Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men

1. George

   • 'You keep away from Curley, Lennie'
     • Good judge of character, can sense danger
   • 'Get 'im, Lennie'
     • He has sense of justice
   • 'I seen the guys that go around ranches on their own. That ain't no good. They don't have no fun. After a long time they get mean.
     • Caring, but also frightened of being lonely
   • Feeds Lennie the dream of having their own ranch
   • Shoots Lennie, knowing its better than being lynched or locked up
   • Slim: That ain't no good, George. George: I know I know
     • Slim means Lennie couldn't survive being locked up. In killing a man he loves, George is heroic.

2. Lennie

   • Reliant on George, always does as he says
   • 'A huge man, shapeless of face...and he walked...the way a bear drags his paws. His arms....hung loosely'
     • Shows Lennies strength and size, but also that he is simple and animal like
   • 'Sure he's jes'like a kid. There ain't no more harm in him than a kid neither, except he's so strong.
     • Emphasises Lennie's childlike simplicity and his strength
   • 'I didn't want no trouble'
     • Doesn't mean harm, just doesn't know his own strength
   • 'I done a real bad thing... George'll be mad'
     • Can't control himself, has no moral judgement. Things are either good or bad depending on what George will think.

3. Curley

   • Picks a fight with Lennie - results in Curley getting his hand crushed
   • 'He hates big guys...Kind of like he's mad at 'em cause he ain't a big guy'
     • Seems set on proving he is a big man in all but size. Success as an amateur boxer is an obsession, so everyone he meets is seen as an opponent.
   • Curley 'won't ever get canned (sacked) cause his old man's the boss'
     • Figure that represents injustice.
   • 'I don't like Curley. He ain't a nice guy'
     • Only sees the world through his eyes & is really selfish. Inability to control or understand his wife brings about her death. He is just as much to blame as Lennie and his wife, he just won't admit it.

4. Curley's Wife

   • Makes Curley jealous by flirting with ranch hands.
   • Creates tension in the bunk house
   • Killed by Lennie, is therefore the reason George must shoot Lennie
   • 'He says he was gonna put me in the movies'
     • Had her dream destroyed too
   • Described as a tart and a floozy
   • 'She was very pretty and simple, and her face was sweet and young'
     • She's never really evil. Her punishment outweighs any crimes she may have committed

5. Slim

   • 'Godlike' and 'Moved with majesty'
     • Suggests the men look up to and admire him
   • 'Understanding beyond thought'
     • Doesn't need to think things through to 'get them' instantly knows why George has to kill Lennie
   • 'was gravity in his manner...all talk was stopped when he spoke'
     • Respected and listened to. What he has to say usually has 'gravity' - power and importance
   • Makes Curley promise not to blame Lennie for his hand
   • Gives Lennie the puppy

6. Candy

   • Warns George & Lennie about Curley
   • 'Tall, stoop shouldered old man' who has lost his right hand.
     • Age and physical weaknesses are emphasised from the start
   • Offers George & Lennie $300 savings to help buy the ranch if he can come with them

7. Crooks

   • 'I ain't wanted in the bunk house... Cause I'm black'
     • Victim of racial prejudice
   • 'The boss gives him hell when he's mad. But the stable buck don't give a damn about that'
     • Despite being the stable buck, he is intelligent, proud and independent. But none of these features stop the boss from giving him 'hell'
   • 'He had thin, pain tightened lips'
     • His life is dominated by pain - being the only black man, and his busted back - but he has risen above that pain.
   • 'I had enough... you got no rights comin' in a coloured man's room'
     • Has enough pride to stand up to Curley's wife