CROOKS & THE OUTCASTS
Crooks tells Lennie a man “gets crazy if he ain’t got nobody.” How does this relate to the central theme?
It expresses the idea that companionship gives life meaning.
Curley’s wife complains that the men are “scared to talk” to her. What does this reveal about her and her connection to the central theme?
She feels lonely and craves connection.
Lennie killing the puppy symbolizes this larger idea of the original poem where Steinbeck gets the novel's title.
Dreams are fragile and easily destroyed.
Slim comforts George after Lennie’s death because he understands this core truth about George's choice.
Mercy and compassion guided George's choice.
How does the story complete its emotional circle in chapter 6?
The story returns to the riverbank in Chapter 6.
Crooks first pushes Lennie away, then lets him stay. What does this reveal about Crooks as George’s clone?
Crooks hides loneliness behind toughness, just like George does.
In what way does Curley’s wife's dream make her a clone character for George?
Both of their dreams are crushed in the end.
Curley’s wife’s death represents this key shift in the story.
The dream collapses and reality wins.
Slim functions as this type of clone character for George.
Slim is a moral mirror or an ideal version of George.
Why does George speak gently to Lennie before the end?
George wants Lennie's final moments to be peaceful, not fearful.
Crooks claims “nobody gets no land.” How does this relate to the central theme when the book ends?
The dream of the farm is crushed by the harsh reality of Lennie's death.
How does her cruelty toward Crooks reveal what can happen when loneliness meets power?
Isolation can twist someone into hurting others.
After Curley’s wife dies, what is revealed about Candy when he asks George if they can still get the ranch?
Candy still clings to hope even when it’s gone.
What does Carlson’s attitude in the final scene reveal about him?
Carlson represents emotional emptiness and a lack of empathy.
Why does George retell the dream one final time for Lennie?
He wants to give Lennie comfort and hope.
When Crooks briefly believes the dream is possible, what part of George does he mirror?
Crooks mirrors George’s fragile hope for a better life.
Curley’s wife opening up about her lost acting dream mirrors what inner truth about George?
George also holds on to a dream that can’t survive reality.
George’s sadness instead of anger toward Lennie after the accident shows what moral quality?
He is motivated by compassion, which has been shaped by experience and love.
Although George’s act is similar to Carlson’s earlier shooting of Candy’s dog, what is the most important difference?
George acts out of love, but Carlson out of indifference or selfishness.
How do George's actions express that compassion matters more than dreams?
Lennie's death is the compassionate and correct choice, even if it ends the dream of getting the farm.
Crooks backs away from the dream, saying he was “just foolin’.” What does this reveal about him?
Crooks protects himself because hope is dangerous or too risky.
Curley’s wife and Lennie share this major similarity in Chapter 5.
They both lose control of their lives with tragic consequences.
What is foreshadowed by the shift from hope to dread at the end of Chapter 5?
It foreshadows the compassionate choice that George makes to end Lennie's life.
Slim and Carlson’s contrasting responses at the end of the novel symbolize different approaches to the central theme. What is the contrast?
Compassion gives life meaning; lack of it leads to numbness.
The ending fulfills the novel’s thematic arc by showing what about George and Lennie’s bond?
Even if dreams die, human connection and compassion give meaning to our lives.