Descibe an event that was a surprise and explain why this event is important.

In the novel Of Mice and Men' by John Steinberg, an event that was a shocking surprise was when George shot Lennie at the back of the head. This event is important as it marks the ending of a strong dynamic relationship between two best friends.

It was very unlikely for the reader to have predicted that George will ever have the nerve to put Lennie out of his misery by putting a bullet through his head. George was not mad at Lennie because he knew that deep down, Lennie was not capable of hurting anyone on purpose. George's last words to Lennie shortly before he pulled the trigger was "...I ain't mad. I never been mad, an' I ain't now. That's a thing I want ya to know." This event was a shocking surprise as George's last words were so sympathetic and almost forgiving.

The setting of this event makes it very important. It was set in the late afternoon on the yellow sands of the Salinas River. Steinberg describes this scenery as 'already the sun had left the valley to go climbing up the slopes of the Gabilan mountains, and the hilltops were rosy in the sun'. This description of the setting gives off a peaceful feeling to the place. When compared to the tragic event that took place, it contrasts the peaceful setting to the tragic event that took place making it very important.

This event is also important as it marks the end of a strong, dynamic friendship between two men. It was very unlikely to see two men working side by side, supporting each other at the time of the depression. A quote from Slim (another character in the novel) to support this is "Ain't many guys travel around together, I don't know why. Maybe ever'body in the whole damn world is scared of each other."

To conclude, the surprising event of George having to shoot Lennie makes it an important event as he did this to put Lennie out of his misery. The event also marks the ending of a long, strong and dynamic friendship between two hard working men; a relationship, unusual to find in the times of the Great depression.

Describe a character in the text and explain why he/she is important.

In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, an important character is George Milton. He is an important character as he helps to portray the central themes in the novel and is involved in the most important event in the story.

George is a small, lean, quick- witted, short tempered and caring man who travels with Lennie Small. He sometimes says to Lennie "I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn't have you on my tail. I could live so easy and maybe have a girl." He is always there for Lennie even though he often talks about how better his life will be without him. At times George might be snappy and impatient but he never failed to protect Lennie.

George Milton is an important character because of his prolonged relationship with Lennie which helps to convey the theme of friendship and the American Dream. A quote from George to support how strong their friendship was is "Guys like us that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place... With us it ain't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us." Another quote from Lennie that supports this is "An' why? Because... because I got you to look after me and you got me to look after you, and that's why." The American Dream was to live off the fat of the land. George is important in keeping this dream alive by ensuring Lennie "we'll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens. And when it rains in the winter, we'll just say the hell with goin' to work, and we'll build up a fire in the stove and set around it an' listen to the rain comin' down on the roof..." Holding on to this dream made life a little bit easier knowing that they have something to aim for. George always made Lennie happy when he tells him that when they get the farm he will get to 'tend em rabbits'.

A key event that happened was when George shot Lennie after he accidentally killed Curley's wife. George did this out of mercy to prevent him from getting shot from one of the men on the ranch who would have killed him brutally. George is important in this event as we remember him foretelling Lennie about their dream to live the fat of the land. He did this because he knew this was the last time Lennie was ever going to hear about owning a farm and tending rabbits. A quote from George to show his feelings before he shot Lennie was "...I ain't mad. I never been mad, an' I ain't now. That's a thing I want ya to know." George said this shortly before he pulled the trigger on the back of Lennie's head.

To conclude, George plays an important role in keeping alive the friendship and the American dream with Lennie. He is also an important character as he accepts the relationship between him and Lennie as a father and his son relationship.