Of Mice and Men: Complete Analysis of Characters, Themes & Quotes

The ranch in John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men” serves as a microcosm of American society during the Great Depression—a world where power, prejudice, and economic forces determine one’s fate. Through the complex relationship between George and Lennie, Steinbeck examines how human connections attempt to withstand societal pressures that push toward isolation and despair. This comprehensive guide provides the essential character analysis, detailed plot summary, and thematic exploration you need to excel in your essays and class discussions about Steinbeck’s enduring novella.

Quick Reference Guide: Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ at a Glance

Steinbeck’s World: Historical Context of ‘Of Mice and Men’

America During the Great Depression

John Steinbeck wrote “Of Mice and Men” in 1937, during one of America’s most challenging historical periods. The Great Depression (1929-1939) emerged following the stock market crash of October 1929 and created unprecedented economic hardship across the nation. By 1933, approximately 25% of the American workforce was unemployed, with rural areas particularly devastated (Davis, 2002). Steinbeck’s novella captures this period with remarkable authenticity, presenting characters whose dreams and relationships exist within a broader socioeconomic reality that shapes their possibilities.

The economic collapse forced thousands of agricultural workers to become migrant laborers, traveling from ranch to ranch seeking temporary employment—precisely the lifestyle depicted through George and Lennie. This historical backdrop isn’t merely setting but functions as an active force in the narrative, constraining characters’ choices and amplifying their struggles.

“Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place.”

This quote from George encapsulates the profound displacement experienced by workers during this period. The Dream of land ownership represented not just material success but belonging and stability in a time when such concepts seemed increasingly unattainable.

Steinbeck’s Personal Experience and Literary Influences

Steinbeck’s portrayal of ranch life draws from firsthand experience. In the early 1930s, he worked alongside migrant laborers in California’s agricultural valleys, witnessing their living conditions and social dynamics. This immersion informed his realistic dialogue and authentic characterizations, particularly in his depiction of the bunkhouse hierarchies and casual violence (Benson, 1990).

Steinbeck belongs to the naturalist literary tradition, following writers like Emile Zola and Theodore Dreiser, who explored how environment, heredity, and social conditions determine human fate. His writing also reflects the social consciousness movement of the 1930s, when many American authors focused on documenting social injustice and economic hardship.

Publication and Reception History

When published in 1937, “Of Mice and Men” was an immediate commercial and critical success. The title comes from Robert Burns’ poem “To a Mouse,” which contains the famous line “the best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft agley [often go awry],” foreshadowing the novel’s themes of thwarted intentions (Burns, 1785).

The work has faced numerous censorship challenges throughout its history, particularly in American school districts, due to its profanity, racial slurs, and treatment of violence. However, these controversial elements reflect Steinbeck’s commitment to authentic representation of the period’s language and attitudes rather than endorsement of them.

Scholar Louis Owens argues that the novella’s enduring power stems from its “deceptive simplicity,” noting that “beneath its accessible surface lies a complex exploration of the human condition, particularly the tension between individual desire and social constraint” (Owens, 1996).

Complete ‘Of Mice and Men’ Summary: Chapter Breakdown

Chapter 1: Establishing George and Lennie’s Relationship

The novella opens near the Salinas River, establishing both the natural setting and the complex relationship between George Milton and Lennie Small. Their contrasting physical descriptions—George “small and quick” and Lennie “a huge man, shapeless of face”—immediately establish their physical differences, while their interaction reveals their psychological dynamic. George functions as protector, guide, and occasional disciplinarian to the mentally disabled Lennie.

Their conversation reveals a recurring pattern: Lennie’s forgetfulness and George’s frustration followed by reconciliation. This cycle foreshadows the novella’s larger narrative structure. We learn they fled their previous job in Weed after Lennie’s innocent but inappropriate touching of a woman’s dress created dangerous misunderstandings—a crucial bit of foreshadowing.

The chapter introduces the American Dream motif through George’s repeated telling of their shared vision: “to live off the fatta the lan'” and have rabbits for Lennie to tend. This recitation functions as both comfort ritual and thematic cornerstone.

Chapter 2: The Ranch Microcosm

Upon arriving at the ranch, George and Lennie enter a microcosm of Depression-era society with its own power hierarchy. They meet the old swamper Candy, the boss, his aggressive son Curley, and Curley’s flirtatious wife. George instructs Lennie to avoid both Curley and his wife, recognizing potential dangers. The authoritative figure Slim emerges as a moral center whose “opinions were law.”

This chapter establishes the ranch as a setting where Steinbeck examines power relationships based on physical strength, age, gender, and intellectual ability. Each character occupies a specific place in this hierarchy, with Lennie and George positioned precariously as newcomers.

Chapter 3: Dreams and Violence

The third chapter pivots between hope and violence, introducing the sequence that will lead to the novella’s tragic conclusion. After Slim gives Lennie a puppy, Candy overhears George and Lennie discussing their dream of land ownership and offers his savings to join them, making the dream suddenly seem attainable.

This hope contrasts sharply with the chapter’s second half, where Curley attacks Lennie, who—on George’s command—crushes Curley’s hand. This incident demonstrates Lennie’s unintentional destructive power and foreshadows the ultimate tragedy. The chapter ends with Slim forcing Curley to claim he caught his hand in a machine, establishing Slim’s moral authority within the ranch hierarchy.

Chapter 4: Isolation and Connection

Chapter 4 explores themes of isolation through encounters in Crooks’ room. As the only Black man on the ranch, Crooks lives separately in the harness room, symbolizing racial segregation. His conversation with Lennie reveals his profound loneliness: “A guy needs somebody—to be near him… A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody.”

When Candy joins them and discusses their land-buying plan, Crooks momentarily desires to join before cynicism reasserts itself. The arrival of Curley’s wife, who threatens Crooks with lynching when he stands up to her, dramatically demonstrates the intersecting power hierarchies of race and gender.

Chapter 5: The Tragic Turn

The novel’s climactic events unfold when Lennie accidentally kills his puppy through excessive petting, foreshadowing the subsequent tragedy with Curley’s wife. When she enters the barn seeking company, their conversation reveals her thwarted dreams of Hollywood stardom and her profound loneliness in marriage. When she invites Lennie to touch her hair and he grips too tightly, her screams prompt him to shake her, breaking her neck.

