of mice and men

overvewi of book

?

Key Points

1) introduction - mouse in lennie pocket, drink at river like dog.  sleep over for last night of freedom., ketchup on beans 

2)  Len forgets not to talk in boss. introduces to candy,slim. curley introduced and imideatly creatres tension and lennie told to stay away from curley wife

3) G + S discuss L slim seen as confesionist. explains what happens in weed. lennie given pup. disobeys george by sneaking it in. candys dog is shot. candy comes in dream, curley starts on lennie. lennie breaks his hand. got hand caught.

4) crooks room. private lonley. lennie comes into crooks room L disobeys G by telling C about dream.rasicst conversation. C teasses L.  L gets angry like animal C realises danger. C feels guilt. C comments on dream candy protects it.. CW walks in C rejects her she goes to authroity. CW pays attention to L. CW makes fun of dream. CA gets rid of CW & sticks up for CR. G makes everyone leave angryt at L for telling.

1 of 8

Chapters

5) Starts of in barn. L has killed pup. CW enters. L worries and CW gets mad. CW explains about Hollywood.L tells her about petting soft things. CW lets L pet hair. CW struggles.L panics. holds her and breaks neck accidently. L disappears. CA finds CW Body.CA gets G.C+G discuss what to do. CA knows dreams over G wont go without L and has hate for CW.  CU sees dead body and sees this to get revenge on L. G+S discuss Options for L

6) L enters pool starting drinking like dog. Lennie vision ant Clara + giant rabbit proves he is mad. Rabbit tells L G is gunna beat em.G shouts L in usual way. to reassure him its no worse than in weed. G cant shout he nows what he is going to do. L tricks G into telling dream. G uses this as a distraction for the gun and so L dies happily. G describes heaven - everyone will be nice. S reassures G you hadda you hadda. ends with Carlson saying what eatin those two guys ?" he doesn't understand compassion for others. no one cares for George feeling for L

2 of 8

key points

whole book is written in a cyclical sturcutre. in ever chapter its equilaibrium then disturbed by an event and then restored equilb irum the theory of todoff. struct of novel reinfoces that the novel is inevitable. e.g weed + ranch girl. reinforces visicous trap/cycle the characters in. 

3 of 8

Steinbeck

creates tension by 

1) provising information about a character. provides information about a prevision incidents. makees reader witness event. tension is hinted at specific pages + when ever CU enters. or candys dog. 

fanatasis his perfect women figure through curleys wife. always describes her with the colour red.  

4 of 8

Themes

Freindship - George + Lennie - Candy + Dog

Lonliness - crooks, candy (without dog) Curleys wife. Carlson 

Dreams - george + Lennie

Realism 

Imagery 

Animals 

5 of 8

Why G shoots Lennie?-

save lennie from suffering.  to die painless and quickly like candys dog                    george make lennie die happily .cant let lennie escape if police catch him he will be in cage .if lennei ran away he would stand cant survive on his own - g quotes in chapter 1 george cant contoll lennie any longer.life would be easier with out lennie 

dreams - g wantsw to be his own boss                                                                

 freedom choosing when and where to work                                                          

 no more back breaking pain                                                                            

lennie only dreams for rabbits                                                                  

candy dreams for security                                                                                               

6 of 8

freindship

george keeps bus + work cards  .george tells lennie to keep quite  .george and lennie aruge beacuse they both care about each other .travel together + aruge over ketchup.lennie maniuplates george plays on guilt george always protects lennie when other people talk abuot him Lennie mimics george shows how much of role model lennie sees him as george always tell lennie the story like a father and son with a night time story george speaks for lennie beacuse lennie cant be trusted like a kid cant be george reassures lennie he dones nothing worng when breaks CU hand george tells lennie to reutnr pup like a parent figure acting ona  child george kills lennie to keep him from worse fates lennie is upset how goerge may not return as lennie cant survive on own. 

7 of 8

Lonliness

lennies only sign on lonliness is when goerge goes into town with the crew and lennie goes into speak to crooks.

lonliess occurs on candy beacuse of his disability and even occurs more when he best mate the dog is shot. when entered in dream revitialises him. 

crooks has no relationship with other workers lives and works on his own. he was used for frights as enteratinment crooks lonliness makes his desperate 

curleys wife is the only female on the ranch which creates lonliness for her and her husband curley doesnt speak to her and treats her like **** so she is constantly searching the ranch in order for so company and someone to talk to she is a very innocent women. 

8 of 8

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar English Literature resources:

See all English Literature resources »See all Of Mice and Men resources »