Of Mice and Men

1
Of Mice and Men

• A synopsis and analysis of the novel

2
Chapter 1

• Set in Soledad, Ca
• 1930s during the Great Depression
• Men were tramps who moved from town to town
  searching for jobs
• Introduce Lennie George
• Lennie is mentally disabled
• George is intelligent

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Chapter 1

• Lennie is seen as an animal who does not know his
  own strength
• He paws at his mouse and drinks water like a
  dog
• George takes care of Lennie treats him like a
  brother
• George admonishes Lennie for carrying dead mice
  that he killed accidentally while trying to pet
  them
• They are on their way to a new job

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Chapter 1

• They were forced to leave their last job in Weed,
  CA because Lennie petted a girl who accused him
  of rape
• Georges dream is to have land of his own to farm
  and live
• Lennie wants to tend rabbits on their farm
• George asks Lennie to try not to cause problems
• If a situation occurs, he is to return to the
  place where they spend the night in Chapter 1.

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Chapter 2

• The men reach the Bunkhouse where they will live
  at their new job
• They meet Candy, who tells them about their boss
  and Crooks, an African American stable buck
• The boss admonishes them for being late, and
  George attempts to do all the talking for Lennie
• George lies about why they left Weed, and claims
  Lennie is his cousin

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Chapter 2

• Curley, the bosss son, is a pugnacious man who
  hates people larger and stronger than him
• He attempts to pick a fight with Lennie
• Candy reveals Curley married Mae, a pretty woman
  who spends very little time with her husband
• George tells Lennie to stay away from Mae because
  it will get him in trouble

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Chapter 2

• The men meet Slim, the jerkline skinner, and
  their immediate boss
• Slim is a timeless man who is easy to confide in,
  and is fair and just
• Carlson, a large stomached man comes in
  complaining about Candys old dog
• Slims dog just had puppies, Lennie wants one and
  another has been offered to Candy
• Then Curley comes back looking for Mae, and
  becomes suspicious of George

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Chapter 3

• Lennie has been given a puppy that he spends too
  much time with in the barn
• George admits that he and Lennie are not related
• Once Lennies Aunt Clara died, he began to follow
  George around and theyve been together ever
  since
• George explains how he use to take advantage of
  Lennie, but felt too guilty

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Chapter 3

• Carlson continues to complain about Candys old
  dog, and eventually takes the dog out to shoot it
• Carlson says if you shoot it right behind the
  ear, the dog will die instantaneously and feel no
  pain
• Carlson takes out his Luger (pistol) and kills
  and buries the dog
• Candy feels that eventually they will do that
  with him since he only has one hand and is old

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Chapter 3

• Whit, another worker, talks about how Mae always
  looks at the men and how everyone should stay
  away from her
• Whit invites George to the whorehouse that
  weekend
• George seems to want to go since he is always
  stuck with Lennie
• George says whores are good company because you
  always know what you get and what it will cost you

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Chapter 3

• Lennie asks George to tell the story of their
  dream and living off the fatta the land
• Candy over hears, and offers a large sum of money
  if they will let him join them
• They all agree, and Candy begins to plan
• As they talk, Lennie smiles until Curley walks in
  accusing them of being with his wife

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Chapter 3

• Curley becomes suspicious of George, but mistakes
  Lennies smile as a smirk
• He confronts Lennie and begins to punch him
• George tells Lennie to fight back, Lennie
  crushes Curleys hand
• Slim George pull Lennie off of Curley
• They threaten Curley not to tell anyone

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Those Rabbits

• Georges dream is for a farm for him Lennie
• Lennie hopes to raise rabbits since he has no
  control over anything in his life
• If he has rabbits, he can be responsible for them
  and increase his self worth
• He can also have control over something and not
  feel so useless

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Solitaire

• George seems to play a lot of Solitaire in the
  Bunkhouse
• This is indicative of a man who longs for a
  quieter, independent life
• His playing cards is his escape from the
  Bunkhouse, the men, his life, and Lennie

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Chapter 4

• Crooks is seen in his room off the barn.
• He is a proud, aloof man who is actually very
  lonely.
• He has only his books to keep his company.
• Lennie intrudes upon his space, but Crooks is
  actually relieved to have visitors.
• Candy also visits Crooks.

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Chapter 4

• Candy Lennie dont keep their secret, and
  Crooks says that he would like to join them.
• Crooks talks about how he is separated from the
  other men.
• Crooks finally tells them to forget his joining
  them because hes too proud.
• Crooks, Candy, Lennie are all the same type of
  person- the minority who doesnt fit.

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Chapter 5

• Sunday afternoon Lennie is in the barn, upset
  because he has killed his puppy.
• Curleys wife enters and they begin to talk.
• We see she is also lonely and wants a companion.
• Lennie strokes her hair roughly, she screams out,
  and he accidentally breaks her neck.
• He knows he has done a bad thing and escapes into
  the woods toward the brush near the creek.

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Chapter 5

• Candy George find Curleys wife, and the men
  know Lennie has killed her.
• Candy is too worried about their dream to care
  about what might happen to Lennie.
• George asks Candy to call the other men in after
  he goes, so it looks like he doesnt know
  anything about the murder.

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Chapter 5

• George hopes they will capture Lennie and lock
  him up.
• Curley is irate and creates a mob to find and
  kill Lennie.They also think Lennie has Carlsons
  gun.
• The men make George search also, since they are
  suspicious of him as well.
• George leaves and goes to find Lennie in the
  brush near the creek.

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Chapter 6

• Lennie appears at the creek side and is
  admonished by images of Aunt Clara and a giant
  rabbit.
• The rabbit mocks him about his control of
  responsibility.
• Aunt Clara scolds him for getting in trouble and
  how George could do better without Lennie.

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Chapter 6

• George appears as Lennies saviour and tells him
  the story of their American Dream.
• As Lennie daydreams George shoots him in the
  head, like Candy could not do for his own dog.
• The men come, Curley is mad that he didnt get a
  chance to shoot him, and Slim takes George off
  for a drink.

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Fraternity

• George Lennie has a relationship many envy.
• They are almost like brothers in a world of
  single men who share nothing.
• The predatory world succeeds in suffocating this
  brotherhood, destroys their dreams, and ends
  their fraternity.

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Impossibility of the American Dream

• Each every character in OMM dreams of a
  different life for themselves.
• The impossibility of this American Dream holds
  true in that no one attains this goal.
• With the murder of Curleys wife, Candy knows
  they will not achieve their dream, and with the
  murder of Lennie, George knows the dream will not
  come true.

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Was she evil?

• I assert that Curleys wife searched for
  companionship as much as George did not.
• She searched out the men on the farm not for
  physical activity, but for companionship.
• It was suggested that Curley cheated on his wife,
  and he abused her.
• All she wanted was someone to talk to.

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Loneliness

• Many of these characters suffer from profound
  loneliness.
• Candy, Crooks, and Curleys wife all admit their
  deep loneliness, while Lennie doesnt understand
  that perhaps that is what George needs.
• Georges loneliness begins with Lennies death,
  their companionship died on that creek bed.