The scene unfolds with a detached inevitability that heightens rather than diminishes its emotional impact. The author employs natural imagery—the heron eating the water snake from Chapter 1 returns symbolically—to frame human tragedy within natural cycles of predation and violence.

Chapter 6: Mercy and Sacrifice

The novella concludes where it began, at the riverside clearing. As the ranch hands form a lynch mob to find Lennie, George locates him first. In their final moments together, George recites their dream one last time before shooting Lennie in the back of the head—an act of mercy preventing a more painful death and torture at the hands of Curley.

The ending presents what scholar John Timmerman identifies as “the novel’s central moral paradox: George’s ultimate expression of care for Lennie comes through an act of violence” (Timmerman, 2005). Only Slim understands the complexity of George’s choice, offering companionship as they walk away together—a small consolation amid profound loss.

Key Plot Structure Elements

The narrative exhibits what literary critics identify as classical tragic structure:

1. Exposition (Chapter 1): Introduction of protagonists, their relationship, and foreshadowing
2. Rising Action (Chapters 2-4): Development of ranch relationships and dream possibility
3. Climax (Chapter 5): Death of Curley’s wife
4. Falling Action (Chapter 6): George’s decision and mercy killing
5. Resolution: The dream’s end and George’s isolation

George & Lennie’s Relationship: Character Analysis & Development

The Nature of Their Bond

The relationship between George Milton and Lennie Small stands as the emotional and thematic center of “Of Mice and Men.” Their partnership defies the pattern of isolation established for ranch workers, prompting other characters to question their connection. As George explains to Slim: “I ain’t got no people. I seen the guys that go around on the ranches alone. That ain’t no good.”

Literary scholars have interpreted their relationship through multiple frameworks:

• As a symbolic parent-child dynamic, with George assuming responsibility for Lennie’s welfare and behavior
• As an economic partnership necessitated by Depression-era survival needs
• As an allegorical relationship representing human interdependence and moral responsibility

What distinguishes their bond is its mutual benefit despite apparent imbalance. While George provides guidance and protection, Lennie offers George purpose, companionship, and a mirror for his own humanity in an otherwise dehumanizing environment.

George Milton: Character Analysis

George’s character exists in productive tension between pragmatism and idealism. Physically “small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features,” his external appearance reflects his alert, protective nature. His intelligence manifests primarily as practical wisdom rather than formal education.

George’s development throughout the novella reveals his internal struggle between:

• Responsibility toward Lennie versus desire for independence
• Cynicism about life’s possibilities versus hope embodied in their dream
• Irritation at Lennie’s limitations versus deep affection for his innocence

His periodic expressions of frustration—”God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy”—reveal the burden of responsibility while simultaneously affirming his choice to maintain it.

The novella’s conclusion forces George into what philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre might call an “impossible choice”—allowing Lennie to suffer at the hands of the mob or taking his life himself. His decision represents both moral agency and surrender to circumstance.

Lennie Small: Character Analysis

The irony in Lennie’s surname (“Small” despite his massive physical size) highlights the novella’s exploration of different forms of strength and vulnerability. Physically powerful but intellectually limited, Lennie depends on George’s guidance while offering physical protection. His childlike qualities—innocence, impulsivity, and inability to comprehend consequences—create both endearing and dangerous situations.

Scholars debate whether Steinbeck’s representation of cognitive disability reflects period stereotypes or creates a more complex character. His primary characteristics include:

• Fixation on soft things (mice, rabbits, velvet, women’s hair)
• Exceptional physical strength paired with lack of bodily awareness
• Dedication to George and their shared dream
• Pattern of accidental destruction despite good intentions

Lennie functions both as an individual character and as a “symbolic innocent” whose destruction represents the impossibility of maintaining purity in a harsh world.

Relationship Development and Trajectory

The trajectory of George and Lennie’s relationship follows a pattern of:

1. Established routine (Chapter 1): Their practiced interactions reveal history
2. External pressures (Chapters 2-3): Ranch environment tests their bond
3. Dream expansion (Chapters 3-4): Inclusion of Candy makes dream tangible
4. Crisis and dissolution (Chapters 5-6): Lennie’s actions force tragic conclusion

Quote Analysis: Key Exchanges Between George and Lennie

Supporting Characters in ‘Of Mice and Men’: Roles & Significance

Candy: Age and Disposability

Old swamper Candy embodies the theme of disposability based on physical capability. After losing his hand in a ranch accident, he fears future uselessness: “They’ll can me purty soon. Jus’ as soon as I can’t swamp out no bunk houses they’ll put me on the county.”

The parallel between Candy’s aging dog and his own situation creates one of the novella’s most powerful symbolic echoes. When the other men insist on shooting his dog because it’s old and smells, they enact the ranch’s utilitarian value system where worth equals productivity. Candy’s regret—”I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn’t ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog”—foreshadows George’s later decision to kill Lennie himself rather than letting strangers do it.

Candy’s enthusiastic joining of George and Lennie’s land dream represents his desperate need for belonging and purpose beyond work capability. His offer of financial contribution transforms an abstract dream into possible reality, creating a brief moment of hope in the narrative.

Curley’s Wife: Gender and Objectification

Significantly unnamed throughout the novella (defined only by her relationship to Curley), this character represents women’s limited options in 1930s rural America. Her characterization exists in tension between stereotype (the flirtatious troublemaker) and complex humanity (a lonely young woman with thwarted dreams).

Her presentation evolves from threatening archetype to vulnerable individual. Initially described through male perception—”full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up”—she later reveals her own perspective: “I coulda made somethin’ of myself… If I’d went, I wouldn’t be livin’ like this, you bet.”

Feminist scholars have debated Steinbeck’s portrayal. Susan Shillinglaw has analyzed how Steinbeck’s characterization reveals the dehumanizing effects of female objectification (Shillinglaw, 2011). Her death scene, where Steinbeck writes that “the meanness and the plannings and the discontent and the ache for attention were all gone from her face,” suggests that only in death is she freed from social constraints.

Crooks: Race and Structural Discrimination

As the only Black character, Crooks illuminates the intersectionality of race and disability in creating social isolation. Physically separated in the harness room with only “books, a tattered dictionary, and a mauled copy of the California civil code for 1905,” his living space represents enforced segregation and his attempt to assert dignity through knowledge.

