Chapter 1 "Tell how it's gonna be." (14)
 

1. What feelings is the setting intended to evoke?
 

2. What animals does Steinbeck use to describe Lennie?  Why does Steinbeck describe Lennie as an animal?
 

3. Why does Lennie like soft materials and animals such as mice and rabbits?
 

4. Why does Lennie need George?
 

5. Lennie has gotten them into trouble in Weed.  What happened?
 

6. What keeps happening to the mice Lennie pets, and what does this reveal about him?
 

 7. What evidence indicates that Lennie might get into trouble at the ranch?  What literary technique is Steinbeck employing?
 

8. What dream do George and Lennie share?
 

9. What are Lennie’s good qualities?  Are we expected to like or dislike him?
 

10. Are we expected to like or dislike George?  Explain your opinion.
 

 Chapter 2 "Let's get outta here.  It's mean here." (33)

1. Describe the living conditions at the ranch.
 

2. Why is the stable buck set apart from the other men?  What information is given about him?
 

3. Why is the boss suspicious of George and Lennie?
 

4. Why did George say that Lennie was his cousin?
 

5. What explanation does George give for Lennie’s mental condition?  Is this true?
 

6. Describe Candy.
 

7. What is Candy’s attitude toward Curley?
 

8. Why does Curley want to start a fight with Lennie?  What does this reveal about his personality?
 

9. In a fight with Lennie, Curley figures he would win even if he lost the fight.  Explain why.
 

10. What is Candy’s opinion of Curley’s wife?  Do you agree?  Explain.
 

11. What is Slim’s position on the ranch both in terms of his job and social status?
 

12. Why did Slim drown four puppies?
 

13. What does Carlson suggest Slim do with one of his pups?  Why?
 

14. George recognizes two sources of trouble at the ranch.  What are they?  What literary technique is Steinbeck employing?
 

 Chapter 3 "I di'n't mean no harm, George." (65)

1. What type of relationship is developing between George and Slim?
 

2. Why does Slim find George and Lennie’s relationship unusual?
 

3. How did George and Lennie end up together?
 

4. Explain what happened in Weed.
 

5. In what ways is Lennie like a child rather than like an adult?  What indications are there that Lennie's condition could lead to a disaster?
 

6. Candy's dog is on trial for his life.  Who play the roles of prosecutor, defender, and judge?  Based on the verdict, what can be inferred about society's values?
 

7. Describe the atmosphere in the bunkhouse just before the shot rang out.
 

8. What does Whit reveal about Curley?
 

9. To where does Whit invite George?
 

10. Why does Curley rush to the barn?
 

11. What proposition does Candy make to George?  How does this solidify George and Lennie’s dream?
 

12. What card game does George play in this chapter (and earlier in the novel)?  Speculate on its symbolic significance.
 

13. Why does Candy say he “ought to” have shot the dog himself?  How is the incident with the dog symbolic of Candy's life on the ranch?
 

14. In great detail, describe the scene when Curley and Lennie fight.
 

15. What animal images are used during the fight?
 

16. How does Slim assume the role of the leader after the fight?
 

Chapter 4     "A guy needs somebody--to be near him." (72)

1. What words does Steinbeck use to emphasize the smallness of Crooks' room?
 

2. Why does Lennie come to Crooks’ room?
 

3. Why doesn’t Crooks want Lennie in his room, and why does Crooks allow Lennie to stay?
 

4. What details does Crooks reveal about his past?  What kind of life has he had?
 

5. What “joke” does Crooks play on Lennie?  Why does he do that?
 

6. Explain Crooks' reaction to Candy's arrival.
 

7. What is Crooks' reaction to Candy & Lennie's talk of the farm?
 

8. How does Crooks' attitude toward the farm change?  What does he ask of Candy?
 

9. Why has Curley's wife come to the barn?  What details does she give about her life to support your answer?
 

10. What names does Curley's wife call the three men?  How is her treatment of them ironic?  What does her behavior say about survival on the ranch?
 

11. With the knowledge of the farm, how are Candy and Crooks' attitudes changed?
 

12. How does Curley's wife gain the upper hand in the conflict?  What happens as a result?
 

13. How does Curley’s wife react to Curley’s injury?  What does she indicate she knows the truth about Curley's injury?
 

14. Why does Crooks say the men should go?  (Quote it - page 82)  Explain what Crooks' statement means.
 

15. At the end of the chapter, Crooks tells Candy to “forget it.”  Why?
 

Chapter 5 "I guess I should of knew," George said helplessly. "I guess way back in my head I did." (94)

1. At the beginning of the chapter, what “bad” thing has Lennie done?  Explain in detail.
 

2. Why does Curley’s wife come into the barn?
 

3. What do we learn about her?
 

4. What does Curley’s wife invite Lennie to do?  What happens?
 

5. Who finds Curley’s wife first?  What plan do he and George make?
 

6. Evaluate the description of Curely's wife after her death.  How is it a negative portrayal of her and women in general?
 

7. How does Slim again assume a role of leadership?  Of what incident is this one reminiscent?
 

8. When Curley finds out, what does he want to do?  What details indicate that it is not purely motivated by a burning love for his wife?
 

9. Where does Carlson think his missing Luger is?  What details are provided to indicate its actual whereabouts?
 

 Chapter 6 "Ain't gonna be no more trouble." (106)

1. What is the setting of the final chapter?  What is its significance?
 

2. Identify the interaction between the heron and the snake.  Comment on its significance.
 

3. What visions does Lennie have?
 

4. Explain in detail what George does to Lennie.
 

5. Identify the ironies in George and Lennie's final dialogue with one another.
 

6. What does George allow the men to believe has happened?
 

7. How does Slim treat George at the end of the book?  Why?