Characters
George
Sensible, Anxious, Protective, Patient
He acts as a guardian for Lennie throughout the book, finding work for them and always getting him out of trouble
But George is a lonely man and needs Lennie too – the ranch is a dream they both share. Their relationship is envied by others.
George’s killing of Lennie at the end is an act of great friendship and loyalty
Lennie
Simple-minded, Gentle, Strong, Destructive
He never intends to hurt anyone or anything but gets easily panicked & forgets his strength
Like a child, he expects people to like him and people generally respond warmly to his affectionate nature
Lennie is almost totally dependent on George and without him would not survive long
Curley
Aggressive, Insecure, Vengeful, Cowardly
He behaves like one who holds a grudge against the world
He picks on Lennie because he thinks he is too timid to fight back
He does not grieve at his wife’s death perhaps beacause he sees her as a prize to fight over rather than a person to love
Curley’s Wife
Lonely, Flirtatious, Trouble-making, Unhappy, Manipulative
She is the only woman living among mostly unmarried men; it is a difficult situation for her
George is especially worried about her around Lennie because of what happened in Weed
She is not given a name – her identity is by association only to her unkind husband
Crooks
Disrespected, Unhappy, Lonely, Isolated
Crooks, the stable-buck, is bullied because he is a black man by Curley his boss who is racist
He is not open or friendly towards people mainly because they are not this way towards him
When he stands up to Curley’s wife, she threatens terrible punishment on him
Candy
Informed, Cautious, Powerless, Friendly
Being old and crippled, he feels worthless
He tries to keep a low profile in case Curley gets rid of him; he has nowhere else to go
Candy tries to protect his dog but fails and silently retreats. He sees the way his dog is treated as the way others see him – old and
worn-out
He responds to the ranch dream as an escape
Sensible, Anxious, Protective, Patient
He acts as a guardian for Lennie throughout the book, finding work for them and always getting him out of trouble
But George is a lonely man and needs Lennie too – the ranch is a dream they both share. Their relationship is envied by others.
George’s killing of Lennie at the end is an act of great friendship and loyalty
Lennie
Simple-minded, Gentle, Strong, Destructive
He never intends to hurt anyone or anything but gets easily panicked & forgets his strength
Like a child, he expects people to like him and people generally respond warmly to his affectionate nature
Lennie is almost totally dependent on George and without him would not survive long
Curley
Aggressive, Insecure, Vengeful, Cowardly
He behaves like one who holds a grudge against the world
He picks on Lennie because he thinks he is too timid to fight back
He does not grieve at his wife’s death perhaps beacause he sees her as a prize to fight over rather than a person to love
Curley’s Wife
Lonely, Flirtatious, Trouble-making, Unhappy, Manipulative
She is the only woman living among mostly unmarried men; it is a difficult situation for her
George is especially worried about her around Lennie because of what happened in Weed
She is not given a name – her identity is by association only to her unkind husband
Crooks
Disrespected, Unhappy, Lonely, Isolated
Crooks, the stable-buck, is bullied because he is a black man by Curley his boss who is racist
He is not open or friendly towards people mainly because they are not this way towards him
When he stands up to Curley’s wife, she threatens terrible punishment on him
Candy
Informed, Cautious, Powerless, Friendly
Being old and crippled, he feels worthless
He tries to keep a low profile in case Curley gets rid of him; he has nowhere else to go
Candy tries to protect his dog but fails and silently retreats. He sees the way his dog is treated as the way others see him – old and
worn-out
He responds to the ranch dream as an escape