Of Mice and MenNovel Unit

Name_____________________________

Book #_____________________________

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Sympathy vs. Empathy

Empathy SympathyDefinition: Understanding what someone

else is feeling because you have experienced it yourself or can put yourself in their shoes.

Acknowledging a person's emotional hardships and providing comfort and assurance.

Example: I know that it is hard to lose a family member because I have lost family and friends before.

It must be difficult to lose a family member even though I have never had that happen to me before.

Sympathy essentially implies a feeling of recognition of another's suffering while empathy is actually sharing another's suffering, if only briefly.

Sympathy often entails feeling bad for someone for what they are going through. Empathy is often characterized as the ability to "put oneself into another's shoes". So empathy is a deeper emotional experience.

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THEMESOf Mice and Men Theme of Dreams, Hopes, and PlansIn Of Mice and Men, dreams, hopes, and plans are the very foundation of what makes life worth living, but they are also double-edged. The closer one comes to fulfilling a dream, the closer one comes to potentially being disappointed. In this novella, dreams, hopes, and plans are not about realistic ambitions, but about finding a way to survive the Depression, even if it’s just filling your mind with visions that may not come true. Dreams don’t escape the general unhappy futility that seems to characterize this era of American history.

Of Mice and Men Theme of FriendshipIn this novella, friendship isn’t discussed heavily. George and Lennie don’t talk about how they feel about each other or why they should stay loyal – they just stand by each other, and that’s that. It’s a very gruff, rough and tumble atmosphere, and though feelings aren’t talked about, you get the sense that the men take nothing more seriously than their friendship. For George and Lennie, as they make their way through the Depression, all they have is each other.

Of Mice and Men Theme of IsolationOf Mice and Men thrives on the notion that everyone is isolated, and everyone seems to get along quite well together by talking about how isolated they are. Isolation in this novella is much more an abstract concept than a reality – the men are constantly together and chatting. It’s the specter of having to move, to hit the open road again, make new friends, new enemies, and keep finding yourself all over again that seems to plague the men. These transitions (and having to go at them alone, by nature of the transient migrant worker lifestyle) are enough to make a guy feel isolated, even when he’s surrounded by people.

Of Mice and Men Theme of InnocenceInnocence has many different functions in Of Mice and Men. When we first realize Lennie has a mental disability, he can be described as having a childlike innocence. His attitude towards the world and others is tempered with a simplistic, juvenile, and often warm view. Innocence also functions as the opposite of guilt. Lennie, perhaps linked to the first notion of "childlike innocence," is presented as a sympathetic character in spite of his constant failings and murdering tendencies. Innocence is something of a godsend and an excuse for bad behavior. It seems to fit in with Steinbeck’s insistence that characters be treated without judgment.

Of Mice and Men Theme of Freedom and ConfinementIn Of Mice and Men, freedom isn’t so much a central point as it’s a constant and silent contrast to confinement. Confinement, like isolation, seems to be a state of mind. Though the men on the ranch work outside, socialize with each other, and are free to leave whenever they please, they still feel locked into their lives. There’s something hanging over them that stops them from feeling free. In the case of Lennie and George, they’re tied down by their need for money; Curley’s wife is limited by being a woman; and Crooks by his race. Except when they’re caught up in the intensity of the dream, most characters seem more focused on bemoaning their confinement than planning for or achieving their freedom.

Of Mice and Men Theme of Visions of AmericaOf Mice and Men captures the feel of rural America during the Depression. Different outlooks are presented: the never-will-be starlet trying to make it to Hollywood, the isolated black man born and raised in California, a ranch full of men that like to go to whorehouses, play pool, and drink away their earnings, and men that are constantly bouncing from job to job just shy of making ends meet. The America of Of Mice and Men is populated with dreamers and strugglers. America is both a place of the outside, where

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the dreams of the characters could be fulfilled (Hollywood, a quiet ranch, pulp magazine pages) and a confined space of the inside (the ranch, Crooks’s little room, the barn) where dreams often dissipate into impossibilities.

