| What is the significance of the title of the book ands the poem that inspired the title? | No matter how well your plans are, whether you are a mouse or a man, something will destroy them. |
| How does Steinbeck convey Lennie’s animal-like qualities? | By comparing him to a bear when he walks and comparing him to a horse when he drinks |
| Why does Steinbeck describe the actions of Lennie’s hands? | To further convey his animal-like qualities & his uncontrollable brute force |
| What is George’s attitude toward Lennie in Section 1 of the book? | He feels that Lennie is a burden and that his life would be much easier if he didn’t have to look out for Lennie |
| Explain the connection of Lennie’s mouse and what happens in Weed? | Lennie’s uncontrollable hands killed the mouse and scared the girl. The mouse that he killed was soft just like the girl’s dress. |
| What is George’s dream in Section 1? | To find a real job in town and to get a girl |
| What suggests that the dream of the farm is unrealistic? | The fact that they would never be able to stay in one place for too long because of Lennie’s accidents |
| Give an example of foreshadowing in Section 1. | The mouse that Lennie has killed |
| What details in Section 2 (about the bunkhouse) suggest that the ranch hands have a romantic side? | Their cubbies are filled with Western magazines that are filled with cowboys & the cowboys’ girls. |
| How does the account of Whitey’s quitting add to the book’s mood of alienation? | Because when Whitey leaves, it shows that he has no roots |
| Why is the stable buck set apart from the other men? | Because he is an African American with a disability (crooked back) |
| What does Crooks’ crooked back show? | His loneliness, bitterness, and twisted lifestyle |
| Which characters’ names show symbolic importance? | George Milton, Lennie Smalls, Crooks |
| Explain the importance of George Milton’s name | Milton is the author of the epic poem, Paradise Lost |
| Why is the boss suspicious of George and Lennie? | They are traveling together & Lennie never talks. |
| What explanation is given for Lennie’s mental condition? | That Lennie is slow because he was kicked in the head by a horse when he was little |
| What is Candy’s attitude towards Curley? | Candy resents Curley’s arrogance |
| What is Candy’s opinion of Curley’s wife? Does it seem justified? | That she is a flirt; Yes |
| What qualities of the description of Slim suggest? | Respect & wisdom |
| What is the significance of Slim’s and Carlson’s remarks about the dogs being drowned? | It displays the theme survival of the fittest; It is parallel to the mercy killing of Lennie |
| Give some examples of foreshadowing in Section 2. | When Carlson mentions killing Candy’s dog & When Slim warns George & Lennie of Curley and his arrogance |
| At the start of Section 3, how does Steinbeck comments again on the relationship between Lennie & George. Why is it necessary for for Steinbeck to constantly revisit the nature of relationships between men during the depression? | He is focusing on how men isolate themselves from one another & he is commenting on American society during the depression |
| How does Steinbeck use a discovery in a pulp magazine to reinforce one of the themes of the novel? | The wish of Bill Tenner (to have his letter in the magazine) comes true, which rarely happens in the novel; Steinbeck is reinforcing the theme of the Impossibility of the American Dream |
| Why does silence play an important part in the novel at this point? | It sets the mood of loneliness for the men in the bunkhouse |
| Who is literally being silenced in Section 3? | Candy’s dog |
| How is Candy silenced in Section 3? | His only friend, his dog, has been take from him and shot & killed |
| How are George & Lennie silenced in Section 3? | They are forced to work in this awful atmosphere |
| What does Lennie’s statement about living off the fat of the land suggest allegorically? | The Garden of Eden (Paradise) – an environment in which everything needed is provided |
| How does Lennie, sensitive in nature, show his violence when George mentions the cats that could harm the rabbits on their future ranch? | When he threatens to kill any cats that harm the rabbits; This shows that Lennie is sensitive and incapable of living alone |
| How is Crooks’ loneliness different from the other men on the ranch? | Crooks is the only character in the novel that lives permanently on the ranch. Also, his loneliness is not a result of choice – he lives a twisted life marked by prejudice and loneliness. He has no companion because of his race |
| Who comes to visit Lennie, Candy, and Crooks? What is the real reason for the visit? | Curley’s wife comes in search of Curley; The real reason: She is lonely |
| How is Curley’s wife similar to the men on the ranch? | Like the men, her dream never came true & never will |
| Explain the circular nature of Section 4 and what it implies about Crooks | The Section begins w/Crooks alone and ends with Crooks alone; It shows his loneliness |
| At the start of Section 5, what has Lennie done and why does his action worry him? | He has killed his pup; He is worried that George will not let him tend the rabbits on their future ranch |
| What does Steinbeck intend to show us when Lennie kills the puppy? | His capabilities of violence |
| Why does Steinbeck describe Curley’s wife as heavily made-up and wearing a red dress & heels? | To show the corrupting power of women |
| Explain the symbolism in Curley’s Wife’s statement “Don’t you worry.. He was just a mutt. You can get another one easy. The whole country is fulla mutts.” | Saying that people during the Great depression didn’t have any roots and wondered around like a mutt. |
| Why does Curley’s wife become angry with Lennie? | Because Lennie won’t talk to her and she feels that it is another way Curley can control her life. |
| Why didn’t Curley’s wife’s dream come true? | Because she married Curley instead |
| Why does Curley’s wife fail to see the violence in Lennie’s behavior? | Because she sees Lennie as an innocent man with a child-like attitude |
| Why does Lennie panic, and what happens as a result of his panic? | Because Curley’s wife yells; He breaks her neck |
| Compare the events at the beginning of Section 5 with the events at the end of the chapter. | Both at the beginning and at the end, Lennie is unable to feel remorse for his violent actions |
| Explain the significance of the last line of the novel. | They don’t understand the brotherhood between the men & their rare delicate bond that is grieved. They don’t understand because the men of the farm don’t have friendships. |
| Name the 4 themes of the novel | 1. The predatory nature of human existence2. Fraternity & male friendship3. The impossibility of the American dream4. Survival of the fittest |
| Explain naturalism | The belief that the outside forces attack the character; character is forced to struggle with the outside forces to survive; George & Lennie are forced to survive because they move from place to place |
| Setting of the novel | Great Depression; 1930’s; California |
| The predatory nature of human existence | – Curley’s wife comes into the room & makes fun of the men calling them an old sheep dog, and a dumb dumb. – Crooks preys on Lennie telling him George has gone to a bad place & asks what if he leaves you & they throw you into an insane asylum. (Lennie represents the mentally handicapped people of the world) |
| Fraternity & Male friendship | Nobody has a friend on the ranch except George & Lennie. |
| The impossibility of the American dream | The newspaper story when their co-worker (Bill Tenner) gets his dream to be in a magazine. |
| Survival of the fittest | when slim drowns the dogs; the killing of Lennie |
| Know the relevance of the opening paragraphs of chapter 6. | It talks about the water snakes getting eaten by the birds. Exemplifies the power of the powerless. (survival of the fittest) |
ENG Of Mice & Men Study Questions
April 29, 2020