Objectives:

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Loneliness, Social Hierarchy, and Disability 

In Of Mice and Men (Chapter 4)

Body of the Lesson Plan: to be completed after reading chapter 4

Step 1: Warm-Up Discussion (10–15 minutes)

Facilitator Questions:

• What makes someone an outsider in society?
• How do factors such as race, gender, disability, and age affect social standing?
• Is loneliness an unavoidable part of the human condition, or is it something that society has a moral responsibility to prevent?

Student Activity:

• Students can either write a brief response to one of the questions above, think-pair-share, standing conversation, small group discussion
• After students have an opportunity to think individually or in small pairs or groups, share out with the whole class.
  

Step 2: Close Reading and Textual Analysis (15-20 minutes)

Facilitator: Break students into four groups and ask each group to discuss one of the following (facilitator can cover each as a whole class–this would take a bit longer).

Group 1: Crooks and Racial Isolation

Read this excerpt:

“A guy needs somebody—to be near him… A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody.”

• Discussion Questions:
  • Why does Crooks say loneliness can make people crazy?
  • How does his race affect his place on the ranch?
  • What does his isolation say about racial segregation during the 1930s?

Group 2: Candy and Aging

Read this excerpt:

“They’ll can me purty soon. Jus’ as soon as I can’t swamp out no bunkhouses they’ll put me on the county.”

• Discussion Questions:
  • How does Candy’s physical disability affect his self-worth?
  • What does his fear suggest about how society values people based on their ability to work?
  • Are there ethical concerns about how we treat elderly or disabled individuals today?

Group 3: Lennie and Intellectual Disabilities

Read this excerpt:

“S’pose George don’t come back no more. S’pose he took a powder and just ain’t coming back. What’ll you do then?”

• Discussion Questions:
  • Why does Crooks test Lennie this way?
  • How does Lennie’s reaction highlight his dependence on George?
  • How do others on the ranch treat Lennie differently because of his disability?
  • In what ways does the novel reflect a lack of understanding about intellectual disabilities?

Group 4: Curley’s Wife and Gender Isolation

Read this excerpt:

“Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely.”

• Discussion Questions:
  • Why does Curley’s wife feel lonely even though she is married?
  • How does gender play a role in her isolation?
  • How does society often dismiss or judge women who seek attention or companionship?
    

Step 3: Share Out (20–30 minutes)

• Have small groups do informal presentations or share out the focus of their discussion, allowing the students from the other groups to add to the discussion or answer the questions themselves 

Step 4: Philosophical Discussion and Reflection (20–30 minutes)

Big Questions to Explore:

• Should society be responsible for ensuring that no one feels lonely or excluded or is that the responsibility of the individual? 
• Is society responsible for ensuring individuals have dignity or is that the responsibility of the individual?
• What does society owe to its vulnerable community members? 
• To what extent are members of a society responsible for making all of its members feel included? 
• How should we define “usefulness” in a society? Is someone’s value tied to their ability to work?
• How does Of Mice and Men challenge or reinforce attitudes toward age, race, gender, and disability?
• These four characters are obviously marginalized individuals on the ranch. Does a hierarchy exist among these misfits or “others”? What is the social order within this microcosm? In other words, of the four misfits, who would be on the top of the hierarchy and who would be on the bottom? Why? What does that say about the hierarchies of the larger community outside of the bunkhouse? 

Step 5: Optional Activity

• Ask students to return to their previous groups. (Crooks, Candy, Lennie, or Curley’s wife).
• Have each group either discuss how their character’s experience relates to modern discussions on social inclusion, disability rights, racial marginalization, and gender inequality and/or have them research a modern case of social exclusion, disability rights, racial marginalization, or gender inequality. Is this form of exclusion a product of the 1930s and are we doing addressing exclusion differently now?
• Groups present their findings to the class (this could be in discussion or something more creative such as a One-Pager–creating something would take a longer part of a class)

Step 6: Optional Activity

• Have students write to an advice columnist (Dear Abby, The Ethicist…) seeking advice. 
• Students can either respond to the inquiry themselves or switch letters from characters with another student in class and then give the character advice.
  • Students should consider and challenge themselves to synthesize all of the conclusions they drew from the discussions from the lesson when offering advice to the character. 

