Of Mice Men Revision
‘Of Mice and Men’
General Overview
• The story is set in California in the
1930’s during the Great Depression and it main characters are two wandering farm workers called George and Lennie.
• George is small, quick and intelligent.
• By contrast Lennie is slow and simpleminded.
• They travel around together in search of work.
• They have a dream of a place of their own – a small ranch where they can live and work on their own.
• They are on the run from the town of
Weed where Lennie caused trouble by innocently fondling a girls dress.
• They arrive at a ranch in Soledad where they meet Candy, an old, crippled worker.
• Curley is the son of the boss and is aggressive and threatening man who is always searching for his wife.
• George decides they will stay on the ranch because they need the work and money. • Lennie tells the black, harshly treat stable buck, Crooks about their dream farm and he too expresses a wish to be involved. • Curley’s wife meets Lennie in the barn when she finds out he has accidentally killed the puppy.
• She invites him to stoke her hair but becomes upset by his roughness.
• Unnerved by her screaming Lennie tries to quieten her, accidentally breaking her neck and killing her.
• He runs away and the other ranchhands set out in pursuit, but George knowing where to find him, forces himself to kill Lennie.
About the author
• Much of ‘Of Mice and Men’ is based upon
Steinbeck’s life and experiences.
• In the years after he failed at University he had many casual jobs, varying from newspaper work to ranch work.
• In the novel Steinbeck highlights many of the problems of which he experienced at first hand.
• The great financial collapse of 1929 increased unemployment and poverty throughout the United States.
George
• George is quick witted and intelligent.
• He has a good working knowledge of farming and ranching.
• He is very keen to change to monotony of his present situation.
• George has taken on responsibility for
Lennie partly out
General Overview
• The story is set in California in the
1930’s during the Great Depression and it main characters are two wandering farm workers called George and Lennie.
• George is small, quick and intelligent.
• By contrast Lennie is slow and simpleminded.
• They travel around together in search of work.
• They have a dream of a place of their own – a small ranch where they can live and work on their own.
• They are on the run from the town of
Weed where Lennie caused trouble by innocently fondling a girls dress.
• They arrive at a ranch in Soledad where they meet Candy, an old, crippled worker.
• Curley is the son of the boss and is aggressive and threatening man who is always searching for his wife.
• George decides they will stay on the ranch because they need the work and money. • Lennie tells the black, harshly treat stable buck, Crooks about their dream farm and he too expresses a wish to be involved. • Curley’s wife meets Lennie in the barn when she finds out he has accidentally killed the puppy.
• She invites him to stoke her hair but becomes upset by his roughness.
• Unnerved by her screaming Lennie tries to quieten her, accidentally breaking her neck and killing her.
• He runs away and the other ranchhands set out in pursuit, but George knowing where to find him, forces himself to kill Lennie.
About the author
• Much of ‘Of Mice and Men’ is based upon
Steinbeck’s life and experiences.
• In the years after he failed at University he had many casual jobs, varying from newspaper work to ranch work.
• In the novel Steinbeck highlights many of the problems of which he experienced at first hand.
• The great financial collapse of 1929 increased unemployment and poverty throughout the United States.
George
• George is quick witted and intelligent.
• He has a good working knowledge of farming and ranching.
• He is very keen to change to monotony of his present situation.
• George has taken on responsibility for
Lennie partly out