Of Mice of Men || Analysis Summary || High school Reading
Of Mice of Men || Analysis Summary || Insightful Symbolisms and Characters with specific Quotes
Of Mice and Men Characters:
George Milton:
A quick-witted migrant ranch worker who is Lennie's closest friend and caretaker. Although George can become frustrated with Lennie, he is fiercely loyal and dreams of owning a farm where they can live independently.
Lennie Small:
George's physically strong but mentally disabled companion. Lennie is gentle at heart and loves soft things, especially animals. However, his immense strength often causes accidental harm, leading to tragic consequences.
Candy:
An aging ranch handyman who lost one hand in a workplace accident. Lonely and fearful of becoming useless, Candy eagerly joins George and Lennie's dream of owning a farm.
Curley's Wife:
The only significant female character in the novel. Lonely and isolated on the ranch, she dreams of becoming a movie star but is trapped in an unhappy marriage. She represents broken dreams and the limited opportunities available to women.
Curley:
The boss's aggressive and jealous son. He is constantly looking to prove his toughness, especially by picking fights with larger men like Lennie.
Slim:
A respected mule driver known for his wisdom, fairness, and natural leadership. Slim earns the trust of everyone on the ranch and often serves as the novel's moral voice.
Crooks:
The ranch's Black stable hand who is isolated because of racial discrimination. Intelligent but cynical, Crooks reveals the emotional toll that loneliness and prejudice can have on a person.
Plot Summary:
The novel takes place during the Great Depression in California. George Milton and Lennie Small are migrant workers who travel together in search of employment. Unlike most ranch workers, they share a dream of one day owning a small farm where they can live independently and Lennie can tend rabbits.
After arriving at a new ranch, George warns Lennie to stay out of trouble, knowing that Lennie's strength and lack of understanding have caused problems before. The two meet Candy, Crooks, Slim, Curley, and Curley's lonely wife. Candy becomes excited by George and Lennie's dream and offers his savings to help purchase the farm.
Tension on the ranch grows as Curley repeatedly antagonizes Lennie. Eventually, Curley attacks him, but Lennie crushes Curley's hand after George tells him to defend himself. Later, Crooks briefly allows himself to believe he could join the dream of owning land, but he ultimately realizes society will never treat him equally because of his race.
One afternoon, Curley's wife talks with Lennie in the barn. She allows him to stroke her soft hair, but when Lennie refuses to let go, he accidentally breaks her neck while trying to keep her from screaming. Terrified, Lennie flees to the riverbank where George had previously told him to hide if anything ever went wrong.
The ranch workers organize a search party to kill Lennie. George finds him first and comforts him by describing their dream one final time. Knowing Lennie would suffer a far worse fate if captured, George mercifully shoots him. The novel ends with the American Dream shattered, emphasizing the harsh realities of poverty, loneliness, and fate.
Symbolisms:
The dream of owning a small farm represents hope, freedom, and independence. For George and Lennie, the dream gives them a reason to keep going despite the hardships of the Great Depression. However, as the novel progresses, Steinbeck shows that the American Dream is often unattainable for ordinary people because of poverty, loneliness, discrimination, and circumstances beyond their control.
The Rabbits:
The rabbits symbolize Lennie's dream of comfort, safety, and innocence. He constantly looks forward to tending them on the farm because they represent the simple, peaceful life he longs for. At the same time, the rabbits foreshadow Lennie's fate—his inability to control his own strength ultimately prevents the dream from becoming reality.
Curley's Wife:
Curley's wife symbolizes broken dreams and the limited opportunities available to women during the 1930s. She once dreamed of becoming a movie star and escaping her lonely life, but instead finds herself trapped in an unhappy marriage. After her death, Steinbeck describes her as peaceful and youthful, contrasting the innocent person she could have become with the bitterness and loneliness that defined her life. This contrast highlights how crushed dreams can change people.
Mice:
The mice symbolize innocence, vulnerability, and the fragility of dreams. Lennie unintentionally kills the small animals he loves because he cannot control his strength. Just as the mice are helpless, many characters in the novel are powerless against the harsh realities of life. The title, Of Mice and Men, comes from Robert Burns's poem suggesting that even the best-laid plans often go wrong.
Candy's Dog:
Candy's aging dog symbolizes the fate of those who are seen as weak or no longer useful. The dog's mercy killing foreshadows Lennie's death, as both are killed by someone who cares about them to spare them from a more painful end. It also reflects the harsh, practical nature of life during the Great Depression.
The River (Salinas River):
The river serves as both a place of peace and a place of endings. It is where George and Lennie first discuss their dream and where George later ends Lennie's life. This setting symbolizes both hope and the inevitable loss of that hope, emphasizing the novel's tragic message about dreams and reality.
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