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Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck: Questions and Answers | Major English Class 11
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Questions and Answers
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
1. Why did Steinbeck choose the title Of Mice and Men?
Answer:
The title "Of Mice and Men" is derived from a poem by Robert Burns, suggesting the vulnerability of dreams and plans, mirroring the characters' struggles in the novella.
2. What happened in Weed?
Answer:
In Weed, Lennie scared a woman by touching her soft dress, leading to trouble and their departure from town.
3. Why does Carlson shoot Candy’s dog?
Answer:
Carlson shoots Candy's dog because it's old, toothless, and suffering. He sees it as an act of mercy.
4. Why does Curley attack Lennie?
Answer:
Curley attacks Lennie out of jealousy and anger, suspecting Lennie of flirting with his wife.
5. Why does George kill Lennie?
Answer:
George kills Lennie to spare him from a potentially brutal punishment for accidentally killing Curley's wife.
6. Why does Lennie have a dead mouse in his pocket?
Answer:
Lennie keeps a dead mouse in his pocket because he likes to pet soft things, even though it often leads to trouble.
7. How is Lennie different from the other men?
Answer:
Lennie is different due to his intellectual impairment, making him reliant on George for guidance and protection.
8. Why do George and Lennie travel together?
Answer:
George and Lennie travel together for companionship, with George caring for Lennie due to his disability.
9. Why does Curley wear a glove on one hand?
Answer:
Curley wears a glove filled with Vaseline on one hand to keep it soft for his wife and to protect his hand in fights.
10. How does Lennie’s puppy die?
Answer:
Lennie's puppy dies because he pets it too forcefully, unintentionally causing harm.
11. Why does Lennie kill Curley’s wife?
Answer:
Lennie accidentally kills Curley's wife while stroking her hair, unaware of his strength.
12. Why is Crooks’s room set apart from the others?
Answer:
Crooks's room is set apart because he is an African-American, facing discrimination and isolation from other ranch workers.
13. Why isn’t Curley’s wife’s name ever revealed?
Answer:
Curley's wife's name is never revealed, highlighting her lack of identity and significance on the ranch.
14. What does Slim do at the ranch?
Answer:
Slim is a skilled mule driver and a respected figure on the ranch. He is known for his wisdom and leadership.
15. Do George and Candy still plan to buy the dream farm after Lennie’s death?
Answer:
The text does not explicitly mention whether George and Candy still plan to buy the dream farm after Lennie's death.
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
1. What does the mouse in the first section of the novella tell you about Lennie? What does it tell you about the relationship of George and Lennie? How does George try to keep Lennie from getting in trouble?
Answer:
In the first section of the novella, Lennie has a dead mouse in his pocket. He likes to pet soft things but doesn’t have an idea of his own real strength. He kills the mouse when he petrifies it too hard. When George asks him about the dead mouse, he explains his reasons. George even throws the mouse in the woods, but Lennie manages to take it back and hide it secretly. The dead mouse in Lennie's pocket tells us about Lennie’s clear obsession with soft things and the unintentional destruction of them, foreshadowing future events in the story.
It tells us about the relationship between George and Lennie as leaders and followers. In this relationship, we find George to be a dominant character who is responsible for Lennie's overall activities. Lennie seems somewhat irresponsible, dependent, and incapable of looking after himself. He has respect, trust, and obedience for George.
George tries to keep Lennie from getting in trouble by instructing him on various things regarding his activities. Lennie has a habit of mostly forgetting things. George is too careful about Lennie's acts. He keeps on reminding him of things most of the time. He advises him to come and hide in the bushes near the river if he gets into trouble.
2. Describe what happens when Candy's old dog is killed. Why do you think Steinbeck includes this scene with the killing of the old dog in the story?
