Of Mice and Men

• George


  • Short-tempered
  • Loving
  • Devoted
  • Commitment
  • Protective
  • Terse
  • Impatient
  • Idealist
  • Sharp
  • Strong
  • Thinker
  • Organiser
  • Devoted
  • Moral
  • Anger
  • Patience
  • Pride
  • Rational
  • Thoughtful
  • Compassion
  • Responsibility
  • Realist
  • Alone
  • Tragic
• Why is George important?

  • George symbolises the itinerant farm worker
  • A father/brother figure for Lennie
  • He has promised Aunt Clara that he will look after Lennie
  • He sees Lennie as an inconvenience, but still cares for him, despite it sometimes causing him considerable risk. This also gives him a role in life
  • He rescues and protects Lennie when he gets into trouble e.g in Weed
  • He feeds Lennie the dream of them both owning their own ranch. We get the impression that the dream is also what keeps George going
  • He orders Lennie to fight back against Curley
  • There is a part of him that wishes he was free of Lennie (Section 1 and 4 when he goes to the 'cathouse' and leaves Lennie behind
  • He shoots Lennie dead, knowing that this is kinder than him being lynched or locked up
• Lennie


  • Strength
  • Simplicity
  • Helpless
  • Doomed
  • Mentally slow
  • Defenceless
  • Innocence
  • Enthusiasm
  • Childlike
  • Tactile
  • Animalistic
  • Dependent
  • Immature
  • Devoted
  • Naïve
  • Trusting
  • Mental capacity
  • Reliant
  • Lumbering
  • Inevitability
  • Ungainly
  • Excitable
• Why is Lennie important in the novel?

  • Has extreme physical strength
  • Is 'slow' – has a mental/developmental disability
  • He has no awareness of danger
  • Doesn't understand the strength that he has
  • Easily forgets things
  • Looks to George as a father/brother figure
  • He has no understanding of how society works or what is generally acceptable behaviour
  • Lennie has a love of petting nice things – mouse, puppy, Curley's Wife's hair
  • He is picked on by Curley because of his size
  • He admires Curley's wife
  • Doesn't like to upset George and knows that he will tell him off if he does wrong
  • Lennie is often described using animal imagery
  • He often blames the animals he kills fir dying, not understanding what he has actually done
  • He doesn't really understand good and bad, instead just admitting that George wouldn't like it
• Slim


  • Jerkline skinner
  • Capable of driving 10, 16, even 20 mules with a single line to the leaders
  • Capable of killing a fly on the wheeler's butt with a bull whip without touching the mule
  • His authority is so great that his word is taken on any subject, be it politics or love
  • His ear heard more than was said to him
  • His hands, large and lean, were as delicate in their action as those of a temple dancer
  • His voice was very gentle
  • His tone was friendly. It invited confidence without demanding it
• "Slim's a jerkline skinner. Hell of a nice fella."
• "Slim don't need to wear no high-heeled boots on a grain team."
• "I seen her give Slim the eye."
• A tall man stood in the doorway. He held a crushed Stetson hat under his arm while he combed his long, black, damp hair straight back. Like the others he wore blue jeans and a short denim jacket.
• he moved with a majesty achieved only by royalty and master craftsmen.
• There was a gravity in his manner and a quiet so profound that all talk stopped when he spoke.
• His hatchet face was ageless.
• He looked kindly at the two in the bunk house.
• "Ain't many guys travel around together," he mused. "I don't know why. Maybe ever'body in the whole damn world is scared of each other."
• Slim


  • God-like
  • Admired
  • Respected
  • Skilful
  • Power
  • Importance
  • Decency
  • Charismatic
  • Dignified
  • Rational
  • Authority
  • Intelligence
  • Empathy
  • Non-judgemental
  • Strong
  • Superior
  • Moral
  • Masterful
  • Fair-minded
  • Justice
  • Altruistic
  • Perceptive
  • Honourable
• Slim


  • He is the unofficial leader on the ranch
  • Slim is considered the 'wise' man of the ranch
  • He is intelligent and understanding and is one of the few people to try and understand George and Lennie's relationship
  • Extremely skilled at his job, the animals seem to trust him too
  • He treats everyone with respect, even Crooks and Curley's Wife
  • The only man on thr ranch that Curley respects/is afraid of
  • Makes the important decisions
  • Takes charge after the important events
  • He symbolises decency and is the conscience of the novel
• Curley


  • Inhustice
  • Corruption
  • Menace
  • Aggressive
  • Pugnacious
  • Masculinity
  • Authoratitive
  • Brags
  • Power
  • Confrontational
  • Mean-spirited
  • Jealous
  • Volatile
  • Conflict
  • Over-protective
  • Threatening
  • Intimidate
  • Combative
  • Bitter
  • Judgemnentaal
  • Insecure
  • Antagonistic
  • Hostile
• Curley


  • Curley is the Boss' son
  • A small aggressive young man with a reputaution as a fighter
  • He is recently married and likes to show off about his wife
  • He looks for excuses for a fight or to cause trouble
  • Represents thebpower of the employer in society
  • His marriage does not appear to be a happy one – he still goes to the brothel
  • Curley makes abscene allusions to his wife in an attempt to show his superiority
  • He is a very selfish character, who likes to continually remind the men of his superior position
• Curley's Wife


  • Misunderstood
  • Obedient
  • Naïve
  • Stereotypical
  • Submissive
  • Lonely
  • Dissatisfied
  • Pretty
  • Seductive
  • Despair
  • Hopeful
  • Mistrusted
  • Flirtatious
  • Restless
  • Self-obsessed
  • Cruel
  • Attention-seeking
  • Insecure
  • Property
  • Feminine
• Curley's Wife


  • She is the attractive, newly married wife of Curley
  • She is the only female character in the novel and is never given a name
  • Appears very showy and flirtatious, which causes tension in the ranch
  • Is desperately lonely and is constantly trying to get attention form the men
  • She has a dream of becoming a famous actress
  • She is naïve and immature
  • She represents the female race in the novel
  • She is vindictive and will use the power that her status gives her, even if it is unfair
  • Her sexuality is the only real weapon that she has
• Crooks


  • Victim of racism
  • Isolated
  • Intelligent
  • Bitter
  • Cynical
  • Proud
  • Dignified
• Crooks has a crooked back where a horse kicked him
• Crooks is the stable buck and the boss gives him hell when he's mad
• Crooks reads a lot and has books in his room
• Crooks' bunk is a long box filled with straw, on which his blankets are flung
• Crooks has personal possessions scattered about the floor of his room
• She


  Represents the female race in the novel
• She


  • Has a dream of becoming a famous actress
  • Is naïve and immature
  • Is vindictive and will use the power that her status gives her, even if it is unfair
  • Her sexuality is the only real weapon that she has
• She represents the female race in the novel
• "Well, he better watch out for Lennie. Lennie ain't no fighter, but Lennie's strong and quick and Lennie don't know no rules"
• "That glove's full of Vaseline...Curley says he's keepin' that hand soft for his wife"
• "This thing they had never really believed in was coming true"
• "They left all the weak ones here"