We feel sympathy with her because we don't like Curley either.

Her feet battered on the

hay and she writhed to be free; and from under Lennie's hand came a muffled screaming.

Lennie begins to struggle with Curley's wife after stroking her hair. His behavior frightens her, and he doesn't know how to react to her screams.

'the meanness and the plannings and the discontent and the ache for attention were all gone from her face'

After her death, all the negative aspects of Curley's Wife are gone, and we are made to feel sympathetic for her.

'You G** d***amp,' he said viciously.

Curley's Wife's death has ruined the dream of Candy, Lennie and George. Candy expresses his frustration at her dead body.

'The light climbed on out of the valley.'

Lennie returns to the original setting in Chapter 6, and it is not quite the same as it was.

'He reached in his side pocket and brought out Carlson's Luger...He looked at the back of Lennie's head, at the place where the spine and skull were joined.

George prepares to kill Lennie, with direct reference to the shooting of Candy's dog.

'Lennie giggled with happiness.'

George ensures that the last thing Lennie thinks about is the dream and the rabbits.

'He pulled the trigger...Lennie jarred, and then settled.

Lennie's death is quick, he doesn't feel anything.

'You hadda, George. I swear you hadda.'

Slim reassures George that he did the right thing. He was left with no choice.