Name _________________________________
Date _______________/ Block __________
The Title of the Novel
The title of the novel comes from a poem by the Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759 - 96):
Wee, sleeket, cowrin, tim'rous beastie, ...
... But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o' mice an' men [the best laid schemes of mice and men]
Gang aft agley, [often go wrong]
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain [and leave us nothing but grief and pain]
For promis'd joy. [for promised joy]
Still thou art blest, compar'd wi' me!
The present only toucheth thee:
But, och! I backward cast my e'e
On prospects drear!
An' forward, tho' I canna see,
I guess an' fear!
1. What do you think the poem is about?
2. Why did Steinbeck use a part of it for a title?
3. What adjectives do you commonly attach to the words “mice” and “men?” (Think about their
power)
Chapter 1
1. What is the setting as the novel begins? (Setting = time and place)
2. What do you picture as the story opens?
3. What does your imagination add to the sights, sounds, and smells?
4. What is happening?
5. What is George like?
6. What is Lennie like?
7. What sort of relationship do these two seem to have?
8. Why do you think George and Lennie are together?
9. Where are George and Lennie going?
10. Where have they come from?
11. Why are they camping out?
12. What does Lennie have in his pocket? Why?
13. Why doesn’t George let Lennie keep what he found?
14. Why did Lennie always killed the mice Aunt Clara gave him?
15. What do you learn about what happened to make Lennie and George leave Weed?
16. Why does George get angry with Lennie?
17. Why does Lennie tell George he wouldn’t eat any ketchup if it were there?
18. How would Lennie do on his own? Why do you think this?
Visualizing the Setting
21. What year does the novel take place?
22. Given what you know about Steinbeck’s background, what similarities do you see in the novel
so far?
Chapter 2
1. Why is the new boss angry before George and Lennie arrive?
2. Do you think George and Lennie are worried about angering their new boss?
3. Why isn’t George happy with his bunk?
4. How does Candy reassure him?
5. Do you believe Candy? Why or why not?
6. Who was Smitty?
7. How did he treat the black worker with the crooked back at Christmas?
8. Do you feel sympathy for the black man? Why or why not?
9. Does Candy feel sorry for the black man? Defend your answer.
10. What is the boss like?
11. Why doesn’t Lennie answer him?
12. How does the boss feel about Lennie’s mental slowness?
13. What is Curley like?
14. How does he rub George the wrong way from the start?
15. What does George mean, what’s he got on his shoulder?
16. How do Curley and his new bride get along?
17. Who is Slim?
18. What is Slim like?
19. How is he different from the others?
20. How does he treat George and Lennie?
21. How is his opinion of their friendship different from Curley opinion?
22. What is Curley thinking?
23. PERSONAL OPINION: Why do you suppose he is so pugnacious (eager to fight)?
Anticipation Guide for Chapter 3
Instructions: Read through all of the questions (numbers 1-9) before you write down any answers
(because you will have to distinguish between different aspects of basically the same questions).
Then, go through and Mark an “X” in either the “Yes” Column or the “No” Column.
YES NO
EXPLANATION:
Use Evidence/Context Clues if you can
1.
2.
Based on what you read in
Chapter 2 about Lennie and
Curley’s interactions, do you
believe that Curley is
intimidating to Lennie?
Do you believe that George
was right in telling Lennie to
stay away from Curley?
3.
Do you believe that Lennie is
capable of heeding George’s
advice?
4.
Do you think Lennie would
strike Curley if given merely
an opportunity?
5.
Or, do you think Lennie
would strike Curley if given
both an opportunity and a
motive?
Or, do you think Lennie
would strike Curley if
presented with three factors:
an opportunity, a motive,
and if he felt he was
trapped?
Or, do you think that there is
no chance that Lennie will
strike Curley?
6.
7.
8.
Or, do you think it is more
likely that Curley will strike
Lennie?
9.
Or, do you think there will be
no more interaction between
Lennie and Curley
throughout the rest of the
novel?
