Of Mice and Men worksheet 3: pages 38-65

Directions: Answer each question with a complete sentence on a separate sheet of paper.

1. One of the main themes in the novel is one of loneliness. Curley is always looking for his wife; she’s always looking for him. They never seem to be together. Most of the men are isolated and alone. What does George say happens (and Slim agrees) to “guys that go around on ranches alone”? (p41.)

2. There’s a lot happening in this third section of the book. Summarize the main events in this section. Include in the summary what happens to Candy’s dog, the fight between Curley and Lennie, Candy’s involvement with the dream of George and Lennie.

3. Besides the theme of loneliness, there is the aspect of isolation. We see George playing “solitaire” in the bunk house to reinforce this point. But for George’s dream to be realized he must make alliances and get help from others. Based on information from this section, predict the likelihood of George’s dream coming true.

4. On page 58, George is talking to Lennie about their dream place. He says to Lennie, …”but you gotta watch out them cats don’t get the little rabbits.” Lennie shows a violent side with his response. “Lennie breathed hard. ‘You just let ‘em try to get the rabiits. I’ll break their God damn necks’.”

Why do you suppose is the author’s purpose for showing this violent side of Lennie?

5. Does Carlson’s treatment of Candy’s dog seem fair? Include at least one detail from the story to support your opinion.

6. How is Candy similar to Lennie? Show two similarities.

7. Again, staying with the theme of loneliness, anytime characters interact with one another, there seems to be trouble. List three examples of trouble when people interact with one another. (pages 42,53,54,56)

8. On page 61 Candy says to George, “I ought to of shot that dog myself, George.” What might this statement foreshadow later in the book?