Answer:
Carlson complains and offers to shoot Candy's smelly old dog in the back of the head. No one defends Candy or the dog in the barn. Candy allows shooting the dog quite reluctantly. Carlson takes Candy's dog outside and promises Slim that he will bury the dead body. Carlson takes his pistol and shoots the dog. When the men hear a shot ring out, Candy turns his face to the wall. He lays paralysed and heartbroken on his bed. He can't show the other men how devastated he is. He regrets it and compares himself to an old dog.
I think Steinbeck includes this scene with the killing of the old dog in the story because he wants to show the inhumane behaviour of people against nimals. This act of killing an old dog presents the callousness of humans and the reality of old age and infirmity. The act of killing the dog sadly reflects the way George chooses to murder his dearest friend, Lennie Small. It means that humans always want to get rid of those who create nuisances and become burdens for others. The acts in the novella have shown a human selfish tendency towards others.
3. What happens when Lennie is alone in the barn in section five? How did he kill the pup? What does this tell you about how Lennie responds to what is right and wrong? What does he think when he kills the pup?
Answer:
In section five, when Lennie is alone in the barn, he accidentally kills the pup. He killed it unknowingly while playing with it. When the pup was trying to bite him, he stroked the pup so hard. He becomes restless as well as fearful about George after killing him. He becomes quite dilemmaous about his next steps. He hides the dead pup inside the hay and again takes it out. He hurls the dead pup, angry.
This act of Lennie tells us about his mental capacity, which isn't able to respond to what is right and wrong. He is mentally crippled and doesn't understand the consequences of his actions. Due to his mental weakness, he mostly gets into trouble and messes things around.
When he kills the pup, he only thinks about the response of George being fearful. He doesn't have any regrets about his act of killing the pup. He only becomes fearful of George and thinks that George won't allow him to take care of the rabbits if he knows about his act and the dead puppy. He is mainly concerned about George, his anger, and his response.
4. How does Lennie kill Curley's wife? Why? What does he think and do after he kills her?
Answer:
Lennie kills Curley's wife unconsciously. Curley's wife comes into the barn when Lennie is alone. He starts talking to her. She becomes quite friendly with Lennie. Lennie tells her about the dream and his liking for tending the rabbits. He loves soft things, especially rabbits. Curley's wife also shares her likes and dislikes. She tells Lennie that she likes to have her soft hair stroked. She also invites Lennie to feel her hair. Just like the little puppy, Lennie doesn't know when to stop stroking. He keeps on stroking Curley's wife's hair hard until she gets alarmed and wants him to let go. Both struggle, and she screams. Lennie becomes fearful and shakes her. He only wants her to stop yelling. Suddenly, her body flops like a fish, and Lennie accidentally breaks her neck. Lennie becomes terrified, so he leaves the body of Curley's wife among the hay. He hears a horseshoe game outside, realises that someone will come in sooner or later, and discovers his bad deed. Next, he tucks the dead puppy under his coat and escapes from there.
7. How do you know that Lennie is a simple-minded person? Give examples to support your answer.
Answer:
We know that Lennie is a simple-minded person by seeing his overall activities in the novella. Lennie has been presented as a large, strong, lumbering, simple-minded man who is usually unaware of his actions and surroundings. His favourite thing, which he likes to do, is pet soft things. When we first learn about Lennie, he has a dead mouse in his pocket that he is petting with his thumb. Here, his simple-mindedness can easily be noticed. Due to his attraction to soft things, he keeps a dead mouse in his pocket. When George throws it, he manages to bring it back and hide it in his pocket. Lennie's attraction to soft things made him and George escape from their first workplace. He is quite unaware of the consequences of his acts. He grabs a woman's dress, just finding it soft. Due to his simple-mindedness, he gets into trouble. The act of killing the pup can be taken as an example of his simple-mindedness. He kills the pup unknowingly by petting it so hard, forgetting the future consequences. He is unknown about the reactions to his actions. While stroking Curley's wife's hair, he doesn't have any idea about her suffering. He keeps on using his strength to make her quiet. He flops on her body and breaks her neck. When she dies, he doesn't seem regretful. He leaves the place as he hears the noise of the people. All these instances prove that Lennie is a simple-minded person who really doesn't know the consequences of his acts. He is too straightforward.
REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT
1. Discuss the setting of the novella.
Answer:
The setting of the novella has presented different places in California during 1930, a period of the Great Depression.
The whole story of the novella takes place over four days. The story starts on Thursday evening and ends on Sunday. There are four major places in the novella where the actions take place.
Soledad, California
The major scenes of the novella "Of Mice and Men" take place on a ranch in Soledad, California. We find the actions performed by the characters in only four settings, such as the riverbed, the bunkhouse, Crooks's room, and the barn, which lend to the dramatic quality of the text.
Salinas River
The story starts and ends at the Salinas Riverbank, a few miles outside of the ranch where George and Lennie start working.
The Bunk House
The Bunk House has been presented as a place where Lennie, George, and the rest of the ranch workers, except for Crooks, live.
Crooks Room/The Barn
Crooks Room, or The Barn, is a small, isolated room where Crooks lives a bitter and lonely life. This room is quite a dark and foreboding place in the story.
2. What are the symbols used in the novel? Explain their significance.
Answer:
In this novella, "Of Mice and Men," John Steinbeck includes several symbols regarding various things, which add depth and meaning to the story. The author of this novella has used the most important and powerful symbol, "The Farm of George and Lenny," in the novella. This dream of George and Lennie is compared to the American dream. The main character, George, mostly talks about the farm where he will one day have to grow crops and livestock. He will be the master of his own. This dream of owning the farm symbolises the ideal of freedom for these ranch workers. This mythical farm fascinates everyone who hears George talking about it. They too, instead of constantly struggling to survive from the scraps of a failing society, desire the freedom to live off the land as their masters.
In the novella, we also find the important roles of animals. These animals also play an important role as symbols in the novella. For example, Lenny's puppy. Here, a huge Lennie kills his cute puppy by petting it. This act of killing the little puppy symbolises the fact that the strong can destroy the weakest things in the world. Lenny is physically quite strong, so he easily crushes the puppy by accident. The death of this innocent, cute puppy also foreshadows the death of Lenny, who is also innocent in his own way because he lacks the intellectual ability to understand cause and effect in the world. Here, George can be taken as strong and Lennie as weak.
Next, Candy's old, smelly dog is an animal that is used symbolically in the novella "Of Mice and Men." Once, Candy's dog did a great job on the farm. As it got older, it became less useful for others on the farm. As its usefulness diminishes with time, Carlson insists on killing it. Even though he says he will kill the animal without pain, the dog still symbolises the truth about how weaker members of society are recklessly dealt with by those with greater strength. People with strength always try to dominate those with less power.
All these symbols in the novella have created deep meanings regarding the bitter reality of this world and its people.
3. Is George right when he says, "He never done this to be mean"? Why does Lennie do it?
Answer:
Yes, George is right when he says, "He never did this to be mean." George knows about Lennie's overall activities. While talking to Slim, he talks about Lennie's mental disabilities. George mentions how Lennie has caused trouble in the past. He even says how his life has affected him in various ways. George constantly keeps on trying to pick up after Lennie's mistakes, which makes his life harder than it already is. Furthermore, George even fought for Lennie's life when Lennie killed Curley's wife. George says to Slim, "He never did this to be mean" (Steinbeck 97). In this particular quote, George uses Lennie's mental disability to lighten the penalty for killing Curley's wife rather than being killed by Curley himself. George fights for Lennie's life as he tries to convince the other ranch workers to find some other alternative to punishing Lennie for his unintentional actions. By fighting for Lennie's life in various circumstances, George has demonstrated the characteristics of a hero.
Lennie does it because he doesn't have a proper idea of his own actions and their further consequences. He does it unknowingly and accidentally. While stroking Curley's wife's hair, she starts yelling out. To make her stop yelling, he uses his strength. He hasn't killed her intentionally. Lennie's attraction to soft things makes him commit this crime.