Of Mice and Men Theme of ViolenceViolence in Of Mice and Men is an everyday reality. Along with the backbreaking work that comes from being a ranch-man, there’s a significant degree of masculine bravado that allows for fights, threats, and general meanness. Violence in the novella is physical, psychological, and emotional. Characters are so accustomed to suspicion and failure that they treat each other cruelly, willing to abuse the dreams and the bodies of others as though it were more natural to destroy than to cultivate. In some ways, violence is a natural outlet for all of the despair and limited possibilities that define the ranch.

Of Mice and Men Theme of PrejudiceOf Mice and Men deals with many of America’s age-old hot-button issues, including but not limited to sexism, racism, ageism, and discrimination against those with disabilities. Most importantly, this prejudice isn’t ever explicitly noted or fought against – those who are discriminated against accept the prejudice against them as a way of life. Of course there’s some grumbling about it, but there’s no sense that Curley’s wife, Crooks, Candy, or Lennie feel a grave and inexcusable injustice is being perpetrated against them. It seems simply that their lot in life is to endure prejudice, and they operate with all the meanness (if not the rebellion) that such a life necessitates. Still, the other men of the ranch still accept Crooks, Candy, and Lennie for their differences; and Curley’s wife, though she’s maligned, is never completely ignored. While prejudice is a force that defines some of the social interaction the ranch, the need to escape isolation and the fact of close proximity means the characters all socialize with each other to some degree, in spite of the prejudices they undoubtedly hold.

Of Mice and Men Theme of WeaknessWeakness in Of Mice and Men is as diverse as all the characters. Lennie is mentally weak, George can’t fight for his dream, and Curley resents being a smallish man. Weakness is a reality for nearly everyone on the ranch, but rather than subdue the characters, it forces them to brush up against each other and accept the fights (often inspired by their weakness) as they come. This might be because of the environment – on a ranch full of strong men and male bravado, weakness (whether it’s present in everyone or not) is frowned upon. Because characters often know their weaknesses, they’re quick to try to cover for them, which spells confrontation. It’s a typical bullying situation: characters’ weaknesses make them insecure, so they fight and judge others to avoid having their flaws exposed or exploited.

Of Mice and Men Theme of Women and FemininityOf Mice and Men is set in a male environment where there are three types of women: the imagined nice girl for settling down, the prostitutes for a drink and a trick, and Curley’s wife, who is their daily representation of what to expect from the other sex. Women are a kind of absent symbol, only there to highlight the men’s failings: the men of the ranch can’t settle down, so they go to brothels. As the "girl next door" type is only a fantasy, the men basically reduce the women around them to sex. As George states, at least with prostitutes, "you pay for what you get." While Curley’s wife is a sexual object, she can’t actually provide any sex (because she’s taken) – all she can really offer is trouble.

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CharactersProtagonist (s):

Antagonist (s):

George Milton

Lennie Small

Candy

Curley’s wife

Slim

Crooks

Curley

Carlson

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Chapter 11) Look at the way both Lennie and George are first described. How is this initial description fitting when we find out more about each man?

2) Is the relationship between George and Lennie one of friendship, or does George only feel obligated to take care of Lennie? What evidence can you find to support either conclusion?

3) Why does Lennie have the dead mouse? Why does George take it away?

4) What happened at the last place where Lennie and George worked?

5) Describe the dream George and Lennie share for their future. Why is it so important to both men?  

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The chapter begins with an introduction to George and _______________ who

are walking single file next to the Salinas River to the town of _______________ where their

new job awaits them. They had to run away from their last job in the town of _______________

because Lennie got into some trouble by touching a girl’s _________________. In this chapter

we learn that _______________ is mentally disabled. He likes to imitate George; he can’t

remember most things that he has been told, except the story about the _______________; and

he loves to pet soft things like _______________ --even if they are dead. _______________

looks after _______________, but he gets irritated with Lennie at times. He tells Lennie how

much easier his life would be without Lennie but then seems to feel _______________ for

saying so and changes his tone to tell Lennie that he doesn’t really mean it. George and Lennie

are walking through the brush beside the _______________ to get to their new job because the

_______________ driver dropped them off too early--miles away from their final destination.

They decide that instead of getting to the _______________ that evening like they were

supposed to, they will rest for the night and get there in the morning. Before they eat their dinner

and go to sleep that night, Lennie asks George to tell him about the _______________. George

tells Lennie all about their dream to own their own ranch and “live of the fatta the lan.’” And

Lennie gets to tend the rabbits on that ranch and “live of the fatta the lan.’” And Lennie gets to

tend the rabbits on that ranch. George tells Lennie that if they ever get into any trouble he is to

meet him back here at the _______________.

