This document summarizes the first section of Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. It introduces the characters of George and Lennie, two migrant workers during the Great Depression who travel together. George is small and quick while Lennie is large with a mental disability. They are dressed similarly in denim clothes. The section establishes their codependent relationship and hints that something could go wrong in the future based on Lennie's fixation with petting animals which has led to their deaths. It leaves the reader with a sense that trouble may be ahead for the two travelers.

1. Of Mice and Men
Section 1

2. Setting
Soledad, Salinas
Valley, California
The Great
Depression

3. Characters
"Both were dressed in denim
trousers and in denim coats
with brass buttons. Both wore
black, shapeless hats and both
carried tight blanket rolls
slung over their shoulders"
What do you know about
them?
What does their relationship
tell you about them?

4. Characters
“Lennie, who had been
watching, imitated George
exactly. He pushed himself
back, drew up his knees,
embraced them, looked over to
George to see whether he had
it just right. He pulled his hat
down a little more over his
eyes, the way George's hat was.”
Are they equal? What does
this quote remind you of?

5. Characters: George
George Milton
"small and quick, dark
of face, with restless eyes
and sharp, strong
features … [with] small,
strong hands, slender
arms, and thin and bony
nose"

6. Characters: Lennie
Lennie Small
Large
Mental disability
Has fixations:
Rabbits
Making George happy
Soft things

7. Characters
Where would
George be without
Lennie? And vice
versa?

8. Section 1
Important moments:
The water drinking
Where they are going
Why they have to find a
new job
Lennie want to pet things,
result: dead animals

9. Section 1
Important moments:
George says how much better
he would be off without Lennie.
The ketchup incident
George hurts Lennie’s feelings;
he make it up by telling him his
favourite story
The meeting point “in case
something goes wrong”.

10. End of Section 1
Section 1 is:
An intro for the setting &
characters
To make a foundation
for the rest of the story
Meant to make you feel
something bad is going
to happen

11. End of Section 1
Next week:
Book:
Read sections 2+3
Pages 19-65