Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men: Notes

Chapter One
• OMAM is set in Salinas California during the 1930’s great
depression.
• We meet Lennie Small and George Milton: two guys who
are among the poor and the scrambling. “The first man
was small and quick, dark of face…behind him walked his
opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale
eyes…”
• George is small and smart, Lennie is huge and mentally
disabled.
• Lennie drops to his knees and drinks from a pool of dirty
water, slurping out of it like a horse. “His huge companion
dropped his blankets and flung himself down and drank from the surface of the green pool.”
George verbally swats him. “Lennie. You gonna be sick like you was last night.”
• This is the dynamic of their relationship in a nutshell: Lennie acts like a kid and looks up to
George, and George minds him and gives out to him like a parent.
• George reminds about where they are going and why: a ranch where they can buck barley for
50 dollars a month.
• Lennie gets in trouble with George for carrying around a dead mouse, a mouse Lennie
squeezed to death due to his strength. George acts like a strict parent to a toddler with a
tantrum when George demands Lennie discard the mouse. “’Give it here!’ said George. ‘Aw,
leave me have it, George’ ‘Give it here!’”
• George tells Lennie his favorite story, the one where they have their own ranch and Lennie
gets to tend rabbits.
• George also reminds Lennie to come back to this spot by the river if anything bad happens.
Chapter Two
• In chapter two George and Lennie arrive at the farm and enter the bunkhouse. Here we meet
Candy, Curley, Slim and Carlson ( the boss’ son and the boss).
• This is the start of their work on their farm, we see George leading the way and being the more
dominant figure in the relationship.
• Curley picks on Lennie because of Lennies size and the fact George is speaking for him. This is a
catalyst for Curley’s hatred towards Lennie as the book goes on.
• During their first night in the bunkhouse Carlson comes in and asks Slim about his puppies.

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• At the mention of the word "puppy," Lennie starts wriggling with pleasure. George comes to
his aid, without even having to ask, and says he’ll ask Slim about a puppy for him. “Yeah…I
heard him. I’ll ask him.”
Chapter Three
• George thanks Slim for Lennie's new puppy. Slim asks the question that's on everyone's mind,
wanting to know why a "cuckoo" like Lennie and a "smart little guy" like George are traveling
around together. George doesn’t stand for Slim insulting Lennie, showing how protective he is
of Lennie. “He ain’t no cuckoo…He’s dumb as hell, but he ain’t crazy.”
• George tells Slim about their past. He tells Slim that George knew Lennie's Aunt Clara and that
when she died, “Lennie just came along with me out workin’” which shows their bond started
early.
• George also tells Slim why they stay together. He says that it suited them to stick together as “I
ain’t got no people…I see the guys that go around on the ranches alone. That ain’t no good. So
he and Lennie stick together as it is better to have someone.
• George also tells Slim what happened in Weed. We learn that Lennie wanted to stroke a girl’s
dress but when she got scared at a grown adult feeling her dress, she screamed. ”Dumb
bastard like he is, he wants to touch ever’thing he likes…So he reaches out to feel this red dress
an’ the girl lets out a squawk.”
• At the screaming Lennie got scared and held onto the dress. The girl claimed Lennie raped her
and the local men tried to find Lennie to lynch him, so Lennie and George had to run away.
“He was so scairt he couldn’t let go of the dress. And he’s so God damn strong.”
• In this chapter Carlson also kills Candy’s dog due to its age and weakness. Here is where Candy
who is without a hand and old himself decides to Join George and Lennie in their dream of
owning their own place.
• We also meet Curely’s wife who is depicted as a promiscuous trouble maker woman always
looking to ‘’make a mess’’ and get attention.
• Curley lunges at Lennie in this chapter and Lennie by accident crushes Curley’s hand.

Chapter Four
• In chapter four we meet Crooks the black man who is discriminated due to his skin colour. He
has to sleep in a room out by the stables unable to mic with the rest due to his race.
• Lennie on his way to look at the puppies is the first person to enter Crook’s room to ‘make
friends’, Lennie does not have the mental ability to understand the racial segregation at the
time so he is the only one who doesn’t see Crooks as being different or less than.
• Candy comes into the room looking for Lennie, he too does not discriminate against Crooks.
Later Curley’s wife enters. She is a lonely woman constantly seeking company and attention.