His brief interaction with Lennie reveals profound loneliness: “A guy sets alone out here at night, maybe readin’ books or thinkin’ or stuff like that. Sometimes he gets thinkin’, an’ he got nothing to tell him what’s so an’ what ain’t so.” This rare glimpse into his interior life demonstrates Steinbeck’s ability to present marginalized consciousness with empathy while acknowledging social realities.

Crooks’ momentary inclusion in the land-buying dream followed by exclusion through Curley’s wife’s threat of lynching powerfully illustrates racial hierarchy’s primacy over other forms of solidarity. His retreat from the dream partnership demonstrates the practical impact of systemic racism on individual possibility.

Slim: Moral Authority and Wisdom

Slim functions as the ranch’s moral center, described as having “god-like eyes” and authority that comes from skill and character rather than position. His judgment carries weight because “his opinions were law and his word was law.” Unlike other characters defined by some lack or limitation, Slim appears complete—skilled in his work, socially respected, and emotionally perceptive.

His respect for George and Lennie’s partnership demonstrates his recognition of human connection’s value. At the novella’s end, he alone understands George’s tragic choice, offering companionship: “You hadda, George. I swear you hadda.”

Character Function: Mapping Social Hierarchy

Each character occupies a specific position within multiple intersecting hierarchies:

California Ranch Life: Setting Analysis in Steinbeck’s Novel

Physical Settings: Symbolic Landscapes

Steinbeck creates three primary physical settings in the novella, each carrying symbolic weight:

1. The Riverside Clearing (Chapters 1 and 6) The novel opens and closes in this natural sanctuary described as “a few miles south of Soledad” (the Spanish word for “solitude”). This setting establishes a seemingly prelapsarian space outside social constraints. With its “golden foothill slopes,” “sycamores with mottled, white, recumbent limbs,” and “warm water” where “the current swirled,” it represents both natural harmony and potential refuge. The clearing’s circular use in the narrative structure creates what literary scholars term a “bookend technique,” emphasizing both cyclical patterns and profound transformation between beginning and end. What starts as a place of rest becomes a site of mercy killing—nature remaining constant while human circumstances change irreversibly.
2. The Bunkhouse (Chapters 2-3) Described as “a long, rectangular building” with “whitewashed walls” and “unpainted floors,” the bunkhouse represents institutionalized transience. The “eight bunks” with “apple boxes nailed to the wall” as personal storage reveal the minimal accommodation for workers’ individuality.
3. The Barn (Chapters 4-5) The barn presents a transitional space between natural and human worlds, where work occurs but also where vulnerability emerges. Its subdivision into separate areas (main space, harness room, stalls) creates both privacy and isolation. It becomes the site of the novella’s pivotal tragedy, suggesting that even spaces of productivity contain potential for destruction.

Temporal Setting: Historical Context and Social Reality

Set during the Great Depression, the novella’s temporal context shapes every character interaction and possibility. Economic desperation creates the conditions for exploitation and competition while simultaneously making George and Lennie’s dream both more necessary and less attainable.

The ranch setting represents a microcosm of Depression-era agricultural capitalism, reflecting actual conditions Steinbeck witnessed. The bunkhouse structure, payment system, and leisure activities (horseshoes, brothel visits) are historically accurate depictions of migrant worker life in 1930s California.

Table: Setting Elements and Their Symbolic Functions

Setting as Thematic Foundation

The setting doesn’t merely locate the action but fundamentally shapes the novella’s thematic concerns. Literary scholar Louis Owens argues that “Steinbeck’s settings function as active forces rather than passive backgrounds” (Owens, 1996). Key examples include:

• Isolation vs. Connection: The physical layout of the ranch enforces separation (Crooks’ segregated room, bunkhouse bunks) while characters seek connection.
• Natural vs. Social Law: The riverside scenes emphasize natural cycles (predation, growth, water flow), while ranch scenes demonstrate social hierarchies and rules.
• Freedom vs. Constraint: The open landscape surrounding the ranch represents theoretical freedom, while characters remain bound by economic necessities.
• Permanence vs. Transience: The solid structures of the ranch contrast with workers’ temporary status, highlighting the elusive nature of belonging.

Dreams & Loneliness: Key Themes in ‘Of Mice and Men’

The American Dream: Possibility and Limitation

The land ownership dream functions as both narrative engine and thematic cornerstone in the novella. George’s description—”a little house an’ a couple of acres”—embodies the agrarian ideal within American Dream mythology. This specific iteration of the dream includes:

• Self-sufficiency: “We’d jus’ live there. We’d belong there.”
• Independence: “Nobody could can us”
• Natural abundance: “Live off the fatta the lan'”
• Community on their terms: “If we don’t like a guy we can say, ‘Get the hell out'”

The dream’s transformation from comforting routine to possible reality through Candy’s financial contribution creates the novella’s brief moment of hope. Its ultimate destruction through Lennie’s actions represents Steinbeck’s examination of the American Dream’s tragic vulnerability to both external circumstances and internal human limitations.

The dream operates differently for each character:

• For George: Practical goal and comforting narrative for Lennie
• For Lennie: Concrete focus for his desire to tend rabbits
• For Candy: Escape from disposability and dependence
• For Crooks: Momentarily considered possibility before cynical rejection

Loneliness and Isolation: The Human Condition

Steinbeck presents loneliness as the default condition of ranch workers, with George and Lennie’s partnership as the exceptional case. Their connection prompts curiosity and even suspicion from others because it challenges the established pattern of isolation. As the boss questions: “What stake you got in this guy? You takin’ his pay away from him?”

Each character experiences distinct forms of isolation:

Steinbeck presents loneliness not merely as emotional state but as structural condition produced by economic and social systems. The characters’ attempts to overcome isolation—through dreams, relationships, or even conflict—drive much of the novella’s action.

Power Dynamics: Forms of Strength and Vulnerability

“Of Mice and Men” examines multiple forms of power operating simultaneously:

1. Physical Power: Most directly represented through Lennie’s strength and its unintended consequences. The irony that his great physical power comes with mental vulnerability creates the central tension in his character.
2. Economic Power: Determines baseline status (owner vs. worker) but also creates hierarchies among workers themselves (skilled vs. unskilled, permanent vs. temporary).
3. Social Power: Operates through specific categories:
   • Race: Crooks’ segregation and vulnerability to threats
   • Gender: Curley’s wife’s limited options and objectification
   • Age: Candy’s fear of being “canned” when no longer useful
   • Ability: Different valuations of physical vs. mental capability
4. Moral Authority: Represented primarily through Slim, whose judgment is respected above formal authority.

