Lit Terms
Hints as to what may or may not happen in a text.
What is foreshadowing?
Why does Lennie have the dead mouse?
Who is the first person readers meet at the ranch?
A one-armed swamper named Candy.
At the start of the novel what impact do George and Lennie have on the geography?
George and Lennie disrupt the quiet of the brush as they come crashing through.
How do we describe Slim?
The Prince of the ranch
great worker
has authority over other workers
handsome
"...dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws." (Steinbeck, 2) is an example of this.
Metaphor
What happened at the last place where Lennie and George worked?
George and Lennie were run out of Weed after Lennie touched a girl's dress and frightened her.
Why does Candy claim Curly's wife is a "tart"?
Curly's wife gives men "the eye".
What theme begins to emerge in chapter one more than any other?
The American Dream
Other than race, how is the stable buck set apart from the other men?
The stable buck has his own quarters, he's not allowed in the bunkhouse.
"A water snake slipped along on the pool, its head held up like a little periscope.” (Steinbeck, 7) This line is an example of this.
Simile
Describe the dream George and Lennie share for their future.
George and Lennie want to own their own land and not be dependent on anyone else for an income.
What unusual habits did the previous occupant of George's bunk have?
He is extremely clean and neat. He cleans his hands and bunk and dresses up on Sunday.
How does Steinbeck describe Lennie's hands?
Steinbeck gives Lennie's hands animal-like qualities.
Why is the boss suspicious of George and Lennie?
George speaks for Lennie and George and Lennie travel around together.
The title, Of Mice and Men, is an example of this, to the poem, "To a Mouse", by Robert Burns.
Allusion
Who had given Lennie a rubber mouse in the past?
Lennie's Aunt Clara
How are George and Lennie feeling about the Ranch overall?
uncomfortable and want to leave
How are George and Lennie foils for one another?
George is short. Lennie is tall. George is "smart" Lennie is "dumb" George is small. Lennie is large.
Why does Curly antagonize Lennie?
Curly is jealous of Lennie's size. Curly is small but wishes he were larger.
What is at least one theme of Mice and Men
Isolation/Loneliness
Friendship
The American Dream
Weakness /Strength
What two animals is Lennie compared to in chapter one?
Bear and horse.
What excuse does George give for Lennie's slowness?
George tells the boss that Lennie is his cousin and he had been kicked in the head by a horse to account for his slowness.
George tells Lennie this in chapter 1, it foreshadows future events.
George tells Lennie to return to the spot by the creek if he gets into trouble.
What are some larger issues we spoke about in class that have been addressed within in novel?
Strength and Weakness. The American Dream. Loneliness