Of Mice and Men: Characters

George Milton – George is Lennie’s friend and protector. Unlike the giant, lumbering Lennie, George is small and wiry with a quick and resourceful mind. In many ways, George is a typical migrant farm worker, a class of poor and lonely men who traveled from ranch to ranch looking for work during the Great Depression. But George differs from these often bitter men because of his friendship with Lennie, which keeps him, in his own words, from getting “mean.” Though George sometimes resents Lennie as a burden, he also deeply loves him, and shares with him a dream of owning their own farm.

Lennie Small – George’s companion. Lennie is huge and immensely strong, but a mental disability makes him entirely dependent on George, especially after his Aunt Clara dies (before the novella begins). Lennie is the most innocent, gentle, and kind character in the novel, and his sole dream is to tend rabbits and live off the “fatta the lan’” on a farm that he and George will own. In the end, Lennie and his innocent dream fall prey to Curley’s revenge and George’s mercy, two powerful adult emotions beyond Lennie’s control or comprehension.

Candy – An old handyman who greets George and Lennie at the ranch. The owner of an old and feeble dog, Candy is himself crippled—he lost his hand in an accident on the ranch. Candy is a man who has been broken by life in general and the Depression in particular, and he is desperate for some hope or dream to believe in. He therefore latches onto George and Lennie’s plan to buy a farm, and offers his life savings to help them.

Curley – The son of the boss of the ranch, Curley is careful to make it clear that he is of a higher class than the other ranch hands by wearing fancy boots. He is also mean-spirited, violent, and insecure. Though the only married man on the ranch, he’s extremely jealous and suspicious of his wife, and he tends to overcompensate for his lack of height by picking fights with larger men. Curley cares most about looking strong.

Curley’s Wife – The only female character in the novel, and Curley’s wife. The men on the ranch call her a “tart” because she flirts with them. They consider her dangerous because her attention might cause them to get fired, or worse. But beneath her sexy exterior, Curley’s wife is deeply lonely, and has dashed dreams of her own.

Slim – A skilled mule driver with an ageless face, a grave manner, and a calm authority on how to run a ranch, Slim is a revered figure on the ranch. As the most self-assured of the men, he is the only one who never takes a swipe at anyone else in order to make himself feel stronger or better. At the same time, he is also the only one of the ranch hands who truly understands and appreciates the power and purity of the friendship between George and Lennie.

Crooks – The stable manager, and the only black man on the farm. Crook’s name comes from his crooked posture, the result of a kick from a horse. Crooks is bitter from a lifetime of lonely segregation. He thinks of himself as a cynic, and immediately sees that George and Lennie’s dream of owning a farm will never come about. Yet at the same time, he can’t entirely resist the beauty of the dream, and wants to be a part of it.

Carlson – The ranch-hand who shoots Candy’s dog in the back of the head. Though he isn’t cruel, Carlson is without sentimentality, and has no qualms about killing or getting rid of anything that’s no longer useful.

The Boss – The man who runs the ranch, and Curley’s father. He is quick to anger and suspicion, but is otherwise fair. Like his son, the boss wears fancy boots to show that he occupies a station above the ranch hands.

Aunt Clara – Though not an actual character in the novel, Aunt Clara cared for Lennie until her death. She appears to Lennie in a vision near the end of the novel.

Whit – A ranch hand.

Andy Cushman – A childhood friend of George and Lennie’s who is in prison “on account of a tart.”