Of Mice
and Men Ideas, Writing Prompts, and Projects
(Special thanks to all the teachers and sources for these
ideas.)
You will find the ideas and prompts herein will range from concepts to questions to projects, in no particular order or ratio. Some can be done from various angles; others, in one specific way. Some can even be combined. Keep in mind that many of these may only be done by one person in the class while some can be duplicated because their approaches can be different. Challenge yourself and be creative.
Of
course, your first, best option is to just make up a study all by
yourself. Unfortunately, this can be
quite difficult, so if you need some ideas, just keep on reading. Oh, and if you do think of a great one
yourself, don’t be surprised to see it show up on this list someday!
This is a story about people, their friendships, their
plans, their dreams. What was George
and Lennie’s dream? How does their
dream represent everyone’s dream? And,
as a representation of everyone’s dream, what does the development and ultimate
fate of their dream mean for each of us?
The title of this work is an allusion to a line from
a Robert Burns poem, To a Mouse.
Discuss the ethics and/or morality of this book. George’s action at the end is obvious and
will probably dominate your discussion, but there are certainly other
ethical/moral dilemmas throughout the book.
Critics claim this story possesses dramatic intensity,
stark realism, and deep sympathy. Explore those concepts as revealed by the book.
Prove: Foreshadowing is used in this story to build
suspense and to make later actions more credible.
Explore any theme you like. Some can be found herein, but others I’ve left out so you can
find them yourself. If you get
completely stuck and just don’t like any of the themes in this list, ask me
about some others.
This is a story about the loneliness and rootlessness of men
on the road.
This book can cause considerable reader resistance due to
anything from the realistic dialogue to the uncompromising ending. Find a way to express your resistance to the
book from either a Lacanian, cultural, or feminist perspective.
Compare and/or contrast this book with any of Steinbeck’s
other works. Come to conclusions as to
his style and psychology.
Why did Steinbeck write this book? Why did he write it the way he did?
One of the characteristics of naturalism, to which
Steinbeck is often linked, is that people are beaten down and generally
defeated by natural and/or hostile economic forces they cannot possibly
overcome. Explore this concept in Of
Mice and Men.
Most of the other social problem literature of the thirties
have long since been forgotten by all but the scholars. What is it about this story that enables it
to transcend its time; that is, what is it that appeals to most audiences?
Considering this work as an allegory, identify what
the characters and places symbolize, and discuss what the implied moral is.
Discuss this story in terms of it being a quest. You’ll have to research quest a bit if we
haven’t covered that in class.
How is this story constructed like a play? How does that structural similarity affect the
story’s action, pace, style, and reader perception?
Explore this book as a representative model of Realistic
Fiction.
Examine this book’s imagery.
Examine this book’s use of realistic dialogue, idiom,
and dialect.
Create a character sketch of any dynamic character in
the book, from physical to psychological and everything in between.
Given its male dominance, this is a wonderful book to consider
from a feminist perspective.
Given its male dominance, this is a wonderful book to
consider from a male perspective.
Use a socio-gram to create your own unique examination of
the relationships among the characters and even the themes if you like. What do these relationships tell you about
the nature of human beings? Consider
the issues of power, justice, fairness, natural selection, classism, etc… You may create more than one if you wish.
Setting is unusually important in this book. Explore how Steinbeck uses it to create his
story, and conclude by discussing the importance and irony of the
setting at the beginning and end of the story.
Want to really impress? Tell us
what that has to do with one or more of the book’s themes.
Historical context can really help us understand
this story in its purest form. Research
the historical environment in which this work was set and written and examine
how that enhances our understanding of the book’s meanings.
Would George and Lennie have gotten their place if not for
the unfortunate killing? and/or What’s in store for George and Candy
now?
Explore the role of Curley’s wife in the story. Be sure to discuss the tension she brings to
the story in terms of both sexuality and conflict, as well as why Steinbeck
chose to use those types of tension to push his action.
Why were George and Lennie friends? What did each offer the other? Examine their relationship in terms of
power, care-giving, need, reciprocity, love, etc.
Translate this book to a modern day setting. Can you create parallel settings,
characters, situations, themes? Go
deep!
The motives of the characters in the book, especially those
of George, are clearly meant to be judged morally. Using Kohlberg’s stages of moral reasoning, analyze the motives
behind at least two actions in the book.
To conclude, pronounce your moral judgment upon those actions and
characters. If you unfamiliar with
Kohlberg’s theory, you may research it to complete this topic or simply choose
another topic.
State why Of Mice and Men is described as straight-realism,
unlike The Glass Menagerie or Death of a Salesman.
Three of the major works in American Literature – The Great
Gatsby, Death of a Salesman, and Of Mice and Men – have The
American Dream at the heart of their themes. If you are familiar with all three works, compare and contrast
how each work deals with this theme.
Special Permission: Create a complete website
resource (to be handed in on disk in HTML) for the book. Include complete biographical,
historical/cultural, and literary resources.
Aesthetic quality and functionality of your page(s) as well as quality
of your resources may be included as part of your assessment.