4. What is the theme of the novella? Discuss briefly.
Answer:
We find various themes here in this novella, "Of Mice and Men." Among them, we find major themes: loneliness and alienation, dreams versus reality, friendship and loyalty, and freedom versus captivity.
Loneliness and alienation:
The town close to the ranch where the novel is set is named Soledad, which is translated from the Spanish word'solitude', so loneliness is immediately established as an important theme in "Of Mice and Men".
In the novella, most of the characters on the ranch are seen as lonely. They are different from each other. Both George and Lennie stand out because their friendship means that they are not isolated, and this is very unusual, making some others (like the boss) suspicious of them. Steinbeck presents here how the lifestyle that the men lead is very damaging to their relationships, making them lack compassion for others.
In the novella, the loneliest characters are Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife. All of these characters seem different from the others on the ranch: Candy is the oldest one among the others; Crooks is the only black man there; and Curley’s wife is the only woman on the ranch. All these factors make these characters isolated, and the men on the ranch show no empathy towards them instead of making them more isolated by treating them badly.
Dream versus Reality:
The theme of dream versus reality is quite important in the novella. The characters in the novella are too connected with their dreams. The major characters, George and Lennie, have the dream of owning their own farm where they can properly live their lives. Their dream is of working for themselves, of being independent, and it is a dream sufficiently powerful to draw in Candy and, temporarily, even the cynical Crooks. We also know it is a dream shared by many thousands of travelling ranch workers. This is not the only dream in the novel yet. Curley's wife also has a pathetic dream of being a movie star, and the ranch workers dream of being the cowboy heroes they read about in the pulp magazines.
But the reality is far beyond their imaginations. Most characters fail in the novella to attain their dreams. We find them on the wrong path, quite far from their life's dream. The characters in the novella remain barehanded at last, and they get nothing except for lamentation.
Friendship and Loyalty:
We find this major theme in the relationship between George and Lennie. Both George and Lennie have a very close friendship where we find care, respect, trust, loyalty, etc. In the novella, we find a character named Lennie who makes many mistakes. Except for George, he has almost no one on his side. George is one and only Lennier’s true loyal friend.
George always shows his loyalty to Lennie on almost every page, especially when Lennie makes terrible mistakes. From the beginning of the novella to the end, George keeps on doing things for the welfare of Lenny. George takes care of Lennie most of the time because Lennie has the mind of a younger child, so he makes many mistakes. George protects and cares for Lennie. Lennie reaches out to feel the red dress of the girl who accuses Lennie of rape. George takes risks in his life and tries to help Lennie stay out of trouble. He always protects him, even when he makes mistakes. The loyalty of George to Lennie remains till the end. George tells him his favourite story regarding the American dream at last. He asks him to take off his hat and look towards the riverside. Finally, he makes him quiet painlessly.
Freedom versus Captivity:
This novella, "Of Mice and Men," illustrates how working-class people possess little meaningful freedom and are often held captive by their circumstances. Many characters in the novella desire their freedom and expect better living standards. Their lives on the ranch somewhat reveal their hardships and obligations. They want to seek out a way of liberation most of the time. Their desire to have a life of freedom somewhat seems trapped due to different circumstances. Most of them have failed to attain freedom and have even lost their lives.
5. Write a brief summary of the novella Of Mice and Men.
Answer:
"Of Mice and Men" is a famous novella by John Steinbeck. The story of this novella is about the friendship between two poor migrant workers, Lennie and George. Both of them want a better life and have plans to own their own farm. Lennie is a big, powerful man with the mind of a child. He doesn't know how to control his emotions or his strength. He is too fascinated by soft things and stories related to their plans. He prefers to listen to his favourite dream story from George most of the time. George plays a very vital role as the caretaker of Lennie. Due to Lennie's kid's mindset, he mostly gets into trouble. George protects and defends Lennie. He instructs Lennie in his overall activities.
