Literature Review

1
Literature Review

• Of Mice and Men
• A novel by John Steinbeck

2
Setting

• 1930s in California - Great Depression
• The story occurs over a period of 4 days in four
  specific locations
• - in the brush next to the Salinas River
• - a bunkhouse on the ranch
• - the stable hand's room on the ranch
• - the main barn on the ranch

3
CharactersGeorge Milton is characterized as...

• a migrant farmworker
• a small, quick, hard working, good man
• Lennies protector and care giver
• gettting easily frustrated with Lennie
• a person who hopes to have a Dream Farm with
  Lennie, but loses that hope once Lennie dies
• a character who mercifully kills his best friend

4
CharactersLennie Small is characterized as...

• a large, childlike migrant worker with a mild
  mental disability
• a character who completely depends upon George,
  his friend and traveling companion, for guidance
  and protection.
• a child who wholeheartedly believes in the Dream
  Farm
• not understanding his own strength.
• someone who loves petting soft things, such as
  small animals, dresses, and peoples hair,
• a character who unintentionally, kills Curleys
  Wife

5
CharactersCandy is characterized as...

• an aging ranch handyman
• having lost his hand in an accident and worries
  about his future on the ranch.
• someone who provides hope for the Dream Farm he
  offers his lifes savings so he can join George
  and Lennie in owning the land
• someone who struggles with the fate of his
  ancient dog (Carlson shoots the suffering dog in
  the back of the head in an alleged act of mercy
  this foreshadows the manner of Lennies death.)
• a character who struggles with the fact that he
  didnt shoot his own dog.

6
CharactersCurley is characterized as...

• the bosss son
• a pugnacious boxer who is confrontational and
  mean-spirited
• a character who seeks to compensate for his small
  physical nature by picking fights with larger
  men.
• a man consumed with jealous suspicions and is
  extremely possessive of his flirtatious young
  wife.

7
CharactersCurleys Wife is characterized as...

• a possession she is never given a name and is
  only referred to in reference to her husband
• a potential problem who is feared by the
  ranch-hands
• as attention seeking, as she dresses in fancy,
  feathered red shoes
• a desperately lonely girl who simply wants to be
  noticed and have some meaningful companionship
• a character who has broken dreams of a better
  life.

8
Conflicts

• Man vs. Man
• - Curley against Lennie
• - Curleys Wife against Lennie
• - George against Lennie
• - Carlson against Candys Dog
• Man vs. Self
• - George against himself
• - Candy against himself

9
Foreshadowing

• Carlson shoots Candys Dog in order to put it out
  of its misery. This event foreshadows Lennies
  death. George uses Carlsons gun to mercifully
  shoot Lennie.
• The fact that Candy greatly regrets not killing
  his dog/his best friend foreshadows the fact that
  George will be the one to ultimately take the
  life of Lennie at the close of the novel.

10
Symbolism

• The Rabbits
• - A symbol of Lennies future, simple and
  perfect life on the Dream Farm
• - They also represent the death of the Dream
  Farm. The gigantic rabbit that scolds Lennie at
  the end of the story suggests that Lennie
  realizes deep down that he'll never have his
  dream.
• The Dream Farm
• - A symbol for George and Lennies perfect,
  free, and happy life.

11
Themes

• Dreams
• - Without dreams and goals, life is an endless
  stream of days that have little connection or
  meaning.
• Loneliness...Companionship
• - Humans crave contact with each other to give
  life meaning.
• Moral Responsibility
• - Mankind should be responsible and helpful to
  others who are less fortunate.