1. By John Steinbeck
Of Mice and Men

2. Table of Contents
John Steinbeck
Mice of Men
The Pearl
The Red Pony

3. John Steinbeck Born February 27, 1902 in Salinas, California
He was raised in a prosperous farming community and the trading and shipping center for the Salinas Valley.
During high school he would send short stories to magazines under a false name and without a return address.
He enrolled in Stanford University off and on for five years before leaving without a degree.
He married three times and had two children with his second wife.
“I think I would like to write the story of this whole valley, of all the little towns and all the farms and the ranches in the wilder hills. I can see how I would like to do it so that it would be the valley of the world.” ~Steinbeck

4. Steinbeck Cont.
His career struggled until the publication of Tortilla Flat (1935) which was followed by Of Mice and Men (1937) and The Grapes of Wrath (1939).
Other works include Log form the Sea of Cortez, Cannery Row, The Pearl, The Red Pony, and East of Eden.
He was awarded The Pulitzer Prize, a Nobel Prize, The Nation Book Award, and The Presidental Medal of Freedom from his friend Lyndon B. Johnson.
He passed away on December 20, 1968.

5. Of mice and men
Written in a new form Steinbeck developed, the play-novelette.
Tells the story of two migrant workers in California.
Acclaimed as “a little masterpiece”
Adapted for the Broadway stage

6. Of Mice and Men--Chapter one
1. Describe Lennie and George.
Dressed in denim trousers and jackets. Wear black, shapeless hats with blanket rolls. George is small and quick, has restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Lennie is huge with a shapeless face, pale eyes and sloping shoulders. He drags his feet and his arms don’t swing.
2. What does Lennie have hidden in his pocket? Why?
A mouse. So he can pet it as they travel. It’s calming for him.
3. Why did they leave their last job?
Lennie did something bad
4. What would George do/have without Lennie?
George would be able to go out for drinks and ladies. He would have freedom and peace.
5. Explain the guys’ long-term goal.
They purchase a plot of land to call their own to raise chickens, rabbits, crops. They will life off the land without having to answer to anyone but themselves.

7. Mice and Men Chapter Two
6. How is Lennie’s name ironic?
Lennie’s last name is “Small” but he is a very large man.
7. What is Curley known for?
Curley is a fighter (boxing) he wins or has a reason why the fight wasn’t fair.
8. What syndrome does he suffer from?
Short-Man syndrome or Napoleon complex
9. What does the old man reveal about Curley’s wife?
She has wandering eyes with the men on the ranch.
10. Explain the first time we meet Curley’s wife.
She comes into the bunk house looking for her husband, but he just walked out. It seems very planned to check out the new hands.

8. Mice and Men Chapter Three
11. What has Lennie been given?
One of the puppies from Slim’s dog.
12. Why does everyone wonder about George and Lennie traveling together?
Typically men travel alone and fend for themselves. It’s odd that they look out for each other.
13. What did Lennie do in Weed?
Lennie saw a girl in a red dress. He wanted to feel the dress fabric, but the girl panicked and later lied that she was raped.
14. Why is the discussion about the dog so difficult?
The dog was the closest companion Candy has had for the dog’s entire life. It’s painful to think of the loneliness.
15. What are the other men’s opinions about Curley’s wife?
They all realize that she will bring trouble to the men. She might have been a prostitute. If they get any urges, they go to a cat house in town.

9. Chapter Three cont. 16. How will their dream come true?
Candy has $350 saved, that he will give them to purchase the piece of land.
17. What is Curley’s issue with Slim?
Curley knows Slim talks to Curley’s wife. Is there a deeper relationship there?
18. Why does Curley start on Lennie?
Curley was shown up by Slim; he needs to regain his masculinity. Lennie is an easy target.
19. What’s the outcome of that discussion?
While Curley got a hit to Lennie’s face, Lennie grabbed Curley’s hand and crushed it in his fist.
20. What’s the deal Slim makes with Curley?
Everyone will believe that Curley crushed his hand in a machine, otherwise they will tell how Curley was defeated.

10. Mice of men Chapter four
21. Explain the conversation Crooks had with Lennie.
Crooks can’t believe that Lennie has someone to take care of him in kindness and tortures Lennie into thinking George will leave him. Crooks also confides his loneliness.
22. What do they discuss when Candy comes in?
Candy is working numbers for their rabbit plan and Crooks mentions that he might be able to help. He finds some value in living with others.
23. What do we find out about Curley’s wife?
She is just as lonely as Crooks is.
24. Why does Crooks change his mind about helping them out?
George comes in and complains about having to keep an eye on Lennie. There wouldn’t be a common thread with him.

11. Mice and Men Chapter Five
25. What happens at the beginning of this chapter?
Lennie has accidently killed his pup
26. How does Curley’s wife open up to Lennie?
She tells Lennie that she should be living a bigger and better life. She lets Lennie touch her hair when he mentions he likes soft things.
27. What happens?
She doesn’t want him to touch her hair anymore; Lennie gets scared and holds tight. When she starts to scream, Lennie covers her mouth until she is suffocated and/or her neck is snapped.
28. Why won’t George and Candy buy the land?
George really didn’t believe that it could happen. It was just a story he told Lennie. Lennie helped him believe that it could really happen because of his childlike innocence. Lennie gave George hope.

12. Mice and Men Chapter Six
29. Explain how the book ends.
The men go out looking to kill Lennie. George has stolen Carlson’s gun to meet Lennie at the pool of water. George tells Lennie the story of getting their own place. When George hears the other men getting closer and closer, he holds the gun up to Lennie’s neck and pulls the trigger. Slim arrives and understands the sacrifice George has made because of his feelings for Lennie. They walk off to have a drink, and the others stand there like nothing significant has happened.