Of Mice And Men Book Report

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Of Mice and Men

1.) Title: Of Mice and Men

Published: Random house, INC

Author: John Steinbeck

2.) What type of book: Fiction

3.) Characters:

1.) George- A small man who travels with, and takes care of, Lennie. He frequently talks about how much better his life would be without having Lennie to take care of. George's behavior is motivated by the desire to protect Lennie and, eventually, he wants to lead them both to the farm of their dreams.

2.) Lennie- A large, lumbering, childlike migrant worker. Because of his mild mental disability, Lennie completely depends on George, his friend and traveling companion, for guidance and protection. His love of petting soft things, such as small animals, dresses, and people's hair, leads to disaster, and like George, he wants to get to the farm of his dreams.

3.) Candy- An aging ranch handyman, Candy lost his hand in an accident and worries about his future on the ranch. He is afraid that his age is making him useless, so he gives his life's savings to George and Lennie in hopes of joining them on their way to the farm of their dreams.

4.) Curley's Wife- The only female character in the novel, Curley's wife is never given a name and is only referred to as "Curley's wife." Dressed in fancy, feathered red shoes, she represents the temptation of female sexuality in a male-dominated world. She is desperately lonely and has broken dreams of a better life.

5.) Crooks- Crooks, the black stable-hand, gets his name from his crooked back. He is isolated from the other men because of the color of his skin. Soon, Crooks becomes fond of Lennie, and even though he claims to have seen countless men following empty dreams of buying their own land, he asks Lennie if he can go with them, because he wants to hoe in the garden.

4.) Two main conflicts:

1.) Lennie vs. Self- Lennie was in the middle of a constant battle with himself. No matter what he did, it seemed as if he could have done better, or that he shouldn't have done it at all. He couldn't control his emotions very well, and had to have someone there to take care of him all the time. In the end, Lennie never overcomes this conflict, and dies by getting shot.

2.) George vs. Lennie- George had to look out for Lennie, because of his mental disability.

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