1. Of Mice and Men – Introduction & Section One

2. Plot summary exercise – section one Complete the plot summary by filling in the blanks: Two men, called George and ____________ make their way down to a clearing beside the ___________ River. They are heading to a _____________ to find work. Lennie has a dead ___________ which he likes to stroke, but George makes him throw it away. They warm some __________ on a fire and Lennie asks George to tell him about the house and land they are going to own one day. Lennie Salinas ranch mouse beans

3. Setting the scene Re-read the first two paragraphs of the book. Steinbeck sets the scene by describing the natural world. Find quotations from this section to replace the pictures below. River Trees Mountains

4. Describing George & Lennie Re-read the description of George & Lennie in the third paragraph. Steinbeck describes the two characters with great care, so that the reader gets a strong image of them right from the very start of the book. Look carefully at how the two men are described. Add your own ideas / useful quotations about George and Lennie on the next two slides.

5. Describing George Small, with sharp features

6. Describing Lennie Complete opposite of George

7. Find quotations on the second and third page that describe Lennie using characteristics normally associated with animals. Why do you think Steinbeck describes Lennie in this way? What happened to George and Lennie that meant they had to leave Weed? Why do you think Lennie likes hearing the story about the ranch so much? Describing Lennie

8. George and Lennie’s relationship Re-read the conversation between George and Lennie from Lennie drinking the water until they start to talk about supper. You could do this in a group of three, reading George / Lennie / the narrative. Find two examples of Lennie acting like a child. Why does Lennie like the mouse? Why is George worried about Lennie? Why do you think George stays with Lennie?

9. George and Lennie Find an example of George talking to Lennie. How do you think he treats him? Are his intentions with Lennie good or bad? Why? Look at page 4, the second paragraph. What can you infer has just happened to George and Lennie?

10. George and Lennie On page 7, we learn that George and Lennie were run out of town. What do you think happened? Was it all Lennie’s fault? On page 9, George tells Lennie, “you’ve broke it pettin’ it” about the mouse in his pocket. What does this tell us about the mouse? What does Lennie’s relationship with the mouse tell us about him?

11. George and Lennie What do you think Lennie’s mouse might symbolize? Think BIG. “You get in trouble. You do bad things and I got to get you out” (11), says George to Lennie. What do you think? Does Lennie seem like such a bad guy? George also says, “I wisht I could put you in a cage with about a million mice an’ let you have fun” (11). This statement could have a double meaning. What are two ways we can interpret George’s words?

12. George and Lennie Look at page 12, where George and Lennie are discussing ketchup. What does Lennie he would do if they had ketchup? What does this imply about Lennie’s feelings toward George? Who is Aunt Clara?

13. The American Dream One of the major themes in the book is ‘The American Dream’, the hope of creating a better life. Look at the story about their farm that George and Lennie share. How does this story relate to ‘The American Dream’? Add your ideas to the image below. They could work for themselves

14. Foreshadowing What is foreshadowing? A subtle hint about something that will happen later in the book. Often a signal that warns of danger for one of the characters. A way of creating anticipation and tension for the reader. A way of making the reader want to find out what happens next. Look at the end of Section One. Can you find an example of foreshadowing here? What do you think might happen later on in the book that is being hinted at here?