1. Of Mice and Men Chapter 5

2. What is the Correct Order of Events?
While the other men leave in pursuit of Lennie, Candy remains with Curley’s wife.
Lennie accidentally breaks her neck. Curley’s wife dies.
Curley’s wife comes in. She admits that she gets ‘awful lonely.’
The other men find Curley’s wife. Curley is enraged and threatens to kill Lennie.
Having found Curley’s wife dead, Candy alerts George, who suggests that the other workers will think he was involved.
Suddenly, she becomes afraid that he’ll ‘muss it up’. As she tries to move her head away, Lennie grasps onto her hair and won’t let go.
Curley’s wife starts to scream. Lennie tries to stop her by putting his hand over her mouth.
Curley’s wife invites Lennie to stroke her hair.
Lennie attempts to cover her body in hay, like he had done with his dead puppy. He leaves.
Lennie is in the barn. He has accidentally killed his puppy.
She tells Lennie about her past, about how she could have been an actress.

3. The Order of Events: Answers
Lennie is in the barn. He has accidentally killed his puppy.
Curley’s wife comes in. She admits that she gets ‘awful lonely.’
She tells Lennie about her past, about how she could have been an actress.
Curley’s wife invites Lennie to stroke her hair.
Suddenly, she becomes afraid that he’ll ‘muss it up’. As she tries to move her head away, Lennie grasps onto her hair and won’t let go.
Curley’s wife starts to scream. Lennie tries to stop her by putting his hand over her mouth.
Lennie accidentally breaks her neck. Curley’s wife dies.
Lennie attempts to cover her body in hay, like he had done with his dead puppy. He leaves.
Having found Curley’s wife dead, Candy alerts George, who suggests that the other workers will think he was involved.
The other men find Curley’s wife. Curley is enraged and threatens to kill Lennie.
While the other men leave in pursuit of Lennie, Candy remains with Curley’s wife.

4. Showing Your Understanding
What are the other men doing while Lennie is in the barn at the beginning of Chapter 5?
Why does Lennie try to avoid talking to Curley’s wife?
Do you think Lennie really listens to Curley’s wife story?
Why doesn’t Lennie want George to think he’s done something bad?

5. Animal Imagery in Chapter 5
Both Lennie and Curley’s wife are compared to animals in this chapter.
Can you find evidence to support this?
What effect do these comparisons have on the reader?

6. Suggest the significance of the following pictures, with reference to the events of Chapter 5.
A Slug!

7. The Demise of Curley’s Wife
Does Curley’s wife deserve to die?
Was her death inevitable? If so, why?
What similarities do you notice between Curley’s wife’s death and the events in Weed that George referred to in Chapter 3?
What was Curley’s wife biggest fault?

8. Broken Dreams
In Chapter 5, George, Lennie and Candy’s dream of a little place of their own, living off ‘the fat of the lan’ is shattered.
What evidence can you find that suggests that this was bound to happen all along?
Did Steinbeck make the right choice in killing the dream as well as Curley’s wife?
Curley’s wife’s own personal dream was taken away from her long ago. Do you think it was a real opportunity?
How do the events of Chapter 5 echo Crooks’ comment in Chapter 4 (‘Nobody never gets to heaven’, p106)?

9. How does Steinbeck’s description of the atmosphere inside the barn reflect the action as it unfolds, especially leading up to the discovery of Curley’s wife’s body?

10. Consolidating Your Understanding
What are the main events of the chapter?
What do you consider to be the most important event of the chapter and why?
Suggest one thing that this chapter shows us about George and Lennie’s friendship.

11. Homework Activities
Write a newspaper report on the death of Curley’s wife. Remember to cover the five W’s (who, what, when, where and why).
Imagine you are a TV journalist who has been asked to undertake a short interview the writer John Steinbeck about his recent novel Of Mice and Men. What questions would you ask him? Write the text of this interview, including his responses to your questions.