Even marginalized characters exercise limited forms of power: Crooks through knowledge, Curley’s wife through sexuality, Candy through financial contribution to the dream.

Mercy and Violence: Ethical Paradoxes

The novella presents several situations where violence and mercy become paradoxically intertwined:

1. Candy’s Dog: The shooting of the old dog presented as mercy but experienced by Candy as violation
2. Curley’s Hand: Lennie’s crushing of Curley’s hand as both defensive act and demonstration of dangerous power
3. Lennie’s Killing of Small Animals: Stem from affection but result in death
4. George’s Shooting of Lennie: Ultimate act of protection through violence

This recurring pattern establishes “tragic choices”—situations where all available options involve some form of moral compromise. The novella’s most profound ethical statement comes through George’s final choice to kill Lennie himself, an act simultaneously merciful and brutal.

Examination Question Prompt and Model Response Framework

Question: How does Steinbeck use the theme of dreams throughout “Of Mice and Men” to explore human nature?

Response Framework:

1. Introduction: Identify how dreams function on multiple levels (narrative device, character motivation, thematic exploration)
2. Paragraph 1: Dreams as survival mechanism
   • George and Lennie’s dream provides psychological comfort
   • Recitation as ritual that strengthens their bond
   • Quote analysis: “An’ live off the fatta the lan'”
3. Paragraph 2: Dreams as social critique
   • Land ownership dream highlights systemic inequality
   • Connection between economic conditions and psychological needs
   • Quote analysis: “S’pose they was a carnival or a circus come to town…”
4. Paragraph 3: Dreams as vulnerability
   • Dream’s expansion to include Candy creates hope and risk
   • Dreams make characters vulnerable to greater disappointment
   • Quote analysis: “I ought to of shot that dog myself”
5. Conclusion: Final interpretation of dream’s destruction
   • Not simply pessimistic statement but complex examination
   • George continues after dream’s end—commentary on human resilience

Steinbeck’s Style: Literary Techniques in ‘Of Mice and Men’

Narrative Perspective and Voice

Steinbeck employs what narratologists call a “limited omniscient” perspective throughout the novella. This technique allows the narrator to reveal characters’ thoughts selectively while maintaining a primarily external viewpoint. This balanced perspective creates both emotional intimacy and moral distance.

The narrative voice exhibits several distinctive characteristics:

1. Economy of expression: Steinbeck uses remarkably concise language, particularly in descriptive passages. The opening description of the Salinas River setting accomplishes complex scene-setting in just a few sentences.
2. Cinematic technique: The narrative frequently employs what film theorists call “establishing shots” that present settings before introducing character action. This technique reflects Steinbeck’s awareness of cinematic storytelling—the novella was intentionally structured to facilitate stage and screen adaptation.
3. Objective reporting: Emotionally charged events are often narrated with deliberate detachment. Curley’s wife’s death and George’s shooting of Lennie are presented through external description rather than psychological exploration, creating a powerful affect through understatement.
4. Dialect representation: Steinbeck reproduces workers’ speech patterns phonetically (“purty” for “pretty,” “ast” for “asked”), creating authenticity while occasionally risking stereotyping.

Symbolism and Motifs

The novella employs a network of recurring symbols and motifs that create thematic coherence:

Steinbeck’s symbolism operates through natural rather than abstract imagery, creating meaning that feels organic rather than imposed.

Foreshadowing and Dramatic Structure

The novella employs extensive foreshadowing, creating what literary scholars call “tragic inevitability”—a sense that the conclusion, while devastating, follows logically from established patterns. Key examples include:

1. Lennie’s history in Weed foreshadows the incident with Curley’s wife
2. The killing of mice and puppies prefigures larger tragedy
3. The shooting of Candy’s dog anticipates George’s mercy killing of Lennie
4. George’s instructions about the riverside meeting place prepare for the final scene
5. Curley’s hostility toward Lennie establishes the threat motivating George’s final action

This pattern of foreshadowing contributes to what Aristotle termed “anagnorisis” (recognition)—the moment when earlier patterns suddenly become clear in light of later events. As reader or audience, we experience both surprise at specific developments and recognition of their inevitable nature.

Language Patterns and Techniques

Steinbeck employs several distinctive stylistic techniques:

1. Parallels and repetition: The novella contains numerous repeated phrases and situations that create both cohesion and emphasis. Most notably, George’s telling of the dream appears three times with significant variations.
2. Contrasting imagery: Steinbeck frequently juxtaposes opposing images—particularly natural beauty against human hardship, or innocence against violence.
3. Understatement: Emotionally charged moments often receive minimal narrative comment, creating what Ernest Hemingway called the “iceberg effect”—surface simplicity concealing deeper significance.
4. Realistic dialogue: Character speech reflects distinct personalities and backgrounds while maintaining natural rhythm. George’s protective instructions, Lennie’s childlike repetitions, and Crooks’ bitter observations each carry distinctive patterns.

Close Reading Analysis: Opening Paragraph

A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green. The water is warm too, for it has slipped twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight before reaching the narrow pool.

This opening paragraph demonstrates Steinbeck’s precise descriptive technique. Each detail serves multiple purposes—establishing setting, mood, and thematic foundation simultaneously. The passage employs:

• Active verbs for inanimate objects (“drops,” “runs,” “slips”)
• Sensory details across multiple senses (visual: “green,” “yellow,” “twinkling”; tactile: “warm”)
• Balanced sentence structure that mirrors the flowing water it describes
• Natural imagery that contrasts with the human-centered narrative to follow

The mention of “Soledad” (Spanish for “solitude”) subtly introduces the theme of isolation that will pervade the human relationships. The “narrow pool” prefigures the constrained possibilities that the characters will encounter despite the seemingly open landscape.

Style as Thematic Reinforcement

Steinbeck’s stylistic choices consistently reinforce the novella’s thematic concerns:

1. Simplicity of language echoes the characters’ straightforward dreams and needs
2. Balanced naturalism reflects the tension between environmental determinism and human agency
3. Economical prose mirrors the material scarcity of Depression-era life
4. Cyclical structure supports themes of fate and predetermination

Essential Quotes: Analyzing Key Passages in ‘Of Mice and Men’

George and Lennie’s Dream Recitation

“Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place… With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us.”