Name _________________________________
Date _______________/ Block __________
Chapter 3
1. Why does Slim call Lennie a cuckoo?
2. Why does George correct him?
3. How does Slim feel about the friendship between George and Lennie?
4. What was the last prank George played on Lennie?
5. Why was it the last he’ll ever play?
6. What further details do we learn about the incident in Weed? How do we find out?
7. Where does Lennie get the pup?
8. How does George know that Lennie has brought the pup into the bunkhouse?
9. Why doesn’t he let the puppy stay?
10. What game do several of the men play outdoors?
11. How good a player is the black worker?
12. Why does Whit want Slim to read the magazine?
13. Why is it that Carlson “refuses to be drawn in” to the conversation?
14. Why do you think Candy allowed Carlson to kill his dog?
15. Should he have done it himself, or refused to have it done? Explain your response.
16. Why do the men like Susy’s place?
17. Why is it better than Clara’s?
18. How does Lennie end up hurting Curley?
19. Was George giving good advice when he told Lennie to fight back? Explain your answer.
20. Is Curley’s wife to blame for the fight? Why or why not?
Name _________________________________
Date _______________/ Block __________
Chapter 4
1. What is Crooks’ bunk like?
2. What does it show you about him?
3. What doesn’t Crooks want Lennie to come into his room at first?
4. Why does he change his mind?
5. Why does Crooks tell Lennie so much about himself?
6. Do you agree with him that “a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick”?
7. What do you learn about Crooks’ past?
8. How does Crooks scare Lennie with his talk? Why?
9. How does he apologize?
10. Why does he apologize? Is he afraid of Lennie? Defend your answer.
11. Does he regret frightening Lennie? How do you know?
12. Why does Candy come into Crooks’ room?
13. How can you tell that Crooks is pleased?
14. Why is he pleased to have visitors?
15. Why does Curley’s wife come into Crooks’ room?
16. Where are all the other men?
17. Do you think Curley’s wife is right when she says, “You’re all scared of each other, that’s
what”? Why or why not?
18. Is Curley’s wife lonely? Defend your answer.
19. What kind of life does she want?
20. Why does Curley’s wife insult Candy, Lennie, and Crooks?
21. How does Crooks stand up to her at first?
22. How does he back down and why?
23. For which, if any, of these people do you feel sorry? Explain your answer.
24. Why is George angry with Lennie and with Candy when he finds them in Crooks’ room?
25. How do you think Crooks feels when Candy protests, “Didn’t tell nobody but Crooks”?
26. How does Crooks offer to help out on the place George, Lennie, and Candy are planning
to get? Why?
27. Why does Crooks call to Candy, “Jus’ foolin’ I wouldn’t want to go no place like that”?
28. How can you tell that his mood has changed?
Name _________________________________
Date _______________/ Block __________
Chapter 5
1. What happened to Lennie’s puppy?
2. How does Lennie feel about it?
3. Why does Curley’s wife talk to Lennie in the barn?
4. How is the conversation similar to when Crooks talked to him?
5. What do you learn about her background?
6. PERSONAL OPINION: How do you imagine the scene where Curley and his wife first
met?
7. Why does Curley’s wife let Lennie pat her hair?
8. Why does she end up screaming?
9. How is this like what happened to Lennie before?
10. Why does Lennie get angry with Curley’s wife and kill her?
11. How is Curley’s wife discovered?
12. Does Candy feel sorry for the dead woman? Why or why not?
13. Do you feel sorry for her? Why or why not?
14. What does George mean when he tells Candy, “I think I knowed we’d never do her”?
15. Are you surprised by George’s words? Why or why not?
16. What plan does George come up with after Candy finds the body? Why?
17. What else could he do?
18. Why do Slim and George agree, “I guess we gotta get [Lennie]”?
19. What is Curley’s immediate reaction to the murder?
20. What about Carlson and Whit’s reaction?
21. What plans do they make?
22. Why does Curley want George along?
Name _________________________________
Date _______________/ Block __________
Chapter 6
1. How is the setting at the opening of this final chapter like that of the first scene in the story?
2. In what ways has the story come full circle?
3. How is a killing introduced into this placid opening?
4. How is the description of the snake’s death like the description of Lennie’s violence against
Curley and against his wife?
5. Why has Lennie come to this clearing?
6. What is he imagining?
7. Why is he having hallucinations about the old woman and the rabbit?
8. What is George’s mood when he finds Lennie?
9. Why doesn’t he yell at Lennie at first?
10. Why does he go ahead with his usual complaints about Lennie- but “ woodenly”?
11. How does Lennie know it is a good time to “trick” George into telling him the story?
12. Why does the storytelling usually give both of them pleasure?
13. How does George distract Lennie while he takes out the gun?
14. Where did the gun come from?
15. Why does he tell Lennie to take his hat off?
16. Why do you suppose Steinbeck chose to describe how George looked at Lennie’s head with
the starkly anatomical phrase- “where the spine and skull were joined”?
