Of+Mice+and+Men

__Key Plot Events__

__Key Characters__

Lennie- one of the two main characters with the novel. Lennie is mildly disabled but altogether kind and loving. His companion George continues to look out for him through the course of the novel even when Lennie continues to lose the support of the other farmhands.

George- Lennie's companion, George is the brains to Lennie's strength. He guides Lennie throughout much of the novel (although he does complain often that life would be better without his bulky friend). He holds a realistic view of his and Lennie's future and comes across as truly protective of Lennie.

Candy- the old and arguably mentally disabled (in his old age) handyman grows attached to the duo throughout the novel. He becomes wrapped up in Lennie and George's ideas of riches and success. The murder of his dog foreshadows the eventual death of Lennie.

Curley's Wife- the only female character within the novel (and the only to lack a name). She is depicted as a truly lonely human who flirts with the various men on the farm. She is eventually killed by Lennie.

Crooks- the black farmhand who lives separated from the other workers on the farm. He receives his name from his crooked back. Crooks befriends Lennie in the novel. Both share a common trait that separates them from the others. While Lennie has a mental disorder, Crooks is a black physically disabled man. Crooks also shares Lennie's dreams in riches and success.

__Setting (time and place)__

Salinas Valley in California (South of San Francisco). It takes place during the Great Depression sometime in the 1930s.

__Key Themes__


 * The American Dream**- The main characters of George and Lennie both dream of a time when they can own their own piece of land and become their own bosses. They see this as the ultimate pinnacle and this sense of hope is their driving force in the novel. The other charters in the novel also express their desires to do something bigger and better, but the "American Dream" appears to be unattainable to all.


 * Friendship-** All of the men in the novel seem to seek a friendship as they all are drawn to some part of George and Lennie's dream. They all seem to get sucked into the "magnetic" quality of such aspirations and each thinks that true happiness could be attainable at such a place. In the harsh and generally lonely conditions in which the workers live, their bonding serves as a way to find some sort of contentment in such a dreary place. The end of the novel represents the idea that ultimately this "ideal" friendship isn't possible. Lennie and George's separation at the end serves as a harsh reminder of the cruel world in which they live in.

__Key Symbols__


 * George and Lennie's "farm"-** Throughout the novel, it is the idea of a this farm paradise which keeps George and Lennie together. Their dream of one day owning their own farm represents man's innate sense to strive for freedom and self-reliance. Everyone in the novel can relate to the farm, because each person wants to believe that somewhere there exists a paradise in which men are shut off from the world and don't have to endure it's cruelties. The farm also represents the idea of the american dream.

__Key Images__