English Literature

English Literature

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  • Created by: Kristy
  • Created on: 16-05-11 11:23

Plot

Chapter 1

  • George and Lennie camp in the brush by a pool, the night before starting new jobs as ranch hands.
  • George finds Lennie stroking a dead mouse in his pocket. He complains that caring for Lennie prevents him from living a freer life.
  • We find out that Lennie's innocent petting of a girl's dress led to them losing their last jobs in Weed.
  • However, when they talk about their dream of getting a piece of land together, we know they really depend on each other.
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Plot

Chapter 2

When they arrive at the ranch in the morning, George and Lennie are shown around by old Candy.

They meet their boss and, later, his son, Curley - George is suspicious of Curley's manner and warns Lennie to stay away from him.

They see Curley's pretty and apparently flirtatious wife and meet some of their fellow workers, Slim and Carlson.

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Plot

Chapter 3

 Later that evening, George tells Slim about why he and Lennie travel together and more about what happened in Weed.

The men talk about Candy's ancient dog, which is tired and ill. Carlson shoots it, as an act of kindness.

George tells Candy about their dream of getting a piece of land and Candy eagerly offers to join them - he has capital, so they could make it happen almost immediately.

Curley provokes Lennie into a fight, which ends up with Lennie severely injuring Curley's hand.

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Plot

Chapter 4

 The following night, most men on the ranch go into town. Crooks is alone in his room when Lennie joins him.

They talk about land - Crooks is sceptical, not believing that George and Lennie are going to do what so many other men he's known have failed to do, and get land of their own. Yet when Candy happens to come in as well, Crooks is convinced and asks to be in on it too.

Curley's wife arrives. She threatens Crooks and an argument develops. Crooks realises he can never really be part of George, Lennie and Candy's plan.

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Plot

Chapter 5

 Next afternoon, Lennie accidentally kills the puppy that Slim had given him by petting it too much. He's sad.

Curley's wife finds him and starts talking very openly about her feelings. She invites Lennie to stroke her soft hair, but he does it so strongly she panics and he ends up killing her too. He runs away to hide, as George had told him.

Candy finds the body and tells George. They tell the other men - Curley wants revenge.

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Plot

Chapter 6

 Lennie hides in the brush by the pool. He dreams of his Aunt Clara and the rabbits he will tend when he and George get their land.

George finds Lennie and talks reassuringly to him about the little place they will have together - then shoots him with Carlson's gun.

When the other men find George, they assume he shot Lennie in self-defence. Only Slim understands what George did and why.

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Plot

George Milton

  •  He is a small man, but has brains and a quick wit.
  • He has been a good friend to Lennie, ever since he promised Lennie's Aunt Clara that he would care for him. He looks after all Lennie's affairs, such as carrying his work card, and tries to steer him out of potential trouble.
  • He needs Lennie as a friend, not only because Lennie's strength helps to get them both jobs, but so as not to be lonely. His threats to leave Lennie are not really serious. He is genuinely proud of Lennie.
  • He shares a dream with Lennie to own a piece of land and is prepared to work hard to build up the money needed to buy it.
  • "...with us it ain't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don't have to sit in no bar room blowin' in our jack 'jus because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us."
  • He is honest with people he trusts. For example, he tells Slim that he used to play tricks on Lennie when they were young, but now feels guilty about it as Lennie nearly drowned.
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Plot

Lennie Small

  • He is a big man, in contrast to his name.
  • He has limited intelligence, so he relies on George to look after him. He copies George in everything George does and trusts George completely.
  • "Behind him (George) walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely."
  • He shares a dream with George to own a piece of land. Lennie's special job would be to tend the rabbits.
  • He likes to pet soft things, like puppies and dead mice. We know this got him into trouble in Weed when he tried to feel a girl's soft red dress: she thought he was going to attack her.
  • He can be forgetful - George continually has to remind him about important things.
  • He is very gentle and kind, and would never harm anyone or anything deliberately.
  • He is extremely strong: he can work as well as two men at bucking barley.
  • He is often described as a child or an animal - he drinks from the pool like a horse and his huge hands are described as paws.
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Plot

Slim

  • Slim is the jerkline skinner (lead mule-team driver) at the ranch. He is excellent at his job.
  • He is the natural leader at the ranch. Everyone respects his views and looks up to him.
  • He has a quiet dignity: he doesn't need to assert himself to have authority.
  • "there was a gravity in his manner and a quiet so profound that all talked stopped when he spoke. His authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject, be it politics or love."
  • He understands the relationship between George and Lennie. He helps George at the end and reassures George that he did the right thing.
  • We know little else about him, which gives him a slightly mysterious quality. Do you think he is too good to be true?
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Plot