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She questions the men about Curley’s hand and soon realises it was Lennie. She see’s Lennies
weakness and this is foreshadowing the horrible outcome that is to come in the rest of the
book.
• George eventually comes and finds Lennie and the three leave Crooks alone again.
Chapter Five
• Lennie kills one of the puppy and is sitting in the barn upset and angry that his puppy is dead.
He like the mouse, has not realised his own strength and killed the puppy.
• Curley wife enters and tries to seduce Lennie, she lets him stroke her hair but soon gets angry
saying that Lennie is messing it.
• When she goes to pull away Lennie panics and the two struggle resulting in Lennie killing
Curley’s wife.
• Lennie runs away to the brush just like George said to do.
• Candy enters the barn a while after and sees Curley’s wife. He tells the rest of the men and
they all hunt for Lennie.

Chapter Six
• The men go and hunt for Lennie. In the midst of this George has stolen Carlson’s gun.
• George finds Lennie before the men do. The final moments between George and Lennie are
very symbolic.
• George tells Lennie everything is okay, he tells Lennie of the story of their dream and Lennie
tending to the rabits before he shoots him in the back of the head.
• It is significant that George was the one to kill Lennie and that he made sure that he left Lennie
with the thing that made him the happiest, their shared dream of the two of them living on
their own place and Lennie tending to the ‘rabbits’.

Themes in Of Mice and Men

• The Nature of Dreams
• Of Mice and Men is as much a story about the nature of human dreams
and aspirations and the forces that work against them as it is the story of
two men.
• Humans give meaning to their lives—and to their futures—by creating
dreams. Without dreams and goals, life is an endless stream of days that
have little connection or meaning.

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• George and Lennie’s dream—to own a little farm of their own—is so central to Of Mice and
Men that it appears in some form in five of the six chapters.
• Loneliness
• In addition to dreams, humans crave contact with others to give life meaning. Loneliness is
present throughout this novel.
• Powerlessness
• Steinbeck’s characters are often the underdogs, and he shows compassion toward them
throughout the body of his writings. Lennie, George, Carlson, Curley’s Wife, Crooks, Candy,
etc., are all powerless to the actions and reactions around them. They have so little and must
put up with things they do not agree with or like as they need the jobs.
• Fate
• Life’s unpredictable nature is another subject that defines the human condition. Just when it
appears that George and Lennie will get their farm, fate steps in.
• My Brother’s Keeper
• Steinbeck makes the reader wonder whether mankind should go alone in the world or be
responsible and helpful to others who are less fortunate.
• Nature
• Steinbeck uses nature images to reinforce his themes and to set the mood.
• Dreams: George and Lennie have a dream, even before they arrive at their new job on the
ranch, to make enough money to live "off the fat of the land" and be their own bosses.
Lennie will be permitted, then, to tend the rabbits.
• When George goes into a full description of the dream farm, its Eden- like qualities
become even more apparent. All the food they want will be right
there, with minimal effort. As Lennie says:
• "We could live offa the fatta the lan'."
• When George talks about their farm, he twice describes it in terms
of things he loved in childhood: "I could build a smoke house like the one gran'pa had..."
George yearns for his future to reflect the beauty of his childhood. "An' we'd keep a few
pigeons to go flyin' around the win'mill like they done when I was a kid."
• Chasing the American Dream
• “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched
refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest tost
to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” ( Emma Lazarus)
• Written on the base of the Statue of Liberty
• You can be successful if you work hard and live morally.
• America is the land of opportunity.
• Freedom to work hard and be happy is enshrined in the Constitution.

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• The Dream assumes equality of opportunity, no discrimination, freedom to follow goals and
freedom from victimization.
• From the 17th Century onwards, immigrants have dreamed of a better life in America.
• Many people immigrated to America in search of a new life for themselves or their families.
• Many others immigrated to escape persecution or poverty in their homeland.
Friendship
• The characters of Lennie and George have a strong bond and friendship. They rely on
each other, look out for each other and are happy to have each other around. “I got you
to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why.”
• The two guys are lucky to have each other as most of the other men are starved of love
and friendship. This is true to such an extent that the other men are surprised the two
lads travel around together. “Ain’t many guys travel around together,” he mused. “I don’t
know why. Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other.”
• They remain stable as they have each other. They have a dream together and stay on the
straight and narrow because they have each other. We know this is true as after Curley’s
wife is found dead, his mentality about the future changes. “I’ll work my month an’ I’ll
take my fifty bucks an’ I’ll stay all night in a lousy cat house…” This shows a loss in desire
without his friend as he had maintained before that they were “making up a stake”.
Without a companion, he has no hopes for the future. This shows how strong a friendship
the boys had.
• The ending of the novel also shows us how strong their relationship is. Even though
George does not wish to, and tries to get the men to not hurt Lennie, “He don’t have to
take after Lennie.” George knows that if he does not intervene, Lennie will be tortured by
Curley. George shoots Lennie in a soothing manner to relieve him from the pain he might
have endured from the other men. He does this, even though it is completely devastating
for himself. “He pulled the trigger…Lennie jarred.” He sacrifices his own feelings to save
Lennie from other pain. This shows the strength of the relationship.
Father Son Relationship
• George and Lennie display a clear father son relationship. George constantly minds Lennie
like a father would to a child. We see this when George minds Lennie’s work card,
knowing Lennie would not mind it. “Think I’d let you carry
your own work card?” George knows that Lennie would
not mind it and thus does not give him responsibility for
it, just like a father.
• George also behaves like a father when he reprimands
him about the mouse. George sees Lennie with a mouse