WORD BANK

bus      dress      George      guilty      Lennie      Lennie      Lennie      mice

rabbits      rabbits      ranch      river     river Soledad      Weed

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Chapter 21) How is the bunk house described? What does the description tell the reader about the men who live there?

2) What do we find out about Curley, his wife, and his father through George's discussions with others?

3) How would you describe Curley and his wife? What do their actions tell you about each of their characters?

4) Re-read Steinbeck's description of Slim. What does this description tell you about Slim's character? Is he a man to be trusted and looked up to?

5) What is Lennie eagerly talking about toward the end of the chapter? 

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_______________ and Lennie reach the ranch and inspect the _______________ house where

they will be staying. There they meet _______________, the old swamper, who is missing his

_______________ and who is constantly followed by his old sheep _______________. From

Candy they learn about the previous tenant, the boss; the boss’s son, _______________;

Curley’s _______________; and the stable buck, Crooks. When the boss meets George and

Lennie, he thinks they are up to something because _______________ doesn’t let

_______________ talk. _______________ talks his way out of it by making up an excuse for

Lennie’s mental deficiency and praising his ability to work. In this chapter we learn that

_______________ is a mean little guy who was a _______________ and who is recently

married. He doesn’t like _______________ right away, supposedly because Lennie is bigger

than Curley. Curley’s wife is pretty and she is also a flirt. She shows this when she visits the

bunkhouse with the excuse of searching for Curley. _______________ has a bad feeling about

both Curley and his wife, and he tells _______________ to avoid them as much as possible.

When the other ranchers return from the fields for dinner, Slim and _______________ enter the

bunkhouse and introduce themselves. Slim’s dog just had a litter of puppies the night before.

Carlson suggests that Slim give one of his puppies to _______________ so that they can get rid

of the old dog who smells and has many health problems. During this discussion, Lennie gets

excited and before going to dinner asks George to ask Slim for one of his pups. George and

Lennie are supposed to join Slim’s team after dinner to return to the field and buck barley.

WORD BANK

boxer      bunk      Candy      Candy      Carlson Curley      Curley      dog      George     

George      George      George      Lennie      Lennie      Lennie     

right hand      wife

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Chapter 31) What are Carlson's reasons for shooting Candy's dog?

2) What are Candy's reasons for not shooting the dog?

3) In what ways is Candy like his dog?

4) What does the fight between Lennie and Curley show about their characters?

5) Why doesn't George help Lennie in the fight? 

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It is early evening and everyone is returning to the bunkhouse for the night. George and

____________ develop a friendship. George tells Slim why he and Lennie travel around

together and about Lennie’s mental deficiency. He explains that ____________ is strong but not

mean; he doesn’t even know his own strength. George even explains that he used to play

____________ on Lennie but that he stopped because the last time Lennie almost

____________ . And George confides in Slim about what really happened in ____________ to

force them to leave their last job. Slim gives Lennie one of his ____________ . It has to stay in

the barn with its mom until it gets bigger, but Lennie tries to sneak it out. ______________

complains for a long while about the stink produced by ____________’s dog and finally

convinces Candy to allow him to shoot the dog. Though Candy protests, he cannot find anyone

to back him up, so he reluctantly gives in. Once the shooting finally happens, Candy is

despondent and the rest of the men try to continue playing ____________ and carry on

normally.

A little while later, ____________ leaves the room to fix his ____________ ’s shoe.

____________ comes into the bunk house looking for his wife and suspiciously suspects Slim of

being with her since he isn’t in the room. He runs off to the barn to confront Slim and the rest of

the ranchers--except Lennie, George, and Candy--follow to see if there will be fight. While the

bunkhouse is virtually empty, George again tells ____________ about the dream of owning a

farm. When ____________ hears this, he gets excited and asks if he can be a part of it. He

even offers to contribute $350.00 which makes it possible for their dream to become a reality.