Curley

  • Curley is the boss's son, so he doesn't need to work like the ordinary ranch hands, and he has time to kill.
  • He's little - so he hates big guys.
  • He is a prize-fighter and looks for opportunities for a fight.
  • "He glanced coldly at George and then at Lennie. His arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists. He stiffened and went into a slight crouch. His glance was at once calculating and pugnacious."
  • He is newly-married and is very possessive of his wife - but he still visits brothels.
  • There is a rumour that he wears a glove filled with Vaseline to keep his hand soft for his wife.
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Plot

Curley's wife

  • She is newly married to Curley.
  • We never know her name - she is merely Curley's 'property' with no individual identity.
  • She is young, pretty, wears attractive clothes and curls her hair.
  • She seems flirtatious and is always hanging around the bunk-house.
  • She is lonely - there are no other women to talk to and Curley is not really interested in her.
  • "What kinda harm am I doin' to you? Seems like they ain't none of them cares how I gotta live. I tell you I ain't used to livin' like this. I coulda made somethin' of myself."
  • She doesn't like Curley - she tells Lennie that she only married him when she didn't receive a letter she'd been promised to get into Hollywood.
  • She is naive.
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Plot

Crooks

  • Crooks is the black stable hand or buck.
  • He is the only permanent employee at the ranch, since he injured his back in an accident. His back gives him constant pain.
  • He is the only black man around and is made to be isolated by his colour - he can't go into the bunk-house or socialise with the men.
  • He is always called the '******' by the men, which shows how racism is taken for granted. The men don't mean to insult Crooks every time they call him this, but they never think to use his name
  • All this has made him proud and aloof.
  • He is lonely.
  • "S'pose you didn't have nobody. S'pose you couldn't go into the bunk house and play rummy 'cause you were black... A guy needs somebody - to be near him... I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick."
  • The only time he mixes with the ranch hands socially is when they pitch horseshoes - and then he beats everyone!
  • He has his own room near the stables and has a few possessions. He has books, which show he is intelligent and an old copy of the California Civil Code, which suggests he is concerned about his rights.
  • He has seen many men come and go, all dreaming of buying a piece of land, but is now cynical, as no one has ever achieved it.
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Plot

Candy

  • Candy is the oldest ranch hand. He lost his right hand in an accident at work.
  • He is the 'swamper' - the man who cleans the bunkhouse. He knows he will be thrown out and put 'on the county' when he is too old to work.
  • Because of this, he accepts what goes on and doesn't challenge anything: he can't afford to lose his job.
  • He has a very old dog, which he has had from a pup. It is his only friend and companion.
  • "The old man came slowly into the room. He had his broom in his hand. And at his heels there walked a drag-footed sheep dog, gray of muzzle, and with pale, blind old eyes."
  • Carlson insists on shooting the dog because he claims it is too old and ill to be of any use. Candy is devastated.
  • He is lonely and isolated, but makes friends with George and Lennie and offers his compensation money to help them all to buy a ranch together and achieve their dream.
  • When he finds Curley's wife dead, he is furious, as he knows instantly that Lennie was involved and that they have lost their chance of achieving their dream.
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Themes

George

Loneliness -

George is not lonely during the novel, as he has Lennie. He will be lonely afterwards, without his best friend.

Dreams -

George and Lennie share a dream - to own a little patch of land and live on it in freedom. He is so set on the idea that he even knows of some land that he thinks they could buy.

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Theme

Lennie

Loneliness -

Lennie is the only character who is innocent enough not to fear loneliness, but he is angry when Crooks suggests George won't come back to him.

Dreams -

George and Lennie share a dream - to own a little patch of land and live on it in freedom. Lennie's main desire is to tend the soft-haired rabbits they will keep.

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Theme

Curley's wife

Loneliness -

She is married to a man she doesn't love and who doesn't love her. There are no other women on the ranch and she has nothing to do. She tries to befriend the men by hanging round the bunkhouse.

Dreams -

 She dreams of being a movie star. Her hopes were raised by a man who claimed he would take her to Hollywood, but when she didn't receive a letter from him, she married Curley.

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Theme

Candy

When Candy's ancient, ill dog was shot, Candy has nothing left. He delayed killing the dog, even though he knew deep down that it was the best thing, as he dreaded losing his long-time companion.

 Candy joins George and Lennie's plan of owning a piece of land. His savings make the dream actually possible to achieve.

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Theme

Crooks

Loneliness -

Crooks lives in enforced solitude, away from the other men. He is bitter about being a back-busted ******. He is thrilled when Lennie and Candy come into his room and are his companions for a night.

Dreams -

Crooks dreams of being seen as equal to everyone else. He knows his civil rights. He remembers fondly his childhood, when he played with white children who came to his family's chicken ranch, and longs for a similar relationship with white people again.

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Planning

Pie chart (http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/english_literature/images/elsupersample02.gif)

  • Ten minutes planning your answer
  • Thirty minutes writing your answer
  • Five minutes checking your answer
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