Of Mice And Men Quiz

Of Mice and Men is a novella by John Steinbeck, published in 1937. Set during the Great Depression in California's Salinas Valley, the story follows two displaced migrant ranch workers - George Milton and Lennie Small - Who travel together from ranch to ranch seeking employment. Despite their very different personalities and capabilities (George is small, quick-witted, and strategic; Lennie is massive, immensely strong, but intellectually disabled), they share a deep friendship and a dream of one day owning their own small farm - "living off the fatta the land," as Lennie says. The novella is considered one of the greatest pieces of American literature.

Characters and Themes

The characters of Of Mice and Men are richly drawn: George (Lennie's caretaker and protector, who has sacrificed his own freedom to look after Lennie); Lennie (gentle-hearted but unaware of his own strength - He accidentally kills animals and eventually a person); Candy (an old, one-handed ranch worker who fears being discarded when he's no longer useful, and who desperately wants to join George and Lennie's dream); Crooks (the stable buck, an African American man who lives separately from the white workers, representing racial discrimination); Slim (the skilled, respected mule driver who represents natural authority and wisdom); Curley (the boss's aggressive son); and Curley's wife (nameless, lonely, and dreaming of a better life as a movie star).

The themes of Of Mice and Men include: the American Dream and its failure (the characters' dreams are crushed by circumstance and reality), friendship and loneliness (the rare bond between George and Lennie contrasts with the pervasive loneliness of ranch life), disability and difference (Lennie's condition), racial discrimination (Crooks's marginalization), and the harsh reality of the Great Depression. The tragic ending - In which George shoots Lennie to spare him a violent death at the hands of an angry mob - Is one of American literature's most powerful and debated moments. The novella's title comes from a line in Robert Burns's poem "To a Mouse": "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley" (often go awry). Test your knowledge - Also try our The Outsiders quiz and our To Kill a Mockingbird quiz.