17. Why does George kill Lennie?
18. PERSONAL OPINION: Do you think he is doing the right thing? Defend your answer.
19. How is the killing of Lennie like the killing of Candy’s dog?
20. How do Slim and Carlson react when they find that Lennie has been shot?
21. EDUCATED OPINION: How do you think they feel as they view the body?
22. Does either suspect the truth about how Lennie died?
23. EDUCATED OPINION: Are you surprised? Why or why not?
24. How can you tell that Slim understands how George is feeling?
25. How does he offer comfort to George?
26. How does George lie about circumstances of Lennie’s killing?
27. What would happen if he told the truth- or if the search party had seen what happened?
28. PERSONAL OPINION: Do you think Slim should tell the others the truth? Why or why not?
Theme Study: The Power is in the Hands
The use of hands in the novel can be seen as metaphorical for the structure of power among the
characters. Common hands, or a lack of hands could symbolize common power or a lack of power,
while strong hands or refined hands could symbolize great power.
1. How is Lennie’s power demonstrated by his hands in chapter one?
2. Why are the farm workers known as “ranch hands”?
3. Compared to the other ranch hands, how is Lennie’s power demonstrated by his hands
when he works in the fields?
4. What sport is Curley known for? What body part does it require?
5. What does Curley do with one of his hands?
6. How does this symbolize a civilized person? Does a civilized person have more power than
a common worker?
7. Describe the hands of Curley’s wife. How might they symbolize civility or refinement?
8. How much power does she have on the farm?
9. Why is playing cards known as playing a “hand of cards”?
10. Which people on the farm are known for playing cards, especially solitaire?
11. If you consider horses to have hands, what do they wear on them?
12. Which people on the farm play with these things?
13. How is Lennnie’s power demonstrated by his hands in chapter three?
14. How does Lennie take away Curley’s power?
15. How does Candy’s lack of a hand demonstrate his lack of power?
16. How is Lennie’s power demonstrated by his hands twice in chapter five?
17. How does George increase the power in his hands in order to overpower Lennie?
18. In terms of a power hierarchy, what do you see as the metaphorical order of power among
the characters in the book?
Character Study: “Private Victory” Crooks
Compare the description of the bunkhouse at the beginning of chapter 2 with the description of
Crooks’ little shed at the beginning of chapter 4.
1. What things of comfort are provided in the bunkhouse for the ranchers?
2. What things of comfort are provided for Crooks in his room?
3. What does Crooks not have?
4. What is the actual function of Crooks’ room?
5. Based on what is stored in Crooks’ room, what do you think it smells like?
6. Based on the books that Crooks owns, what does this say about the value of education to him?
7. Why does Crooks value another human being over books?
8. If Crooks’ “ol’ man” used to own a chicken farm, how come Crooks now works as a stable buck
on someone else’s farm?
9. Why does Crooks have more possessions than the ranchers?
10. Why is Crooks not allowed in the bunkhouse?
11. Why does Crooks play a game of “S’pose” with Lennie? What “private victory” is he hoping to
achieve? Why?
12. In terms of mental power versus physical power, compare Lennie and Crooks.
13. Why does Crooks like Slim? What does Slim represent to Crooks?
14. Why does Crooks agree to work for free for George, Lennie and Candy? What would be
different about working for them?
15. Why does Curley’s wife threaten Crooks?
16. How is this like the “private victory” that Crooks was trying to have over Lennie?
17. Why does Crooks say that what Curley’s wife said about him “is true”?
18. Why does Crooks change his mind about working for George, Lennie, and Candy?
19. How is Crooks a symbol for the black experience in America in the early 1900’s?
Character Study: “Private Victory” Curley’s Wife
1. Why is Curley’s wife never mentioned by her name? What effect does this have on the reader?
2. What does Curley’s wife mean when she says that the men are “scared of each other…scared
the rest is goin’ to get something on you”?
3. Why is Curley’s wife unhappy in her own house?
4. Why is Curley’s wife mad at the “bindle bums”?
5. What “private victory” does she get over each of the men?
6. Why does she act so mean towards the three men, especially Crooks? What’s going on in her
life that might make her act this way?
7. Curley’s wife claims that she talks just fine with men one on one, but always has problems
when she is talking to more than one. Is this true when she talk with Lennie in chapter five?
8. When compared to chapter four, how does she talk different to Lennie when they are alone in
chapter five?
9. Why did she marry Curley?
10. What life did she have to give up? Why? What life is left to her now on a farm with a bunch of
guys who go off into town to see girls?
Character Study: Dreams and Character Flaws
Character
Lennie
George
Candy
Curley’s Wife
Crooks
Character’s dream
Actions to get dream
Gets dream?