Of Mice and Men – Full Summary and Analysis
Chapter One:
Two men emerge from the path along the Salinas River that runs a few miles south of Soledad, California. Travelling to a nearby farm for work, they were let off by the bus driver several miles away. The two men walk in a single file path down to a deep pool near the river. Both men, George Milton and Lennie Small, wear denim trousers and coats. George is small and quick, dark of face with restless eyes and strong, sharp features. Every part of him is defined. Lennie, who walks behind him, is an enormous man with wide, sloping shoulders. Lennie drinks long gulps from the pool, and George admonishes him, telling him that he will get sick again, for the water may be dirty. George warns him that he should never drink water that isn't running. Lennie imitates the way that George wears his hat. Lennie, who is mentally deficient, asks George where they are going, and George in turn scolds him for forgetting. Lennie claims that he remembers about the rabbits, the only part of their plan that he can ever remember. George notices that Lennie has his hands in his pockets, and asks what he has. It is a dead mouse that Lennie kept to pet with his thumb as they walked. George explains to Lennie that they are going to work on a ranch like the one in Weed from which they came, and tells Lennie not to speak when they get to the ranch, for their boss will think that Lennie is insane. He also warns him not to do the things that caused them to be run out of Weed. George makes Lennie hand over the dead mouse, and tells him that he might get him a live mouse if he can take care of it. Lennie remembers that a woman (whom George identifies as his Aunt Clara) would give mice to him, but George reminds Lennie that he always killed them. They eat cans of beans for dinner, and Lennie tells George that he likes them with ketchup. George, angered at what he perceives to be Lennie's complaint, tells Lennie that without him he could do whatever he wanted, but Lennie gets him fired from every job they take. They were run out of their previous job when Lennie wanted to feel a girl's dress, and she screamed, accusing Lennie of attempting rape. Lennie feebly apologizes. George tells him that at the first chance he gets, he will get Lennie a puppy, which he will find harder to kill than a mouse. Lennie asks George to tell him about the rabbits. George tells him the story which he has told Lennie many times: men like George and Lennie that work on ranches are the loneliest in the world, with no family and no home, but they have each other. Someday they're going to raise enough money to have a small farm. They will live off the fat of the land and have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch. George makes Lennie promise that he will not say a word, and tells him that if there is any trouble like last time, he should hide in the brush until George comes for him.
Analysis:
Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men deals with the plight of migrant labourers in California during the Great Depression, with the focus on two random migrant workers, George and Lennie. The first chapter sharply establishes the relationship between the two primary characters. George is by necessity a rational realist who must care for the simplistic and child-like Lennie. George consistently scolds and reprimands Lennie for his actions, while Lennie strives to please and placate George.
The arguments between the two characters reveal a great deal about each of them. George is careful and controlled; he formulates a plan for every situation and acts to prevent any dire occurrence. His careful planning stems primarily from past experience; Steinbeck implies that Lennie has placed George into so many precarious situations that he must now consider every possible tragedy that might occur. Although George and Lennie are similar in age, George serves as a parental figure. He guides the simplistic Lennie through almost every situation, supplying the common sense that Lennie lacks. Yet in this parental role George is weary and often dissatisfied. He quickly tires of Lennie's constant questions, having likely answered them many times before, and harshly dismisses Lennie when he behaves oddly. George, like an overtaxed parent of a small child, has reached the point where diplomatic behaviour is useless and thus forgoes tact when dealing with Lennie. Within George there is a core of regret. He realizes that he has given up the life of an unattached man and its relative ease to care for Lennie, as well as the numerous opportunities he has lost because he cares for his friend.
However, if George realizes what he has given up for Lennie, he nevertheless judges the merits of his travels with Lennie to be greater than the solitude of an aimless man. George admits to Lennie that his situation is far superior to that of the lonely migrant workers, for he has a companion who cares about him and whom he can care about. Furthermore, George's sharp rationality operates concurrently with a sense of idealism and hope. George retains hope for a middle-class life; the speech that he recites to Lennie about owning a small farm together remains palpable for George, despite the hard circumstances that he now faces.