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and demands that he give it to him as he knows it’s dead and not sanitary. Lennie, like a
child, tries to deny having it and is reluctant to give it over “But Lennie made an elaborate
pantomime of innocence.” This is typical childish behaviour. When George finally
succeeds in getting it, Lennie begins to cry. “He heard Lennie’s whimpering cry…” Once
again, like a parent, George sooths Lennie, telling him why he had to get rid of the mouse
and a promise of something better in the future. “That mouse aint fresh… You get
another mouse that’s fresh, I’ll let you keep it a while.”
• George also protects Lennie from harm, just like a father would. Equally, Lennie looks to
George for help and guidance when he is scared. One such
example is when Lennie is attacked by Curley. George had
previously gotten angry at the thought of Curley having a go
at Lennie “He don’t have to take after Lennie.” showing his
protective nature.
• Now, when Lennie is being attacked, Lennie ‘bleated’ with
terror, begging George to help him “Make um stop George!”
This shows that Lennie relied on George for protection, just
like a child would. When George told Lennie to “Get ‘em,
Lennie!”, it is George’s way of minding him, telling him to
use his strength. This shows how they mind and trust each other, just like a Father and
Son.
Loneliness
• Loneliness is a key theme in the novel. Several characters experience loneliness.
• Crooks, the only black character in the novel, is completely isolated from the rest of the
men on the barn. Due to the colour of his skin, he is forced to sleep in the harness room,
rather than the bunkhouse, and is not allowed to even go into the bunkhouse. “’Cause
I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black.” This isolation
makes him very lonely as he has nobody to talk to.
• This is evident when he is talking to Lennie. He tells Lennie how he feels he is almost
descended into madness as he is so deprived of friendship. “A guy needs somebody―to
be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody.” This shows how lonely he is as he is
so desperate to talk to anyone, but because of his colour he isn’t even able to step out of
his shell and be himself.
• We see this when he attempts to tell Curley’s Wife to leave his room. After talking to
Lennie and Candy he had begun to relax and forget the barriers placed around him.
However, when Curley’s Wife tells him she could “get you strung up on a tree so easy it
ain’t even funny”, Crooks “reduced himself to nothing”, showing how he is forced to hide

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his personality due to his colour. All of this has a serious negative impact on his feelings
and makes him seriously lonely.
• Curley’s wife also experiences severe loneliness. She is deprived of even a name, showing
us that no one in the novel took the time to even get to know her name. “Wait until you
see Curley’s wife” This tells us that she must be lonely as if they don’t know her name,
they must not talk to her.
• Curley’s wife is also shunned by the men throughout the novel. Every time she tries to
talk to the guys they are blunt or tell her to leave. “George
said brusquely, ‘Well he ain’t now.’” She is not able to get
them to talk to her, despite her numerous attempts. “Think
I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while?” This
demonstrates that she is so desperate for conversation and
frustrated that nobody will ever talk to her.
• When in the barn with Lennie, she gets excited at the
ability to talk to anyone, even Lennie who has a mind of a
child. She talks about her dreams of becoming an actress
and having a different life. “Coulda been in the movies, an’
had nice clothes.” This is particularly depressing and
demonstrates her loneliness as she had dreams of a better life but instead got stuck with
Curley whom she didn’t even like. “I don’t like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella.”
• As none of the men will talk to Curley’s wife, she is devoid of any conversation bar with
her husband, and as she doesn’t like him, and he doesn’t really talk to her, she is
completely isolated.
• The men on the ranch also experience extreme isolation and loneliness. As most men
during the Great Depression moved from ranch to ranch working, friendships,
relationships and families were rare. “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest
guys in the world.” This meant that the men existed in a bizarre isolation where, although
they worked and lived alongside many others, they kept to themselves.
• It meant that they could not understand friendships. This is true when Carlson demands
that Candy kills his dog. Carlson, only thinking of himself, is not happy because of the
smell but does not consider Candy’s friendship with his dog as he is unused to such a
relationship. “That stinks hangs around even after he’s gone.” This demonstrates his
loneliness as he is unable to consider and care about others’ relationships. This is also
true at the end of the novel when Carlson doesn’t understand why George is upset at
Lennie’s death. “Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin’ them two guys” Only someone
lacking in friendship and used to being lonely would have this
sort of reaction.

