Investigating Themes in Of Mice and Men

Choose one of the following questions that interests you most to respond to in this week’s blog post:

1.) What different forms of power exist in Of Mice and Men? What kind of power does Lennie have? What kind of power does George have? What kinds of power or powerlessness do other characters possess?

2.) What kind of relationship do George and Lennie have? Is their relationship a friendship? How does this relationship express Steinbeck’s position on the individual versus the community?

3.) Is the American Dream a real possibility in the story? If yes, what characters, symbols, events, or other details from the story confirm that the American Dream is within reach? If not, what characters, symbols, events, or other details from the story represent the American Dream as out of reach?


Check out the info History.com has to offer about the American 1930s! Who had power in the 1930s? Who did not? What kinds of power existed then? What important relationships were formed in the 1930s? Was the American Dream still alive in the 1930s? 

1) What different forms of power exist in Of Mice and Men? What kind of power does Lennie have? What kind of power does George have? What kinds of power or powerlessness do other characters possess?

The different forms that exist in Of Mice and Men are physical power and mental and social power within an individual. For example, Lennie has physical power and we know this because he crushed  Curley's hand and probably broke a few bones. The downfall about Lennie is he has no self-desicion. If George wouldn't have told him to let go of Curley's hand, Lennie would of kept crushing his hand. Lennie has no self control and unless someone gives him an order to do something or to stop he will just keep going. On the other hand, George has mental and social power. George has a way with words that Lennie doesn't and he can get him and Lennie out of sticky situations with his smoothe words. George always knows exactly what to say and how to say it. He covered up for Lennie when they arrived at the bunkhouse the boss asked why Lennie wasn't talking much and George covered up for Lennie with his quick thinking.

George is very powerful because he has Lennie to bring along with him everywhere and he has to take care of him because of his mental disability. Lennie wouldn't be able to fend for himself if he were alone. During this time period it is already stressful but George also has Lennie to add on to all of the stress.

Curley posses social powerfullness because he is the boss's son, he has more advantage over the ranch then annyone else. Curley is known around the barn but I don't think he has physical strength. The reader knows this because he was a former lightweight fighter.