Of Mice and Men Characters: George, Lennie, Curley's Wife and the Ranch Hands
Two friends, a bunkhouse of lonely men and one woman without a name
Everyone on the ranch
| Character | Who they are | What they want |
|---|---|---|
| George Milton | Lennie's friend and protector | A small farm of his own |
| Lennie Small | Strong, gentle, mentally slow | To tend the rabbits on that farm |
| Candy | Old swamper who lost a hand | Somewhere to belong in old age |
| Slim | Lead mule driver, calm and wise | Keeps the peace |
| Curley | The boss's son, a small boxer | To prove he is tough |
| Curley's wife | Young, bored and isolated | The life in films she never had |
| Crooks | Stable buck with an injured back | To be treated as an equal |
| Carlson | A blunt ranch hand | Gets rid of Candy's dog |
The two main characters are George Milton, small and sharp, and Lennie Small, a huge, gentle man with a child's mind who depends on him. On the ranch they meet Candy, an old worker with one hand, Slim, the respected lead mule driver, the boss's hot-tempered son Curley, Curley's wife, and Crooks, the Black stable hand who lives apart from the others.
Almost every one of them is lonely, and almost every one has a dream that does not come true.
George Milton
George is quick, small and tough, with a sharp tongue he mostly uses on Lennie. He often says how easy his life would be alone, then never leaves. He has looked after Lennie since Lennie's Aunt Clara died, and the dream of a farm where they can live off the fat of the land is as much his comfort as Lennie's. The final choice he makes by the river is the hardest act of friendship in the book.
↑ Back to the topLennie Small
Lennie is the opposite of his name: enormous and powerful, with the mind of a young child. He loves soft things, mice, puppies, velvet, and he holds them too hard. He forgets almost everything except what George tells him, and he begs to hear about the farm and the rabbits he will look after. He never means harm, and that is the tragedy, because his strength makes him dangerous in a world that has no place for him.
↑ Back to the topCandy
Candy is the old swamper who cleans the bunkhouse. He lost his hand in a ranch accident and knows he will be thrown out when he is too old to work. When Carlson insists on shooting his ancient, smelly dog, Candy gives in, and later says he should have done it himself. His savings make the dream of the farm suddenly possible, and his question of what happens to men like him is one of the book's quiet cries.
↑ Back to the topSlim
Slim is the jerkline skinner, the best mule driver on the ranch, and everyone listens to him. Calm, fair and observant, he understands George and Lennie's friendship better than anyone. He gives Lennie one of his dog's puppies, and at the very end he is the only one who understands what George has done.
↑ Back to the topCurley and Curley's wife
Curley is the boss's son, a short former boxer who picks fights with big men and is jealous of his new wife. When he attacks Lennie, Lennie crushes his hand. Curley's wife is never given a name, only called by her husband's. She drifts around the ranch looking for someone to talk to and is treated as trouble by every man there. In the barn she tells Lennie she once could have been in films, and her loneliness makes her the most misunderstood person on the ranch.
↑ Back to the topCrooks
Crooks takes care of the horses and lives alone in a room off the barn, because the other men will not share the bunkhouse with a Black man. He is proud, well read and bitter. When Lennie wanders into his room, Crooks first mocks him, then begins to hope he might join the dream farm, until Curley's wife reminds him cruelly of how little power he has. He is the clearest example of the loneliness Steinbeck saw in the America of his time.
↑ Back to the topMore about Of Mice and Men
Books Like Of Mice and Men
The Grapes of WrathJohn Steinbeck
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About a BoyNick Hornby
Q & AVikas SwarupThis guide discusses the whole plot, including the ending.