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Of Mice and Men – Section Five

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Plot summary exercise

Complete the plot summary by filling in the blanks:

Lennie is in the barn. He is stroking the _________

_____________. Curley’s wife arrives and talks to Lennie.

He strokes her _________ but when she tells him to stop,

he panics and breaks her _________. He goes to hide in

the __________ like George told him. _________ finds her

body and tells the men what has happened. They prepare

to find Lennie to ________ him. Carlson discovers that his

________ has gone.

deadpuppy

hair

neck

brush Candy

kill

gun

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Once again, Steinbeck takes great care to set the scene, making the reader use all their senses to imagine the barn. On the brainstorm below, replace the ‘sense’ words with a quotation that relates to that particular sense.

Setting the scene

Hear Smell

SeeTouch

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The dead puppy that Lennie strokes is symbolic – it represents or stands for something else. On the brainstorm below, add your own ideas about what the dead puppy could mean. The first one has been done for you.

Symbolism

Lennie does not know his own strength.

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Curley’s wife plays a fairly small part in the novel, but her role is very significant. Answer the questions below to show your understanding of her character, and her importance in the book.

Curley’s wife

Why do you think Steinbeck never gives Curley’s wife a name? Try to think of more than one reason.

Why does she come to talk to Lennie?

Re-read what she says about her life and the dreams she has. What does this tell you about her character? How does this relate to the theme of the American Dream?

Why does Lennie react so violently when Curley’s wife gets angry with him? What do you think her death might symbolise?

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Re-read the part of this section where Lennie kills Curley’s wife. Again, Steinbeck uses animal imagery in connection with Lennie. Why do you think he does this? Find one quotation from this scene to replace the picture below.

Animal imagery

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Re-read the paragraph below. This piece of writing uses alliteration. The effect is cinematic. Why do you think this passage appears at this particular moment? What is the effect of the use of alliteration?

Alliteration

'As happens sometimes, a moment settled and hovered and remained for much more than a moment. And sound stopped and movement stopped for much, much more than a moment.'

Alliteration of the letter

‘m’

Alliteration of the letter

‘s’

The repeated ‘m’ sound makes you slow down your speech. This relates closely to what Steinbeck is describing - the way that time can go into slow motion when something important is happening.

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Re-read the paragraph below which is taken from the end of the section. Again, the writing seems to have a cinematic quality. Why do you think Steinbeck closes the scene in this way? What does the description of Candy remind you of?

Closing the scene

'The sound of the men grew fainter. The barn was darkening gradually, and in their stalls the horses shifted their feet and rattled the halter chains. Old Candy lay down in the hay and covered his eyes with his arm.'

The scene fades gradually, like a camera panning out.

Candy is described in

a similar way to his dog.

He has seen enough pain and misery and is tired of it all.

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Questions

Why does Steinbeck open this particular section so carefully?

Why do you think Lennie takes the puppy with him when he goes to hide?

3. Why does Candy go to get George first when he discovers the body?

4. What has happened to Carlson’s gun?

5. What do you think will happen next?

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How much can you remember?