Of Mice and Men

Question 1

George – Theme: Itinerant Workers – Quotes

Answer 1

1. “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family…. No home…. Nothing to look ahead to”
2. George said, “Slim, will we get canned now?”
3. “There is an ash pile made by many fires”(many people came before them)

Question 2

George – Theme: Itinerant Workers – Context

Answer 2

In the 1930’s there were thousands of itinerant workers moving from place to place as work was seasonal.
These economic migrants came from areas of the dust bowl (Texas, Arizona).
The dust bowl was infertile land due to over farming that caused dust storms making it impossible to grow food.
These people moved west to the land of “Gold and Honey” (California)
They were nicknamed the Oakie’s. Steinbeck spent time with these people when working on farms

Question 3

George – Theme: Friendship/Loneliness – Quotes

Answer 3

1. “We travel together,” George said slowly
2. “Well, I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy.” said by boss
3. “Sure he jes’ like a kid.” said slim (when george catches lennie with puppies, parental relationship)
4. “I got you to look after me and you got me to look after you”

Question 4

George – Theme: Friendship/Loneliness – Context

Answer 4

In an era when itinerant workers kept mostly to themselves, the unique friendship between George and Lennie is highlighted. Their relationship—marked by care, dependence, and even a parental tone—stands out against a backdrop of isolation and economic hardship. Realist harsh environment, every man for themselves.

Question 5

George – Theme: American Dream – Quotes

Answer 5

1.“I could take my fifty bucks and go into town and get whatever I want.”
2. “Maybe there was a time when we was scared of gettin’ canned, but we ain’t no more.”
3. “An’ live off the fatta the lan”

Question 6

George – Theme: American Dream – Context

Answer 6

Many itinerant workers in 1930’s america the American Dream symbolizes hope for independence and security, a way out of the cycle of low wages and constant instability. This dream, however, is undercut by the brutal realities of Depression-era society.
According to James Truslow Adams the American dream is: “better and richer and fuller for everyone.” Secular relationship between American dream and religion

Question 7

Lennie – Theme: Neurodiversity/Disability, Social Norms & Prejudice – Quotes

Answer 7

1. “No he ain’t bright, but he’s sure as hell of a good worker. Strong as a bull.”
2. “An’ s’pose they lock him up an’ strap him up in a cage.”
3. Curley’s wife laughed at him: “You’re nuts,” she said. “But you’re a kinda nice fella. Jus’ like a big baby.
4. I like to pet nice things with my fingers, sof’ things.”

Question 8

Lennie – Theme: Neurodiversity/Disability, Social Norms & Prejudice – Context

Answer 8

Deamed as “A burden on society”. Often sterotiped and not relaised for their true. The term boobyhatch refers to a place similar to a mental asylum, the conditions in these places were atrocious, people were prone to diseases, malnutrition, dehydration all leading to death.

Question 9

Lennie – Theme: Companionship – Quotes

Answer 9

1. “I wisht I could put you in a cage” (emotional ambivilance between the friends)
2. “George wun’t go away and leave me. I know George wun’t do that.”
3. “Lennie broke in.” “Go on now George!” (Eagerness of american dream, parental relationship.)
4. “With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us.”

Question 10

Lennie – Theme: Companionship – Context

Answer 10

Lennie’s deep need for companionship is evident in his reliance on George. Their relationship, almost akin to a child seeking a parent’s guidance, offers a rare glimpse of genuine care amid an otherwise isolated world.

Question 11

Lennie – Theme: American Dream – Quotes

Answer 11

1. “I wish’t we’d get the rabbits pretty soon”
2. “I wouldn’t eat none, George. I’d leave it all for you.” Lennie does not care about wealth just friendship with george.
3. “An’ live off the fatta the lan”

Question 12

Lennie – Theme: American Dream – Context

Answer 12

For Lennie the American Dream is simplified to the comfort of caring for soft, tangible things—like rabbits—and the security of his relationship with George. His vision is raw and direct, free of the complicating doubts that trouble others.

Question 13

Candy – Theme: Welfare State, Old/Useless & Prejudice – Quotes

Answer 13

1. “When they can me here I wisht somebody’d shoot me.”
2. “I won’t have no place to go, an’ I can’t get no more jobs.”
3. “Old swamper”

Question 14

Candy – Theme: Welfare State, Old/Useless & Prejudice – Context

Answer 14

Candy’s situation reflects a grim reality for aged and disabled workers before the welfare state. With no safety net, his outlook is one of desperation and devaluation—a stark commentary on how society treats its most vulnerable citizens.

