1. Of Mice and Men End of book discussion
***There are no right or wrong answers, but each question must be thoughtfully answered.***

2. Right to kill? Justice?
Does George have the right to kill Lennie? Legally? Ethically?
How does Steinbeck’s treatment of Lennie’s murder color the way the reader interprets the event?
What does George’s action suggest about justice – within the play and in the world as a whole?

3. Love and Sacrifice/George and Lennie
Was it selfish or selfless of George to kill Lennie?

4. Lennie and Candy’s Dog?
How are the deaths of Candy’s dog and Lennie related? Why do the two have to die? Is it fair to draw a comparison between these two events? Are Candy’s dog’s death and Lennie’s death just different degrees of the same kind of thing?

5. Setting
The setting here is very specific. Do the events of the story only apply to this particular place and time, or can the novella be thought of as universally applying to humans everywhere?

6. American Dream
Why does George have to give up the idea of the dream farm once Lennie kills Curley’s wife? Was the farm ever a real possibility? What is Steinbeck saying about dreams? Is the book’s take-home message an inherently pessimistic one?

7. Prejudice
Is there any character who is not the victim of prejudice? Is there any character who is not prejudiced? How does prejudice cause conflicts in the book?

8. Curley’s wife
Are we to feel pity or hatred for Curley’s wife? Why?

9. Animals
Why does Steinbeck pay so much attention to animals in this novella?

10. Banned book back in the day…
Why do you think this book has been placed on the banned book list throughout its history? Do you think this book is appropriate for sophomore English class? What’s the academic value of the book Of Mice and Men?

11. OMAM TEST: Wednesday Wednesday: Test and Green Sheets due
Friday: Vocabulary test and vocabulary boxes