Background Information
The author of Of Mice and Men.
Who is John Steinbeck?
The quote "...small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part of him was defined; small strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose." Describes this main character from Of Mice and Men.
Who is George?
"The sycamore leaves whispered in the wind," is an example of this figure of speech that gives human characteristics to animals or other inanimate objects.
What is personification?
At the end of the book, Lennie asks George to talk again about what makes them different from other guys. Lennie finishes the story, saying, “We got each other, that’s what, that gives a hoot in hell about us” (Steinbeck 104).
George and Lennie’s relationship shows the importance of this quality.
What is friendship?
The state that Of Mice and Men takes place in.
What is California?
The quote "...a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little the way a bear drags its paws." Describes this main character from Of Mice and Men.
Who is Lennie?
"Lennie covered his face with huge paws and bleated with terror" is an example of this literary device, which compares two unlike things.
Many characters in the novel are isolated due to their differences. These characters, such as Crooks and Curley's wife suffer from, suffer from this feeling.
What is loneliness?
What is The Great Depression?
"...a tall, stoop-shouldered old man came in... he carried a big push brook in his left hand. He pointed with his right arm, and out of the sleeve came a round, stick-like wrist, but no hand." Describes this swamper who at one point in the novel stands up to Curley's wife.
Who is Candy?
When George says, "Lennie you'd drink out of a gutter if you was thirsty" and "I wisht I could put you in a cage with about a million mice an' let you have fun," he is providing an example of this literary device, which relies on exaggeration to make an impact.
What is hyperbole?
George and Lennie’s dream of owning a farm and living “on the fatta the lan’” connects to this broader "dream."
What is the American Dream?
The decade that Of Mice and Men was published in
What is the 1930s?
The quotes "Nice fella too. Got a crooked back where horse kicked him. The boss gives him hell when he's mad." and "He is a stable-buck who lives out in the barn." Describe this character who lives alone in a shed off the barn.
Who is Crooks?
This literary device is used in the following passage from the opening scene of the novella is meant to appeal to the senses:
"On one side of the river the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan mountains, but on the valley side the water is lined with trees -willows fresh and green with every spring, carrying in their lower leaf junctures the debris of the winter's flooding; and sycamores with mottled, white, recumbent limbs and branches that arch over the pool."
What is imagery?
What is companionship?
OR What is friendship?
The inspiration for John Steinbeck to write about migrant workers
What were John Steinbeck's personal experiences working on a farm?
The quote "A thin young man with a brown face, with brown eyes and a head of tightly curled hair. He wore a work glove on his left hand....he was a Golden Gloves boxing champion." Describes this character, who is also the Boss' son.
Who is Curley?
This literary device is represented by the following passage:
George was watching the door. He said ominously, "Well (Curley) better watch out for Lennie. Lennie ain't no fighter, but Lennie's strong and quick and Lennie don't know no rules."
What is foreshadowing?
(Hint: Think about what these characters have in common based on the time period)
What is the treatment of marginalized groups? OR
What is discrimination?