Of Mice And Men- everything you need to know about the book

These notes include: key quotes, character analysis, themes, chapter overview and historical context. Please feel free to message me if you think i could add anything more such as quotes but tell me what the quote is. Also if you have any more questions also message me and I'll write back as soon as possible. Good luck!

Chapter overviews

Chapter 1

Settings- the Salinas River, Soledad California

George and Lennie are migrant workers travelling towards a new job.

George and Lennie decide to set up camp for the night by the Salinas River and go to the new job the next day

Lennie picks up a dead mouse to pet but George makes him throw it away

We learn the reason that George and Lennie had to leave their previous job (which was in Weed) was because Lennie touched a girls dress and she screamed and George and Lennie had to hide and run away from the angry townspeople

George and Lennie talk about their own “American Dream”

George makes Lennie promise to return to the river if he gets into any trouble

Chapter 2

Settings- the bunkhouse on the ranch

George and Lennie make it to the ranch and speak to an old swamper named Candy who only has one hand

George and Lennie then talk to their new boss, Curley the boss’s son who is always looking for a fight and his new wife (who has no name)

George is worried as Lennie is attracted to Curleys wife

George and Lennie then meet Slim a man who is in charge of the ranch men and has a natural authority

Carlson comes into the bunkhouse and asks slim about his dog who has just had a litter of puppies

Chapter 3

Settings- the bunkhouse on the ranch

George talks to Slim about Lennie; what happened in Weed and Lennies disability

Slim gives Lennie one of his puppies

Carlson convinces Candy to let him shoot his old dog

George and Lennie talk about their “American dream” again and candy offers to put money towards the dream if he can come too

Curley comes to fight Lennie and Lennie crushes his hand. Slim convinces Curley not to say it was Lennie who crushed it

Chapter 4

Settings- Crooks stables

All of the ranch workers went into town except Lennie, Crooks, Curley’s wife and Candy

Lennie goes to see his puppies but finds crooks instead

Crooks takes pleasure in teasing Lennie by saying George won’t come back- he is frightened by the way Lennie reacts

Candy comes in looking for Lennie

Candy and Lennie talk about “the dream” and Crooks who is at first sceptical becomes excited before telling them they’re kidding themselves

Curley’s wife comes in to the stable. She knows what actually happened to Curleys hand. She seems to want to talk to the men but at their refusal she threatens them instead

Chapter 5

Settings-the barn

Lennie is in the barn with his pup

Lennie has just accidentally…