In a room near the town of Soledad, both George and Lennie meet different workers and learn about their different living styles. They even meet with the boss, his aggressive son Curley, and his beautiful wife. George keeps Lennie away from the boss and even Curley's wife. The scene of Candy's old and smelly dog's shooting is quite a bad experience for all except Carlson. Due to Lennie's lack of understanding as well as his kid's mindset, he accidentally kills first a puppy by petting it so hard and later Curley's wife by stroking her hair and flopping her. At the end of the novella, George meets Lennie at the exact hiding place that he suggested to him at the time of trouble. George tells him his favourite story and finally shoots him. Along with Lennie's death, their dream of owning a farm where Lennie can look after rabbits dies too.
6. What does the title Of Mice and Men mean? Explain.
Answer:
The title "Of Mice and Men" means both weaker and more powerful aspects of humans' lives. The mice in the title of the novella "Of Mice and Men" mean the helplessness of humans against larger forces. The title suggests both helpless and powerful aspects.
The title refers to the poem by Robert Burns, "Of Mouse," in which the poet laments the accidental destruction of a mouse's nest while he ploughs a field. The main character, Lennie, frequently kills mice by accident because he wants to pet them but can't control his strength. Here, we find the worst situations for both mice and men. Life seems bizarre for both, and fate is unfortunate during the time of the great depression.
7. Explain "I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you...."
Answer:
This quote has been repeated by Lennie. Lennie uses this line whenever he finds George in an aggressive mood. He uses this line to make George realise the responsibilities of both friends on the planet. According to Lennie, their friendship is the most important thing in both of their lives. He sees George as his life and expects that they both protect each other. He considers George to be his caretaker and himself to be George's caretaker. For him, both are responsible for each other. This quote reflects a very responsible friendship between them. In the novella, Lennie's statement fits most of the situations. We find trust, respect, care, and protection in their relationships. They are true friends with each other.
LITERARY ANALYSIS
1. Discuss the plot of the novella.
Answer:
The main characters, George and Lennie, are quite opposite. Among them, George Milton is small and clever, while Lennie Small is big and strong. George takes care of him because Lennie has an intellectual disability. He has less understanding of the world around him. Life isn't easy for George and Lennie. Lennie is fascinated by soft things. He has kept a dead mouse in his pocket. He is quite fearful about George because George instructs him most of the time and cares for Lennie's overall activities. Due to Lennie's habits, they had to escape from their last job in the weeds. During that time, Lennie scared a woman by touching her soft red dress. The woman accused Lennie of rape. George always cares about Lennie being responsible. He got this responsibility from Aunt Clara during her last visit. Lennie mostly gets into trouble due to his child's mindset. George asks him to hide himself in the bushes near the river Salinas. George tells him a favourite story related to their dream of having their own farm. But Lennie's main concern is to pet rabbits (soft animals) on the farm.
Both of them move to a new ranch near the town of Soledad to seek out jobs for them. On the ranch, they meet Candy, an elderly ranch worker who lost his hand in a machinery accident many years ago. Candy shows them their beds in the bunkhouse and tells them how the other men on the ranch are unpleasant to Crooks, the stable buck. Actually, Crooks is African-American and has a crooked back; that's why other men always try to bother him.
They both move to a new farm near the city of Soledad to find a job for themselves. At the farm, they meet Candy, an elderly farmworker who lost his arm in a machinery accident many years ago. Candy shows them their bed in the bunkhouse and tells them how unpleasant the other men are to the Crooks and the stable buck. In fact, Crooks is African-American and has a bent back, so other men try to harass them.
George talks to the boss of the ranch. He doesn't want the boss to realise that Lennie has mental disabilities. Candy arrives there along with his lovable old dog. A bit later, George knows about the extremely angry, short-height son of the boss named Curley, a man who wants to mess up with tall people like Lennie.
Curley leaves, and his young wife enters the bunkhouse. Both she and Curley were only married a few weeks ago. She feels lonely most of the time. She likes those who pay much attention to her. Lennie thinks she is so pretty, but George warns him to be away from her.