Question 15

Candy – Theme: Loneliness, Itinerant Worker – Quotes

Answer 15

1. “Don’t tell Curley I said none of this he’d slough me.”
2. Candy’s interruption to join discussions about the dream shows his need for connection. “candy interrupted him”
3. Candy looked for help from face to face.
   (Before his dog was shot, he looked for someone to defend him).

Question 16

Candy – Theme: Loneliness, Itinerant Worker – Context

Answer 16

They lived in shanty towns called Hoovervilles after President Herbet Hoover.
The president was disliked at the time due to an economic crash named The Great Depression. 1/3 of the workforce in America were unemployed.
Steinbecks use of phonetic spelling shows literary realism (writing about the underclasses, those not normally written about)

Question 17

Candy – Theme: American Dream – Quotes

Answer 17

1. “S’pose I went with you guys. Tha’s three hundred an’ fifty bucks I’d put in.”
2. “You and me can get that little place, can’t we, George?”
3. Candy dropped his head… He knew.’ (when they found curleys wife dead)

Question 18

Candy – Theme: American Dream – Context

Answer 18

For Candy, the American Dream is a lifeline—a promise of security and belonging. His willingness to invest his savings into this dream underscores both his desperation and his hope for a life that dignifies him in a harsh, unforgiving economy.

Question 19

Crooks – Theme: Race, Disability & Prejudice – Quotes

Answer 19

1. “Why ain’t you wanted?” – “Cause I’m black”
2. “get you strung up in a tree so easy”
3. “The boss gives him hell when he’s mad.”
4. “This just a nigger talking.”

Question 20

Crooks – Theme: Race, Disability & Prejudice – Context

Answer 20

Jim crow laws – In the American constitution is laws that define that every person is equal but separate. Making black people equal as white but they must stay separate to white.
Curley’s wife threatens lynching which was a regular occurrence in the day.
Not long before the book was written 30,000 unmasked KKK members marched to the white house.

Question 21

Crooks – Theme: Loneliness – Quotes

Answer 21

1. “A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody to talk to.”
2. “S’pose you couldn’t go into the bunkhouse and play rummy cause you was black.”
3. He is forced to sleep in a separate bunk house. (Jim Crow Laws)

Question 22

Crooks – Theme: Loneliness – Context

Answer 22

Isolated by institutionalized racism, Crooks’ loneliness is both a personal misery and a societal indictment. His few words capture the agony of exclusion that leads even a normally guarded man to despair.

Question 23

Crooks – Theme: American Dream – Quotes

Answer 23

1. “Crooks’ face lighted with pleasure at the torture.”
2. “Nobody gets to heaven and nobody get no land.”

Question 24

Crooks – Theme: American Dream – Context

Answer 24

Steinbeck critiques the American dream as a myth used to pacify the poor. Like a secular religion(not an actual religion)

Question 25

Curley's Wife – Theme: Prejudice by Sexism – Quotes

Answer 25

1. “Curley’s wife” – (Note: Steinbeck never gives her a name.) 2. “With rouge lips…Her fingernails were red.” and “hair hung in little rolled clusters” 3. “She's a jail bait all set on the trigger.”

Question 26

Curley's Wife – Theme: Prejudice by Sexism – Context

Answer 26

The lack of a personal name and the focus on her physical attributes reduce her to an object—property, even—to be possessed. This dehumanization speaks volumes about the pervasive sexism of the era. Hegemonic masculinity in 1930's America

Question 27

Curley's Wife – Theme: Loneliness – Quotes

Answer 27

1. “Any you guys seen my husband.” 2. “Any you guys seen my wife.” 3. “Leaned against the door frame so her body was thrown forward.”

Question 28

Curley's Wife – Theme: Loneliness – Context

Answer 28

Her constant calls for her husband (or for someone to notice her) and her vulnerable posture betray a deep-seated loneliness. Trapped in a world that confines her to a marginal role, she struggles for an authentic human connection.

Question 29

Curley's Wife – Theme: American Dream – Quotes

Answer 29

1. “I could’a made somethin’ of myself.” 2. "I seen too many you guys. If you had two bits in the worl', why you'd be in gettin' two shots of corn with it and suckin' the bottom of the glass." 3. “An' a guy tol' me he could put me in pitchers. . . :' She was breathless with indignation"

Question 30

Curley's Wife – Theme: American Dream – Context

Answer 30

Her bitter reflections reveal a dream deferred—not only for herself as an individual but for women in a society that offers few avenues for self-realization. Her lost potential is a sharp commentary on the limitations imposed by gender and class.

