Illustration of a man's hands holding a small rabbit

Of Mice and Men

by John Steinbeck

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Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck– Guilt vs. Innocence

by Bruce Bergman

  • Released February 12, 2019
  • subjects
  • 0 pages
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Grade Levels

Grade 10

About

The novel Of Mice and Men explores many themes. Despite its brevity, the book brings up questions of power, powerlessness, social position, personal responsibility, integrity, ambition, and the list goes on. However, we might say that the theme most central to the novel is also the most complex – guilt vs. innocence. In this exercise, your task is to explore both sides of the morality question in the killings in the novel. Do this by looking at the role characters play in each killing and answer the questions: • In what way(s) is this character guilty? How can we argue that he did the “wrong thing”? • In what way(s) is this character innocent? How can we argue that he did the “right thing”?