Of Mice and Men

1
Of Mice and Men

• by John Steinbeck
• written in 1937
• tells the story of George and Lennie, two of many
  men displaced by the Great Depression

2
Characters

• George Milton small, quick, dark of face and
  eyes, restless
• Lennie Small huge, shapeless, pale eyes, slow
  moving
• Candy old swamper, missing one hand
• The Boss owner of a ranch below Soledad
• Crooks negro stable buck, had a back injury
• Curley Boss' son, short, once a welterweight
  boxer
• Slim skinner, foreman
• Curley's wife beautiful but restless and
  careless
• Aunt ClaraLennie's dead aunt, from his Auburn
  childhood

3
Offensive Language

• Of Mice and Men contains several examples of
  language that will offend modern readers.

4
John Steinbeck

• Born in Salinas, California in 1902.
• His most famous books were written in the 1930s
  and 1940s, and are set in California.
• They deal with the lives and problems of working
  people.
• Many of the characters in his books are
  immigrants from Mexico or from other parts of the
  United States who went to California looking for
  work or a better life.

5
Setting Great Depression

• Homework
• What was it?
• Check the Internet.
• Check the library.
• Ask your parents or grandparents.
• Write a 50 word description of the Great
  Depression.

6
Setting Great Depression

• Stock Market Crash
• October 1929
• Speculators buying on margin
• Banks failed (run on the bank)
• Dust Bowl
• Poor farming practices
• Drought
• Farmers defaulted on loans
• Migrants on the move
• displaced people headed to Califonia for jobs
• Lennie and George are among these
• World War II Irony
• Depression helped cause the war
• WWII helped end the Depression

7
Reading Quiz Schedule

• Ch. 1 (pg 18) Wed 9/3
• Ch. 2 (pg 41) Thr 9/4
• Ch. 3 (pg 72) Tue 9/9
• Ch. 4 (pg 91) Thr 9/11
• Ch. 5 (pg 108) Fri 9/12
• Ch. 6 (finish) Mon 9/15

8
Chapter One Pre-Reading

• Pre-Reading Questions
• What is the relationship between Lennie and
  George?
• What motivates each of them?
• What is the significance of the setting of the
  riverside camp?
• Why does George want to camp one night before
  going to the ranch to start the new jobs?

9
Chapter One Quiz

• Where are Lennie and George traveling as the book
  opens? Why?
• What animal(s) does Lennie keep talking about?
• What is George talking about on page 15 ? With
  us it aint like that.
• What does Lennie say to threaten George?
• What does Lennie want to have to eat with his
  beans?

10
Vocabulary

• Set 1
• debris
• junctures
• mottled
• bindle
• morose
• lumbered
• imperious
• brisquely
• anguised
• skinner

11
Chapter 2 Pre-Reading

• Pre-Reading Questions
• What does Lennie need from George?
• What does George need from Lennie?
• What do we learn about Candy? About Curley?
• What does the Boss want to know aboput George and
  Lennie?
• What sets the stable buck apart from the other
  characters? Are other characters also set
  apart?

12
Chapter 2 Quiz

• Whos the first person Lennie and George meet at
  the ranch?
• What does Lennie do then meeting the boss that
  George told him not to?
• What kind of pet does Candy have?
• Who has been married for just two weeks?

13
Chapter 3 Pre-Reading

• Pre-Reading Questions
• What does Georges conversation with Slim reveal
  about his past treatment of Lennie?
• What more do we learn about what happened in
  Weed?
• How do Carlson and Candy feel about Candys dog?
  How do these symbolize bigger issues in the
  novel?
• Where does Lennie get the puppy?
• How does Lennie end up hurting Curley?

14
Vocabulary 2

• Set 2
• peered (26)
• pugnacious (28)
• derogatory (30)
• tart (31)
• plaintively (32)
• apprehensive (35)
• scowled (41)
• poised (69)
• aloof (74)
• contemptuously (86)

15
Characters

• George Milton
• Lennie Small
• Candy
• The Boss
• Crooks
• Curley
• Slim
• Curley's wife
• Carlson

16
Character Descriptions

• George Milton
• Lennie Small
• Candy
• The Boss
• Crooks
• Curley
• Slim
• Curley's wife
• Carlson

Quiz 3
17
Vocabulary

• Set 1
• debris
• junctures
• mottled
• bindle
• morose
• lumbered
• imperious
• brisquely
• anguised
• skinner

18
Character Relationship Web
Each student will take one pairs relationship
and find a section of they book which they think
shows that relationship best.
19
Literary Terms

• Symbol
• Allusion

20
Chapter 4 Quiz

• Which man on the ranch has the most personal
  possessions because he has the most stable job?
• What does Crooks suggest might happen that upsets
  Lennie?
• What is Lennie and Georges grand plan? Their
  dream? The reason they are saving their money?
• Who has joined and George in sharing this
  dream?
• Who joins the conversation of Lennie, Crooks and
  Candy in Crookss room?

21
Extra Credit

• If you are done reading
• READ and write a short summary about
• ????????