Of Mice and Men

Curley’s wife is not depicted as a wholly innocent character. Is this treatment of her fair or unfair? Prepare a defense of her character and support your point of view with evidence from the novella.

Do you agree with George’s decision to take Lennie’s life into his own hands, or do you believe George should have turned Lennie into the law?

How is Steinbeck’s use of nature imagery significant to your understanding of the novella as a whole?

In what ways can you observe the consequences of the Great Depression in the lives of the men?

Crooks is the only non-white character in the novella. Is Steinbeck’s treatment of him and of racial issues representative of the times in which he wrote Of Mice and Men, or do they reflect a viewpoint ahead of his time? Explain using textual evidence.

Read the poem “To a Mouse” by Scottish poet Robert Burns, to which Steinbeck alludes in the title of the novella. Explain the significance of the title based on your understanding of the poem.

What life lessons can you learn from this work of literature, and through which characters do you learn the lessons? Be specific and support your ideas with textual evidence.

. Humanism is a non-religious philosophy that focuses on the value of human experience and the positive potential of humans. With this basic definition in mind, do you think Of Mice and Men to be a humanist work that addresses the potential of humans in a positive way or the opposite? Explain with evidence from the novella.