Preview

Of Mice and Men Study Guide

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1628 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Of Mice and Men Study Guide
Of Mice and Men Study Guide
1. Characters and Places
a.
b. George:
-George is a small and sharp man who has been Lennie guardian ever since his Aunt Clara did. He gives Lennie directions to follow; they are best friends and travel together. He and Lennie dream of having their own farm and working for themselves rather than a ranch owner. George eventually kills Lennie to prevent a stranger from handling the task; the dream of a farm also dies with Lennie.
c. Lennie:
-Lennie is large and very powerful, such as a bear or a dog. He also enjoys petting soft objects like fur and silk; he has a mental disability so he depends on George for the correct guidance; he will listen to anything George tells him to do. He is blameless and never does anything on purpose. Moreover, he is optimistic about the idea of one day owning a farm with George; his optimism convinces others, such as Candy, Crooks, and George, that the dream can become a possible reality. He holds on to the fact that he will get to tend the rabbits and feed them alfalfa on the farm. The dream is ultimately crushed when he kills Curley’s wife, and is chased out of the ranch by a mob who wants Lennie murdered. George ends up killing Lennie at the end of the story.
d. Slim:
-Slim is a “jerkline skinner” which is the head person on a mule team. He very respected on the ranch, and everyone values his opinions and advice, such as deciding whether or not to kill Candy’s dog. He gives Candy and Lennie each one pup from his litter of dogs. He was the only one who truly understood George and Lennie’s friendship.
e. Candy:
-Candy is an old ranch hand who only has one arm due to an accident. He had an old dog ever since it was a puppy until Carlson shot it. He fears of being fired when the boss realizes that is no good. He also shares George and Lennie’s dream of owning a farm and having a secure life; but he doesn’t understand the loss of Lennie to have crushed the dream.
f. Carlson:
-Carlson is a guy

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Candy is the first character from the ranch that is introduced within the book. As a swamper, his role is to clean up in the ranch, therefore meaning he is not of much importance. Steinbeck offers a brief description of Candy, revealing to us that he is old and has lost one hand. Other than that, Steinbeck does not go into great detail regarding Candy as he does with the other characters, which does not give much away. This could simply mean that Candy is merely another worker in the ranch and is not of a high position within the hierarchy. However, the way in which he retells stories of what occurred in the ranch to George and Lennie gives the impression that Candy has been in the ranch for a long time and knows of what goes on. E.g. ‘know what he done Christmas? Brang a gallon of whisky right in here’.…

    • 569 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “A tall man stood in the doorway.” “. . . he combed his long, black, damp hair straight back.” (33) Slim was much respected skinner and nobody messed with him. Slim was looked at like “the prince of the ranch” (33).…

    • 544 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Candy’s dog contributes to the author’s purpose by revealing one of society’s flaws–throwing out or forgetting people and things that are no longer of our use.…

    • 1495 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Candy’s dog parallels Candy’s plight. Though the pet was once “... the best damn sheep dog” as Candy states, it was put out once it stopped being productive. Candy realizes that his fate is to be put on the roadside as soon as he’s no longer useful; on the ranch, he won’t be treated any differently than his dog. Worse than the dog parallel, though, is that Candy (unlike his dog) is emotionally broken by this whole affair. He can’t bring himself to shoot his pet himself, and we suspect this is going to be the same fear that keeps him from making anything more of his life. Candy can’t stand up for his pet because Candy can’t stand up for himself.…

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    An aging ranch handyman, Candy lost his hand in an accident and worries about his future on the ranch. Fearing that his age is making him useless, he seizes on George’s description of the farm he and Lennie will have, offering his life’s savings if he can join George and Lennie in owning the land. The fate of Candy’s ancient dog, which Carlson shoots in the back of the head in an alleged act of mercy, foreshadows the manner of Lennie’s death. He is an old man that is missing a hand. He is an outcast and is discriminated against. He offers his life savings to George and Lennie to help finance their dream. He wants to be…

    • 883 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Lennie, Crooks, and Candy are all on the outsides because they aren't your typical man on the farm. People like Slim, George, and Curley are middle aged, white, and are smart men. Lennie has a mental disability, Crooks is black, and Candy is old, causing them to be the outsiders. When everyone leaves, Lennie finds himself petting the newborn pups because they are soft. Crooks is always doing small jobs on the farm like when he assists Slim with putting the tar on the horse to repair his foot. When he is alone, he is probably working or spending time in his stall alone. Candy can't do much work because he lost his hand, so he confides much of his time with his dog. When Carlson kills the dog, Candy doesn't know his purpose.…

