Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About

Everything you ever wanted to know about Lennie

1. “But Lennie made an elaborate pantomime of innocence, ‘What mouse George? Aint got no mouse!’” (8).

-This quote shows how Lennie acts like a child to keep something away from George, acting immature and somewhat playing a game with him.

-Lennie is a Static character, staying a child within a man’s body throughout the story and even till the end.

2. “Lennie looked startled and then in embarrassment, hid his face against his knees. ‘I forgot again’” (6).

-Lennie has some sort of nervousness around George when he is forgetful. He tries hard to remember but it seems to happen almost too often.

-This is static because Lennie seems to forget a lot throughout the book and even not know his limits upon doing things.

3. “Blood ran down Lennie’s face, one of his eyes were cut and closed. George slapped him in the face again and again, and still Lennie held onto the closed fist” (63).

-This goes back to he doesn’t know his own strength, and does not realize that George was slapping him in the face repeatedly. Lennie’s mind goes blank and freezes when he is scared. Lennie, out of human instinct, defended himself with his strength. It also seems like Lennie was afraid to hurt anything. But with his mind blanking, he does not realize he hurt the animals or even Curly, breaking Curly’s fist with one squeeze.

-This is, again, static. Lennie is an easily scared character, being afraid of George at some parts and afraid to realize that he hurt people or animals. This trait of Lennie goes throughout the book and does not seem to fade at all.

“ `He reaches out to feel this red dress and the girl lets out a squawk, and that gets Lennie all mixed up and he holds on cause that all he could think to do’.” (41)

 Lennie likes to touch soft things and he doesn’t have mental boundaries

 When he “holds on cause that’s all he could think to do” this panic puts him in a worse situation than he was in the first place.  He doesn’t realize his own strength(not self aware)

 Foreshadowing: Red becomes a motif connecting the girl from Weed (31) and Curly’s wife in what they were wearing

“`George… I ain’t got mine I musta lost it.’ He looked down at the ground in despair.”

 Shows he is forgetful

 Shows that he is afraid of what George might say by his body language

 Doesn’t speak in correct English so he either has a mental problem or he isn’t educated

 The fact that George took the work papers shows that George couldn’t trust Lennie

“`And I could tend the rabbits,’ Lennie giggled in happiness.”

 Giggled is a word associated with children

 Rabbits are a common theme for Lennie throughout the book for their soft touch

 Foreshadowing: Beofre lennie dies he pictures this paradise that has been eluded to throughout the whole book

Lennie is a static character throughout the book

 He keeps this paradise in his head

 Doesn’t know how to control his strength

 Panics when George is in trouble

“’Don’t you think I could see your feet was wet where you went across the river to get it back?’”

 The fact that Lennie disobeyed George to get the mouse shows his childish nature and he thought he could get away with taking the mouse back.

“’Because I got you an’ ‘an’ I got you. We got each other, that’s what, that gives a hoot in hell about us’ Lennie cried in triumph.”

 This quote shows the special relationship between Lennie and George even though its unusual for two guys to travel together. Also, Lennie is proud of himself for remembering what George was about to say.

“’ If you don’t want me I can go off in the hills an’ find a cave, I can go away any time.’”

 Lennie knows George cares too much about Lennie to let him go so Lennie tries to play the guilt card to try and change George’s mood when he was mad at Lennie.

Lennie is a static character throughout the book. He stays the same type of guy, from wanting feed the rabbits to wanting to feel soft things. He may not have the mental capacity needed to undergo the self- reflection necessary for a major transformation. Even though Lennie has killed animals, and even people, he doesn’t mean any harm.

Above all else Lennie is intellectually disabled but a great worker. He Doesn’t mean the trouble he causes.

Above all else, know this: Lennie is a gentle giant that does not know his strength, But is truly kind and nice. Though Lennie is disabled, he tries his best to impress and be accepted into society. His brute strength makes some people look at him good, letting him do the hard work. But his disability and thought processes makes things harder than normal. He depends on George for survival and security, seeing George as his own guardian. In conclusion, Lennie is a scared child in a grown man’s body, and is someone who looks back upon the soft things in life to make him feel comfortable.

