Of Mice and Men — John Steinbeck | Coleman’s Notes GCSE Student Guide
Of Mice and Men is a powerful story of friendship, dreams, loneliness and survival set against the harsh realities of Depression-era America.
George Milton and Lennie Small are migrant ranch workers travelling through California in search of employment — but they share something unusual in their uncertain world: a dream of owning a small piece of land where they can live independently.
George is intelligent and protective. Lennie possesses enormous physical strength but struggles to understand the consequences of his actions. Their friendship offers companionship and hope in a world where many of the people around them are profoundly isolated.
When George and Lennie find work on a ranch near Soledad, they encounter Candy, Crooks, Slim, Curley and Curley’s wife. Their relationships expose divisions created by power, gender, disability, race, age and economic insecurity.
As the dream of independence appears to move tantalisingly closer, Steinbeck gradually builds towards the novel’s devastating conclusion.
This Coleman’s Notes guide helps students understand not only what happens, but how Steinbeck uses character, setting, symbolism, structure and language to explore some of the most important questions raised by the novel.
Inside the guide
✓ Complete plot summary
✓ Detailed chapter-by-chapter analysis
✓ Character relationship guide
✓ George Milton in depth
✓ Lennie Small in depth
✓ Curley’s wife
✓ Candy
✓ Crooks
✓ Slim
✓ Curley and supporting characters
✓ George and Lennie’s friendship
✓ Dreams and the American Dream
✓ Loneliness and isolation
✓ Friendship and companionship
✓ Power and powerlessness
✓ Prejudice and discrimination
✓ Masculinity and violence
✓ Women and gender
✓ Age and disability
✓ Responsibility and moral choice
✓ Nature and animal imagery
✓ The significance of the ranch and Soledad
✓ Symbolism, foreshadowing and cyclical structure
✓ Steinbeck’s language and dramatic methods
✓ Historical and social context
✓ Key quotations and analysis
✓ Essay planning
✓ Model answers
✓ Exam & Revision Questions
✓ Quick Recall revision
✓ Key episodes for close analysis
✓ Exam technique
✓ Final revision checklist
Perfect for
GCSE English Literature students • revision • essay preparation • teachers • tutors • independent learners
The guide encourages students to move beyond simple character and plot description.
Why is George and Lennie’s friendship so unusual? What does their dream represent? Why are so many characters lonely? How does Steinbeck present outsiders such as Crooks, Candy and Curley’s wife? And how does the opening beside the Salinas River prepare us for the novel’s ending?
Students are shown how to connect these questions with language, structure, symbolism, context and textual evidence, helping them develop stronger literary arguments and more confident examination responses.
This is a digital product, available for download following purchase.
Individual Student Guide — £7.95
Coleman’s Notes® — Understand • Analyse • Revise • Succeed