Everyone returns to the bunkhouse including Curley. He is still confronting Slim, and Carlson

makes fun of him. He knows he can’t win in a fight against Slim or Carlson, so he immediately

picks on ____________ who he believes is laughing at him. ____________ does not fight back

while Curley beats him viciously until George tells him to. Then ____________ breaks every

bone in Curley’s ____________ . George is afraid this will get them fired, but Slim makes sure

that Curley won’t tell on them.

WORD BANK

Candy      Candy      cards      Carlson      Curley      drowned      hand      horse      jokes

     Lennie      Lennie      Lennie      Lennie      Lennie      pups      Slim      Slim      Weed

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Chapter 41) What does Crook's room and the things in it tell you about his character?

2) What does Crooks say to Lennie about loneliness?

3) Why would Crooks react so negatively to Lennie, then let him in anyway?

4) Why does Crooks torture and taunt Lennie about George?

5) Why is Crooks called "Crooks"? How does this reflect his personality? 

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It is a Saturday night, and ______________ is all alone in his room. Because everyone but Lennie and ______________ went to town, ______________ is bored and walks into the barn to see the ______________. Crooks acts irritated, but eventually strikes up a conversation with Lennie.

During the conversation, Lennie tells Crooks about the dream of owning a farm. ______________ doesn’t believe that it will ever happened. He starts to question the relationship between ______________ and Lennie. During this conversation, Crooks asks Lennie what he would do if George got hurt. Lennie gets very angry at the thought of ______________ being harmed. Seeing this and afraid that he might get hurt by Lennie, Crooks tells him that ______________ is fine.

A little later, Candy shows up to talk to Lennie about the ______________. Crooks again says that he has seen many men with the same dream, and he says that they will not be able to buy the farm because George is in town spending their money at a cathouse. But Candy tells Crooks that their money is in the bank. __________________ eventually buys into the dream and asks if he can join. He says that he would work hard and for no pay.

While the three are talking, _______________________ shows up saying that she is looking for Curley. After ______________ and Crooks make it clear that she shouldn’t be there, she complains that no one will talk to her. She says that she is bored and that ______________ doesn’t spend time with her. She says that when ______________ does speak to her, he talks only about ______________. Then, she remembers that Curley’s ______________ was smashed. She asks the three what happened to it. ______________ tells her that Curley got it caught in a ______________. She then looks at ______________ and says that he was the machine.

______________ asks her many times to leave. He says that she will get them fired if she doesn’t leave. Then Candy tells her that they need the money because they are going to buy a ranch. She laughs at them and their dream. Because they ask her to leave vehemently, she attacks ______________. She tells ______________ that he she could get him lynched.

She finally leaves when she hears the ______________ coming back from ______________. George shows up and finds out that ______________ had told Crooks about the dream. Because George shows his distaste in having a black man involved in their dreams, ______________ tells them to forget about his offer to help.

WORD BANK Candy      Candy      Candy      Candy      Candy      Crooks      Crooks      Crooks      Crooks      Crooks      Crooks      Curley      Curley      Curley’s wife      fighting      George      George      George      hand      Lennie      Lennie      machine      men      puppies      rabbits      town     

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Chapter 51) How have Curley's wife's dreams for her life changed or been lost?

2) Why does Curley's wife tell Lennie about "the letter"? What do you think the letter symbolizes?

3) How does Lennie's killing of the puppy parallel his killing of Curley's wife and the mice?

4) How does Candy react to the death of Curley's wife?

5) What options do George and Candy discuss after the discovery of the body?

Chapter 61) What is the significance of the rabbit appearing at the end of the book?

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2) Why did George kill Lennie and was he justified in doing that?

3) Explain what happens to the dream at the end of the novel for both Lennie and George.

4) In what way does Slim show understanding for George's decision?

5) Why does Carlson ask the last question?

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The chapter begins with the men outside playing ________________ and ________________ sitting alone inside the ________________ . He is stroking his ________________ puppy. He is angry at the puppy, yelling at it for biting him. Lennie is worried that ________________ will not let him tend the ________________ . He buries it in the hay, but later he picks it up and strokes it again. Then he throws it out of frustration.

