Mice of Men Exam

Between the line

Motif

Q 1. Find something that occurs over and over during the book and explain what it resembles.

When reading the book I noticed every time they were caught having a conversation they were playing cards. To win a card game you either do three things, your good, your lucky or you cheat. Thats how I think life resembles in this book. Your either good like slim seems to be or your lucky like Curley is. 

Between the line (formatting is messed up)

Theme

Q 2.  Why do you think this book's theme is the impossibility of the American Dream?

It doesn't necessary show that the American Dream can't happen, it shows it's a struggle and 

that you may never get there. Look at slim he is perfectly happy with his own dream, working on the farm. 

However, Lennie and George's dream is to have their own state, with their own animals, which we find out 

eventually will never happen. George and Lennie's dream will never happen but doesn't mean others will. 

I think the theme was to focus on the failure of their dream.

Mice of Men Exam

Beyond the line.

Symbol

 2. What part of society does Curley’s wife symbolize? Explain your answer.

I think Curley’s wife symbolizes all the women in the early 1920s. At time period women thought this was as independent as they were going to get. They came very far since the end of War World I, but still had no voice in society.

 With the exception of a few brilliant women, most never to went to college or followed a career. Curley’s wife is one of the thousand that have no choice in the matter of where their life should go. She didn’t love Curley, she was just “supposed” to marry him.

 The guys in the book refer to her as a tart. I think that is not true at all. I believe she is like any other housewife at that time, lonely. She obviously doesn’t like her husband. That leaves a lot less people to talk to.

 Another reason why I think she symbolizes all women in that time period because of the way she rebelled. She never listened to Curley. She always ventured out on her own and was determined to talk to someone. At this time some of the women movements were going into effect. Women had no say in society and were determined to rebel against their normal everyday lives.

 Curley’s wife is not a tart. She is a woman trying to not be what is expected of her. She truly wants to decide her life. She just needs to keep rebelling.

Mice of Men Exam

 Beyond the line.

Characters

1. What do you think the reason is that George shot Lennie at the end? Explain your answer.

I think George shot Lennie out of love and respect. He may never of showed how much he cared for Lennie, but his actions at the end proved he loved him. 

 Even if George chose not to shoot Lennie, Curly would have killed him anyway out of anger and revenge. I suppose George did not want Lennie to die at the hand of a cruel man.

 Also, in George’s mind he knows Lennie meant no harm. However, Lennie was a crazy monster in the eyes of the guys on the farm. They were determined to either shoot him on the spot or lynch him.

 The reason why I believe all this is because of the way George shot him. Before George shot lennie he had him think and remember what was most important to him, “the rabbits”. If George didn’t care about Lennie like some people say, he would of not made Lennie imagine something happy he would of shot him straight up.

 George loved and cared for Lennie so much that he shot him. This may seem messed up but if you think about it, killing someone you have no problem with has to be tremulously difficult. He ahs to live with it the rest of his life. He could of easily let Curly shoot Lennie, but he didn’t want to put Lennie through that because he cared for him.