Main Character Analysis

• Lennie 
• Huge, shapeless, he has pale eyes, and a slow mover 
• Lennie had no bad intentions throughout this book.  He was just a larger man that just wanted a farm with bunnies that he could feed alfalfa to.
• Lennie is a static character because he doesn't really change from the beginning to the book, to the end.
• Throughout this book, Lennie was not treated as a person, but as an animal.  In the 1930s, being mentally handicapped was seen as a serious problem.  People with handicaps were often mistreated and looked down upon.  Steinbeck made this clear when he portayed Lennie as being very distracted by soft, furry, objects.
• Lennie's motivation is the rabbits he will take care of when George and him buy a farm, this is the one idea he can remember and look forward too, otherwise his memory is quite short term.

• George
• Small, quick, has a dark face
• He is a good friend to Lennie as he was knew his Aunt Clara very well  and he loves Lennie very much.  Even though George loves him, George feels that he is a burden to him at times.  He feels this way, but sticks by Lennie and deals with him either way.
• George is a dynamic character because towards the end, he softens up to Lennie and then eventually kills him.
• George's motivation is the farm he and Lennie will buy. This seems to be the one hope he can hold onto. The dream of the farm is a false hope and George knows it will probably never come true, however he holds onto the the dream and it keeps him going until Lennie kills Curley's Wife.

• Candy
• Missing one hand, old farm hand
• He's an outcast and is discriminated against becuase of his old age.
• When he wants to be a part of Lennie and George's dream, he offers up his life savings to them, although he has barely any money to his name.  He really wanted to be a part of that dream and live on the farm.
• He's afraid of being alone but he gives in to killing his dog, then wishes that he would have killed him himself afterwards.
• Candy is a dynamic character because he develops as the dream develops.
• Candy's motivation is the dream that George instills in him, he is also motivated to keep working on the ranch because he knows that his time is coming when he will get fired.

• Curley's Wife
• She's a slut, and a tease
• Curley's wife was not given a name.  This shows how important women were to this time period and how they were portrayed in this story, deceptive and useless.
• She's lonely because Curley doesn't pay much attention to her.  This would explain her promiscuous behavior, because she has to find the attention elsewhere.
• She is really the end of Lennie and George's dream.  When Lennie kills her in the end of the book, the dream disipates.
• Curley's wife is a flat character because she is only look at as a negative character and never really changes.
• Curley's wife's goals and motivations are the thoughts of becoming famous, she holds onto this false dream and it motivates her to constantly look for attention.

• Crooks
• A black stable buck, has a back deformity
• He is disfigured as well as being an outcast.
• He owns his own place and stays there, by himself because he doesn't like company, he often reads and is good at playing cards. 
• He also wants to be a part of Lennie and George's dream and will work for free.  Soon after, he realizes that the dream isn't going to happen and gives up on it.  Crooks is the only one who understands Lennie, other that George, and looks past his mental handicap.  Lennie returns the favor, and looks past Crooks physical handicap.
• Crooks is a round character because he has secrets and fears that are displayed in the book.  He is fully developed and keeps to himself.

• Curley
• The boss' son, short, he used to be a welterweight boxer
• He's a short, stocky man who wore high-heeled boots with spurs to prove he was no farm worker.  He believed that he was superior to everyone else. Curley often thought that Lennie wanted to fight him, he was always looking for a fight. He looked for his wife all the time, she was lonely with him.
• Curley is a static character because he doesn't change throughout the story.

• Slim
• Jerkline skinner, local authority
• He is respected and admired by his peers who seek his approval.  He's the voice of reason and was the one to talk to George after he kills Lennie. He is suspected by the other farm hands for flirting with Curley's Wife and seems to be affected by her death. He is very understanding towards Lennie, agreeing to give him a puppy.
• Slim is a round character because he is fully developed, though we don't really get a feel for his background.

• Carlson
• A ranchhand
• Has a lack of concern of what others feel and do. He encourages the killing of Candy's dog and has no understanding of why George is so sad that Lennie is dead.
• Carlson is a flat character becase he doesn't play a big part in the book and is only mentioned a few times.

• Aunt Clara
• Owns another house and three bucks
• Lennie's aunt who cared for Lennie until he died.
• She was a kind and patient woman.  She doesn't really appear in the book until the end when she shows up in a vision that Lennie had.  She was scolding him for the burden that he put on George.
• Aunt Clara is a flat character because she is only mentioned in the book by Lennie and George a couple times and only by a few traits.

Sources

1. http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/Steinbeck/mice.html
2. http://www.schenectady.k12.ny.us/users/title3/Future%20Grant%20Projects/miglimiceandmen/micemencharacteranalysis.htm
3. http://www.bellmore-merrick.k12.ny.us/mice2.html
4. http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/micemen/characters.html
5. www.thistasmania.com/.../07/horse-plough.jpg
6. hitterz.files.wordpress.com/.../gloves-old.JPG
7. http://zionistwatch.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/deck-of-cards.jpg
8. http://members.tripod.com/thenightporter/madeleine/madposty.jpg
9. http://www.oldenglishsheepdogclubofamerica.org/Committeepages/Rescue/C86005PM-OldSheepDog.gif
10. http://www.emergentchaos.com/images/06-apr/animal-farm.jpg
11. http://artfiles.art.com/images/-/Jane-Burton/Domestic-Puppy-Canis-Familiaris-with-Bunny-Photographic-Print-C13062494.jpeg
12. http://di1.shopping.com/images/di/53/56/38/667531667664486b51484c6f413565366f6751-100x100-0-0.jpg
13. http://www.sydneystampstall.com/products/img/heart_outline_j.jpg