Of Mice and Men
Chapter 5
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 83
● setting: barn on Sunday afternoon
● characters: almost all (except the
boss)
● themes: dreams, broken dreams,
violence, disabilities and justice
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 83
● Highlight - horses: stamped their feet,
bit the wood, and rattled the halter
chains
○ What is Steinbeck doing?
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 83
● Highlight - horses: stamped their feet,
bit the wood, and rattled the halter
chains
○ onomatopoeia and animal
behavior foreshadow future
problems
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 83
● Highlight - little dead puppy
○ What is Steinbeck doing?
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 83
● Highlight - little dead puppy
○ Lennie is dangerous because his
mental disability prevents him
from knowing his own strength.
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 84
● Highlight - “Now maybe George ain’t
gonna let me tend no rabbits, …”
○ What is Steinbeck doing?
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 84
● Highlight - “Now maybe George ain’t
gonna let me tend no rabbits, …”
○ Lennie disturbs the reader
because he thinks about the
rabbits instead of the dead
puppy.
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 85
● Highlight - bright cotton dress … red
ostrich feathers
○ What is Steinbeck doing?
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 85
● Highlight - bright cotton dress … red
ostrich feathers
○ dress - reminds the reader that
Lennie escapes from Weed after
touching a woman’s dress
○ red: symbolizes danger
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 85
● Highlight - “You can talk to people, but
I can’t talk to nobody but Curley.”
○ What is Steinbeck doing?
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 85
● Highlight - “You can talk to people, but
I can’t talk to nobody but Curley.”
○ pity for Curley’s wife
○ Curley’s wife = lonely
○ Curley’s wife = Crooks - both are
extremely isolated
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 87
● Highlight - pitchers, movies, “I never
got that letter.” “So I married Curley.” “I
don’t like Curley.”
○ What is Steinbeck doing?
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 87
● Highlight - pitchers, movies, “I never got that
letter.” “So I married Curley.” “I don’t like
Curley.”
○ broken dream
○ pity her
○ like (italics) makes the reader consider
whether she is looking for another man
...
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 88
● Highlight - Once at a fair I seen …
long-hair rabbits.
○ What is Steinbeck doing?
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 88
● Highlight - Once at a fair I seen …
long-hair rabbits.
○ background so that the reader
understands Lennie’s fascination
with rabbits
○ compare to Curley’s wife
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 89
● Highlight - “Feel right aroun’ there an
see how it is.”
○ What is Steinbeck doing?
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 89
● Highlight - “Feel right aroun’ there an
see how it is.”
○ dramatic irony: readers know
about Weed
○ builds tension
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 89
● Highlight - he shook her; and her body
flopped like a fish
○ What is Steinbeck doing?
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 89
● Highlight - he shook her; and her body
flopped like a fish
○ Lennie kills Curley’s wife by
breaking her neck.
○ simile: makes the reader visualise
her broken body
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 90
● Highlight - … an’ hide in the brush till
he come.
○ What is Steinbeck doing?
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 90
● Highlight - … an’ hide in the brush till
he come.
○ Lennie plans to go back to the
Salinas River pool and wait for
George
○ trust and loyalty towards George
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 91
● Highlight - pigeon, shepherd bitch …
whimpered and cringed
○ What is Steinbeck doing?
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 91
● Highlight - pigeon, shepherd bitch …
whimpered and cringed
○ animals symbolize tension
○ whimpered: onomatopoeia and
sensory details engage the reader
○ animals foreshadow events
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 91
● Highlight - meanness and the
plannings and the discontent and the
ache for attention were all gone
○ What is Steinbeck doing?
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 91
● Highlight - meanness and the
plannings and the discontent and the
ache for attention were all gone
○ emphasizes her internal conflict
○ situational irony: peace comes to
her at the price of death
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 92
● Highlight - horses stamped … the
halter chains clinked
○ What is Steinbeck doing?
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 92
● Highlight - horses stamped … the
halter chains clinked
○ animal symbolism: unease and
foreshadows conflict
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 92
● Highlight - his face was as hard and
tight as wood, and his eyes were hard
○ What is Steinbeck doing?
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 92
● Highlight - his face was as hard and
tight as wood, and his eyes were hard
○ simile: George knows that Lennie
killed Curley’s wife
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 93
● Highlight - “Maybe they’ll lock ’im open
an’ be nice to ’im.”
○ What is Steinbeck doing?
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 93
● Highlight - “Maybe they’ll lock ’im open
an’ be nice to ’im.”
○ reminds the reader about Candy
and his old dog
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 93
● Highlight - Curly gon’ta wanta get ’im
lynched.
○ What is Steinbeck doing?
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 93
● Highlight - Curly gon’ta wanta get ’im
lynched.
○ lynched = extreme pain and
suffering
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 93
● Highlight - greatest fear. “You an’ me
can get that little place, can’t we,
George?
○ What is Steinbeck doing?
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 93
● Highlight - greatest fear. “You an’ me
can get that little place, can’t we,
George?
○ Candy: broken dream
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 93
● Highlight - my fifty bucks .. lousy cat
house
○ What is Steinbeck doing?
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 93
● Highlight - my fifty bucks .. lousy cat
house
○ George: broken dream - no hope
for the future
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 93
● Highlight - weakly out of the barn, an
he rubbed his bristly whiskers with his
wrist stump
○ Candy blames Curley’s wife and
not Lennie
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 95
● Highlight - black hat
○ What is Steinbeck doing?
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 95
● Highlight - black hat
○ foreshadows George’s future
actions
○ How will he respond?
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 95
● Highlight - “I’ll kill the big son-of-a-bitch
myself. I’ll shoot ’im in the guts.
○ What is Steinbeck doing?
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 95
● Highlight - “I’ll kill the big son-of-a-bitch
myself. I’ll shoot ’im in the guts.
○ Curley: wants revenge
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 95
● Highlight - He-would of have went
south.
○ What is Steinbeck doing?
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 95
● Highlight - He-would of have went
south.
○ George deceives the ranch
hands. He does not want them to
find Lennie.
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 96
● Highlight - An’ s’pose they lock him up
an’ strap him down and put him in a
cage. That ain’t no good, George.
○ What is Steinbeck doing?
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 96
● Highlight - An’ s’pose they lock him up
an’ strap him down and put him in a
cage. That ain’t no good, George.
○ Slim suggests that it would be
better to kill Lennie than to put
him in jail.
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 96
● Highlight - Maybe Carlson lost his gun.
○ What is Steinbeck doing?
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 96
● Highlight - Maybe Carlson lost his gun.
○ George has the gun.
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 97
● Highlight - The barn was darkening ...
○ What is Steinbeck doing?
Of Mice and Men Chapter 5: page 97
● Highlight - The barn was darkening ...
○ foreshadows more violence and
conflict