Lennie, in contrast, demonstrates none of the despair and rationality that marks George, partially because his mental disability limits his ability to formulate broad and complex plans or ideas. Significantly, while George has a detailed picture of the farm that he hopes to have, Lennie can only remember one detail of this plan, the rabbits. Despite his large stature, Lennie is the archetypal gentle giant, who cares for small animals and can focus only on simple pleasures such as ketchup. It is Lennie's innocence that makes him dangerous rather than any malicious intent. He is unable to control his massive strength, frequently killing mice when he tries to play with them. He operates on the basis of his desires rather than on any conception of propriety. He grabbed the woman's dress at their previous job not to harm her, but rather because he wanted to feel her soft dress.
The first chapter foreshadows many of the events of the novel. George warns Lennie several times to remain silent when they meet the boss at their next job, a certain indication that Lennie will disobey George's order. Steinbeck establishes that George and Lennie move from job to job because Lennie behaves foolishly, a pattern that the novel will certainly continue. George's plan for Lennie to hide in the brush indicates that the two men may run into trouble once again. Also, Lennie's inability to physically control himself will prove an important plot point, as he moves from exerting his strength on small mice to actual persons. This foreshadowing is compounded by the recent calamity that George and Lennie suffered, blamed for attempting to harm a woman when he simply wanted to touch her dress.
Chapter Two:
George and Lennie reach the bunk house at the farm. The old man who shows them the bunk house tells them that his boss was expecting them last night and was angry when they weren't ready for work that morning. Near his bed George finds a can of insect poison, but the old man reassures him, telling him that person who had the bed before was a blacksmith so conscientious that he even washed his hands after he ate. This blacksmith, Whitey, would put the insect killer around even if there weren't any bugs around. The old man, Candy, tells George and Lennie that the boss is a nice enough man, although he gives the stable buck hell whenever he's angry. The boss, a stocky man in blue jeans and a flannel shirt, enters and asks George and Lennie for their work slips. George attempts to talk for Lennie, but the boss notices that Lennie is silent and attempts to get him to talk. George tells the boss that Lennie isn't bright, but he's strong as a bull and can do anything. The boss wonders why George is so concerned for Lennie, and he tells the boss that Lennie is his cousin and that he promised his mother that he would take care of him. George tells him that they no longer work in Weed because their job, digging a cesspool, was done. When the boss leaves, George scolds Lennie once more, since the boss now suspects the two men. George admits that he lied about Lennie being his cousin. The old man returns with his old sheepdog, and George criticizes Candy for listening to their conversation. Curley, a young man, enters looking for his father, the boss. He behaves rudely to Lennie. When he leaves, Candy explains that Curley is like many short guys. He hates big guys out of jealousy. He says that Curley is handy in a fight and that he goes after big guys because, if he loses, he can claim that the big guy was unfair. George warns Candy that Lennie is strong and doesn't know the rules of a fight. Candy reveals to him that Curley is recently married and has become cockier ever since. Curley wears a left glove full of vaseline to keep the hand soft for his wife, whom the old man thinks is a tart. George warns Lennie to avoid Curley for his own safety. Curley's Wife comes to the bunk house looking for her husband. She had rouged lips and red fingernails and wore a red cotton house dress. The positioned herself to emphasize her figure. When she leaves, George remarks that she's a tramp, while Lennie can only say that she's pretty. George warns him to keep away from her. Slim the jerk line skinner, a man with an ageless face who carried himself with great gravity, questions George and Lennie about what work they can do. Carlson, a large, big-stomached man, also enters the bunk house, and asks Slim whether his dog had her litter last night. Slim tells him that she had nine puppies, but he drowned four immediately, since she couldn't feed so many. Carlson complains about Candy's dog, and tells Slim that Candy should shoot it, for the dog can't even chew. Lennie is excited to hear about the dogs. Curley confronts George, asking if his wife has been around. George admits that she was at the bunk house looking for Curley, who seems eager to start a fight.
Analysis:
The structure of this chapter resembles that of a stage play. The chapter continues a series of character entrances in which they interact with George and Lennie, exit, and are subsequently followed by yet another character's entrance. Since the action of the chapter occurs in a single setting, it could easily be transferred into a stage adaptation. This structure allows Steinbeck to introduce and develop characters quickly, including Candy, Curley and Curley's wife.
Steinbeck portrays the elderly Candy as passive and weak, a decaying man meant to inspire the pity of those around him. Steinbeck parallels him with his dog, a virtually worthless animal that is on its last legs. Carlson's complaints about Candy's dog are in fact veiled complaints about Candy himself, an aging man no longer of much worth to society and incapable of taking any dramatic action. In terms of the story, however, Candy plays a significant role. He serves as the guide to the farm society for George and Lennie as well as for the reader. As a man no longer significant within that society, he serves as an observant outsider, even when this trait causes him to be nosy and meddlesome.
