Characters Explained

Question 1

George explanation

Answer 1

George-means husbandman(someone who cultivates the land)
Assiocated with commitment and brotherly love
Self sacrificial - gives up much that would make his own life fulfilling
Admired by slim candy and crooks
Careful decision maker manages Lennie natural sense of strength
Shows responsibility to kill Lennie in final scene

Question 2

Lennie explained

Answer 2

Lennie(Leonard)-means someone strong as a lion, yet blessed with childish guile
Symbol of human mankind animal nature to respond to instincts and whose mind has not learnt to control his body
The mouse in the novel is a symbol for inevitable doom-Lennie carries his destiny in his pocket

Question 3

Slim explained

Answer 3

Permanent employee of the ranch
Preaches fairness, sound judgment and dignified acceptance
Respected highly by peers and superiors
Sanctions the acceptance of George and Lennie within the bunkhouse community
Abdicates power at the close of the novel

Question 4

Curley explained

Answer 4

Boss’s son:hyper-masculine symbol of the angry, young generation of the 1930s(ex-light weight boxer)
Has a grudge with men bigger than him
Perceived as a laughing stock due to his flirtatious wife, short stature and the glove full of Vaseline
Inability to create a meaningful relationship with his wife renders him part responsible for her death

Question 5

Curley’s wife explained

Answer 5

Marries Curley not due to love but due to her limited choices
Filled with adolescent rage at missing out the chance of a Hollywood career
Her escape route was Hollywood dream but her namelessness is an ironic indicator that she will never be famous
She is presented as a sexual commodity
Starved of companionship and acceptance