Resources

• Full text or ch. 4 of Of Mice and Men 
• Printed or projected excerpts for close reading
• Chart paper or digital document for discussion notes
• Paper or computer for students to write responses
• OPTIONAL: Excerpts or links to resources on disability, gender, and race in literature (researched by the students).
• OPTIONAL: Excerpts or links to resources on philosophers’ claims on inequality and loneliness, and psychology articles (see below).
• OPTIONAL: One Pager template

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Some other resources to enrich the philosophical and psychological experience: These very short passages could be introduced before or after the lesson. 

1. Excerpts from Being and Nothingness by Jean-Paul Sartre:

In Being and Nothingness, Sartre explores the nature of human existence and consciousness. One notable excerpt discusses human freedom and responsibility:

“Man, being condemned to be free, carries the weight of the whole world on his shoulders; he is responsible for the world and himself as a way of being.”

This passage highlights Sartre’s view that individuals are fundamentally free and thus bear the responsibility for their choices and the essence of their existence.

2. Excerpts from The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir on Marginalization:

In The Second Sex, de Beauvoir examines the construction of womanhood and the systemic marginalization of women. She critiques the male-centric perspectives that have historically defined women’s roles:

“Everything that has been written by men about women should be viewed with suspicion, because they are both judge and party.”

This quote underscores the bias inherent in male-authored narratives about women, emphasizing the need for critical examination of such perspectives. This could be an interesting layer to add since Steinbeck, a man, authored the novel. 

3. Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics on Friendship:

Aristotle categorizes friendship into three types: friendships of utility, pleasure, and virtue. He emphasizes the importance of mutual goodwill and recognition in true friendship:

“To be friends, then, they must be mutually recognized as bearing goodwill and wishing well to each other for one of the aforesaid reasons.”

This passage highlights the reciprocal nature of genuine friendship, which is based on mutual respect and the desire for each other’s well-being.

4. Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Discourse on the Origin of Inequality

In this work, Rousseau discusses the evolution of human society and the emergence of inequality. He suggests that the establishment of private property led to social divisions and a departure from natural equality:

“The first man who, having enclosed a piece of ground, bethought himself of saying ‘This is mine,’ and found people simple enough to believe him, was the real founder of civil society.”

Here, Rousseau highlights his view that the concept of ownership introduced societal disparities and a sense of separation among individuals.

5. Henry David Thoreau’s Walden – “Solitude” Chapter

Thoreau reflects on the value of solitude and the individual’s relationship with society. He finds profound contentment in being alone:

“I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude.”

This excerpt emphasizes the idea that solitude can be a fulfilling and enriching experience, offering a counterpoint to the notion that being alone is inherently negative.

6. Friedrich Nietzsche on Loneliness

Nietzsche explores the challenges of solitude and the dynamics between the individual and society:

“In his lonely solitude, the solitary man feeds upon himself; in the thronging multitude, the many feed upon him. Now choose.”

This quote presents the dilemma of solitude versus social engagement, suggesting that both states have their own difficulties and consequences.

7. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry on Loneliness

In The Wisdom of the Sands, Saint-Exupéry offers insight into the nature of loneliness:

“Loneliness is bred of a mind that has grown earthbound. For the spirit has its homeland, which is the realm of the meaning of things.”

Interesting Literature

This passage suggests that loneliness arises when one’s thoughts are confined to the mundane, implying that engaging with deeper meanings can alleviate feelings of isolation.

8. Online Articles on the Psychology of Loneliness:

• “Loneliness Matters: A Theoretical and Empirical Review of Consequences and Mechanisms”: This article reviews the significant impact loneliness has on mental and physical health, linking it to various psychological disorders and cognitive decline.
  PMC 

“The Risks of Social Isolation”: Published by the American Psychological Association, this article discusses how perceived loneliness and social isolation are associated with depression, poor sleep quality, and accelerated cognitive decline.
American Psychological Association