Of Mice and Men

resource by Chrysta Pygott

Lennie and George are introduced to the readers on the second page of the novel and we very quickly learn to understand the nature of their friendship - but what might others think of them when they arrive at the ranch for the first time?

Chapter 2
Imagine you are a ranch hand and were sitting quietly in the bunk house when Lennie and George arrived late for work. You witness the conversation they have with the swamper, boss and Curley and his wife.
You immediately go out into the field and tell the others about the two new arrivals - what do you say???

You should include the following points:

The physical appearance of Lennie and George (the way they look)
The way George reacted to their beds in the bunk house
The fact that George does not let Lennie speak for himself and how the boss and Curley reacted to this
Curley's wife and what Lennie says about her
Whether you think Lennie and George will fit in well on the ranch or whether you think they will make trouble

REMEMBER, YOUR LANGUAGE SHOULD REFLECT THAT OF A TYPICAL RANCHER - YOU WOULD SPEAK IN THE SAME COLLOQUIAL STYLE AS THE OTHER CHARACTERS, USING THE SAME DIALECT....

You might start with:
' Jus' a couple of hours ago, two new ranchers turned up for work and I'll be damned if they weren't more than twelve hours late.........'