"Of Mice and Men"
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Characters
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Characters
Lennie: A
large, lumbering, childlike migrant worker. Due to his mild mental disability,
Lennie completely depends upon George, his friend and traveling companion, for
guidance and protection. The two men share a vision of a farm that they will
own together, a vision that Lennie believes in wholeheartedly. Gentle and kind,
Lennie nevertheless does not understand his own strength. His love of petting
soft things, such as small animals, dresses, and people’s hair, leads to
disaster.
George: A
small, wiry, quick-witted man who travels with, and cares for, Lennie. Although
he frequently speaks of how much better his life would be without his
caretaking responsibilities, George is obviously devoted to Lennie. George’s
behavior is motivated by the desire to protect Lennie and, eventually, deliver
them both to the farm of their dreams. Though George is the source of the
often-told story of life on their future farm, it is Lennie’s childlike faith
that enables George to actually believe his account of their future.
Candy: An aging ranch handyman, Candy
lost his hand in an accident and worries about his future on the ranch. Fearing
that his age is making him useless, he seizes on George’s description of the
farm he and Lennie will have, offering his life’s savings if he can join George
and Lennie in owning the land. The fate of Candy’s ancient dog, which Carlson
shoots in the back of the head in an alleged act of mercy, foreshadows the
manner of Lennie’s death.
Curley's Wife: The only female character in the story, Curley’s wife is
never given a name and is only mentioned in reference to her husband. The men
on the farm refer to her as a “tramp,” a “tart,” and a “looloo.” Dressed in
fancy, feathered red shoes, she represents the temptation of female sexuality
in a male-dominated world. Steinbeck depicts Curley’s wife not as a villain,
but rather as a victim. Like the ranch-hands, she is desperately lonely and has
broken dreams of a better life.
Crooks: Crooks, the
black stable-hand, gets his name from his crooked back. Proud, bitter, and
caustically funny, he is isolated from the other men because of the color of
his skin. Despite himself, Crooks becomes fond of Lennie, and though he
derisively claims to have seen countless men following empty dreams of buying
their own land, he asks Lennie if he can go with them and hoe in the garden.
Curley: The boss’s son, Curley wears
high-heeled boots to distinguish himself from the field hands. Rumored to be a
champion prizefighter, he is a confrontational, mean-spirited, and aggressive
young man who seeks to compensate for his small stature by picking fights with
larger men. Recently married, Curley is plagued with jealous suspicions and is
extremely possessive of his flirtatious young wife.
Slim: A highly skilled mule driver and the acknowledged
“prince” of the ranch, Slim is the only character who seems to be at peace with
himself. The other characters often look to Slim for advice. For instance, only
after Slim agrees that Candy should put his decrepit dog out of its misery does
the old man agree to let Carlson shoot it. A quiet, insightful man, Slim alone
understands the nature of the bond between George and Lennie, and comforts
George at the book’s tragic ending.
Carlson : A ranch-hand, Carlson complains
bitterly about Candy’s old, smelly dog. He convinces Candy to put the dog out
of its misery. When Candy finally agrees, Carlson promises to execute the task
without causing the animal any suffering. Later, George uses Carlson’s gun to
shoot Lennie.
The Boss: The
stocky, well-dressed man in charge of the ranch, and Curley’s father. He is
never named and appears only once, but seems to be a fair-minded man. Candy
happily reports that the boss once delivered a gallon of whiskey to the
ranch-hands on Christmas Day.
Aunt Clara : Lennie’s
aunt, who cared for him until her death, does not actually appear in the work
except at the end, as a vision chastising Lennie for causing trouble for
George. By all accounts, she was a kind, patient woman who took good care of
Lennie and gave him plenty of mice to pet.
Whit : A young ranch-hand.
These
Character Summaries taken from sparksnotes.com
where you can also find more in-dept analysis of the major characters.
Additional
summary perspectives at novelguide.com,
San Jose State University
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