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Dreams
• The theme of dreams is prevalent in this novel. Most of the characters have a dream of a
better life for themselves.
• Lennie and George both have a dream of having their own cottage and piece of land. ”An’
live off the fatta the lan’” They have this dream to improve their lives and not be
dependent on their fifty dollars a month working for someone who could sack them at
any moment. “An’ it’d be our own way and nobody could can us.” They show a real
excitement when they think it might actually happen. “The think they had never really
believed in was coming true.”
• Crooks and Candy both share this dream
and attempt to join Lennie and George.
“’Suppose I went in with you guys” This
shows that everyone wanted to get away to
have a better life.
• Curley’s wife also has a dream of having a
better life. She dreams of being an actress
and wearing nice clothes and having a great
life. “Coulda been in the movies, an’ had
nice clothes.” She is sick of the miserable life
she has and wants something better for herself.
• The unfortunate reality of this theme is that nobody achieves their dream. Curley’s wife is
stuck on the ranch with her horrid husband, Crooks remains stuck due to his skin colour,
“’Well jus’ forget it,’ said Crooks, ‘I didn’ mean it. Just foolin’”
• Lennie never gets his dream as his mistake costs him his life, George, due to the death of
his best friend has lost his drive for his dream and Candy loses out due to the death of
Lennie also. “You God damn tramp… Ever’body knowed you’d mess things up… I could of
hoed in the gardens…” All of the characters are hugely upset when they know their dream
is not going to become a reality. Nobody gets their dream in this novel which tells us
about the depressing world they lived in.
Violence
• The theme of violence exists during many parts of the novel.
• There is extreme violence when Curley attacks Lennie. Curley’s attack on Lennie is cruel
and aggressive, as he doesn’t stop even when he knows that Lennie is not fighting back
and is clearly terrified. “Make um stop George!” Curley is clearly enjoying attacking Lennie
and there are many violent references.
• The violence only increases when Lennie grabs Curley’s hand and crushes it. “But Lennie
watched in terror the flopping little man whom he held.” Whilst Lennie is unaware of what

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he is doing, it is still extremely violent and the crushing of Curley’s hand, along with
George’s attempt to get Lennie to stop him from crushing Curley’s hand. “Slim, come help
me while the guy got any hand left” The result of Curley’s hand being crushed and Lennie
being extremely upset shows just how violent the scene was.
• The death of Curley’s Wife is also extremely
violent. The violence is also shocking as it
happens so suddenly. The scene jolts from
Lennie and Curley’s Wife sharing their love
of soft things and Lennie touching her soft
hair “Lennie’s big fingers fell to stroking her
hair.” to Lennie grabbing Curley’s Wife and
killing her in a matter of moments. It is
shocking as he kills her so easily. “He shook
her then and he was angry with her…and
her body flopped like a fish”
• The novel ends with a violent death.
Although George sooths Lennie into death, It is still violent as we see George killing his
best friend. “He pulled the trigger…Lennie jarred.” There is even more intensity
surrounding it as we can hear the other men surrounding them, ready to find them and
torture Lennie.
Childish Mind
• Lennie’s mind was very much like a child. Despite having a body of a huge man, he
behaves childishly throughout the novel.
• In the first chapter, we see Lennie throw a tantrum over not being allowed to have a dead
mouse. “He heard Lennie’s whimpering cry…” Lennie is unable to understand why he
should not carry a dead mouse in his pocket and is unable to deal with the conflict like an
adult.
• We also see, throughout the novel, that Lennie seems disconnected from the adult
conversations going on around him. Both when Crooks and Curley’s Wife talk to him, he
appears to not be listening and instead responds only with his own thoughts. “Lennie
asked, ‘How long you think it’ll be before them pups will be old enough to pet.’ Crooks
laughed again. ‘A guy can talk to you and be sure you won’t go blabbin’’”This is reflective
of his childish mind as he does not understand the social expectations of conversations,
and is instead only concerned with his own thoughts.
• Lennie also is extremely forgetful. He forgets many things George tells him and also
seems to forget many basic things, like who he is. “You said I was your cousin, George.”