This passage establishes what literary scholars call the novella’s “central dialectic”—the tension between isolation as default condition and connection as exceptional possibility. The repetition of “guys like us” followed by the contrasting “with us it ain’t like that” creates both identification with and separation from the typical ranch worker experience.

The language is simple yet profound in its existential implications. Steinbeck presents belonging as both fundamental human need and elusive possibility. The phrase “gives a damn about us” reveals how even minimal care becomes significant in a context of general indifference.

Analysis Technique: Contextual Interpretation When analyzing this quote in essays, consider:

• Position in narrative (early establishment of theme)
• Repetition throughout text with variations
• Contrast between abstract “loneliest guys” and specific “us”
• Connection to American Dream discourse

Candy’s Regret Over His Dog

“I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn’t ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog.”

This brief statement functions as what narrative theorists call a “hinge moment”—connecting past events to future developments. Candy’s regret foreshadows George’s later decision to shoot Lennie himself rather than allowing Curley’s lynch mob to do it.

The doubled “ought to of” construction emphasizes Candy’s emotional investment in the moral question. The ethical problem is not whether the dog should have died, but who should have administered death—a question about responsibility rather than outcome.

Analysis Technique: Thematic Connection When analyzing this quote, examine:

• Parallel between dog’s death and Lennie’s death
• Question of agency versus passivity
• Ethics of mercy killing
• Regret as motivating emotional force

Crooks on Loneliness

“A guy needs somebody—to be near him… A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you. I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick.”

This passage presents loneliness not merely as emotional state but as psychological health concern. The repetition of “guy” universalizes the experience beyond Crooks’s specific situation, while his personal testimony—”I tell ya”—grounds it in lived experience. Steinbeck’s most explicit articulation of human interdependence as biological necessity rather than mere preference.

The passage gains additional significance through its context: spoken by the ranch’s most isolated character, who has developed psychological defenses against the very connection he describes as essential.

Analysis Technique: Characterization Development When analyzing this quote, consider:

• Speaker’s social position and personal history
• Contrast between verbal recognition of need and behavioral resistance
• Universal language (“a guy”) versus personal circumstances
• Medical metaphor (“gets sick”) framing isolation as pathology

Curley’s Wife’s Thwarted Dreams

“Coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes—all them nice clothes like they wear. An’ I coulda sat in them big hotels, an’ had pitchers took of me. When they had them previews I coulda went to them, an’ spoke in the radio, an’ it wouldn’ta cost me a cent because I was in the pitcher.”

This extended speech reveals the character’s inner life beyond her functional role as plot device. The repeated “coulda” constructions create what stylistic analysts call a “counterfactual accumulation”—building an alternative reality that emphasizes the gap between dream and actuality.

The passage transforms the character from stereotype to specific individual with history and aspiration, complicating the reader’s moral response to her subsequent death. The childlike quality of the speech—”pitchers” for “pictures,” the fascination with “not costing a cent”—reveals both innocence and naivety that makes her manipulation by men more tragic.

Analysis Technique: Voice Analysis When analyzing this quote, examine:

• Linguistic markers indicating education level and background
• Fantasy content revealing character values and desires
• Position in narrative (just before death scene)
• Unreliability of self-assessment (“Coulda been in the movies”)

George’s Final Words to Lennie

“Look acrost the river, Lennie, an’ I’ll tell you so you can almost see it… We gonna get a little place… Look down there acrost the river, like you can almost see the place.”

This final recitation of their shared dream creates what narratologists call “dramatic irony”—where the audience understands implications unknown to a character. The instruction to “look acrost the river” directs Lennie’s attention away from George, facilitating the mercy killing while symbolically pointing toward an unreachable future.

This is perhaps American literature’s most heartbreaking use of the dream motif as simultaneous comfort and deception. The qualification “almost see it” takes on added poignancy as it applies both to the fictional ranch and to Lennie’s imminent death.

Analysis Technique: Symbolic Reading When analyzing this quote, consider:

• Repeated river imagery and its symbolic associations
• Dream recitation as ritual and distraction technique
• Verbal echoes from earlier dream tellings
• Tension between kindness and deception

Quote Bank Organized by Theme

Exam Success: ‘Of Mice and Men’ Essay & Question Guide

Common Question Types and Approach Strategies

Literary exams and essays on “Of Mice and Men” typically feature several question patterns, each requiring specific analytical approaches:

1. Character Analysis Questions

Example: “How does Steinbeck develop the character of George throughout the novella?”

Approach Strategy:

• Identify key moments of character revelation (introduction, interactions with other characters, decisions)
• Examine both actions and dialogue for character development
• Analyze relationship dynamics (particularly with Lennie) for character illumination
• Consider narrative perspective and how it shapes character presentation
• Address complexity and contradictions rather than flattening character

2. Thematic Analysis Questions

Example: “How does Steinbeck explore the theme of loneliness throughout ‘Of Mice and Men’?”

Approach Strategy:

• Identify theme manifestation across different characters
• Examine setting elements that reinforce theme
• Analyze dialogue that directly addresses theme
• Consider structural elements (how theme develops from beginning to end)
• Explore contradictions or complexities within theme

Scholar Peter Lisca recommends “seeking thematic development through character constellation rather than isolated examples”.

3. Literary Technique Questions

Example: “How does Steinbeck use foreshadowing to create tragic inevitability in ‘Of Mice and Men’?”

Approach Strategy:

• Identify specific techniques with textual examples
• Explain effect of technique on reader experience
• Connect technique to broader thematic concerns
• Consider author’s purpose in employing specific techniques
• Compare technique application across different moments in text

4. Context-Based Questions

Example: “How does Steinbeck’s presentation of the ranch reflect the social realities of 1930s America?”

