© Boardworks Ltd 2003 1 of 17 Of Mice and Men – Section Six For more detailed instructions, see...

© Boardworks Ltd 20031 of 17

Of Mice and Men – Section Six

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Plot summary exercise

Complete the plot summary by filling in the blanks:

Lennie arrives at the _________ and has a drink. He

imagines his Aunt Clara and then a gigantic _________

telling him off. ___________ arrives and talks to Lennie.

He has Carlson’s _______. George hears the men

approaching. He _________ Lennie in the head.

river

rabbitGeorge

gun

shoots


Quiz


Steinbeck makes this last scene echo the first one, by using phrases and images that are similar in both. Find some instances of this technique and write them on the board. Here is one example to help you.

Echoes of the first scene

Section One Section Six

'A water-snake slipped along on the pool, its head help up like a little periscope.'

'A water-snake glided smoothly up the pool, twisting its periscope head from side to side.'


Why do you think Steinbeck uses this technique in the last section of the novel?

It strengthens the sense of the novel having come full circle. Just as in nature, where animals are born, live and die, so too do humans. Throughout the book, we have seen animal images used in connection to Lennie. Now, like Candy’s dog, Lennie is ‘put out of his misery’.

Steinbeck chooses to finish his story in the same place that it started. The novella has shown us the brief life, and death, of one man.

Echoes of the first scene


In this final section, we see more of Lennie’s character. The reader has a strong sense of foreboding about what will happen to him. Answer the questions below to test your understanding of Lennie’s character.

Lennie

Look at the way Lennie drinks from the river in this section. Why is this different from the way he drinks in Section One?

What do you think the significance is of the two visions Lennie has?

Why do you think Steinbeck chooses to have George shoot Lennie at the end of the book, rather than one of the other characters?

Lennie remains an outsider throughout the novel, different to and separate from other people. What is Steinbeck saying about how society relates to outsiders?


Character descriptions


In the hotseat


Dramatic tension

There is a high level of dramatic tension in this section, as we reach the climax of the novel. The tension becomes especially high as George builds up to shooting Lennie. Find some quotations from this section that develop the dramatic tension. An example has been provided for you.

'And the shouts of the men sounded again, this time much closer than before.'


The story of the ‘dream farm’ is repeated again. This time, though, the reader knows that there is no chance of George and Lennie fulfilling their dream.

George must shoot Lennie rather than allow the men to hurt him - he is forced to kill his closest friend.

The other men are getting closer, and George must shoot Lennie before they arrive. The sound of the men approaching increases the tension, leading to the climax of the section.

Dramatic tension

What is it about the way that Steinbeck writes this scene that creates a high level of dramatic tension? Here are some ideas:


The American Dream

The themes of the novel are resolved in this section, particularly the men’s unfulfilled ‘American Dream’. Answer the questions below to show your understanding of this theme.

Look at how Candy responds to Curley’s wife’s death in the previous section. Why does he start to cry?

Now look at Lennie and George and their final discussion about the farm. Why is this the subject of the last conversation that they ever have?

Do you think they ever stood a real chance of achieving their dream?

What point do you think Steinbeck is making about the American dream?


The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men Gang aft agley,An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain, For promised joy.

The title

The title Of Mice and Men comes from Robert Burns’ poem ‘To a Mouse’.

How are these lines relevant to the book?


Questions

1. Why do you think George shoots Lennie?

2. When George shoots Lennie, of which other incident in the book does this remind you?

3. Why do you think Steinbeck echoes the earlier incident in this way? Try to think of more than one reason.

4. What do you think the significance is of Slim inviting George to go for a drink at the end of the book?


Revision


Revision strategies


The novel Of Mice and Men shows the reader how characters who do not fit into society are destroyed by it. Discuss this statement, referring closely to events in the novel.

Write a detailed analysis of the character of Curley’s Wife, showing how and why Steinbeck uses her to develop the theme of the outsider in Of Mice and Men.

Essay questions


Discuss the theme of the ‘American Dream’ in Of Mice and Men, looking at all the characters who have a dream of some type. Explore what happens to people’s dreams in the novel and what Steinbeck might be saying about this theme.

Write a detailed analysis of the character of Lennie. Look particularly at the symbolism associated with him, and the meanings that Steinbeck creates.

Essay questions

© Boardworks Ltd 2003 1 of 17 Of Mice and Men – Section Six For more detailed instructions, see...

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