Skip to content
Storgy

Of Mice and MenNovella by John Steinbeck

Flashcards for Of Mice and Men

36 cards · 9 characters · 12 key quotes · 5 symbols · 10 literary devices. Nothing is saved and nothing is asked for — close the tab and the deck resets.

Tool · Flashcards

Card 1 of 36 · 0 of 36 marked known

Every card

Front and back, in deck order — print this page to cut them out.

Characters · 9

  1. Candy

    Candy is an aging, one-handed handyman on the Soledad ranch in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.

    character

  2. Carlson

    Carlson is a ranch hand in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, representing a stark and unsentimental practicality that contrasts sharply with the novel's themes of loyalty and compassion.

    character

  3. Crooks

    Crooks is the Black stable buck on the ranch in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, named for his crooked spine, a consequence of a horse's kick.

    character

  4. Curley

    Curley is the antagonistic son of the ranch boss in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, representing the most immediate human threat in the story.

    character

  5. Curley's Wife

    Curley's Wife is the only woman on the ranch in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, and she remains unnamed throughout—this choice highlights how the male-dominated world of the novel reduces her to a possession defined solely by her husband.

    character

  6. George Milton

    George Milton is the practical, quick-witted main character in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.

    character

  7. Lennie Small

    Lennie Small is one of the two main characters in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.

    character

  8. Slim

    Slim is the jerkline skinner at the Soledad ranch in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, serving as the story's moral compass and unofficial judge of character.

    character

  9. The Boss

    The Boss is a minor yet structurally significant character in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, acting as the owner of the ranch where the main events take place.

    character

Key quotes · 12

  1. “A guy needs somebody—to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. Don't make no difference who the guy is, long's he's with you.”

    This line comes from Crooks, the Black stable hand, speaking to Lennie in Chapter 4 of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men (1937).

    Crooks · Chapter 4

  2. “I seen hunderds of men come by on the road an' on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an' that same damn thing in their heads . . . every damn one of 'em's got a little piece of land in his head.”

    This line is spoken by Crooks, the Black stable-hand, to Lennie (and later Candy) during the crucial bunkhouse scene in Chapter 4 of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.

    Crooks · Chapter 4

  3. “An' live off the fatta the lan'.”

    This phrase is spoken by Lennie Small and eagerly repeated by George Milton in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men (1937).

    Lennie Small (also George Milton)

  4. “You hadda, George. I swear you hadda.”

    This line is spoken by Slim to George at the very end of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men (1937), right after George has shot Lennie to protect him from a violent mob lynching.

    Slim · Chapter 6 (final chapter)

  5. “I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you.”

    This line is spoken by Lennie Small to George Milton in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men (1937).

    Lennie Small · Chapter 1

  6. “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place.”

    This line is spoken by George Milton to his companion Lennie Small near the beginning of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men (1937), as the two men camp by the Salinas River before starting work at a new ranch.

    George Milton · Chapter 1

  7. “She's gonna make a mess. They's gonna be a bad thing.”

    This line is spoken by Candy in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, probably in Chapter 4 or 5, when Curley's wife enters the bunkhouse or the stable buck's room where Lennie, Candy, and Crooks are hanging out.

    Candy · Chapter 4

  8. “I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn't ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog.”

    This line is delivered by Candy, the aging handyman on the ranch, near the end of Chapter 3 in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.

    Candy · Chapter 3

  9. “Tell me about the rabbits, George.”

    This tender, recurring plea is voiced by Lennie Small, the large, intellectually disabled farmhand, to his companion and caretaker George Milton throughout John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men (1937).

    Lennie Small

  10. “With us it ain't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us.”

    This line is spoken by George Milton to his friend Lennie Small in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men (1937), early in the novella as they camp by the Salinas River while heading to a new job on a ranch.

    George Milton · Chapter 1

  11. “Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin' them two guys?”

    This line is delivered by Whit, a ranch hand, towards the end of Chapter 3 in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.

    Whit · Chapter 3

  12. “Lennie—if you jus' happen to get in trouble like you always done before, I want you to come right here an' hide in the brush.”

    This line is delivered by George Milton to his friend Lennie Small near the beginning of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men (1937), while the two men take a break by the Salinas River before heading to the ranch where they will work.

    George Milton · Chapter 1

Symbols · 5

  1. Candy's Dog

    In John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, Candy's dog represents the fate of the old, the weak, and those no longer deemed useful in a harsh world.

  2. Curley's Wife's Hair

    In John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, Curley's Wife's meticulously styled hair reflects her deep desire for identity, beauty, and a life beyond the confines of the ranch.

  3. Mice

    In John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, mice represent the illusion of safety and the vulnerability of those without power.

  4. Rabbits

    In John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, rabbits represent Lennie's dreams, innocence, and the delicate nature of hope.

  5. The Farm / Dream of Land

    In Of Mice and Men, the dream farm that George and Lennie envision captures the hope and the American Dream for those facing society's toughest challenges.

Literary devices · 10

  1. Symbolism

    The rabbits that Lennie dreams of taking care of serve as the novella's most persistent symbol.

  2. Motif

    The act of stroking soft things appears repeatedly as a key theme.

  3. Imagery

    Steinbeck begins and ends the novella at the same pool on the Salinas River, using rich descriptions of nature—like 'willows fresh and green,' 'deep and green' water, and a heron standing 'in the shallows'—to create a serene setting that the harsh realities of ranch life disrupt.

  4. Dramatic Monologue

    George's repeated retelling of the dream — "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world... but not us" — serves as a dramatic monologue within the dialogue.

  5. Allegory

    The novella serves as a social allegory for the Great Depression and the American Dream.

  6. Juxtaposition

    Steinbeck contrasts Lennie's massive physique with his innocent mindset, which creates the central emotional depth of the novella.

  7. Irony

    The novella's deepest irony lies in its structure: the closer the dream gets to realization — thanks to Candy's money making it financially feasible — the more inevitably it is shattered.

  8. Personification

    The Salinas Valley landscape is subtly personified throughout the text.

  9. Simile

    Steinbeck employs simile to quickly establish character.

  10. Extended Metaphor

    The dream farm serves as a powerful metaphor for the American Dream throughout the novella.