1. VOCABULARY, ALLUSIONS, HISTORICAL REFERENCES AND LITERARY TERMS
Of Mice and Men
VOCABULARY, ALLUSIONS,
HISTORICAL REFERENCES AND
LITERARY TERMS

2. Chapter 1
PAGE 1-16
ACT I SCENE 1

3. bindle: A bag, sack, or carrying device. P.3 bindle stiff: a hobo; a
VOCABULARY
bindle: A bag, sack, or carrying device. P.3
bindle stiff: a hobo; a
transient who carries his
belongings in a sack. P.79

4. work cards/slips: Proof that people had been hired to do a job. P.5
VOCABULARY
work cards/slips: Proof that people had been hired to do a job. P.5
jack/stake: money. p.14

5. Allusions & Historical References
Soledad – a coastal California city about 130 miles south of San Francisco
Salinas River – a river that flows through Soledad and into Monterey Bay
Weed – a northern California mining town

6. Soledad, CA

7. Salinas River

8. Weed, CA
Weed

9. Allusions & Historical References
watchin‘ that blackboard – employment agencies would post available jobs on a blackboard in front of their offices. Prospective employees would watch the blackboard for any new jobs.
work cards – a job assignment from an employment agency would be written on a work card to be presented by the worker to the employer.

10. Literary Terms
Imply
Infer
Exposition
Setting
Point of view

11. Chapter 2
PAGES 17-37
ACT I SCENE 2

12. VOCABULARY
bunkhouse: sleeping quarters intended for use by multiple people.  P.17

13. VOCABULARY
talcum powder: Very similar in texture to baby powder, talcum powder was used mainly after bathing or shaving. P.17
apple box: A box used for storage or as a stepstool capable of holding a person's weight.  P.17

14. VOCABULARY
scourges: A widespread affliction, an epidemic illness or the consequence of some natural disaster, like fire, flood, or a migration of locusts. p18

15. ticking: mattress covering. p. 17
VOCABULARY
liniment: A topical cream for the skin that helps with pain or rashes. P.19
ticking: mattress covering. p. 17

16. cesspool: A well or pit filled with drainage or sewage. p23
VOCABULARY
cesspool: A well or pit filled with drainage or sewage. p23
slough: A muddy or marshy area.

17. Allusions & Historical References
pants rabbits: A sexually transmitted disease, known as pubic lice.  P.18
graybacks: The equivalent of ticks or lice. P.18

18. Allusions & Historical References
Stetson hat: A famous brand of hats, especially cowboy hats. P. 20
swamper: A general assistant; handyman. P.18

19. Allusions & Historical References
jerkline skinner: lead driver of a team of mules. P.28
stable buck: a derogatory name for an African-American man who works in the stables. P.20

20. Allusions & Historical References
Murray and Ready: An employment agency, specializing in farm work. P.21

21. Allusions & Historical References
cultivator: A farming tool used to stir and soften the soil either before or after planting. P.22

22. Allusions & Historical References
buck barley: To throw large bags of barley on a truck. P.23
two bits: Twenty-Five cents.  P.33

23. direct characterization indirect characterization
Literary Terms
dialect
novella
irony
direct characterization
indirect characterization

24. Chapter 3
PAGES 38-65
ACT II SCENE 1

25. VOCABULARY
lynch: To illegally execute a person, generally applied to the hanging and/or burning innocent or guilty victims, often African-Americans, in the south. p. 42

26. VOCABULARY
hutches: a wooden construction that holds rabbits and other small farm animals. p.57

27. VOCABULARY
iron stove: having the general form of a fireplace with the front open and often fitted with doors. (Burning wood above a cold air duct heats air which then passes through baffles and is released through vents on each side of the stove.) p58

28. Allusions & Historical References
slug of whiskey: Equivalent to a hipflask of whiskey. P. 43
gut ache: A stomach ache. P. 43

29. Allusions & Historical References
Airedale: A type of dog, specifically terrier. P.44
pulp magazine: During the 1920s-1950s, inexpensive fiction magazines. From on, the term also came to represent mass market paperbacks. P.46

30. Allusions & Historical References
Luger: The Luger pistol was an expensive, high maintenance weapon manufactured and used primarily in the German army. P.47
euchre: A card game played in England, Canada, and some
parts of the U.S. p.48

31. Allusions & Historical References
Rag Rug: Rugs created from rags that were tied together by knots. p.52
Kewpie doll: A particular style of doll, one that was usually won at carnivals. P.52

32. Allusions & Historical References
phonograph: The first
device for recording and
playing sound, most
specifically music. P.52
parlor house: Could be
considered a restaurant, but
more often parlor houses
were brothels. p.52

33. Allusions & Historical References
tart: A woman who tempts men or who is sexually promiscuous. P.56
Normal 1930’s housewife
Mules with ostrich feathers

34. Literary Terms
theme
imagery
onomatopoeia
foreshadowing
conflict

35. Chapter 4
PAGES 66-83
ACT II SCENE 2

36. Literary Terms
verbal irony
symbolism

37. Chapter 5
PAGES 84-98
ACT III SCENE 1

38. Who is the protagonist in this novel?
Literary Term
protagonist -
Who is the protagonist in this novel?

39. Chapter 6
PAGES
ACT III SCENE 2

40. Literary Term
Personification
EXAMPLE: