Of Mice and Men Group at eNotes

Whit invites George and some of the other ranch hands to go into town to...

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 16:19:26 PST

Whit invites George and some of the other ranch hands to go into town to the cathouse, or brothel. George says it's better to go to the cathouse and have his fill all at once rather than be tempted by fornication in the meantime. But, at the same time, it shows how lonely the men are. Those left behind are the weakest ones: Lennie, Candy, and Crooks. It is one of the few times that George leaves Lennie alone. During this time, Lennie...

What does Whit invite George to do "tomorrow" night?

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 15:46:30 PST

What does Whit invite George to do "tomorrow" night?

Although Curley's wife does suffer from oppression to some degree in...

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 02:31:55 PST

Although Curley's wife does suffer from oppression to some degree in John Steinbeck's novel 'Of Mice and Men' the responsibilty for that does not solely rest with others. Although we are not told much about her family background it was possible that she was oppressed in the sense that her dreams to build a career (in arts, with acting) were not encouraged and nurtured because she was a girl. Dreams like that were an expensive no-go for many...

Curley's Wife suffers from oppression and isolation because she is a...

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:17:13 PST

Curley's Wife suffers from oppression and isolation because she is a woman. Steinbeck uses her as a stock character to represent another type of outcast in his novella of outcasts. While Lennie and George are outcasts because of Lennie's mental handicap and their unusual relationship, while Candy is isolated because of his age and injury, and while Crooks lives a solitary life because of his race, Curley's Wife endures the same type of...

In your opinion, does Curley's Wife from Of Mice and Men suffer from...

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:49:10 PST

In your opinion, does Curley's Wife from Of Mice and Men suffer from oppression because she is a woman?

George shows his compassion for Lennie in many ways throughout the...

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 05:23:29 PST

George shows his compassion for Lennie in many ways throughout the novel. First, he agrees to the aunt's dying request to take care of Lennie. He could, of course, just go out on his own and realize his dream of success, but instead "adopts" Lennie as his own. George's compassion for Lennie is also shown by his knowlege of Lennie's disability. He tries to protect Lennie from others who don't understand, especially from Curly. George...

George shows he is wise in predicting that Lennie will get in trouble...

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:09:52 PST

George shows he is wise in predicting that Lennie will get in trouble again. He sets up the escape plan in Chapter 1 telling Lennie to 'hide in the brush'. He understands Lennie's need to 'pet soft things' and gets him a puppy from Slim. He also convinces Lennie to lie about them being related in order to appease the boss with regard to their travel arrangements. He jokes about this with Lennie, saying '...if I was a relative of yours I'd...

Viewed as the truly heroic character of "Of Mice and Men," Slim, with...

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:13:29 PST

Viewed as the truly heroic character of "Of Mice and Men," Slim, with his "God-like eyes" is perspicacious and understanding: His ear heard more than was said to him, and his slow speech had overtones not of thought, but of understanding beyond thought. Intuitive, Slim is the one man who comforts George at the end of the novella, tersely telling George, 'You hadda, George. I swear you hadda. Come on with me.' Because Slim is reticent...

For one thing, George is perspicacious, recognizing the danger of...

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:56:39 PST

For one thing, George is perspicacious, recognizing the danger of revealing too much information and trusting people. He is able to "read" people, recognizing the wisdom and confidentiality of Slim, and the danger of the flirtatious wife of Curley. Above all he realizes the importance of dreams and of having a friend. Here are three quotes: [on the importance of friendship] 'Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the...

Ironically, in John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men," there exists a...

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:27:25 PST

Ironically, in John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men," there exists a struggle among the men because of their aloneness. Set against the dire times of the Great Depression, the men are insecure as they have no real home, they are separated from their families, they have no permanent job and must vie for jobs against strangers; as a result, they become distrustful of one another. In this Darwinian setting, the men have a profound sense of...

The element of power is shown within a hierarchy on the working men's...

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 06:13:00 PST

The element of power is shown within a hierarchy on the working men's ranch in John Steinbeck's 'Of Mice And Men' and in the main relationship. In the relationship between George and Lennie, the hierarchy varies. On a day-to-day basis Lennie appears to depend on George for absolutely everything such as food, work and company. However Steinbeck turns this upside-down sometimes too, both with George and Lennie and on the ranch. For example,...

There are a few things you can look at here: Power struggle between...

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 05:36:30 PST

There are a few things you can look at here: Power struggle between individuals. What kind of power dynamic do you see between Curley and Slim? Curley and Lennie? Curley and his wife? Power struggle between social groups: What do Curley's wife's interactions with the men/her husband say about power in terms of gender? What does the relationship between Crooks and the rest of the men say about race and power? Power struggle between...

In Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck the power struggle is seen through...

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 05:33:01 PST

In Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck the power struggle is seen through the way none of the characters ever seem to win. The characters are surrounded by an atmosphere of strength but, some of the characters are not. George has an almost natural power that he dictates to Lennie and the residents at the ranch respect him for this. Lennie on the other hand, has a strange type of power that is different to George. Lennie is a tall character who...

How does John Steinbeck portray the power struggle among the men in...

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 04:12:59 PST

How does John Steinbeck portray the power struggle among the men in his novella "Of Mice and Men"?

it dose not say the dog's name in the book it just calls him Candy's dog...

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:43:05 PST

it dose not say the dog's name in the book it just calls him Candy's dog for his entire appearance in the book

It sounds like your teacher might be asking you to perform a...

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:46:29 PST

It sounds like your teacher might be asking you to perform a psychological evaluation of each. Are there any outside sources you are supposed to use? Are you supposed to be diagnosing the men with specific issues, or just using your own frame of reference? If you are not supposed to use any outside sources, you can analyze each man using these questions: Does the character seem to have any "issues"? Does he display any behavior that...

Or... Lennie could be quite challenging too - he gets talked about a lot...

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:14:18 PST

Or... Lennie could be quite challenging too - he gets talked about a lot but we never really get inside his head except when George mentions what Lennie used to say, or what we can guess from the telling of the story. It would be very interesting to know what he really thinks,whether he ever moved on from what George thinks he is about and how his feelings are doing. Maybe pick one passage about him, or something he feels strongly about, such...

lennie would be easy

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:49:09 PST

lennie would be easy

Who would be a good character who could be the speaker of a...

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:46:34 PST

I would like a reasonable character from the book 'Of Mice and Men' about whom I could talk as (the first person). I'm really struggling to start off my monolgue as either, I don't know how to write my monologue based upon a character, or who to write it about.

After the two men arrive in Soledad outside the ranch where they will...

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:16:39 PST

After the two men arrive in Soledad outside the ranch where they will start work the next day, George and Lennie camp for the night. As George "stared morosely at the water," the reader gleans some insight into the loneliness of this character who has come to a town in Californian named after loneliness as well as the character of the child-like Lennie who cannot remember where they are going, but likes to pet mice. That Lennie is a burden to...