Everything you ever wanted to know about SLIM

“Slims’s opinions were law” (45) - Slim, as a well-respected individual who has worked on this farm for years, had a lot of respect and admiration from his subordinates through personal authority. Though, his lack of background leaves the reader unsure of Slim’s thoughts and opinions.

“’Ain’t many guys travel around together’ he mused ‘I don’t know why, everyone in the whole damn world is scared each other’” (35) - Slim’s admiration for George and Lennie is quite prevalent in said passage. He notes that their sense of morality is much greater than compared to average ranch hands. He looks up to George and Lennie’s relation and envies it. Slim is somebody who has been alone for years and he never had somebody there for him, so in a sense he envies their relationship.

“Maybe he ain’t bright, but I never seem such a worker. He damn near killed his partner buckin’ barley. There ain’t nobody can keep up with him” (39) – Slim has admiration for Lennie’s work ethic. Slim doesn’t see Lennie as a monster, more as a coworker. Slim understands that Lennie means well and the things that he has done were accidental.

“Slim don’t need to wear no high-heeled boots on a grain team. I see her give Slim the eye” (28). Slim is highly looked up to by the men even Curly. The boots are a symbol for respect and ranking and Slim doesn’t need fancy boots for the other to respect him. Although Slim is a character who is looked up to they still doubt his efforts to avoid Curley’s wife and her eye.

“His authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject be it politics or love” (33). He has a charismatic and advisable character and the other men look up to him for advice. People tell him all of their problems whether they are on the subject of love or politics.

“Candy looked helplessly at him, for Slim’s opinions were law” (45). Even though Candy is older he still looks up to him and they can see is the big-brother figure and everyone looks up to him. He’s also smart which makes him respectable. After Slim says something no one questions him because what Slim says there is no more doubt.

“George looked over at Slim and saw the calm god-like eyes fastened on him” (40). God-like eyes mean the stern look and the vehicle of god is how they also look up to him and how he is a leader. Even in times of stress, Slim still has a calm outlook.

“Funny how you an’ him string along together” (39)

“Guy don’t need no sense to be a nice fella. Sometimes it jus’ works the other way around. Take a real smart guy and he ain’t hardly ever a nice fella.” (40) “Well you been askin’ me too often. I’m getting God Damn sick of it. If you can’t look after your own god damn wife, what you expect me to do about it. You lay offa me.” (62) “Never you mind, a guy got to sometimes.” (107)

Quote How is Slim a static character What does it reveal about Slim?

Slim is almost like silently judging him. He seems to be questioning and analyzing George and Lennie’s relationship. He chose “Funny” because it’s unusual for two men to be traveling together everywhere. This shows that Slim is a straight shooter and he seems to be defending Lennie and trying to empathize with George. Slim tells people things the way they are, no sugar coating. This shows how Slim isn’t afraid of speaking his mind. Shows that Slim kinda thinks highly of himself.

Slim is trying to comfort George during his hard decision. Talks very sympathetically.

Slim is a static character because he doesn’t change throughout the novel. He stays tough, defensive, friendly, caring and sympathetic with all of the other characters.

Above all else Slim, seems to be tough but at the same time has soft undertones because he does care about other people. He tries to take the weight from someone else’s shoulders, someone who’s feeling bad, and puts it on his own shoulders.

Slim is a Stoic, static character with little background. The way his coworkers respect him is baffling because we know nothing about him that warrants this respect. Though, he uses his power and respect for good. And he doesn’t abuse his power.

Slim is a static character because he doesn’t change throughout the book. However, throughout the book we do get a better understanding and sympathetic he is towards his workmates. A t one point Slim is called a “skinner” which his job title. As a skinner, he drives the team of mules and we knows he’s caring because he also takes care of the mules even though that’s not his job.

