Pub. Date.1937 No of pages: pages: 113
Why did the author choose this title? The title is linked to a Robert Burns poem, 'to a mouse'. In this poem a mouse has built a nest in which it can survive the winter. But the farmer destroys it. The same is the case with Lennie's plans for his future. The story is also about a relationship between a man and animals and between two very different men. Where does the story take place? In a place near San Francisco. When does the story take place? The story takes place in a few days somewhere between 1905 and 1940 in Soledad. It must be after 1905 because one of the men had a 'California civil code for 1905'. The Plot. Did you think the book told a good story? yes(X) no ( ) Write a brief outline of the story (about 100 words on a separate piece of paper) Kind of book. What kind of book is it? (adventure, science, love story, horror, detective, Fairy tale) The book is a novel: a short and simple story without real feelings and emotions of the characters and with little events. The structure. Who told the story? The story is told in the third person, with sometimes a dialogue between the characters. The author knows everything that is happening and he knows the feelings of the characters. The effect of this is that the story is more exciting. The characters. Describe three characters, discuss their roles, personalities and physical characteristics. Lennie is a very strong and big person with the mind of a child. He is very clumsy and doesn't know his own strength. He is very simple-minded and kindly. Lennie's behavior is also childish: he keeps asking George to tell him the same story about their dream. George is the smart guy. He is very patient with Lennie who keeps asking him the same things and making the same mistakes. George lost his patients when he even kills a girl. To kill an animal is quiet innocent but to kill a girl is too worse. So he kills him. Curley is a man that works on the ranche. He is the son of the boss and he is a very unpleasant man. Personal Opinion. Did you like the book? Why (not)? (about 50 words) I have read this book with much pleasure, because it describes the contrasts: stupid - clever and black - white in a funny way. It's also funny to read how Crooks tells his problems to Lennie, because he listens, that Lennie doesn't understand the problems doesn't matter. The Plot. Lennie Small, a big and very strong man with the mind of a child, simple, unaffected and kindly, and George Milton, who steers him through life and protects him when his superhuman strength and child's mind brings him in trouble, travel from ranch to ranch to get work. Lennie likes to pet soft things like some animals. But because Lennie is to strong he usually pets them to death. Last time isn't allowed to tend rabbits. This is part of a dream of George and Lennie to have there own house with some land. Because Lennie is so crazy of little animals George tells him over and over that he may tend rabbits. When Lennie tells Candy Balony, also a worker, what they will have after working, he is very enthusiastic. He will join them. Crooks, a black worker, tells Lennie that almost every man who comes here want his own land and house but it's all a disillusion. On Sunday afternoon most people are wanted to tough a dress of a girl. When she screamed he just held on because he was scared and didn't know what to do. They left that town as soon as possible and went to Soledad. Lennie agrees when George says to him that he will do the talking. The men at the farm
do think that it is strange that two guys travel together and that Lennie doesn't really talk. But Lennie shows them that he can work very hard, though he isn't smart. A worker at the farm, Slim, has got a dog with nine pups. Lennie likes them a lot, but

George warns them that he should be gentile gone. Lennie goes to the pups and plays with one of them. He kills the animal by accident. When Culey's wife talks to Lennie about the dead pup he is looking at her hair. Se allows him to touch it. Lennie is
in panic when she is screaming of pain and holds on. She dies and Lennie doesn't know what to do anymore. He remembers that he should go to a certain place when he would be in trouble. When George comes back and he heard of the death of Curley's wife he goes to the place where Lennie should be and just shoots him in the neck.