1. “Of Mice and Men” - Section Five
CONTENTS
Plot Summary Exercise
Setting the Scene
Symbolism
Curley’s Wife
Animal Imagery
Alliteration
Closing the Scene
Extension Work

2. “Of Mice & Men” - Section Five
Plot Summary Exercise
Complete the plot summary by filling in the blanks:
Lennie is in the barn. He is stroking the _________ _____________. Curley’s wife arrives and talks to Lennie. He strokes her _________ but when she tells him to stop, he panics and breaks her _________. He goes to hide in the __________ like George told him. _________ finds her body and tells the men what has happened. They prepare to find Lennie to ________ him. Carlson discovers that his ________ has gone.
dead
puppy
hair
neck
brush
Candy
kill
gun

3. “Of Mice & Men” - Section Five
Setting the Scene
Once again, Steinbeck takes great care to set the scene, making the reader use all his/her senses to imagine the barn. On the brainstorm below, replace the ‘sense’ words with a quotation from page 89 that relates to that particular sense.
Smell
Hear
Touch
See

4. “Of Mice & Men” - Section Five
Symbolism
The dead puppy that Lennie strokes is symbolic. This means that it represents or stands for something else. On the brainstorm below, add your own ideas about what the dead puppy could mean. The first one has been done for you.
Lennie does not know his own strength.

5. “Of Mice & Men” - Section Five
Curley’s Wife
Curley’s wife plays a fairly small part in the novel, but her role is very significant. Answer the questions below to show your understanding of her character, and her importance in the book.
Questions
Why do you think Steinbeck never gives Curley’s wife a name? Try to think of more than one reason.
Why does she come to talk to Lennie? What does this encounter tell you about her character?
Re-read what she says about her life and the dreams she has (p ). What does this tell you about her character? How does this relate to the theme of the American Dream?
Why does Lennie react so violently when Curley’s wife gets angry with him? What do you think her death might symbolise?

6. “Of Mice & Men” - Section Five
Animal Imagery
Re-read the part of this section where Lennie kills Curley’s wife (p ). Again, Steinbeck uses animal imagery in connection with Lennie. Why do you think he does this? Find one quotation from this scene to replace the picture below.

7. “Of Mice & Men” - Section Five
Alliteration
Re-read the paragraph below which is taken from page 98. This beautiful piece of writing uses alliteration, or repeated consonant sounds. The effect is cinematic in its intensity. Why do you think this passage appears at this particular moment? What is the effect of the use of alliteration?
“As happens sometimes, a moment settled and hovered and remained for much more than a moment. And sound stopped and movement stopped for much, much more than a moment.”
Alliteration of the letter ‘s’
Alliteration of the letter ‘m’

8. “Of Mice & Men” - Section Five
Alliteration
Alliteration creates a stress on certain words or letters, adding a rhythm to a piece of writing. Although it is usually found in poetry, alliteration can be used to great effect in prose.
Re-read the passage out loud, noting how the repeated ‘m’ sound makes you slow down your speech. This slowing down relates closely to what Steinbeck is describing - the way that time can go into slow motion when something important is happening. Notice how the ‘moment’ is personified, as though it is alive, and how the repetition of words such as “much”, “moment” and “more” adds to the effect.
“As happens sometimes, a moment settled and hovered and remained for much more than a moment. And sound stopped and movement stopped for much, much more than a moment.”

9. “Of Mice & Men” - Section Five
Closing the Scene
Re-read the paragraph below which is taken from the end of the section (p.104). Again, the writing seems to have a cinematic quality. Why do you think Steinbeck closes the scene in this way? What does the description of Candy remind you of? Annotate the extract to show your understanding.
“The sound of the men grew fainter. The barn was darkening gradually, and in their stalls the horses shifted their feet and rattled the halter chains. Old Candy lay down in the hay and covered his eyes with his arm.”

10. “Of Mice & Men” - Section Five
Closing the Scene
Here is the extract again, this time annotated to show some of the effects that Steinbeck uses.
The scene fades gradually, like a camera panning out.
Candy is described in a similar way to his dog (see p.39).
“The sound of the men grew fainter. The barn was darkening gradually, and in their stalls the horses shifted their feet and rattled the halter chains. Old Candy lay down in the hay and covered his eyes with his arm.”
He has seen enough pain and misery and is tired of it all.

11. “Of Mice & Men” - Section Five
Extension Work
Questions
1. Why does Steinbeck open this particular section so carefully? (p.89)
2. Why do you think Lennie takes the puppy with him when he goes to hide? (p.97)
3. Why does Candy go to get George first when he discovers the body? (p.99)
4. What has happened to Carlson’s gun? (p.103)
5. What do you think will happen next?