Of Mice and Men - Themes - Revision Cards in GCSE English Literature

Animals/nature

Lennie is like an animal: he acts to satisfy his immediate needs and has no concept of the consequences of his actions, he picks up on atmosphere and body language and he is strong
Many characters are described as animals
The horses in the barn react to the atmosphere in the novel
The water snake, which is alive in the pool at the beginning of the novel and killed in the final section, shows that nature is harsh
Lennie's death is very similar to the death of Candy's dog, showing that Lennie is treated as/like an animal
Lennie adores animals and doesn't mean to hurt them
There is a consistent motif throughout the book of nature being disturbed by man, such as in the first scene, when the pool is calm and then George and Lennie can be heard approaching
Light is often used to show the passing of time

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Lennie: 'bear', 'paws', 'snorting...like a horse', drinks like a dog, 'terrier', 'bleated', 'growled', section 6: is wary, like an animal
Curley: 'rat', 'fish'
'They'll tie ya up with a collar, like a dog' - Crooks, section 4
'Put him in a cage' - Slim, section 5

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Curley seeks power through violence
Section 4: Crooks over Lennie, Curley's wife over Candy, Curley's wife over Crooks
Slim has power over the others because he is respected
George has power over Lennie
The boss has power over everyone

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'They left all the weak ones here' - Curley's wife, section 4
'Crooks pressed forward some kind of private victory' - section 4
'You keep your place then, ******' - Curley's wife, section 4
'Crooks had reduced himself to nothing. There was no personality, no ego' - section 4
'You know what I can do to you if you open your trap?' - Curley's wife, section 4

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'If I say something, why it's just a ****** saying it' - Crooks, section 4
'Didn't tell nobody but Crooks' - Candy, section 4
'Why ain't you wanted?' - Lennie, section 4
'A coloured man got to have some rights even if he don't like 'em' - Crooks, section 4

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The book becomes progressively more violent: first a mouse is killed, then a puppy, then a woman
The violence is casual and enjoyed (eg. at Christmas, mentioned in section 2)
Candy's dog is shot without any respect for Candy's feelings
The men are violent because they are isolated and in competition with each other
There is also mental violence (section 4)
The water snake, alive at the beginning of the book and killed at the end, shows the violent nature of the world

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'I seen the guys that go around on the ranches alone [...] After a long time they get mean. They get wantin' to fight all the time.' - George

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'I want you to stay with me, Lennie' - George, section 1
'I got you to look after me and you got me to look after you' - Lennie, section 1
'"We travel together," said George coldly. "Oh, so it's that way,'" - George/Curley, section 2
'Made me seem God damn smart alongside of him' - George, section 3

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The men are lonely as a result of their lifestyle
Curley's wife is lonely bhecause she is the only woman and she searches for attention because of this
George and Lennie's friendship stops them being lonely
Crooks is lonely because he is the only black man
Loneliness came from/caused a lack of trust
The men play solitaire, which is a solitary game
Candy seeks solace from loneliness with his dog
Crooks seeks solace with his books and playing horseshoes

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'I tell ya a guy gets too lonely and he gets sick' - Crooks, section 4
'Maybe ever'body in the whole damn world is scared of each other' - Slim
'I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy' - The Boss, section 2
'A guy on a ranch don't listen nor he don't ast no questions' - Candy, section 2

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All the men share the American Dream
Curley's wife dreams of Hollywood
Dreams were especially important because life was so bleak
Crooks is skeptical of the dream
The dreams never come true and nothing ever changes, just like section 4 and the book as a whole, which begin and end the same way

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