Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

• The novel begins in a beautiful natural setting on the Salinas River. What descriptive details make this particular place seem so appealing? Would you enjoy spending the night here, as George and Lennie do? Why or why not?
• How are George and Lennie different physically? How are they different intellectually? Which of them is obviously the leader of the two? How do you know?
• At one point in Chapter 1, George becomes very angry with Lennie. Explain what prompts George’s angry outburst. How is Lennie affected by it? How does George feel afterward? Describe how George and Lennie try to make each other feel better after George loses his temper. What do their actions suggest to you about them and their relationship?
• George and Lennie are homeless migrant workers who travel from one ranch to another in search of a paycheck. How do they see themselves as being different from other migrant ranch hands? Do you think it is an important difference? Why or why not?
• Describe George and Lennie’s dream of the future. How do you know it has been their dream for some time? What does their dream seem to represent or symbolize?

These eNotes Reading Response Prompts are designed to encourage your students to read more effectively and with more pleasure by giving them interesting subjects to write about after they have read. Many of the prompts will take them directly into the text, while others will give them an opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings and to reflect on their own experiences.

A second purpose of the eNotes Reading Response Prompts is to facilitate instruction in ways that work for you in the classroom. The organization of the prompts makes them easy to use, and the content and construction of the prompts are designed to develop students’ knowledge and academic skills.