Approach Strategy:

• Connect specific textual elements to historical context
• Avoid generalizations about “the author’s intentions”
• Maintain focus on textual evidence while incorporating contextual knowledge
• Consider how context illuminates rather than determines meaning
• Examine how the text both reflects and comments on its context

Essay Structure Templates

Five-Paragraph Analytical Essay

1. Introduction:
   • Contextual opening (brief relevant background)
   • Clear thesis statement (specific, arguable claim)
   • Roadmap of supporting points
2. First Body Paragraph:
   • Topic sentence stating first supporting point
   • Textual evidence with citation
   • Analysis connecting evidence to thesis
   • Transition to next point
3. Second Body Paragraph:
   • Topic sentence stating second supporting point
   • Multiple pieces of textual evidence
   • Deeper analysis exploring implications
   • Transition to next point
4. Third Body Paragraph:
   • Topic sentence stating third supporting point
   • Textual evidence with analysis
   • Consideration of counterargument or complexity
   • Connection back to thesis
5. Conclusion:
   • Restatement of thesis in light of presented evidence
   • Broader implications of argument
   • Concluding insight about text’s enduring significance

Extended Literary Analysis Structure

For longer essays (1500+ words), consider this alternative structure:

1. Introduction (comprehensive framing of question)
2. Theoretical/Contextual Framework (relevant literary or historical context)
3. Textual Analysis (3-4 sections organized by aspect rather than example)
4. Critical Perspectives (scholarly viewpoints on the question)
5. Synthesis and Evaluation (your position in dialogue with critics)
6. Conclusion (implications and significance)

Model Paragraph Example with Annotations

Question: How does Steinbeck present the significance of dreams in “Of Mice and Men”?

Model Paragraph:

Dreams in the novella function not merely as escapist fantasies but as necessary psychological survival mechanisms. (Clear topic sentence establishing analytical framework) George and Lennie’s repeated recitation of their land-ownership plan—”We got a future… gonna have a room to ourself”—creates what psychologist Abraham Maslow would identify as fulfillment of both safety and belonging needs. (Specific textual evidence with analytical framework) The dream’s power lies in its concrete details: the “vegetable patch,” “rabbits in cages,” and “thick cream” that they could have. (Evidence selection focusing on specific language) These tangible elements transform an abstract hope into imaginable reality, providing purpose beyond day-to-day labor. (Analysis of specific effect) Significantly, their dream attracts others—Candy and momentarily Crooks—suggesting that dreams function socially as well as individually. (Extension to broader pattern) As critic Peter Lisca notes, “The dream serves not merely as plot device but as psychological infrastructure for characters whose material reality offers little support”. (Integration of critical perspective) This psychological function explains why George continues telling the dream story even when he likely suspects its impossibility. (Connection to character motivation) The dream thus represents both human resilience and vulnerability—our capacity to create meaning even within constraining circumstances. (Connection back to larger thesis)

Exam Board-Specific Approaches

Different examination boards emphasize particular aspects of literary analysis:

Critical Perspectives: Advanced Analysis of Steinbeck’s Novel

Formalist Perspective: Structure and Unity

Formalist critics examine how the novella’s structural elements create artistic unity. Several formal patterns that unify the text include:

1. Circular structure: Beginning and ending in the same location creates formal symmetry while emphasizing thematic transformation
2. Rule of three: Key elements appear in triplets (three deaths caused by Lennie, three tellings of the dream, three days of narrative time)
3. Balanced scenes: Alternating between public spaces (bunkhouse) and private spaces (river, Crooks’ room)
4. Mirroring: Characters function as foils or reflections (George/Slim as practical wisdom, Lennie/Curley as physical strength)

Formalist analysis also emphasizes Steinbeck’s economical prose style. The novella’s relatively short length (approximately 30,000 words) achieves remarkable thematic depth through “strategic compression”—focusing on representative moments rather than exhaustive development.

Marxist Analysis: Class Consciousness and Labor

Marxist critics approach the novella as commentary on economic conditions and class relations during the Great Depression. The ranch setting creates “a laboratory for examining labor relations under agricultural capitalism”.

Key elements for Marxist analysis include:

• Alienated labor: Workers have no connection to the products of their work
• Class stratification: Clear hierarchy from owners to temporary workers
• Economic determination: Material conditions shape possibilities and relationships
• Commodification: Humans valued according to productive capacity (Candy’s fear, Lennie’s strength)

Marxist critics argue that “Steinbeck presents the American Dream as simultaneously product of and resistance to capitalist values—owning property represents both acceptance of and escape from the prevailing economic system”.

Feminist Critique: Gender Representation

Feminist readings focus particularly on the representation of Curley’s wife—the novella’s only female character. Susan Shillinglaw observes that “her namelessness symbolizes how patriarchal structures define women through relationship to men rather than individual identity” (Shillinglaw, 2011).

The feminist perspective identifies several problematic elements:

• Limited female representation (single character versus multiple male characters)
• Characterization through male perception (consistently described through male gaze)
• Functional role as threat/temptation rather than full character
• Death that functions primarily to advance male characters’ story

However, contemporary feminist critics have also noted that “Steinbeck subtly critiques the very gender limitations he represents—Curley’s wife’s monologue reveals awareness of her constrained options”.

Disability Studies Perspective

More recent scholarship examines Steinbeck’s representation of cognitive disability through Lennie’s character. Lennie represents a complex portrayal that both employs and challenges period stereotypes about intellectual disability.

Critical assessment includes:

Problematic Elements:

• Simplistic association between disability and danger
• Infantilization through animal comparisons
• Limited interior access compared to other characters

Progressive Elements:

• Portrayal of friendship across neurological difference
• Recognition of Lennie’s desires and personhood
• Contextual rather than inherent presentation of limitations

Disability studies scholars argue that “Lennie’s characterization reveals tensions between medical and social models of disability prevalent during Steinbeck’s era”.

Historical-Biographical Connections

Steinbeck’s personal experiences inform key elements of the novella. Having worked alongside migrant laborers in California agricultural valleys during the early 1930s, he witnessed firsthand the conditions he depicts. Biographer Jackson Benson notes that “Steinbeck’s commitment to accurate representation of worker experience emerges from both political conviction and personal observation” (Benson, 1990).

