Who's Who?
So, I'm not going to lie, I have been reading/studying this book for about 2 weeks and not knowing who's who is very confusing, so getting into the book and recognising character traits when reading it is proving to be very difficult. (Or is it just me?)
I have George and Lennie sussed out which is pretty important seeing as they are the protagonists of the book, however the antagonists are not so easy to identify, so I did some research. Here's a short summary of each character in the book:
George: A small, witty man who is a migrant worker who travels with his companion Lennie. He is "small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes, strong features" We can gather from the book that George is a father-like protector to Lennie but occasionally becomes impatient with him. These men share the dream of owning a ranch together but can only do this if they earn enough money by working, which proves to be tough with Lennie by him side; a walking disaster waiting to happen. Despite this, George manages to get Lennie out of trouble and doesn't hold a grudge against him because of their unique relationship.
Lennie: The opposite of George. Ironically, Lennie is a huge bloke who is also a migrant worker. He depends on George for protection and for guidance but what these 2 men have that none of the other characters in the book have, is companionship. Lennie is a gentle character and never means to hurt anyone or anything (poor mice), but he doesn't recognise his own strength, which inevitably becomes a bit of an issue. (See older post for more details on George and Lennie)
Slim: Slim is an excellent mule driver who works at the ranch. He seems very down to earth but he also comes across as quite a mysterious character. Unlike the other men on the ranch, Slim is the only one who understands George and Lennie's relationship. Slim has authority and is good at reading character. "I can tell a mean guy from a mile off"
Candy: Candy is an old ranch worker who lost one of his hands whilst working on the ranch. Candy offers his life savings to George and Lennie after hearing about their dream ranch, as long as he can go with them. He knows that as he is old, he could be kicked off the ranch and 'put on the county' at any minute.
Candy's Dog: Does a dog count as a character? Well even if it doesn't, the dog's presence in the book has some significance. Carlson shoots Candy's dog in the back of the head because it used to be a good sheep dog but is now too old to do a good job. Alike Candy's Dog, Candy is getting older and less able to do the work as efficiently as other men, which will result in him not having a job and having to cope with the loneliness and suffering of not having a place to stay or any money.
The dog's death is also foreshadowing an event later on in the book, so let's not spoil it for people who don't know the ending. (Given a bit too much away?)
Curley's Wife: As the only woman that appears in the book, Curley's wife is young, attractive and dressed inappropriately for being on a farm. She represents the temptation of female sexuality in a male-dominated world. However, alike the men, she is lonely (despite being married) and has dreams of her own.
Curley: The boss' son. He is a very egotistical character who used to be a light-weight fighter, so we can tell he's not the bulkiest of guys, but still he picks on the bigger, stronger men like Lennie. He seems to have trust issues, especially those involving messing around with his wife, but from what we know about his wife, that's not surprising what-so-ever. He doesn't need to work so he prances around in high heeled boots. Are you sure he's not the wife? ("Glove full of vaseline")
Crooks: He is the black 'stable buck' with a crooked back (hence the name) and is isolated from the other men because of his race. When the book was written, segregation between white and black people became a huge issue, for Crooks he can't go and socialise with the other men in the bunk house, but unlike the other workers, Crooks job is permanent. His loneliness and isolation has made him a cynical character but has a dream like the other employees to get his own place.
Carlson: We don't know a huge amount about Carlson, his main appearance in the book being when he insisted on shooting Candy's dog. But from Steinbeck's description, he seems to be a very bitter, self centred man.
Aunt Clara: (With the abundance of names starting with C, maybe Steinbeck should have been more creative when it came to name picking. Or maybe he did this for a reason?) Aunt Clara is only mentioned in the novel, who is Lennie's aunt, who cared for him until her death. All we know about her is that she was a patient woman who always gave Lennie mice to pet.
The Boss: The nameless father of Curley only makes one appearance but seems to be a reasonable man. We can assume he is a generous man as he gave his employees a gallon of whiskey on Christmas day.
Whit: There's not much to say about Whit other than he's a ranch hand like the others. Maybe he has dreams of owning his own ranch just like almost every other character in the book. Who knows?
I have George and Lennie sussed out which is pretty important seeing as they are the protagonists of the book, however the antagonists are not so easy to identify, so I did some research. Here's a short summary of each character in the book:
George: A small, witty man who is a migrant worker who travels with his companion Lennie. He is "small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes, strong features" We can gather from the book that George is a father-like protector to Lennie but occasionally becomes impatient with him. These men share the dream of owning a ranch together but can only do this if they earn enough money by working, which proves to be tough with Lennie by him side; a walking disaster waiting to happen. Despite this, George manages to get Lennie out of trouble and doesn't hold a grudge against him because of their unique relationship.Lennie: The opposite of George. Ironically, Lennie is a huge bloke who is also a migrant worker. He depends on George for protection and for guidance but what these 2 men have that none of the other characters in the book have, is companionship. Lennie is a gentle character and never means to hurt anyone or anything (poor mice), but he doesn't recognise his own strength, which inevitably becomes a bit of an issue. (See older post for more details on George and Lennie)
Slim: Slim is an excellent mule driver who works at the ranch. He seems very down to earth but he also comes across as quite a mysterious character. Unlike the other men on the ranch, Slim is the only one who understands George and Lennie's relationship. Slim has authority and is good at reading character. "I can tell a mean guy from a mile off"
Candy: Candy is an old ranch worker who lost one of his hands whilst working on the ranch. Candy offers his life savings to George and Lennie after hearing about their dream ranch, as long as he can go with them. He knows that as he is old, he could be kicked off the ranch and 'put on the county' at any minute.
Candy's Dog: Does a dog count as a character? Well even if it doesn't, the dog's presence in the book has some significance. Carlson shoots Candy's dog in the back of the head because it used to be a good sheep dog but is now too old to do a good job. Alike Candy's Dog, Candy is getting older and less able to do the work as efficiently as other men, which will result in him not having a job and having to cope with the loneliness and suffering of not having a place to stay or any money.The dog's death is also foreshadowing an event later on in the book, so let's not spoil it for people who don't know the ending. (Given a bit too much away?)
Curley: The boss' son. He is a very egotistical character who used to be a light-weight fighter, so we can tell he's not the bulkiest of guys, but still he picks on the bigger, stronger men like Lennie. He seems to have trust issues, especially those involving messing around with his wife, but from what we know about his wife, that's not surprising what-so-ever. He doesn't need to work so he prances around in high heeled boots. Are you sure he's not the wife? ("Glove full of vaseline")
Crooks: He is the black 'stable buck' with a crooked back (hence the name) and is isolated from the other men because of his race. When the book was written, segregation between white and black people became a huge issue, for Crooks he can't go and socialise with the other men in the bunk house, but unlike the other workers, Crooks job is permanent. His loneliness and isolation has made him a cynical character but has a dream like the other employees to get his own place. 
Carlson: We don't know a huge amount about Carlson, his main appearance in the book being when he insisted on shooting Candy's dog. But from Steinbeck's description, he seems to be a very bitter, self centred man.Aunt Clara: (With the abundance of names starting with C, maybe Steinbeck should have been more creative when it came to name picking. Or maybe he did this for a reason?) Aunt Clara is only mentioned in the novel, who is Lennie's aunt, who cared for him until her death. All we know about her is that she was a patient woman who always gave Lennie mice to pet.
Whit: There's not much to say about Whit other than he's a ranch hand like the others. Maybe he has dreams of owning his own ranch just like almost every other character in the book. Who knows?
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