Question 31

Curley – Theme: Hegemonic Masculinity – Quotes

Answer 31

1. “That gloves fulla vaseline.” 2. “But you jus' tell an' try to get this guy canned and we'll tell ever'body, an' then will you get' the laugh." 3. (Note: The quote “Don’t tell Curley none of this he would slough me.” is omitted because it is spoken by Candy.)

Question 32

Curley – Theme: Hegemonic Masculinity – Context

Answer 32

Curley’s language and behavior exemplify toxic masculinity. His insistence on physical dominance and ready aggression reflect a rigid, inherited ideal of what it means to be a man in a harsh, competitive world.

Question 33

Curley – Theme: Entitlement – Quotes

Answer 33

1. “He just don’t give a damn. Won’t ever get canned ’cause his old man’s the boss."

Question 34

Curley – Theme: Entitlement – Context

Question 35

Curley – Theme: Entitlement – Quotes

Answer 35

1. “He just don’t give a damn. Won’t ever get canned ’cause his old man’s the boss.” ## Footnote Even though only one direct quote is provided, it powerfully conveys his sense of entitlement.

Question 36

Curley – Theme: Entitlement – Context

Answer 36

Bolstered by his family’s wealth and status, Curley’s entitlement allows him to bully others without fear of consequence. His behavior is a microcosm of how inherited privilege can distort one’s sense of self and justice.

Question 37

Curley – Theme: Suppression/American Dream to Keep People Working – Quotes

Answer 37

1. “You answer when you’re spoken to.” ## Footnote This singular command encapsulates his use of power to enforce order on the ranch.

Question 38

Curley – Theme: Suppression/American Dream to Keep People Working – Context

Answer 38

Curley’s demand for obedience is part of a broader system that suppresses workers and keeps them in continual subservience. It mirrors the way the American Dream is used as a tool of control—a promise that masks the reality of exploitation.

Question 39

Slim – Theme: Power and Prejudice – Quotes

Answer 39

1. “I drowned four of ‘em right off. She couldn’t feed that many.” 2. “His authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject.” ## Footnote Only these two quotes are provided, yet they effectively illustrate his commanding presence.

Question 40

Slim – Theme: Power and Prejudice – Context

Answer 40

Slim stands as the moral center on the ranch. His quiet authority and fairness contrast sharply with the prejudice and cruelty around him, making him a voice of reason—and arguably, Steinbeck’s own.

Question 41

Slim – Theme: Friendship – Quotes

Answer 41

1. “Ain’t many guys travel around together… maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other.” ## Footnote This solitary observation underscores the rarity of authentic bonds in a wary, isolated world.

Question 42

Slim – Theme: Friendship – Context

Answer 42

Slim’s remark on friendship highlights the inherent loneliness of the itinerant lifestyle. His insight not only validates the bond between men like George and Lennie but also points to the universal human need for connection.

Question 43

Slim – Theme: American Dream – Quotes

Answer 43

1. “I seen too many you guys. If you had two bits in the worl', why you'd be in gettin' two shots of corn with it and suckin' the bottom of the glass.” ## Footnote Only one quote is provided, yet it conveys a sober assessment of the fleeting nature of the dream.

Question 44

Slim – Theme: American Dream – Context

Answer 44

Slim’s commentary cuts through the idealism of the American Dream, revealing it as a mirage for many on the ranch. His pragmatic view dispels illusions, emphasizing the stark disparities between aspiration and reality.

Question 45

General Context – Of Mice and Men Overview

Answer 45

Title & Naturalism: The title, drawn from a Robert Burns poem, originally referred to a real event and anchors the novel’s naturalistic style. Steinbeck’s use of phonetic spelling and everyday language brings authenticity to the underclass voices. Author & Realism: John Steinbeck, who once experienced itinerant work, writes from firsthand knowledge of society’s poor and marginalized. The novella portrays the harsh reality of Depression-era America, focusing on lives rarely depicted in literature. Archetypes & Social Commentary: Characters serve as archetypes—composite figures representing broader groups within society. The work critiques the American Dream, echoing James Truslow Adams’ vision of a better life while exposing its inaccessibility for the poor. The farm operates as a microcosm of American society, highlighting class, power, and isolation. American Dream & Social Darwinism: Steinbeck challenges the mythic notion of the American Dream, suggesting it is exploited to pacify the working poor. The narrative’s structure mirrors social Darwinism: beginning with geology and nature (rivers, mountains, plants, animals) before introducing man, hinting at an evolutionary, competitive struggle for survival. Foreshadowing—such as the description on page 98 (“the sun had left the valley to go climbing up the slopes”)—signals the inevitable decline of hope and happiness as circumstances change.