'I seen the guys that go around
ranches on their own. That ain't no
good. They don't have no fun.
After a long time they get mean.
Caring, but also frightened of
being lonely
Feeds Lennie the dream
of having their own
ranch
Shoots Lennie, knowing its
better than being lynched or
locked up
Slim: That ain't no good, George.
George: I know I know
Slim means Lennie couldn't
survive being locked up. In
killing a man he loves, George is
heroic.
Lennie
Reliant on George,
always does as he
says
'A huge man, shapeless
of face...and he
walked...the way a bear
drags his paws. His
arms....hung loosely'
Shows Lennies strength
and size, but also that
he is simple and animal
like
'Sure he's jes'like a kid.
There ain't no more harm in
him than a kid neither,
except he's so strong.
Emphasises
Lennie's childlike
simplicity and his
strength
'I didn't want no trouble'
Doesn't mean
harm, just
doesn't know his
own strength
'I done a real bad
thing... George'll be
mad'
Can't control himself, has no
moral judgement. Things are
either good or bad depending
on what George will think.
Curley
Picks a fight with Lennie
- results in Curley getting
his hand crushed
'He hates big
guys...Kind of like
he's mad at 'em
cause he ain't a big
guy'
Seems set on proving
he is a big man in all
but size. Success as an
amateur boxer is an
obsession, so everyone
he meets is seen as an
opponent.
Curley 'won't ever get
canned (sacked) cause
his old man's the boss'
Figure that
represents injustice.
'I don't like Curley. He
ain't a nice guy'
Only sees the world through his
eyes & is really selfish. Inability to
control or understand his wife
brings about her death. He is just
as much to blame as Lennie and
his wife, he just won't admit it.
Curley's Wife
Makes Curley
jealous by flirting
with ranch hands.
Creates tension in
the bunk house
Killed by Lennie, is therefore
the reason George must shoot
Lennie
'He says he was gonna
put me in the movies'
Had her dream destroyed too
Described as a tart
and a floozy
'She was very pretty and
simple, and her face was
sweet and young'
She's never really evil. Her
punishment outweighs any
crimes she may have
committed
Slim
'Godlike' and 'Moved with
majesty'
Suggests the men look up
to and admire him
'Understanding beyond
thought'
Doesn't need to think things
through to 'get them' instantly
knows why George has to kill
Lennie
'was gravity in his manner...all
talk was stopped when he
spoke'
Respected and listened to.
What he has to say usually has
'gravity' - power and importance
Makes Curley promise not
to blame Lennie for his
hand
Gives Lennie the puppy
Candy
Warns George &
Lennie about
Curley
'Tall, stoop shouldered old
man' who has lost his right
hand.
Age and physical
weaknesses are
emphasised from the
start
Offers George & Lennie $300
savings to help buy the ranch
if he can come with them
Crooks
'I ain't wanted in the bunk
house... Cause I'm black'
Victim of racial prejudice
'The boss gives him hell when
he's mad. But the stable buck
don't give a damn about that'
Despite being the stable buck, he is
intelligent, proud and independent.
But none of these features stop the
boss from giving him 'hell'
'He had thin, pain tightened lips'
His life is dominated by pain -
being the only black man, and
his busted back - but he has
risen above that pain.
'I had enough... you
got no rights comin' in
a coloured man's room'