Almost immediately upon his introduction Curley becomes a dangerous force for the novel. He is a small man yet strong. It is his small stature that leads Curley to be act in an intimidating manner. He overcompensates for his height by attempting to prove that he is stronger than those of larger size. Behind his cocky boasts Curley is tremendously insecure. He brags about his sexual conquests with his wife to ward others away from her. He is quite paranoid concerning his wife, monitoring her activity even when she is simply looking Curley himself. Upon meeting Lennie he is eager to start a fight with him, for fighting a man so much larger would prove Curley's physical prowess.
Steinbeck portrays Curley's Wife, however, as conforming to Curley's worst anxieties. It is only when Steinbeck introduces the wife that Curley's bravado becomes understandable. She is an obvious tramp, likely having an affair only weeks into her marriage. When she meets George and Lennie, she shamelessly flirts with them, comically thrusting out her breasts. There is more than a trace of sexism in this character. She is the only female character and also the only character not given a name. She is a farm femme fatale that will certainly prove dangerous for Lennie, out of place among the rough working men. Her rouge, painted fingernails, dress are ostentatious, meant to attract the attention of the workers. She will prove equally dangerous to George and Lennie as her husband. Lennie's previous problem with a woman at Weed and Curley's wife's aggressive manner combined with Curley's paranoid bravado and immediate dislike for Lenny make a conflict concerning the three characters inevitable.
When George lies to the boss by telling him that he is Lennie's cousin, he reinforces the suspicion that there is something suspect about their friendship. The boss cannot understand that two men would have any concern for each other unless they were bound by familial connections, and George's lie demonstrates that this view is widespread. George, in particular, has cares that occur beyond a narrow scope of self-interest, a view that clashes with the widespread individualist mindset. He is in some ways comparable to Candy, whose care for a decrepit old dog marks him as a weak and sentimental oddity.
The exchange between Carlson and Slim emphasizes the theme of sacrifice that Steinbeck develops through the novel. Slim has to drown the four least healthy of his dog's nine puppies so that the others may survive. Carlson also suggests that Candy sacrifice his dog, for the worthless mutt is now simply a burden to others. This also foreshadows later developments in which characters must make further sacrifices.
Chapter Three:
At dusk, Slim and George return to the bunkhouse. Slim has given George a puppy for Lennie. Slim praises how hard Lennie works, saying that he isn't bright, but Lennie is certainly a formidable worker. Slim finds it funny how Lennie and George travel together. He says that hardly any of the guys ever do so. George defends Lennie, saying that he's not bright but certainly not crazy. George says that he lived near Lennie's Aunt Clara and the two grew up together. When Aunt Clara died, Lennie went with George when he looked for work. George tells how he used to play jokes on Lennie, but Lennie never even lifted a finger at him. Once, George told Lennie to jump in a river. He did, even though he couldn't slim. George claims that men who travel alone soon get violent. George tells Slim what happened in Weed (how Lennie wanted to touch the girl's red dress and she accused him of rape). The men in Weed formed a lynching party, so George and Lennie were forced to hide. Lennie never hurt the girl; he only scared her. Lennie brings the puppy in the bunkhouse, but George tells him that the pup isn't allowed in there. Lennie tries to hide the puppy. George warns him that he's going to end up killing the pup. Candy returns to the bunkhouse with his old dog. Carlson complains about the dog's smell, and suggests that Candy shoots him. Candy squirms uncomfortably. Carlson tells him that the old dog just suffers, and would be better off dead. Candy says that he can't do it; he's had the dog too long. Carlson tells him that he could have one of Slim's new dogs instead, and Slim says that if he were that old and decrepit, he would want someone to shoot him. Carlson offers to shoot the old dog, and Candy says maybe tomorrow. Candy at last relents, and Carlson takes the dog out to shoot it. When Slim offers him a new puppy, Candy does not answer. When they hear a gunshot, everyone looks at Candy, who merely rolled over on his bed and faced the wall silently. Crooks, the stable buck, enters and tells Slim that Lennie is messing with his new puppies. George tells Slim to kick Lennie out if he's causing trouble. George and Whit, another worker, discuss Curley's wife. Whit says that Curley's Wife can't keep away from the guys. Whit suggests that they go to Old Susy's whorehouse tomorrow night. There are two whorehouses nearby: one run by Old Susy, another run by a woman named Clara. Curley bursts in to the bunkhouse and demands to know where his wife is. He asks where Slim