OMAM knolage organizer

characters

Lennie

George

Crooks

Curley's wife

Curley

Candy

Carlson

key themes

Loneliness

violence

Survival of the fittest

Prejudice

Racism

Ageism

sexism

Tragic inevitability

Animals

Lennie is a physically dominant alpha (destroys mice)

His behavior increases during society

Foreshadowing

Cycles

Time day seasons life

Natural cycles -with elements of threat

Negative human qualities

Human destructiveness

Dreams

The american dream

the great deppresion

Compassion and friendship

A big, mentally slow guy who relies on his friend George for help and protection. He likes petting soft things but doesn't understand his own strength or the consequences of his actions. He dreams of owning a farm with George.

Lennie's friend and protector. He wants to own land but knows it's not easy. He looks out for Lennie and feels responsible for him.

slim

A respected guy who works with mules. He helps George and Lennie and understands their situation better than most. He gets why George does what he does at the end of the novel

An old guy who works on the ranch. He's scared of losing his job because of his age and injury. He joins George and Lennie's dream of owning a farm by offering money. His old dog symbolises Lennie's fate.

A black guy who works in the stables and faces racism. He wants to join George and Lennie's dream but can't because of prejudice.

A guy on the ranch who shoots Candy's dog and gives George the gun he uses to help Lennie.

The boss's son, always looking for fights. He's mad at Lennie for crushing his hand and stays mad.

She's lonely and neglected, and she tries to get attention from the ranch hands. She's misunderstood until the end when we learn about her dreams.

Chapter summaries

Chapter1. George and Lennie sleep outside on their way to a new job. George gets mad at Lennie for killing a mouse but cheers him up by talking about their dream of having a farm.

Chapter 2. They get to the ranch and meet Candy, the boss, and Curly, the boss's son. George tells Lennie to avoid Curly and his wife. They also meet Slim and Carlson, who talk about puppies and putting Candy's old dog to sleep.

Chapter 3. Slim likes how close George and Lennie are. George says why he takes care of Lennie. Carlson convinces Candy to let him shoot the dog. Curley tries to fight Lennie but gets hurt.

Chapter 4. Crooks, the only Black worker, joins Lennie and Candy but doesn't believe in their dream. Curly's wife threatens Crooks.

Chapter 5. Lennie accidentally kills Curly's wife and his puppy. He runs away, and Candy finds the body and tells George. A group of men forms to find Lennie.

Chapter 6. George finds him. George comforts Lennie about their dream before shooting him to save him from the group of men. George tells a story to the them, and only Slim knows what really happened.

Context

History

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Date writen

1937

Date set

1930

Setting

California (soledad)

Author

John Steinbeck