Specific biographical connections include:

• Based the character of Lennie partly on a real farm worker Steinbeck knew
• Incorporated actual ranch structures and labor practices he observed
• Drew from personal experiences of friendship during economic hardship

Critical Reception Evolution

The novella’s critical reception has evolved significantly since its 1937 publication:

Essay Planning: Structure Your ‘Of Mice and Men’ Response

Deconstructing Essay Questions

Successful literary analysis begins with careful question deconstruction. For “Of Mice and Men” essays, identify the specific elements the question targets:

1. Content focus: Character, theme, technique, context
2. Direction terms: Analyze, evaluate, compare, discuss
3. Scope parameters: Throughout the novella, in specific sections

Building Effective Thesis Statements

A strong thesis for “Of Mice and Men” analysis should be:

• Specific: Addresses particular elements rather than general observations
• Arguable: Presents a position that requires demonstration rather than stating obvious facts
• Complex: Acknowledges nuance rather than simplistic either/or claims
• Text-focused: Centers on the novella rather than historical context or author intention

Weak thesis examples:

• “Steinbeck shows friendship is important in ‘Of Mice and Men.'” (Too obvious and general)
• “Steinbeck wrote ‘Of Mice and Men’ to show the hardships of the Great Depression.” (Speculates about author intention)

Strong thesis examples:

• “Through George and Lennie’s relationship, Steinbeck reveals both the psychological necessity and the practical vulnerability of human connection in a socioeconomic system designed to promote isolation.”
• “The circular structure of ‘Of Mice and Men’ creates a tension between deterministic inevitability and the possibility of alternative outcomes, reflecting Steinbeck’s complex naturalism.”

Evidence Selection and Integration

Effective literary analysis depends on appropriate evidence selection and integration. Follow these principles:

1. Selectivity: Choose evidence that directly supports your specific analytical point rather than general relevance
2. Context awareness: Ensure quotations are presented with sufficient context for comprehension
3. Integration technique: Blend quotes grammatically into your own sentences
4. Analysis ratio: Provide substantially more analysis than quotation (aim for 3:1 ratio)

Evidence Integration Methods

Comparative Analysis Frameworks

Many “Of Mice and Men” essay questions involve comparison—between characters, themes, or sections. Effective comparison requires structural planning:

Ineffective approach: Discussing Subject A completely, then Subject B completely with minimal connection

Effective approaches:

1. Point-by-point: Analyze specific aspects with direct comparison between subjects for each aspect
   • Example: Compare George and Slim’s wisdom, then their relationships with others, then their narrative functions
2. Dialectical: Present thesis about Subject A, counterthesis about Subject B, then synthesize
   • Example: Thesis on dream as psychological necessity, counterthesis on dream as delusion, synthesis examining tension between perspectives
3. Spectrum analysis: Position multiple elements along continuum rather than binary comparison
   • Example: Analyze characters from most to least socially integrated (Slim → George → Candy → Lennie → Crooks → Curley’s wife)

Timed Essay Planning Template (30-minute response)

For exam situations with limited time, follow this efficient planning process:

Minutes 0-5: Question Analysis and Planning

• Circle key terms in question
• Brainstorm 3-4 main points with brief evidence notes
• Draft one-sentence thesis

Minutes 5-20: Drafting

• Introduction with context, thesis, and roadmap (2 minutes)
• 3 body paragraphs with topic sentence, evidence, analysis (4 minutes each)
• Conclusion with thesis restatement and significance (3 minutes)

Minutes 20-25: Drafting Conclusion and Review

• Read through response checking for:
  • Clarity of thesis throughout
  • Evidence for each claim
  • Logical connections between paragraphs
  • Appropriate literary terminology

Minutes 25-30: Final Additions

• Add sophisticated transitions between paragraphs
• Insert additional analytical terms if appropriate
• Check for repetitive phrasing

Further Study: Resources for Deeper Understanding

Critical Readings on Steinbeck and ‘Of Mice and Men’

For students seeking sophisticated analysis for advanced essays, these scholarly sources offer valuable perspectives:

1. Heavilin, Barbara A. (2000). “The Critical Response to John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men'”
   Provides comprehensive overview of critical approaches with historical progression of interpretation.
2. Owens, Louis. (1996). “John Steinbeck’s Re-Vision of America”
   Examines Steinbeck’s work within broader American literary traditions and mythologies.
3. Shillinglaw, Susan. (2011). “On Reading ‘Of Mice and Men'”
   Offers close reading strategies with emphasis on narrative technique and character development.
4. Levant, Howard. (2007). “The Novels of John Steinbeck: A Critical Study”
   Analyzes formal elements and thematic patterns across Steinbeck’s work.

Historical Context Materials

Understanding the socioeconomic background enhances interpretation of the novella:

1. Gregory, James N. (2001). “American Exodus: The Dust Bowl Migration and Okie Culture in California”
   Provides historical context for the migrant worker experience depicted in the novella.
2. Worster, Donald. (2004). “Dust Bowl: The Southern Plains in the 1930s”
   Examines environmental and economic factors creating the migration conditions.
3. Depression-Era Photography Collections:
   Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans documented the visual reality of the period Steinbeck depicts.

Comparative Works by Steinbeck

For thematic comparison and broader understanding of Steinbeck’s approach:

1. “The Grapes of Wrath” (1939) – Expanded treatment of migrant worker experience
2. “Cannery Row” (1945) – Different approach to community and belonging themes
3. “The Pearl” (1947) – Exploration of dreams and their destructive potential
4. “In Dubious Battle” (1936) – Focus on labor organization during similar period

Exam Preparation Resources

For students specifically preparing for literature examinations:

1. Past examination questions with examiner reports
2. Marking criteria for specific examination boards
3. Sample essays with annotations indicating assessment levels
4. Vocabulary lists of literary terminology specific to prose fiction analysis

Film Adaptations for Comparative Analysis

Analyzing adaptations offers insight into interpretative possibilities:

1. 1939 Lewis Milestone film (earliest major adaptation)
2. 1992 Gary Sinise/John Malkovich version
3. BBC television adaptation (2001)

When using adaptations, focus on interpretative choices rather than fidelity to text. Consider:

• Visual representation of setting
• Character emphasis and development
• Narrative elements included or omitted
• Tone and atmospheric choices

Self-Study Questions for Deepening Analysis

For independent exploration beyond standard essay questions:

1. How does Steinbeck’s use of natural imagery establish thematic patterns?
2. In what ways does the novella’s structure contribute to its tragic impact?
3. How might the story differ if told from Lennie’s perspective?
4. What role does silence play in character dynamics?
5. How do different forms of power interact within the ranch hierarchy?
6. To what extent does the novella present dreams as necessary illusions rather than achievable goals?
7. How does Steinbeck use physical description to reveal character psychology?
8. What distinguishes moral from immoral choices within the novella’s ethical framework?

These questions promote what literary theorist Wolfgang Iser calls “filling the gaps”—active reader engagement with textual ambiguities and complexities.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Main Theme of “Of Mice and Men”?