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This forgetful nature is similar to that of a child’s mind as young children are often
forgetful.
• Lennie also does not understand the gravitas of what he has done at the end of the novel.
When he kills the pup, rather than being sorry for
killing it, he is angry, worried he will not be
allowed to own rabbits on his farm. “Now maybe
George ain’t gonna let me tend no rabbits, if he
fin’s out you got killed.”
• Equally, after killing Curley’s Wife, he appears
unconcerned about killing her, but only concerned
that George will reprimand him. “I shouldn’t have
did that. George’ll be mad.” This shows he is
unable to deal with such serious situations
Sexism
• Sexism also exists in this novel due to the opinions of women in the 1930s. The only
female character, who does not receive her own name, is stigmatised and isolated due to
her sex. They only think about her in a sexual manner and don’t want to interact with her
because they fear the reaction of her husband. “Well, I think Curley’s married… a tart.”
• The novel constantly comments on her physical state which suggests that that was the
way to view women, as objects to be looked at. “She had full, rouged lips…” “Her face
was heavily made up.” It also suggests that this was almost an obligation for Curley’s
Wife; to appear beautiful and happy all of the time. This shows the sexism of the time as
she was under some sort of pressure to appear a certain way, even on a ranch. This has
truth to it as when she lay dead, her face appeared different, as if no longer under
pressure to appear a certain way. “…the ache for attention were all gone from her face.”
• Curley’s wife is also shunned by the men throughout the novel. Every time she tries to
talk to the guys they are blunt or tell her to leave. “George said brusquely, ‘Well he ain’t
now.’” She is not able to get them to talk to her, despite her numerous attempts. “Think I
don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while?” This demonstrates that she is so
desperate for conversation and frustrated that nobody will ever talk to her.
Setting
• The novel is set in the 1930s
during the Great Depression.
During this period many people
struggled to get work and as a
result were forced to work poorly
paid manual labour jobs. This is

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the setting we find our characters, working on a ranch, unhappy with the life they are
leading. We know this as the men spend their money on alcohol and prostitutes, as they
are so longing for something pleasant in their life, “you ought ta come in town with us
guys tomorra night” and constantly dream about a better life. “An’ it’d be our own, an’
nobody could can us”
• The setting is also that of a racist country where black people are treated differently
simply because of their colour. Due to the colour of his skin, Crooks, the only black
character in the novel, is forced to sleep in the harness room, rather than the bunkhouse,
and is not allowed to even go into the bunkhouse.“’Cause I’m black. They play cards in
there, but I can’t play because I’m black.” He is isolated from the other men and the men
don’t want to have any real contact with him. “What you doin’ in Crooks’ room. You
hadn’t ought to be in here.” They also call him the ‘n’ word, not out of meanness or to
hurt him, but because it was the norm. “Ya see the stable buck’s a nigger.” This is
reflective of the time the novel was set and is the sole reason Crooks experiences
loneliness.
• Sexism also exists in this novel due to the opinions of women in the 1930s. The only
female character, who does not receive her own name, is stigmatised and isolated due to
her sex. They only think about her in a sexual manner and don’t want to interact with her
because they fear the reaction of her husband. “Well, I think Curley’s married… a tart.”
The setting and opinions of women during this period shape the character of Curley’s
Wife.
• The characters in the novel all speak with a southern ‘twang’. They often do not finish
words fully and often use incorrect grammar. “’Well jus’ forget it,’ said Crooks, ‘I didn’
mean it. Just foolin’ “Coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes.” This is reflective of
a rural environment in the 1930s where slang was the norm and most people did not
receive a lengthy education.
• The activities and past times the characters engage with are also reflective of the time
and true to the rural setting. There is no TV, the men play cards and horseshoe and go
drinking and whoring at the weekends for fun. “From outside came the clang of
horseshoes on the playing pe and the shouts of men, playing, encouraging, jeering.” As it
is the 1930s, many modern activities such as watching tv were not a possibility, but also
due to the rural setting they did not have an opportunity to go to plays, etc.
• The poverty the men lived in also limited their activities to simple games that could be
played in their little free time.
• The treatment of Lennie is also reflective of the 1930s. The initial trouble that Lennie got
into before the novel began would not have happened in a modern day.

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• In modern day, people would be more understanding and knowledgeable of the learning
difficulties and mental disability that Lennie had. Therefore the girl would not have
suggested that Lennie had raped her, but instead understood that this man, whilst large
and perhaps still frightening, didn’t mean any harm. “He was so scairt he couldn’t let go
of the dress. And he’s so God damn strong.”
• Additionally, Lennie would have had a professional minder with him at all times to
prevent negative activities and help him understand his strength. This would have
prevented the death of Curley’s Wife and consequently Lennie.

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