Next, Slim, a senior worker on the ranch, comes to meet George and Lennie. Slim and another worker, Carlson, talk about the puppies that Slim's dog has just had. Carlson offers to shoot Candy's smelly dog and gets a new puppy from Slim instead. Lennie also expects to get a pup from Slim. Lennie gets a cute pup from Slim. George thanks Slim and even relates to him about the overall story of Lennie's life and his mental disability. He tells him about Lennie's attraction to soft things and even the event that happened at their last workplace. Slim realises that Lennie is a good person. Lennie enters in with his new puppy.
Lennie is playing with the puppies of Slim's dog. Lennie comes into the room, hiding the puppies in his clothes. George scolds him.
Carlson kills Candy's old dog by shooting it on the back of its head. Candy feels so sad and compares himself to a dog.
Whit talks about the nature of Curley's wife. Curley suspects the relationship between his wife and Silm. Lennie wants to hear again about their dream. George doesn't have any interest in that dream. Candy passionately pays attention to their plan. George tells us about their plan.
Candy gets ready to join in with their plan. He has saved six hundred bucks. Slim, Curly, Carlson, and Whit enter the room where Candy, George, and Lennie are talking about their plan. Slim threatens Curley not to follow and bother him but rather to keep his wife with him all the time. Slim doesn't have any interest in one's wife. At that time, Lennie remembers his dream plan and accidentally laughs. Curley gets furious and starts hitting Lennie. Lennie grabbed his fist tightly with his big paws and crushed his hand. Slim settles the conflict.
Lennie kills his pup accidentally. Curley's wife comes there. Both Lennie and Curley's wife talk. She praises Lennie for being a big baby. She allows Lennie to touch her hair. While stroking, Lennie kills her accidentally and escapes from there. He waits for George in the brushes. George meets Lennie and tells him his favourite story. Finally, George kills Lennie with Carlson's gun.
2. Describe the form, language and structure of the novella.
Answer:
Of Mice and Men is written as a novella, which is fictional and shorter than a novel but longer than a short story. Steinbeck said that he decided to write the story more similar to a play, focusing on dialogue and less detail than is typical for a prose narrative.
The playstyle is also clear in structure, as the book has three sections, such as acts—a pair of chapters each—and scenes. Each chapter begins with an overview of the setting of that 'scene', similar to the stage directions in a play.
The book has a third-person narrator. We find less narration in the book than in traditional prose fiction. Through the characters’ dialogue, the action often moves on.
Although the narrator is omniscient, they don't provide much insight into the characters' thoughts or feelings, as some omniscient third-person narrators do. Instead, it is suggested to the readers through the characters' actions and what they say.
This has made the style of writing quite direct and unemotional, which reflects the way that the characters live and relate to each other.
Steinbeck has included a lot of dialogue in the book, and this is all written in colloquial language. This has reflected the way that people would really have spoken, which shows Steinbeck’s focus on trying to show the hardship of life for itinerant workers during the Great Depression.
Throughout the novella, we find excessive animal imagery used. Lennie, in particular, is linked to animals through similes and metaphors. This has demonstrated his inability to understand the behaviour of others and the consequences of his own actions. The way that animals are treated, such as Candy’s dog, has also revealed a lot about how society treats people.
Steinbeck writes directly and straightforwardly, particularly when referring to things that happen on the ranch. This reflects how the men on the ranch speak: they are honest and forthright. However, in the two parts of the book (mainly at the beginning and end), which are set in beautiful nature, Steinbeck is more descriptive, perhaps suggesting that beauty exists in this world primarily where men haven't interfered.
REFERENCE BEYOND THE TEXT
1. Draw the character sketch of George Milton.
Answer:
George Milton is a migrant worker and a very good friend of Lennie. He works on a ranch near the town of Soledad. He is mostly in the company of his one and only friend, Lennie Small. He is quite a responsible person who is clever in his mind. He is the man who is careful and responsible for his friend Lennie's overall activities. He protects and cares for Lennie. He keeps on advising and alerting Lennie to various things that are bad and harmful to do. He even suggests the spot for hiding at the time of trouble.