__________________________ comes in and asks Lennie about the animal. Lennie tells her that ________________ does not want him talking to her. But she goes on talking to him. She tells him about her life before Curley and about how she could have been an ________________ .

Lennie tells Curley’s wife that he likes to pet soft things. She tells him to feel her ________________ . When he strokes her hair, she gets angry that he is messing it up. Lennie becomes scared and holds on more tightly as he had done to the girl’s ________________ in Weed. Curley’s wife starts to yell, and Lennie covers her mouth and tells her not to get him in trouble. She gets scared and resists even more, which causes Lennie to accidentally ________________ her.

He realizes that she is ________________ , so he picks up the dead pup and leaves to hide in the ________________ . ________________ comes into the barn to talk to Lennie and finds Curley’s wife. He goes out and gets George, who asks him to give him a couple of minutes so the other men don’t think he was involved. ________________ goes to the bunkhouse.

Once ________________ sees his dead wife, he says he will shoot ________________ in the guts. Carlson goes to get his ________________ , but on his return, he says that ________________ must have stolen it. ________________ tells Slim and the others that Lennie probably went south. George realizes that his dream is over. And he realizes that he must reach ________________ first.

Before George finds Lennie, we see ________________ talking to an imaginary Aunt ________________ . She yells at Lennie for always getting George into trouble. She disappears and then a giant ________________ yells at Lennie. George finds Lennie and tells him about owning the ranch. As Lennie is looking across the water and listening to the story, George pulls out Carlson’s ________________ and shoots Lennie in the back of the head.

WORD BANKactress      barn      brush      Candy      Clara      Curley      Curley’s wife      dead      dead

dress      George      George      George      George      hair      horseshoes      kill      Lennie Lennie      Lennie      Lennie      Lennie      Luger      Luger      rabbit      rabbits

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End of Novel Questions Related to Theme

Questions About Dreams, Hopes, and Plans1. Does the dream farm mean the same thing to Lennie as it does to George? What does it mean to

each of them?

Questions About Friendship1. Is the friendship between George and Lennie fully reciprocal? Do both members contribute and

receive equally from each other?

2. Are there any other sets of friends in the book? Why is friendship so rare in this book?

3. George says quite a bit about how much better his life would be if he didn’t have to take care of Lennie. If this is true, why does he stay with Lennie?

Questions About Isolation1. Crooks’s isolation is also his protection, especially witnessed by that awful scene where Curley’s

wife threatens him. Is isolation ever worth it?

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2. Are George or Lennie ever isolated?

Questions About Innocence1. Is Lennie the only innocent character in the novella? Is he the most innocent? Does Lennie’s

innocence protect him, or make him dangerous?

2. Is Curley’s wife malicious because she’s really an awful person, or is she simply lonely and naïve?

Questions About Freedom and Confinement1. Do Lennie and George see the life of traveling and working as freedom? Do they ever consider the

question of freedom?

2. Crooks has his own room. Is this space representative of freedom, or of confinement?

3. What does "freedom" mean to Lennie? Is it related to the "fatta the lan"? Does he find it in death?

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Questions About Visions of America1. Is struggle and overcoming obstacles part of the American story?

2. Is it possible to achieve the American Dream without struggling?

Questions About Violence1. How do Lennie’s violent tendencies color our interpretation of his character? Do we ever think of

Lennie as violent?

2. Does Lennie know his own strength, and just not think violence is that big a deal? How else can we explain him yelling at the puppy for "getting himself killed"?

3. Is Lennie’s death ultimately a violent act or a loving act by George?

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Questions About Prejudice1. This novella argues that when you get different people who are discriminated against together

in one boat, they’ll cut each other down rather than band together. Is this true? Explain.

Questions About Weakness1. Does the interdependency of George and Lennie’s relationship make either of them weak?

Questions About Women and Femininity1. How are we showed that Curley’s wife is viewed as an object as opposed to a person?

2. Is Curley’s wife really an awful woman, or does she suffer from real affliction and prejudice?

3. When George shoots Lennie, is this a sing of the strength of George’s love, or the weakness of his love for Lennie? Explain

4. Why does George shoot Lennie in the middle of their imagining the farm one last time?

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NOTES:

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