The main theme of “Of Mice and Men” is the impossibility of the American Dream during the Great Depression. Steinbeck explores how economic hardship and social hierarchies prevent characters from achieving independence and belonging. Through George and Lennie’s relationship and their shared dream of land ownership, Steinbeck examines how human connections attempt to withstand societal pressures that push toward isolation and loneliness. The novella ultimately suggests that while dreams provide necessary psychological comfort, they remain vulnerable to both external circumstances and internal human limitations.

Why Did George Kill Lennie?

George kills Lennie as an act of mercy at the end of the novella. After Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife, the ranch men form a lynch mob determined to make him suffer. George chooses to shoot Lennie himself while reciting their shared dream, sparing him from a painful death and torture at the hands of Curley and the others. This tragic decision represents both the ultimate expression of George’s care for Lennie and his recognition that their dream of independence has become impossible. Only Slim understands the complexity and compassion behind George’s difficult choice.

What Does the Title “Of Mice and Men” Mean?

The title “Of Mice and Men” comes from Robert Burns’ 1785 poem “To a Mouse,” which contains the famous line: “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft agley” (often go awry). This reference foreshadows the novella’s central theme that even carefully made plans can be derailed by circumstances beyond our control. The title encapsulates the tension between human planning and uncontrollable fate.

What Is the Significance of the Setting in “Of Mice and Men”?

The California ranch setting in “Of Mice and Men” serves as a microcosm of Depression-era America, reflecting the socioeconomic realities of the 1930s. Set near Soledad (Spanish for “solitude”), the location reinforces themes of isolation and loneliness. The ranch functions as a setting where Steinbeck examines power relationships based on physical strength, age, gender, race, and intellectual ability. The contrast between the beautiful natural environment in the opening/closing scenes and the harsh ranch reality highlights the gap between dream and actuality.

How Does Steinbeck Present Friendship in the Novel?

Steinbeck presents friendship—particularly through George and Lennie’s relationship—as both a psychological necessity and a rarity in the competitive Depression-era environment. Their partnership defies the pattern of isolation established for ranch workers, with George explaining: “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world… With us it ain’t like that.” Their bond provides mutual benefit despite its apparent imbalance: George offers guidance and protection, while Lennie gives George purpose and companionship. The novella suggests that human connection offers crucial resistance against a dehumanizing economic system that promotes individualism.

What Does Curley’s Wife Represent in the Novel?

Curley’s wife—significantly unnamed throughout the novella—represents women’s limited options in 1930s rural America. Her characterization evolves from threatening stereotype to complex individual with thwarted dreams. Through her, Steinbeck explores gender constraints and objectification, as she’s defined solely by her relationship to her husband. Her death scene, where Steinbeck writes that “the meanness and the plannings and the discontent and the ache for attention were all gone from her face,” suggests that only in death is she freed from social constraints. She embodies both dangerous temptation and victimhood within the ranch’s masculine power structure.

How Does Steinbeck Use Foreshadowing in “Of Mice and Men”?

Steinbeck employs extensive foreshadowing to create “tragic inevitability”—a sense that the conclusion, while devastating, follows logically from established patterns. Key examples include: Lennie’s history of accidentally causing trouble in Weed; his pattern of killing small animals (mice, puppy) prefiguring larger tragedy; the shooting of Candy’s dog anticipating George’s mercy killing of Lennie; George’s instructions about the riverside meeting place preparing for the final scene; and Curley’s hostility establishing the threat motivating George’s final action. This technique contributes to the novella’s powerful emotional impact and structural unity.

What Role Does Crooks Play in “Of Mice and Men”?

Crooks, the isolated Black stable buck with a “crooked back,” illuminates the intersectionality of race and disability in creating social isolation. His physical separation in the harness room symbolizes racial segregation in 1930s America. Through him, Steinbeck explicitly addresses loneliness: “A guy needs somebody—to be near him… A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody.” His brief hope of joining the land-ownership dream followed by retreat after Curley’s wife’s racial threat powerfully demonstrates how racial hierarchy overrides other potential forms of solidarity. Crooks represents both resistance against dehumanization (through his books and insistence on rights) and the practical limitations imposed by systemic racism.

What Makes “Of Mice and Men” a Tragedy?

“Of Mice and Men” functions as a modern tragedy through its depiction of characters whose fates are determined by both external circumstances and internal limitations. The novella follows classical tragic structure: exposition (introduction of George and Lennie), rising action (development of ranch relationships), climax (death of Curley’s wife), falling action (George’s decision), and resolution (mercy killing and aftermath). The ending presents what scholar John Timmerman identifies as “the novel’s central moral paradox: George’s ultimate expression of care for Lennie comes through an act of violence” (Timmerman, 2005). The circular narrative structure—beginning and ending at the same riverside location—reinforces the sense of inevitable tragedy.

How Does “Of Mice and Men” Reflect the Great Depression?

“Of Mice and Men” authentically depicts the harsh realities of the Great Depression (1929-1939) through its portrayal of migrant farm workers, economic insecurity, and social hierarchies. The characters’ living conditions—shared bunkhouse, minimal possessions, constant mobility—reflect historical realities Steinbeck witnessed firsthand while working alongside agricultural laborers in California. The dream of land ownership represents both the traditional American Dream and its increasing unattainability during economic collapse. Through this specific historical lens, Steinbeck explores universal themes of human dignity, connection, and survival within systems that reduce individuals to their economic utility.

References

• Benson, J. (1990). The True Adventures of John Steinbeck, Writer.
• Burns, R. (1785). To a Mouse.
• Davis, M. (2002). Late Victorian Holocausts: El Niño Famines and the Making of the Third World.
• Gregory, J. N. (2001). American Exodus: The Dust Bowl Migration and Okie Culture in California.
• Heavilin, B. A. (2000). The Critical Response to John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men.
• Levant, H. (2007). The Novels of John Steinbeck: A Critical Study.
• Owens, L. (1996). John Steinbeck’s Re-Vision of America.
• Shillinglaw, S. (2011). On Reading Of Mice and Men.
• Steinbeck, J. (1937). Of Mice and Men.
• Timmerman, J. H. (2005). The Dramatic Landscape of Steinbeck’s Fiction.
• Worster, D. (2004). Dust Bowl: The Southern Plains in the 1930s.