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Quick answer: Good discussion questions for Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck focus on friendship and loneliness, George and Lennie’s dream of a farm, power and powerlessness on a Depression-era ranch, cruelty, mercy and the ending’s impossible choice. Below are 17 questions grouped by theme, plus a spoiler-free summary.
Quick facts
Author: John Steinbeck
Published: 1937
Setting: A ranch near Soledad, in California’s Salinas Valley, during the Great Depression
Length: about 110 pages
Adaptation: 1937 Broadway play; films in 1939 and 1992 (Gary Sinise and John Malkovich)
Content note: racial slurs, violence and the deaths of people and animals
Of Mice and Men is short enough to read in an afternoon, but its ending stays with people for life. John Steinbeck tells the story of George and Lennie, two migrant workers who share a dream of owning a small farm. Many of us read it in school; reading it as an adult brings out its tenderness and its questions about loneliness, power and mercy. It’s an excellent pick for a quick, deep meeting. This guide includes a spoiler-free summary, characters and themes, and 17 discussion questions grouped by theme. The questions contain spoilers.
Table of Contents
Spoiler-Free Summary
George Milton and Lennie Small are migrant ranch workers in California during the Great Depression. George is small and sharp. Lennie is huge, strong and gentle, with an intellectual disability, and he loves to pet soft things.
The two men travel together, which makes them unusual among the lonely workers they meet. They share a dream: to save enough money to buy a little farm of their own, where Lennie can tend the rabbits.
When they arrive at a new ranch near Soledad, they meet the ranch’s workers, including the old swamper Candy, the respected mule driver Slim and Crooks, the Black stable hand who lives apart from the others. The boss’s son, Curley, picks on Lennie, and Curley’s lonely wife spends her days looking for someone to talk to.
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Main Characters and Themes
| Character or Theme | What to Know |
|---|---|
| George Milton | A quick-witted ranch worker who looks after Lennie |
| Lennie Small | A gentle, powerful man who depends on George |
| Candy | An aging ranch worker with an old dog |
| Slim | The wise, respected mule driver |
| Crooks | The Black stable hand, isolated by racism |
| Curley | The boss’s aggressive son |
| Curley’s wife | A lonely young woman, never named |
| Carlson | A ranch hand who wants Candy’s dog put down |
| The dream farm | Hope, independence and belonging |
| Loneliness | The condition of nearly every character |
Discussion Questions (Contains Spoilers)
George and Lennie
- Why does George stay with Lennie when he says life would be easier without him?
- What does Lennie give George in return?
- How does George tell the story of the farm, and why does Lennie love hearing it?
Life on the Ranch
- Why are ranch workers like George and Lennie described as the loneliest guys in the world?
- What does Candy’s old dog foreshadow?
- Why is Slim so respected by the other men?
- How does Crooks’s isolation differ from the others’ loneliness?
Power and Powerlessness
- How does the book show the power that Curley, the boss and others hold?
- Why does Crooks briefly join the dream, then pull back?
- How does Curley’s wife try to claim some power for herself?
The Dream
- Did you believe George and Lennie would get their farm? When did you know?
- Why does Candy want to join their plan?
- What does the title, from a Robert Burns poem about plans going wrong, suggest?
The Ending and the Big Picture
- Was George’s final choice an act of mercy or murder?
- How did the ending affect you?
- How does the book’s treatment of disability compare to how we see it today?
- Has reading it as an adult changed your view since school?
Is Of Mice and Men a Good Book Club Pick?
Choose it if your group needs a short pick for a busy month or wants a classic that sparks intense debate. At about 110 pages, it’s easy to finish and even easier to reread. Some members will have read it in school, which adds to the conversation. The book uses period racial slurs and has upsetting scenes, so it’s worth a quick note before reading. Pair it with The Grapes of Wrath if your group wants to stay with Steinbeck.
Book Club Ideas for Of Mice and Men
- Serve bunkhouse food: beans, coffee and biscuits, like the men eat on the ranch.
- Read the Robert Burns poem “To a Mouse” and discuss its line about plans going astray.
- Talk about dreams: what was the “little farm” you once hoped for?
- Learn the history: share facts about migrant workers in Depression-era California.
- Watch a scene from the 1992 film with Gary Sinise and John Malkovich.
Books Like Of Mice and Men
If your group loved it, try The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck for his epic of the Dust Bowl migration, East of Eden by Steinbeck for a sweeping family saga, or A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines for another short, powerful novel about justice and dignity.
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How to Structure Your Meeting
Start by asking whether each member thinks George did the right thing. Then work through two or three questions from each theme above, saving the “big picture” questions for the end. If your group is large, split into pairs for one theme and report back.
A simple 90-minute plan:
- 0–15 minutes: food, catch-up and the opening question.
- 15–60 minutes: the discussion questions, theme by theme.
- 60–75 minutes: one of the book club ideas above, or a quick comparison with the adaptation if there is one.
- 75–90 minutes: everyone rates the book out of five in one sentence, then you pick next month’s read.
Related: The Four Winds book club discussion questions and the best classic books for book clubs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Of Mice and Men about?
It follows George and Lennie, two migrant ranch workers in Depression-era California who dream of owning a small farm together.
How long is Of Mice and Men?
It’s about 110 pages, a short novella most readers can finish in one or two sittings.
Where does the title Of Mice and Men come from?
It comes from Robert Burns’s poem “To a Mouse,” which says that the best-laid plans of mice and men often go wrong.
Is Of Mice and Men good for book clubs?
Yes. It’s short and powerful, and its ending leads to intense debate about friendship and mercy.