1. Year 9 Term 1: Of Mice and Men
Characters
George Milton – friend of Lennie
Lennie Small – friend of George
Slim – liked by all the men, ‘Prince of the ranch’
Curley – the boss’s son, a small, angry man
Candy – the old swamper
Crooks – the stable hand, the only black character
Curley’s wife – married to Curley, lonely
Key methods (AO2)
Foreshadowing: hinting at events that will happen later in a text.
Imagery: using words and phrases to create clear pictures.
Repetition: using the same word or phrase more than once.
Metaphor: comparing one thing to another by stating that it “is” that thing
Juxtaposition: placing two opposite ideas or characters close together
Key quotations (AO1)
George:
‘I want you to stay with me, Lennie’
‘Get ‘im, Lennie!’
Lennie:
‘I ain’t gonna say a word’
‘an’ live off the fat of the land’
Curley:
‘his hands closed into fists’
‘No big son-of-a-bitch is gonna laugh at me’
Curley’s wife:
‘her fingernails were red’
‘I get awful lonely’
Themes (AO2)
Nature: the brush at the start and end of the book; the animals.
Friendship: George and Lennie have a strong friendship. Most men travel on their own.
Loneliness: the men on the ranch have no family. George and Lennie have each other. Curley’s wife is lonely.
Dreams: George and Lennie want to own a farm. Candy wants to join their dream. Curly’s wife has a dream for a better life.
Context (AO3)
October , millions of dollars were wiped out in the Wall Street Crash.
This led to the Great Depression in America.
People lost the money they had saved and million men and women - one third of America's population - were unemployed.
Many people travelled to 'Golden' California, thinking there would be land to buy. They wanted the American dream.
The refugees had nowhere to go, so they set up home in camps in the California valleys. They looked for work at farms.
Men like George and Lennie were lucky to have work. They were grateful for at least a bunk-house to live in and to have food, even though the pay was low.
Steinbeck saw these events happen and how difficult it was for people to find work.