OMAM Themes & Quotes

Question 1

Friendship (Candy)

Answer 1

“I oughta of shot that dog myself, George” (friendship with dog)

“Candy looked a long time at Slim to try to find some reversal. And Slim gave him none” (Candy has a lack of friends on the ranch as none of them support him when his dog is about to be shot)

Question 2

Friendship (George)

Answer 2

“It’s a lot nicer to go around with a guy I know” (Lennie keeps him company)

Your Aunt Clara wouldn’t like you running off” (protective of Lennie)

Question 3

Friendship (Crooks)

Answer 3

“I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse ‘cause I’m black” (struggles to make friends as he doesn’t feel wanted)

“You got no right to come in my room…“ (pushes people away so can’t make friends)

Question 4

Friendship (Curley’s wife)

Answer 4

“I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely.” (she gets lonely on the ranch and feels isolated from the others and finds it hard to make friends)

”I could get you strung up a tree so fast it ain’t even funny” (Curley’s wife lashes out at Crooks after he tries to kick her out his room. She might be insecure about noone wanting to be friends with her)

Question 5

Loneliness (Candy)

Answer 5

“I’d make a will an’ leave my share to you guys in case I kick off, cause I ain’t got no relatives nor nothing” (no family to care for him + feels he has to bribe G+L to join them in the ‘dream’)

“Candy looked a long time at Slim to try to find some reversal. And Slim gave him none” (The other ranch workers don’t support candy when his dog is about to be shot)

Question 6

Loneliness (George)

Answer 6

“I seen the guys that go around on the ranches alone. That ain’t no good” (Lennie keeps him company)

“Your Aunt Clara wouldn’t like you running off” (protective of Lennie)

Question 7

Loneliness (Crooks)

Answer 7

“I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse ‘cause I’m black”(He doesn’t feel wanted as he is isolated in his “little shed”)

“You got no right to come in my room…“ (He lashes out at the others as he is angry and insecure about his loneliness)

Question 8

Loneliness (Curley’s wife)

Answer 8

“I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely.” (she gets lonely on the ranch and feels isolated from the others)

”I could get you strung up a tree so fast it ain’t even funny” (Curley’s wife lashes out at Crooks after he tries to kick her out his room. She might be insecure about her loneliness)

Question 9

Prejudice (Candy)

Answer 9

“Why’n’t you get Candy to shoot his old dog and give him one of the pups to raise up?” (replacement of dog mirrors replacement of Candy)

“I wisht somebody’d shoot me if I get old an’ a cripple.” (Slim being ableist)

Question 10

Prejudice (Lennie)

Answer 10

“His name is Lennie Small” (George answers questions for Lennie so the boss doesn’t instantly think Lennie is too stupid to work)

“They left the weak ones behind” (CW sees Lennie as weak as he is mentally disabled)

Question 11

Prejudice (Crooks)

Answer 11

“I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny” (CW threatens Crooks)

“I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse ‘cause I’m black” (isolated and treated as ‘other’)

Question 12

Prejudice (Curley’s wife)

Answer 12

“Curley’s Wife” (Suggests her belonging to Curley, having no independence and self worth)

“I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her” (The other men judge her harshly and say mean things behind her back so she feels isolated)

Question 13

Dream (Candy)

Answer 13

“Leaned forward eagerly” (he is keen to join them in their dream and it gives him joy and hope to think about)

“I wisht somebody’d shoot me if I get old an’ a cripple.” (slim) (he fears his job is in jeopardy due to his disability so the dream is an escape)

Question 14

Dream (George)

Answer 14

“Live off the fatta the lan’” (George is tired of moving around trying to find work)

“An’ you get to tend the rabbits.” (George brings joy to Lennie by keeping the idea of him tending to the rabbits alive as he cares about Lennie as a friend)

Question 15

Dream (Crooks)

Answer 15

“I can work like a son-of-a-bitch if I want to” (Crooks buys into the dream)

“Member’ what I said…I was jus’ foolin’“ (Crooks gives up on the dream)

Question 16

Dream (Curley’s wife)

Answer 16

“He says he was gonna put me in the movies” (Her dream is to be a film star)

“Well, I think Curley’s married…a tart” (she might act and dress up in a promiscuous way to mimic what how she thinks movie stars should act)

Question 17

Power (Candy)

Answer 17

“I oughta of shot that dog myself, George.” (no control over who shoots his dog so powerless and utilitarian attitude so can’t do much so powerless)

“Leaned forward eagerly” (he is keen to join them in their dream to escape his powerless place on the ranch and some job security)

Question 18

Power (George)

Answer 18

“he could have broke every bone in my body but he never lay a hand on me” (although Lennie is so much more physically powerful than George, it is George who has the power over Lennie)

“’Jump in.’ An’ he jumps” (this shows that George sometimes abuses his power over Lennie)

Question 19

Power (Crooks)

Answer 19

”I could get you strung up a tree so fast it ain’t even funny” (Curley’s wife has power over Crooks)

“I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse ‘cause I’m black” (crooks feel unwanted and isolated due to his lack of power)

Question 20

Power (Curley’s wife)

Answer 20

“Curley’s Wife” (Suggests her belonging to Curley, having no independence and self worth)

“They all the weak ones here” (Her lack of power causes her to lash out and make others feel powerless)