| Printing History |
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First published in the United States of America by Covici, Friede, Inc. 1937 Published by The Viking Press Inc. 1938 First published in Penguin Books 1978 Reissued in Penguin Books 1986 Copyright John Steinbeck, 1937 Copyright renewed John Steinbeck, 1965 |
| Main Characters | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Milton | small, quick, dark of face and eyes, restless |
| Lennie Small | huge, shapeless, pale eyes, slow moving | |
| 2 | Candy | old swamper, missing one hand |
| Whitey | previous bunkhouse occupant, overly clean | |
| The Boss | owner of a ranch below Soledad | |
| Crooks | negro stable buck, had a back injury | |
| Smitty | fought with Crooks at earlier Christmas party | |
| Curley | Boss' son, short, once a welterweight boxer | |
| Slim | jerkline skinner, local authority | |
| Carlson (Carl) | a ranchhand | |
| Curley's wife | a tart, tease | |
| 3 | Whit | a young laborer at the ranch |
| Bill Tenner | former pea cultivator operator at the ranch | |
| Susy | owns a house in town; two-fifty a go | |
| Clara | owns another house; three bucks | |
| 5 | Al Wilts | deputy sheriff in Soledad |
| 6 | Aunt Clara | Lennie's dead aunt, from his Auburn childhood |
places mentioned inOf Mice and Men
the ranch in Of Mice and Mensource: Jackson J. Benson's biography of Steinbeck, p 39
| Book Blurb — Penguin 1986 |
|---|
| Two [Of Mice and Men and Cannery
Row] evocative,
beautifully rendered portraits of "outsiders" struggling to understand
their own unique places in the world. |
| Clinging to each other in their loneliness and alienation, George
and his simple-minded friend Lennie dream, as drifters will, of a place to
call their own. But after they come to work on a ranch in the Salinas
Valley their hopes, like "the best laid schemes o' mice an' men," begin to
go awry.
"A thriller, a gripping tale ... that you will not set down until it is finished. Steinbeck has touched the quick." |
| — The New York Times |
| Chapter Summary | |
|---|---|
| Steinbeck's chapters are unnumbered; shown here are page numbers to the penguin edition | |
| 1 {1} | Hot Thursday late afternoon. George and Lennie spend the night by the Salinas River, a few miles south of Soledad. They plan to start work the next day and dream of a future farm where Lennie can tend rabbits. |
| 2 {17} | Friday morning at the bunkhouse. George and Lennie sign up to buck barley. Curley tries to pick a fight with Lennie. Candy tells George Curley's wife is a tart. George reminds Lennie where to hide if there's trouble. They meet Curley's wife, Slim and Carlson. Lennie wants one of Slim's dog Lulu's pups. |
| 3 {39} | Friday evening. George tells Slim Lennie grabbed a red-dressed girl in Weed. Lennie gets a pup. Carlson shoots Candy's old dog with his Luger. Slim goes to the barn to treat a horse. While the rest go to see if Slim's with Curley or Curley's wife, Candy commits his $350 to George and Lennie's $600 dream. When everyone returns, Curley beats on Lennie until George tells Lennie to "get him." Lennie crushes Curley's hand. Slim orders Curley to say it was a machine accident. |
| 4 {66} | Saturday night at Crook's room in the barn. All but Candy and Lennie go to town. Lennie drops in on Crooks who philosophizes about companionship. Candy drops by and talks of their dreams. Curley's wife shows up and insults them all. Candy brags of their ranch. She infers that Lennie is the machine which got Curley. She threatens Crooks with a lynching. George arrives and all leave Crooks' room. |
| 5 {84} | Sunday afternoon. While the rest play horseshoes, Lenny kills his puppy in the barn. Curley's wife shows up. Lennie explains his fondness for soft things, and she encourages him to stroke her hair. When she wants him to stop he breaks her neck out of fear. Candy finds her and brings George. When the men find out Curley goes for his shotgun. Carlson goes for his Luger, but it's missing and he assumes Lennie took it. Whit is sent to Soledad for Al Wilt. Candy stays with the body while all go after Lennie. |
| 6 {98} | Late afternoon. Lennie comes to the river. His dead Aunt Clara appears and scolds him. A huge imaginary rabbit tells him George will leave him. George shows up and reassures Lennie. While they talk of their dream, George puts the Luger to the base of Lennie's skull and fires. When they see Lennie everyone assumes George took the gun from him and shot him. Slim says "You hadda, George," and takes him for a drink. |
| Notes and Links |
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| bindle stiff Slang. a migrant worker or hobo who
carries his own bedroll [bindle is an alteration of bundle]
- American Heritage Dictionary
The Robert Burns poem To a Mouse Wee, sleeket, cowrin, tim'rous beastie,... Amazon Books: Of Mice and Men Byron Preiss Multimedia CD-ROM Of Mice and Men and Mice and Men Web Links
Movie:Of
Mice and Men (1939)
TV Movie:Of
Mice and Men (1981)
Movie:Of
Mice and Men (1992) The writing of Of Mice and Men
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| Stephan | Steinbeck |
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