Of Mice and Men 2005 questions 27 marks each

Foundation

Qn 6) How are each of the following important in the novel?

  • Rabbits
  • Dogs and puppies
  • Mice

 

All important because associated with death – accidental or deliberate

Rabbits represent the dream – particularly Lennie’s bit of it; he constantly worries that he will do something to prevent it happening; but also symbolic of the softness that he lacks in his life, maybe motherly or feminine love.

Dogs and puppies – Candy’s dog was old and useless like Candy but also like Crooks and Lennie in some ways; Carlson’s jealousy ruined Candy’s life; but showed George the importance of his responsibility towards Lennie and his fate; Curley’s wife ruined it for Lennie and the others by being herself; the puppy represented hope but this was dashed by Lennie’s accidental killing of it.

The mice likewise represent death, Lennie’s strength and lack of understanding of the difference between life and death and responsibility towards animals in your care.

The deaths of the mouse and the puppy are omens of the future – both are accidental as was Lennie’s killing of Curley’s wife but George’s killing of him is the only other deliberate act in the book after the shooting of Candy’s dog and there are significant differences between the two, in terms of method and reason and emotion.

 

Qn 7) How does Steinbeck present the relationship between George and Lennie in the novel?

  • How George feels about Lennie
  • How Lennie feels about George
  • Why you think George stays with Lennie
  • The methods Steinbeck uses to present their relationship.

 

G depends on Lennie for companionship / fatherly relationship – invents a ‘dream’ to soothe him / helps him earn money but a liability / gets frustrated at Lennie’s poor memory / innocence / he worries about the future…

Lennie depends on George for survival (note the drinking of the water in the clearing / his advice about not speaking / for food/ for plans/ for looking after his job card/ also told to keep away from Curley’s wife ‘she’s jail bait’ / even when to fight back) and ultimately G takes this responsibility seriously enough to kill Lennie himself.

G stays with Lennie out of loyalty and a promise made to Lennie’s aunt Clara but also out of fear of loneliness

Steinbeck describes Lennie as mimicking G; L follows G; copies him; repeats him. Also manipulates him into feeling bad when G loses patience e.g. by offering to go live in a cave…S also has all the other characters question the nature of their relationship except Slim who immediately sees their mutual dependence. We see the pair threatened by others with only each other for support.

 

Higher

Qn 6) How does Steinbeck present loneliness and isolation in the novel?

  • Who are the characters who are lonely and isolated?
  • Why?
  • How his settings reflect it?

 

All characters are lonely and isolated; all are jaded and weighed down by grim realities of life:

Crooks – black, crippled, outcast, lives separately; oppressed by ‘Smitty’ in fight (Candy tells us), by Curley’s wife who verbally abuses him; the language used of him ‘nigger’ ‘cripple’; has known too many men with ‘land in their heads’…

Candy – old and useless; dog companion for years is killed; no one stands up for him against Carlson’s bullying; enchanted by the possibility of the dream stake…

Curley’s wife etc

The settings – think of the river bank (aka bush or brush) – lonely but peaceful and tranquil, a pleasant but temporary interlude; the ranch and bunkhouse– harsh, hostile, shared accommodation, few possessions, nothing personal, no privacy, criticism, competition and jealousy all around; Crooks’ room different but still with dung heap outside window!

Landscape is dried up, parched, generally lifeless, hot, unforgiving…

Even in the barn after Lennie has killed Curley’s wife the air is hot, silent, time stops, sunlight shafting down through holes in barn planks, sound and smell of horses, distant muffled sound of horseshoes being played outside, Lennie not included nor is Curley’s wife because she’s a woman and because Curley would be jealous of the attention she got / gave…

 

Qn 7) How does Steinbeck prepare you for the idea that the death of Curley’s wife is inevitable?

George’s ‘in case of trouble’ plan; the peace and tranquillity of the river bank and the water snake which gets away this time; the dead mouse and Lennie’s cover up of it; the gradually revealed story of what happened in Weed; Lennie’s clear lack of understanding of right and wrong; Candy’s dog and his revealing comment ‘I shoulda done it myself’; the luger and the use of it to kill Candy’s dog; the puppy smuggled in by Lennie; the killing of the puppy and Curley’s wife herself in her revealing comments about hating Curley and her broken dreams…

Section summaries for Of Mice and Men

Use the words in the box at the bottom to fill in the gaps.

One

……………………………………..workers George and Lennie rest in a clearing by the …………………………..on their way to the nearby ranch where they expect to sign of for ……………………………….work. They have left the last ranch in a ……………………… after an incident involving Lennie. Lennie pleads with George to tell him once again about the dream ranch where Lennie’s main task will be to tend the …………………………..

Two

Arriving at the ranch next day they meet the other workers. The boss is …………………………….that George won’t let …………………………………speak for himself. Candy and Slim are …………………………towards the newcomers. They are warned about ……………………………….. ………………………. Slim’s ………………………… has had pups and Lennie would like one.

Three

Slim realises Lennie’s problems. George tells him about the incident in ……………………………. .

…………………………. Bullies Candy into allowing him to shoot his old dog. George tells Lennie about the dream ranch and …………………………….. listening in is enchanted and offers money to buy in and make the dream a reality. Curley picks a fight with Lennie and gets his ………………………. hurt. Slim suggest he say he got it caught in a machine to avoid further ……………………………… .

Four

The men go into town except Lennie, Candy and Crooks. Lennie ends up in ………………………………..room and though Crooks upsets Lennie by suggesting George may go off and leave him one day to make point about his own ……………………………Lennie ends up telling him about the dream as well. Crooks offers to come and …………………….for them. Curley’s wife comes looking for company. She attacks Crooks …………………………..verbally using her superior position as a ……………………………woman with rights as against a black with none. Crooks takes back his offer.

Five

The men are outside playing horseshoes; Lennie is in the ………………………… where he has just killed the pup. He has been stroking by ………………………………….. . Curley’s wife comes in and is rebuffed by Lennie. Eventually he tells her he likes ……………………………… soft things, she suggest he stroke her hair but he gets too heavy handed and in pulling away she causes Lennie to hang on breaking her neck. Lennie ………………………………… where George said to go if there was trouble. Candy discovers the body. Curley vows …………………………….. and a man hunt is organised.

Six

……………………………… meets up with Lennie at the ……………………………………; Lennie is ………………………. George …………………………………. him with the story of their ranch then shoots him in the back of the neck with the stolen ………………………………… pistol.

George friendly barn suspicious Crooks’
remembers bitch itinerant stroking Lennie
white panicking hand temporary Verbally
hurry Curley’ wife isolation Weed soothes
accident rabbits humiliation labour Revenge
Carlson clearing Candy Luger river