Above all else, know that Slim is an understanding, sympathetic and advisable character who is respected by his workmates.

Everything you ever wanted to know about Crooks

“His voice grew soft and persuasive. ‘S’pose George don’t come back no more. S’pose he took a powder and just ain’t coming back. What’ll you do then?’” (71).

o In this Crooks is trying to make someone else uncomfortable, because he gets enjoyment out of it (almost like a bully)

o He pushes people away

“’Why ain’t you wanted?’ Lennie asked. ‘ ’Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, you all stink to me’” (68).

o In this quote, Crooks shows his anger towards the way he is left out of things. He is defensive towards Lennie because he knows the stereotypes that may affect others opinions of him.

o Crooks is “negro stable buck” at the ranch, and this book takes place during a time of a lot of prejudice against other races in America

“’I didn’t mean to scare you. He’ll come back. I was talkin’ about myself. A guy sets alone out here at night, maybe reading books or thinkin’ about stuff like that’”(73).

o This quote shows Crooks’ more sensitive side, and makes the reader feel more empathetic towards him

“’Maybe you can see now. You got George. You know he’s goin’ to come back. S’pose you didn’t have nobody’” (72).

. This once again shows how Crooks felt more sensitive when he realized what he was doing to Lennie

“‘Spose you didn’’t have nobody, spose you couldn’t go into the bunk house and play rummy ‘cause you black. How’d you like that. Spose you had to sit out here and read books’” (72).

 Crooks is black.

 Crooks is very smart, literate. He values his books.

 Crooks envies Lennie because he has George who will always stand by him and always have his back. He also envies that Lennie always has someone to talk to, and respond to.

 Crooks notes that Lennie, although mentally disabled, is able to work, and able to “play rummy” still gets fair treatment when he doesn’t because of the color of his skin.

“’You guys is just kiddin’ yourself you’ll talk about it a hell of a lot but you won’t get no land. You’ll be a swamper here till they take you out in a box’” (75).

 Crooks reaction to Lennie talking about his future with George and how happy he will be with land and money is a reaction to a personal experience. That  “Take you out in a box” The use of the word “box” makes death sound like it is no big deal; that it wouldn’t matter at all and life would go on fine without them.

“’I was born right here in California, my old man had a chicken ranch ‘bout ten acres. The white kids come to play at our place. An’ sometimes I went to play with them, and some of them was pretty nice. My ol’ man didn’t like that. I never knew till long later why he didn’t like that. But I know now.’ He heisted and when he spke again his voice was softer. ‘There wasn’t another colored family for miles. An’ now there ain’t a colored man on this ranch an’ there’s jus’ one family in Soledad’” (70).

 Crooks never understood why his dad didn’t like that the white people coming over, but now that he has had the experience to understand.

 His childhood was innocent and he was able to play with some white kids, and when put in the real world he was able to see how racially separated the world was and how he wasn’t going to be able to fit in.

 Crooks lives in a white world, everything around him is white. He was raised around white people and he was raised to know that he wasn’t equal to them.

Crooks is a static character, although he shows two sides of his emotions, he doesn’t have a personal change throughout the book. He will always have racism against him and people aren’t going to change. Crooks wasn’t given the opportunity to change, when he finally opened up he was shut down by Curley’s wife when she said “Well, you keep your place then, N****.” This is almost a constant cycle for Crooks.

Above all else, know that Crooks‘ past affects who he is now, because it caused him to be so bitter towards the white men at the ranch, and that being African American, he has to deal with always being segregated and discriminated against. And, although he does resent the white men, he also wants to be accepted in general. Everything you ever wanted to know about GEORGE

 “Guys like us got no fambly. They make a little stake an’ they blow it in. They ain’t got nobody in the worl’ that gives a hoot in hell about ‘em-“ (104).

o George is contrasting himself and Lennie to the other people that travel around looking for work. They usually spend all their money shortly after earning it and they are usually alone. George and Lennie, though, are together, looking out for each other, and working towards their own farm. George thinks they are better than the other migrant workers because they don’t waste their money on cat houses and booze, but they save it instead for a common goal.