    • 134 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Slim, who wonders why more men don’t travel around together and theorizes that maybe it’s because everyone is scared of everyone else, appreciates the closeness of their friendship. One of the reasons that the tragic end of George and Lennie’s friendship has such a profound impact is that one senses that the friends have, by the end of the novella, lost a dream larger than themselves. The farm on which George and Lennie plan to live—a place that no one ever reaches—has a magnetic quality, as Crooks points out. After hearing a description of only a few sentences, Candy is completely drawn in by its magic. Crooks has witnessed countless men fall under the same silly spell, and still he cannot help but ask Lennie if he can have a patch of garden to hoe there. The men in Of Mice and Men desire to come together in a way that would allow them to be like brothers to one another. That is, they want to live with one another’s best interests in mind, to protect each other, and to know that there is someone in the world dedicated to protecting them. Given the harsh, lonely conditions under which these men live, it should come as no surprise that they idealize friendships between men in such a way.…

    • 501 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    “A shot sounded in the distance. The men looked quickly at the old man. Every head turned toward him.” Although they say nothing, no words of encouragement or support, the other men do care. They know that dog was Candy’s best friend, his only companion in the world. Nobody else will make friends with him because of his disability and age. No one in the room offers support to Candy because of hardened hearts, but everyone has concern for him; love shining through the barrier. Later, when they talk about the farm, Candy says “When they can me here I wisht somebody'd shoot me. But they won't do nothing like that. I won't have no place to go, an' I can't get no more jobs. I'll have thirty dollars more comin', time you guys is ready to quit." Candy’s dream is to go to the farm with Lennie and George, somewhere where he will be appreciated despite his missing hand. The farm is an escape from the people on the farm that see Candy as a disposable machine; once he stops working, you get rid of him. Candy is happy to agree to give up his money to them in his will if he can go somewhere where he can have companions (Lennie and George). The only thing he wants in life is to live with friends. Imagining life on the ranch without his dog, he says “I wisht somebody’d shoot me”. The other men on the ranch, again, don’t see him as much of a person, much less a friend. His only escape from loneliness was his dog, and once it’s gone, he has nothing left to live for. The longing in him for companionship quickly causes him to reach for an environment where the people there cared about who he was, and would continue to do so even after he was too old to be of use, like his dog. The men who refrain from comforting him have sympathy, although under hardened layers. Even though someone may appear uncaring, it doesn’t mean they have no love - in fact, some of the most reserved may have the…

    • 1815 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    He is a handyman at the ranch where George and Lennie find jobs. Candy’s sentimental companionship with his stinky, old dog is similar to Lennie’s relationship with dogs. Due to an accident on the ranch, he is left with only one hand. He is old, but feels useless because he worries that he will be disposed like his old dog since he thinks he can no longer be useful in the fields after losing his hand. His impairments influence his roles in the novel because feels worthless. For example, he lets Carlson talk bad about his dog and lets him kill his dog and later regrets not killing it himself so he could put the dog to peace. He asks George and Lennie if he could move in with them before he dies and he will use his life savings to buy the…

    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    George’s fantasies may never become reality, however, his ability to sustain the mundane, shows how important hopes and dreams are to the human condition. In addition to working, George has the added responsibility of babysitting Lennie. This is an ongoing and very real struggle. His semi-effective solution was to share his dream of owning a ranch together. “I can still tend the rabbits George?” By having…

    • 678 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    mice and men

    • 3472 Words
    • 14 Pages

    This shows that Candy is found to be useless and timeworn by himself and others and wants to be apart of their ranch to escape his inefficiency once he’s too old to be a swamper instead of having no job and no place to go.…

    • 3472 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Candy’s dog’s life had been over long before the bullet went through his head. It no longer could function by itself and Candy was selfish to keep him alive for as long as he did. As old as that dog was though, he still made Candy happy. However, Carlson had…

    • 594 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Now that he has lost his dog and has no other relatives, Candy is stuck working on a ranch that holds bad memories. When George and Lennie introduce their ideas of a dream life, he takes an interest as Candy is also looking for a better future. He uses the fact that he has the money to make it possible for them to buy the ranch, to persuade the pair. This reveals Candy’s loneliness and that just when Candy thinks…

    • 1031 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    George's mental superiority over Lennie is evident, but it is undeniable that Lennie has a kind of power over George due to their emotional connection. An example of this emotional power is when Steinbeck writes “He had sensed his advantage”, this makes it seem like Lennie is almost testing George, and is seeing how far he can push his loyalty; he knows that George won't really let him leave, but the conformation strengthens their bond and therefore Lennie's power.…

    • 1683 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    For instance, Curley’s wife, who aspires to be a movie star, is murdered and Candy, who wishes to own a farm with Lennie and George, is condemned to remain at the ranch at the ranch. As George is exciting Lennie with their future home and land, George describes men who work on ranches. He announces, “They come to a ranch an’ work up a stake and then they go inta town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they’re poundin’ their tail in some other ranch. They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to” (13-14). Despite the ranch’s employees’ daily labor, all they have to look forward to is the next week’s redundant momentary contentment.…

    • 430 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays