1 · web viewwhere did the bus drop the two men off? _____ 2. how is george described? 3. how is...

Of Mice and Men: Chapter 1 Reading and Study Guide

I. VOCABULARY: Be able to define the following words and understand them when they appear in the novel.

bindle (noun): a bundle, as of bedding, carried by a hobo (slang form)

jack (noun): money (slang form)

morosely (____________) :________________________________________________________________________________

pantomime (____________) :_____________________________________________________________________________

drone (____________) :___________________________________________________________________________________

contemplated (____________) :___________________________________________________________________________

II. Allusions and historical references:

Soledad a coastal California city about 130 miles south of San Francisco

Salinas River a river that flows through Soledad and into Monterey Bay

Weed a northern California mining town

watchin’ that blackboard employment agencies would post available jobs on a blackboard in front of their offices. Prospective employees would watch the blackboard for any new jobs

work cards a job assignment from an employment agency would be written on a work card to be presented by the worker to the employer

III. LITERARY TERMS: Be able to define each term and apply each term to the novel.

imply___________________________________________________________________________________________________

allusion_________________________________________________________________________________________________

exposition______________________________________________________________________________________________

setting__________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is the setting of this novel? _________________________________________________________________

point of view____________________________________________________________________________________________

From what point of view is the story told?__________________________________________________________

IV. QUESTIONS: answer the following questions. Use complete sentences. 1. Where did the bus drop the two men off? ____________________________________________________________________

2. How is George described?

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3. How is Lennie described?

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4. What does Lennie do with the water that makes him proud of himself?

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5. What does Lennie not have in his pocket? __________________________________________________________________

6. Why does Lennie not have it in his pocket?

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7. What does Lennie take out of his pocket that gets him yelled at by George? __________________________________

8. What did Lennie want to do with this item? __________________________________________________________________

9. Where are George and Lennie going? ______________________________________________________________________

10. From where are George and Lennie coming? _______________________________________________________________

11. When they get to where they are going, what does George tell Lennie to do?

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12. Why did George and Lennie leave the last place they were at? _____________________________________________

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13. When Lennie goes out to get wood for a fire, what does he bring back that George takes away?

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14. Who used to give Lennie mice? ___________________________________________________________________________

15. Why did she stop giving Lennie mice? ______________________________________________________________________

16. What does Lennie want with his dinner that they don’t have? _______________________________________________

17. What does George imply happened in Weed with the girl? __________________________________________________

18. What dream does George and Lennie share? ______________________________________________________________

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19. Where does George tell Lennie to go if he gets in trouble? __________________________________________________

V. Paragraph: write a paragraph answer to the following question. Use quotes to support your answer.

20. Explain the relationship that exists between George and Lennie based on Chapter 1 of the book. (6 sentences)

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swamper (noun) handyman; someone who performs odd jobs—such as cleaning. (Referring to Candy)_

tick (noun) mattress covering

stable buck (noun) a stable is a building where horses are kept. A buck, in this case, is a derogatory word

for a black man. A stable buck, then, would be a black man who works in a stable.

skinner (noun) a mule driver

cesspool (____________) :________________________________________________________________________________

ominously (____________) :_______________________________________________________________________________

pugnacious (____________) :_____________________________________________________________________________

derogatory (____________):______________________________________________________________________________

mollified(____________) :________________________________________________________________________________

II. LITERARY TERMS: Be able to define each term and apply each term to the novel.

dialect_________________________________________________________________________________________________

novella_________________________________________________________________________________________________

irony___________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is an example of something ironic from this chapter?________________________________________

direct characterization__________________________________________________________________________________

indirect characterization________________________________________________________________________________

III. QUESTIONS: answer the following questions. Use complete sentences. 1. According to the old man, why was the boss mad at George and Lennie?

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2. What does George find in the box by his bed and what does he assume? ____________________________________

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3. Describe the “stable buck.” What physical attributes does he have? What does the boss use him for?

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4. Describe the fight between the “stable buck” and Smitty. ____________________________________________________

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5. What is Lennie’s last name? ___________________________________________________

6. What does the boss suspect George of doing to Lennie? What makes him think this? __________________________

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7. What reason does George give for taking care of Lennie? ____________________________________________________

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8. What is George’s last name? _____________________________________

9. Who is Curley? _____________________________________________________________________________________________

10. What does the swamper tell George about Curley’s left hand? ______________________________________________

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11. Describe Curley’s wife. ____________________________________________________________________________________ 12. Why does she come into the bunkhouse? __________________________________________________________________

13. Describe Slim. What is his job on the ranch? What are some of his character traits? _________________________

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14. What did Slim do to four of his pups? Why? _________________________________________________________________

15. What does Lennie want George to ask Slim? ________________________________________________________________

IV. SHORT ESSAY: Write a 2 paragraph answer to the following questions. Use quotes from the book to support your answer. (Each paragraph should be 8 sentences and you should have at least 1 quote per paragraph.)

16. Describe the atmosphere of the ranch and bunkhouse. Be sure to include characteristics of different characters that were formally or informally introduced to us in this chapter._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



derision(____________) :__________________________________________________________________________________

receptive(____________) :________________________________________________________________________________

reprehensible(____________) :____________________________________________________________________________

reverence(____________) :_______________________________________________________________________________

II. Allusions and historical references:

Luger (l g r) German semiautomatic pistol

III. LITERARY TERMS: Be able to define each term and apply each term to the novel.

theme________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is a theme of the novel so far?_____________________________________________________________

imagery________________________________________________________________________________________________

onomatopoeia_________________________________________________________________________________________

example: _______________________________________________________________________________________

foreshadow____________________________________________________________________________________________

conflict________________________________________________________________________________________________

General type Specific example from story

External: _____________ vs. ________________ — _______________ vs. _______________

_____________ vs. ________________ — _______________ vs. _______________

_____________ vs. ________________ — _______________ vs. _______________

Internal: _____________ vs. ________________ — _______________ vs. _______________

IV. QUESTIONS: answer the following questions. Use complete sentences. 1. What does Slim say he would have done to the dog if he hadn’t given it to Lennie? ___________________________

2. What does Slim say he finds funny? _________________________________________________________________________

3. George says if he were really smart he would be doing what? _______________________________________________

4. What is the story behind why Lennie and George travel together? ___________________________________________

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5. What can the reader infer about Lennie’s childhood and family life? _________________________________________

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6. What did George do once that made him stop playing jokes on Lennie? _____________________________________

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7. What card game does George play? _______________________________________________________________________

8. What does George tell Slim happened in Weed? ____________________________________________________________

9. What sneaky thing does Lennie try to do? ___________________________________________________________________

10. What game has the other guys been playing while George and Slim talk? ____________________________________

11. What is Carlson’s problem and what does he tell Candy to do? _____________________________________________

12. What reasons does Carlson give for wanting Candy’s dog shot? ____________________________________________

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13. What does Whit show Slim? _______________________________________________________________________________

14. What does Carlson say he has? ____________________________________________________________________________

15. What does Slim tell Carlson to take with him when goes to shoot Candy’s dog? Why? ________________________

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16. Whit says that George and Lennie must have come to work. What reason does he give? ____________________

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17. What does Whit invite George to do “tomorrow” night? _____________________________________________________

18. Why don’t the guys visit Clara’s house instead of Susy’s? ____________________________________________________

19. Why does George say he will go and get a drink but that he isn’t going to pay for a flop? ____________________

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20. What is Curley looking for? ________________________________________________________________________________

21. What does Curley think Slim is doing? ______________________________________________________________________

22. What is Slim really doing in the barn? ______________________________________________________________________

23. Who has been listening to and finally interrupts George and Lennie’s conversation about the ranch? _________

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24. For what reason would the people sell the ranch for only $600? ______________________________________________

25. How did Candy get $250? _________________________________________________________________________________

26. What is George afraid will happen to them if others find out they are going to buy a ranch? __________________

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27. What does Candy tell George he wishes he had done? _____________________________________________________

28. Why was Lennie smiling? ___________________________________________________________________________________

29. About what does Curley think Lennie smiling about? ________________________________________________________

30. What happens between Curley and Lennie? ________________________________________________________________

V. Paragraphs: Write 2 paragraphs in response to the following. Use quotes from the book to support your answer.

31. There are some similarities between Candy and his dog and George and Lennie. Explain the similarities. (Each paragraph should be 8 sentences and you should have at least 1 quote per paragraph.)

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aloof(____________) :____________________________________________________________________________________

fawning(____________) :__________________________________________________________________________________

apprehension(____________) :____________________________________________________________________________

indignation(____________) :______________________________________________________________________________

crestfallen(____________) :_______________________________________________________________________________


verbal irony_____________________________________________________________________________________________

example:________________________________________________________________________________________

symbolism______________________________________________________________________________________________

III. QUESTIONS: answer the following questions. Use complete sentences. 1. What are two books that Crooks owns? ______________________________________________________________________

2. How does Crooks react to Lennie when he comes to visit? ____________________________________________________

3. For what reason did Lennie come to the barn? ______________________________________________________________

4. Where is George? __________________________________________________________________________________________

5. What do we learn about Crooks’ family? ____________________________________________________________________

6. What does Lennie tell Crooks, even though he probably shouldn’t have? _____________________________________

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7. What is Crook’s opinion of George and Lennie desire to get land? ___________________________________________

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8. About what did Candy want to talk to Lennie? ______________________________________________________________

9. Where is George’s money going, according to Crooks. ______________________________________________________

10. Who visits Crooks, Candy, and Lennie? _____________________________________________________________________

11. What do we learn about Curley’s wife? ____________________________________________________________________

12. Before Curley’s wife leaves, what does she notice about Lennie? ____________________________________________

13. What does Curley’s wife say she could have done to Crooks? ________________________________________________

14. What is the last thing Crooks says to Candy? ________________________________________________________________

V. Paragraph: Write an 8-sentence paragraph answer to the following questions. Use at least one quote from the book to support your answer.

15. How is the theme of loneliness developed in this chapter? Think about the characters Lennie, Crooks, Candy, and Curley’s wife.

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Of Mice and Men: Chapter 5 & 6 Reading and Study Guide


woe(____________) :____________________________________________________________________________________

writhed(____________) :__________________________________________________________________________________

belligerently(____________) :______________________________________________________________________________

monotonous(____________) :_____________________________________________________________________________


protagonist_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Who is/are the protagonist(s)?____________________________________________________________________

personification__________________________________________________________________________________________

Example________________________________________________________________________________________

III. QUESTIONS: answer the following questions. Use complete sentences.

Chapter 5

1. What day and time is it at the beginning of chapter 5? _______________________________________________________

2. What is Lennie doing in the barn by himself? __________________________________________________________________

3. Why does Lennie think that he might not get to tend the rabbits? _____________________________________________

4. Who visits Lennie in the barn? _______________________________________________________________________________

5. According to Curley’s wife, why isn’t anyone going to leave the horseshoe tournament? ______________________

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6. According to Curley’s wife, how come she didn’t get into show business? _____________________________________

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7. What can we infer is the reason Curley’s wife married Curley? _________________________________________________

8. What plan does Lennie have to avoid getting in trouble? _____________________________________________________

9. What did Lennie lose that he wishes he had now? ___________________________________________________________

10. For what does Curley’s wife yell at Lennie? _________________________________________________________________

11. What did Lennie do to Curley’s wife? ______________________________________________________________________

12. Who finds Curley’s wife? __________________________________________________________________________________

13. What does Candy hopefully ask George? _________________________________________________________________

14. What favor does George ask of Candy? ___________________________________________________________________

15. What does Carlson think happened to his Luger? __________________________________________________________

Chapter 6

16. Where is Lennie hiding? ____________________________________________________________________________________

17. With whom does Lennie have his first imaginary conversation? _______________________________________________

18. With whom/what does Lennie have his second imaginary conversation? _____________________________________

19. What story does George tell Lennie? _______________________________________________________________________

20. What does he do while telling him this story? ________________________________________________________________

V. Paragraph: write one 8-sentence paragraph in response. Use at least one quote from the book to support your answer.

21. Write whether or not George was justified in what he did to Lennie. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Of Mice and Men Final Analysis

Characters as Archetypes

While Of Mice and Men occurs in a very specific time and place, each of the characters can be thought of as symbolizing broader populations. Each character can stand alone as simply a character, there’s still something to be gained by looking at each character as representative of their larger group.

What is an archetype? ________________________________________________________________________________________

How are archetypes used in literature? ________________________________________________________________________

Lennie is symbolic of the archetypal "wise fool," who is mentally inferior but able to reveal the best and the worst of others. Lennie’s foolishness often allows him to speak honestly where others won’t, and he sometimes taps into things that "normal" people can’t. Your example:

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Curley’s wife is symbolic of Eve – the female character who, in the Biblical story, brings sin and death to the world. She is also symbolic of women everywhere who are repressed by male-centered societies.Your example:

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Curley is symbolic of "small" people who may feel inferior and overcompensate by inflating or flaunting their power and status.Your example:

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________Crooks is symbolic of people who are discriminated against because of their race.Your example:

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Candy is symbolic of people who are undervalued and discriminated against because of their age. Your example:

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Slim is symbolic of the archetype of the hero, king, or leader. He represents those few who, in their wisdom and strength, seem larger than life.Your example:

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George is symbolic of "the everyman" – the type of normal, average person who is found everywhere and whose feelings and actions are neither exceptional nor terrible. He is the character with whom most readers will identify, as he symbolizes the difficulty of trudging through the everyday world (and extraordinary situations) when you’re just an ordinary guy.Your example:

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What’s Up With the Title?

John Steinbeck takes the title of this novella from the poem "To a Mouse [on turning her up in her nest with the plough]," written by Scottish poet Robert Burns in 1785. In the poem, the speaker has accidentally turned up a mouse’s nest with his plough, and takes the opportunity to wonder at man’s separation from the world of animals.

How are men and mice similar? How are they different?

http://www.robertburns.org/

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Most critics talking about Steinbeck point you to the seventh verse of the poem:

Poem My ParaphraseBut, Mousie, thou art no thy lane [alone] _______________________________________________In proving foresight may be vain: _______________________________________________The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men _______________________________________________Gang aft agley, [often go awry] _______________________________________________An' lea'e us nought [leave us nothing] but grief an' pain, _______________________________________________For promised joy.

The last stanza of Burns’s poem is probably the most relevant to Steinbeck’s novella: Poem My ParaphraseStill thou art blest, compar'd wi' me! _________________________________________________The present only toucheth thee: _________________________________________________But, och! I backward cast my e'e [eye] _________________________________________________On prospects drear! [dreary] _________________________________________________An' forward, tho' I canna [cannot] see _________________________________________________I guess an' fear! _________________________________________________

In the above stanza, the speaker realizes the poor little animal is only touched by the present, as she can’t think about the past or the future. It’s the thinking man, who can look backwards and forwards, that suffers the most from the awful things he’s done.

How does this relate to George’s fate?

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How does this relate to Lennie’s fate?

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ToneSteinbeck’s attitude toward the subject of his novella is one of great sympathy tempered by realism. Steinbeck contrasts the real world of poverty, limited resources, limiting social roles, human intolerance, and violence with the dream world of freedom, autonomy, wealth, friendship, and loyalty. This stark and unflinching juxtaposition seems an honest attempt to reveal that for some, the American Dream was simply that – a hopeless dream.

What tone does Of Mice and Men have to you? What example from the novel demonstrates this tone?

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Genre - Tragedy

Tragedy is characterized by seriousness, and usually features some main character that experiences a reversal of fortune from good to bad. This reversal is always brought about by an innate flaw of the character, or by a mistake that he or she makes. In this case, George’s flaw is his trust in Lennie – a mistake that even he realizes by the end of the book. In the final section, George stands over Curley’s wife’s body and says, "I should of knew…I guess way back in my head I did."

Of Mice and Men is a typical tragedy with an atypical main character. Tragedies traditionally center on main characters that are big-shot-important-leader types, whose falls from grace are steep drops from great heights. George doesn't fit this description, which makes this book rare and intriguing. In endearing us to George, Steinbeck shows that all men matter and that no one’s stories are more or less important than anyone else’s. Common men can also be the heroes of their own lives – or the victims of great tragedy.

What is George’s fatal flaw? Does this flaw make the reader like his character more or less?

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Writing Style

Steinbeck’s writing style mirrors his characters. Of course the author writes as the men would literally speak, but on a deeper level, the language of the book is simple but compelling – just like the characters. Because the language is easy to understand, it’s even more extraordinary that it can carry such lofty themes, feelings, and ideas.

Though the characters never gush about each other, it’s clear that they feel deeply. Steinbeck achieves this by using simple language to build characters who are more than what they say. For example, while George says he and Lennie just got used to each other, what he’s really feeling is that their friendship is the only thing he’s ever really had to hold on to. The language, like the men on the ranch, seems simple enough, but it’s more "still waters run deep" than "OMG you’re my BFFL."

The language is simplistic but the meaning is complex. How does this mirror the characters?

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Why do you think readers appreciate Steinbeck’s style?

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Setting as Symbols/Symbols

The pool by the river:

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The bunkhouse:

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The dream farm:

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Mice: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is used in written art and film to give hints about things to come in later plot developments. It can be very broad and easily understood, or it may be complex use of symbols, that are then connected to later turn in the plot.

Death/Killing:

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Secret hiding place:

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Themes

Weakness and Human Nature: Throughout the story we come across weakness in characters. These characters prey upon those weaker than themselves as part of their human nature.

George:

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Crooks:

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Curley’s wife:

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Loneliness and Isolation: Isolation is shown in many ways. For one the towns name Soledad when translated it means Isolation. Despite living together communally as a small group with similar needs, the ranch workers do not form meaningful friendships of any lasting significance. They are timid and reluctant to initiate or recognize social contact. They move from ranch to ranch like wandering nomads in constant search for work. The opportunity to create relationships becomes lost in the drive to promote basic survival.

Candy: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Crooks: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Curley’s wife: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Unfulfilled Dreams: Many of the characters have dreams that have never and will never come true.

George:

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Candy:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Crooks:

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Curley’s wife:

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1 · web viewwhere did the bus drop the two men off? _____ 2. how is george described? 3. how is...

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