 “I ain’t gonna let them hurt Lennie” (95).

o When George said this to Candy, it was evident how fond George is of Lennie. George had promised to take care of Lennie, and he didn’t break his promise. It could also be foreshadowing to the final scene, where he “put down” Lennie to protect him. It could be in reference to when Candy had Carlson put down his dog, and then later said that he should have done it himself. George wanted to do it himself because he knew that the other guys would probably have beaten him and most likely hanged him. Lennie would have been scared, but because George was talking to him about the farm, he was calm and relaxed. George knew that he would have to live with this for the rest of his life, but he did it for Lennie because of how much he cared for him; he wanted him to die peacefully.

 “God a’mighty if I was alone I could live so easy” (11).

o While George was very close to Lennie and would do anything for him, he was often very frustrated with Len. George was annoyed at how Lennie was often forgetting things and causing trouble, forcing them to change jobs. He assumes that being like the other traveling workers would be easier, going to cat houses every night and spending all his money on booze. But he made a promise to Lennie that they would get their own farm with rabbits, and he was going to keep it.

“George said reverently, ‘Jesus Christ I bet we could swing her.’ His eyes were full of wonder. ‘I bet we could swing her.’ He repeated softly” (Steinbeck 60).

- George is a hopeful and determined character. The repetition of the quote shows how hopeful he is.

- The excitement in the quote reveals that George is baffled that they got so close to buying the farm and the hope was palpable. - George is also unrealistic and always knew in the back of his mind that they could never actually buy the little farm, that it was just a “pipe-dream,” and that it couldn’t happen with Lennie on his side.

“’If I was alone, I could live so easy. I could go get a job an’ work, an’ no trouble’” (Steinbeck 11).

- George knew what he was getting into all along by taking Lennie to be his on his side, and he put aside the fact that Lennie was trouble.

- George is constantly trying not to think about how successful he would have been without Lennie but the thoughts always come creeping into his mind.

- This quote ties in with the end where he realizes that he does value Lennie and is so thankful to have him as his family.

“’No,’ said George. ‘No, Lennie, I ain’t mad I never been mad, an’ I ain’t now. That’s the thing I want you to know’” (Steinbeck 106).

- George lies to Lennie by telling him that he’s never been mad at him. He does this to spare Lennie’s feelings and make him feel accepted.

- This reveals that George values Lennie’s feelings above his own and will do almost anything to keep Lennie in a comfortable sound state of mind.

“God a’mighty if I was alone I could live so easy” (11).

“When I think of the swell time I could have without you I go nuts” (12).

What George says in both quotes reiterates the frustration he feels towards having to take care of Lennie all the time. He feels an obligation to take care of Lennie because he promised his Aunt Clara he would take care of Lennie when she died.

“’We kinda look after each other’ he indicated Lennie […] ‘he ain’t bright. Hell of a good worker, though. Hell of a nice fella, but he ain’t bright” (34).

George seems to point out Lennie’s flaws, almost more than he shows his better traits. However he keeps repeating that Lennie’s a good worker and a nice fella. Almost as if he’s trying to outweigh the bad with the good.

George was a fairly static character. While he did kill his dream of having his own farm when he killed Lennie, he was always trying to do what was best for Lennie. He was protecting him at all times, and above all else, he was determined to do what was best for Lennie. Even up until the very end, Lennie was the first of his priorities.

George is both a static and a dynamic character. He is static because he generally stays the same with his feelings towards others and with his mental state of mind. Though he is also dynamic because he starts off dealing with Lennie often, and trying to keep in safe and out of trouble at all times. He gradually becomes more lenient and grants Lennie more trust, letting him go off alone. This displaced or inappropriate trust got Lennie into trouble in the end and caused George much loss and despair.