George has a dream of someday owning his own land, but he realises the difficulty of making this dream come true. He instructs Lennie most of the time and even defends him in various situations. He is the one who has taken responsibility for Lennie after Aunt Clara. He gets into trouble most of the time due to Lennie's lack of understanding of the world. He makes the very serious decision to kill Lennie at last.
2. Draw the character sketch of Lennie Small.
Answer:
Lennie Small is a migrant worker who is mentally handicapped. He is very large and very strong. He depends on his friend George most of the time. He gets advice and protection from him in various situations. He doesn't understand the variety of things that happen in his surroundings. His enormous strength and his pleasant habit of petting soft animals like rabbits are a dangerous combination. He is a kind-hearted and quite loyal friend of George. He thinks much about George and relies on him. He doesn't want to create problems, but unfortunately, problems occur to him. He tries his best to follow George's advice most of the time. Whenever he commits bad deeds, he becomes quite fearful of George. He shares the dream of owning a farm with George, but he does not know the implications of that dream. Due to his kid's mindset, both friends had to escape from the weed farm, their last job place. He even kills a cute pup and Curley's wife accidentally. At last, he gets killed by George. Along with his death, the dream of both friends dies.
3. Write a critical appreciation of the novella.
Answer:
4. Write your own interpretation of what happens between Crooks and Lennie. How does Steinbeck use Crooks' life to help explain the relationship between George and Lennie? How does what Crooks says to Lennie help explain why George will come back?
Answer:
There is a conversation between Crooks and Lennie regarding Lennie and George's dream of owning a farm and their relationship. Crooks, being quite rude, interrupts Lennie as he is taking the pup. When Lennie talks about the dream of owning a farm, Crooks taunts him regarding the dream and his relationship with George. According to Crooks, Lennie's dream won't come true, and what might happen if George didn't come back or got hurt? He tells Lennie about the concept of loneliness and being alone.
Lennie becomes quite upset and scared after hearing Crooks' words. Due to Crooks's acts of prodding, Lennie gets very irritated. When Crooks realises the danger, he tries his best to calm down Lennie.
Crook's life has been presented as quite lonely on the ranch by Steinbeck. He is a stable buck, but due to his crooked back and black colour, other men on the ranch bother him most of the time. Other workers behave in a very unpleasant manner towards him. His one and only friend is loneliness. He tells Lennie about other men on the ranch who are racists. He repeatedly asks Lennie to imagine the situation if he gets into one similar to his. By using Crooks' life, Steinbeck tries to show the complexity of George and Lennie's relationship. Both George and Lennie live together, united. In their relationship, Lennie seems fully dependent on George. For Lennie, George is the only friend in the entire world. Lennie never thinks about his single life without George. Crooks's single and isolated life with lots of problems in his surroundings somewhat reflects the lives of both George and Lennie, where there are a lot of hardships and problems. They seem to be together, but the loneliness is always there. George's life is limited and concerned mainly with Lennie. He is the one who is responsible for Lennie's overall activities.
Due to Lennie's kid's mindset, George is always worried for him. On the other hand, Lennie too feels quite lonely in the absence of George. He tries his best to follow the simple instructions that George has taught him. He thinks and cares for George a lot. Just as in Crooks' life, theirs is also surrounded by many unexpected problems.
When Lennie gets irritated a lot, Crooks tries to calm him down. He starts talking gently to Lennie and tries his best to convince him by showing examples of himself using the word "s'pose'. He talks about the importance of companionship in everyone's life. As a lonely guy, he tells Lennie about a situation when he gets lonely without George. His explanations regarding his childhood days, his present loneliness, and his condition help Lennie get the idea that George will come back. Lennie again flows along with his dream farm and becomes quite sure about George's arrival.
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