Of Mice and Men

by John Steinbeck
Chapter Five:
Lennie kills his puppy.
The killing of Curleys wife.
Possible questions:
How does Steinbeck structure the novel to suggest a
negative outcome to the novella?
o Killing of Candys dog
o Lennie killing the puppy
o Lennie killing Curleys Wife
How does the beginning and end of Chapter Five differ
and why?
o Peaceful and restful to begin.
o Disarray and unrest followed by a pigeon (Curleys
Wifes soul) escaping through the rafters
o Beginning juxtaposes bleak ending to prepare the
reader for the despondent / sad ending.
How does the readers view of Curleys Wife change in Chapter
Five?
o Personal response from Curleys Wife.
Quotations:
How does Steinbeck structure the novel to suggest a
negative outcome to the novella?
o Killing of Candys dog: I ought to have shot that dog
myself, George.
Precursor to the end of the novella advise to
George when confronted with shooting Lennie.
Candys response directed at George foreboding.
Lennie described as a bear equates him to the dog.

o Lennie killing the puppy: Why do you got to get

killed?
Childlike reaction / not taking responsibility
foreboding.
o Lennie killing Curleys Wife: I done a bad thing. I
done another bad thing.
Repetition of bad to accentuate the ongoing harm
Lennie causes.
He realises his violence, but sorrowfully it is too
late sense of pathos.
Curleys Wife was treated as bad as an animal as a
possession, a trophy wife showing a pattern of
killing: mouse, Candys dog (old), puppy (young),
Curleys Wife (treated like a pet), Lennie (bear)
each incident grows bigger and worsens food
chain.
How does the beginning and end of Chapter Five differ
and why?
o Beginning: The afternoon sun sliced in through the
cracks of the barn walls and lay in bright lines on
the hay.
The sun struggles through the cracks like the last
glimmers of hope: bright. afternoon sun not
powerful, positive outcome seems unlikely
afternoon synonymous with death (morning = birth).
Sun and cracks illuminated the cracks in the
relationships and revealing the truth.
Steinbeck uses sibilant alliteration: sun sliced
slows delivery and accentuates the struggle of the
sun / hope.
o Ending: The barn was darkening gradually and, in
their stalls, the horses shifted their feet and
rattled the halter chains.

darkening gradually suggests there are worse

occurrences to come as the darkness / harm is
incomplete.
horses shifted rattled animals are restless
ominous.
How does the readers view of Curleys Wife change in Chapter
Five?
o Curleys Wifes physical description: Her face was
made up and the little sausage curls were all in
place.
Curleys Wife is described in child-like terms
suggesting her innocence and naivety.
o Curleys Wife talks about her dreams / ambitions:
Well, I aint told this to nobody before Coulda
been in the movies, an had nice clothes.
Steinbeck reveals Curleys Wifes naivety and
neediness in being allowed to share her stories.
o Curleys Wifes character is described innocently
when dad: She was very pretty and simple, and her
face was sweet and young. Now her rouged cheeks
and her reddened lips made her seem alive and
sleeping very lightly.
Curleys Wife is a victim, not a villain as previously
thought.
Description as if she has just come to life / been
introduced properly for the first time heightens
pathos since the only time she has been herself is
just before she is killed.
o Symbolic of Curleys Wifes soul escaping: A pigeon
flew in through the open hay door and circled and
flew out again.
Ironically, Curleys Wife can only escape in death
heightens pathos.