Above all else, although George is occasionally afraid to show it, he is a caring, compassionate friend to himself and to others, especially Lennie. George is a generally static character throughout the book, however at the end of the book, after he shoots Lennie, his behavior and manner changes. It says that he can’t talk at a normal volume, he’s not giving any details, and he’s more of less just saying “yep” and “yea.” The way George acts after having shot Lennie implies that he has changed but the book ends so you never really see how the change affected him.

Above all else remember that George cared about Lennie. Everything you ever wanted to know about Curley’s Wife

Quotes that describe Curley’s wife:

“A girl was standing there looking in. She has full, rouged lips and wide spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red. Her hair hung in little rolled clusters, like sausages. She wore a cotton house dress and red mules (31).

Explanation of Quote in relation to character:

By being all dolled up, the text reveals that Curley’s wife cares about her appearance and is looking for people to notice her. Wearing red nails and lips is a bold choice and is connected to sexual attraction.

“George looked around at Lennie, ‘Jesus what a tramp. So that’s what Curley picks for a wife’” (32).

By calling Curley’s wife a “tramp” it reveals that the men do not respect her. And by saying, “’so that’s what Curley picks for it wife’” it reveals that the men are not impressed by Curley’s wife even though that’s why he married her, to show her off. The diction “that” in reference to his wife shows how objectified she is, like she isn’t a person but a possession.

“’Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely.’”(86)

By Curley’s wife saying “’I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely’” it reveals that she is controlled by Curley and that he not there for her if she is lonely and looking for others to talk to. Her expression of loneliness is expressed through how she dresses and acts.

1.) “’Well, I ain’t told nobody this before. Maybe I ought’n to. I don’t like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella.’ And because she had confided in him, she moved closer to Lennie and sat beside him.” (89).

2.) “She smiled archly and twitched her body. ‘Nobody can blame a person for lookin.’” (31).

3.) “She looked closely at Lennie to see whether she was impressing him.” (88).

1.) She finally admits she doesn’t love Curley. She only used him to get away from her home.

2.) Shows that she likes the attention and it also shows that she know that she is pretty. She doesn’t mind people looking at her.

3.) She wants the attention and see his reaction. She wants everything be revolved around her.

“She got the eye”(31).

 Calling her a tramp

 Described as wearing red and having primped herself to attract attention

 “eye” means she is looking at every guy; she is “lookin’”

“‘I coulda’ made somethin’ of myself,’ she said darkly. ‘Maybe I will yet’”(88).  “darkly” shows regret that she did not chase after her dream.

 “Maybe I will yet” shows hope, that maybe she still could follow her dream

 It is ironic that she dies soon after she says this.

 She seems to always dwell in the past.

“Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely”(86).

 Curley doesn’t allow her to talk to anybody

 Very lonely

 Feels disrespected

 Tries to get attention by being “friendly”

 Afraid of Curley

 Misunderstood

 Shows neglect by Curley of their marriage because she is always looking for him.

 Curley ignores her

Static or Dynamic?

Curley’s Wife is a static character but the reader’s opinion changes about her because she reveals why she dresses and acts the way she does, she is a lonely and lives and unhappy life with Curley. Curley’s wife had big dreams of being famous and rich but those dreams were ruined by her circumstances, she settled for Curley but by doing that she is miserable.

The most important thing taken from Curley’s Wife:

Above all else, know that the girl in the red dress from Weed in the beginning of the book is connected in some way, maybe through foreshadowing, to Curley’s wife.

Curley’s Wife is a static character that doesn’t really change but shows us a bit of her true self.

Curley’s Wife was a seductive person who felt lonely. Her way of flirting was the way she was able to think she was performing again and getting people’s attention.

Curley’s wife is a static character but the way we see her changes.

Above all else, know that she is misunderstood and lonely because she is neglected by her husband Curley and disenchanted by her life since it is so far from he dream. Because of this she seeks the attention of the other men who work on the ranch.