is and how long he has been gone, then leaves once more. Lennie returns after Slim tells him not to play with the puppies anymore. George says that he prefers whores to other women, for with a whore he knows what to expect and doesn't have to risk anything. He tells Lennie about a friend from grammar school who is in San Quentin on account of a tart.' Lennie asks George to tell him about the rabbits. George launches into his monologue about the house they will have. When he says that they'll have cats, but they'll have to watch out that the cats don't hurt the little rabbits. Lennie interrupts him, saying that he'd break the neck of any cat that hurts the rabbits. Candy, who has been listening to their story, says that he knows a little farmhouse like the one they've mentioned. Candy says that he could get it for six hundred dollars. He proposes that they go in on the farmhouse together. George claims that if they work for a month, they should raise enough for the farmhouse. The three men fall silent, as they realize their dream may come to fruition. Candy reminds them that because of his injured hand he will not be able to do much work. Candy laments that he let another man shoot his dog. Curley returns with Whit, Carlson and Slim. Curley argues with Slim over his wife, and the other men join in making fun of Curley. When Curley notices Lennie smiling (he is still thinking about the ranch), he confronts him. Curley punches Lennie, who refuses to fight back. Lennie cries out to George for help, and George gives Lennie permission to get Curley. Lennie grabs Curley's hand and crushes it. He does not let go until George tells him to. Slim tells Curley that he should claim that he got his hand caught in a machine. Nobody will tell what happened unless Curley does.
Analysis:
This chapter elucidates the story about George and Lennie's escape from their previous workplace that George hints at in the first chapter. Lennie and George faced lynching because Lennie touched the woman at the ranch in Weed; this occurred not simply because Lennie frightened the woman, but because she directly accused him of rape. This is one of several examples in this chapter of women who prove dangerous. The previous chapter introduced Curley's Wife, whom the others deride as a tramp, as a likely source of contention between Curley and the other characters, while this chapter continues to show how she causes her husband to panic over possible infidelity and cannot keep away from other men. The characters describe a marked contempt for women; George even says that he prefers the company of whores to the company of the average woman, for with a whore there is only a simple transaction. There is no chance of such dangers as misconstrued advances, underage women, or faithless wives. This also bolsters previous examples of foreshadowing; Curley's Wife, the one female character in the novel, will certainly prove as troublesome to George and Lennie as the other women that characters have mentioned. The only woman mentioned who does not fit the mode of a whore is Aunt Clara, and even she has a direct parallel in a prostitute of the same name. The choice of the name Clara for the madam is deliberate, for it the reader must now associate the name with a mother-figure and a prostitute.
George once again must explain why he travels with Lennie. Slim finds it odd that the two of them travel together, and even when George explains the particular reasons why he travels with Lennie he cites habit and loneliness Slim does not register anything more than recognition. Slim and the other workers are in fact representative of the type of loneliness and anger that George describes; with the limited exception of Candy, who cares for his dog, these men lack any articulated dreams or concerns that do not derive from self-interest.
Yet even with George and Lennie there is the sense that they will never achieve the dream that they seek. When Candy decides to collaborate with them and the idea of owning a ranch becomes tangible, none of the men know how to respond. For George and Lennie their dream serves as a diversion from the travails of everyday life and not as a realistic goal, even in its simplicity. Quite significantly, George and Lennie, who draw their strength from companionship, finally seem able to achieve their goal when they collaborate with yet another person. Only through communal aid do these men become able to transcend their lowly position as migrant labourers.
The idea that the three men may buy a small farm together highlights the similarities between Candy and his new partners. Candy is the only other character in Of Mice and Men who manifests an interest in others and hope for the future. He cares for his old dog even when the dog is a burden to him, while the other men find it strange that he keeps the dog. Candy only relents to their request to put the dog out of its misery when they frame the argument in terms of the dog's suffering, and even this request is not granted easily.
Yet Candy does finally relent to the men, for despite his similarities to George and Lennie, Candy is an inherently passive character. He relents to others' decisions easily, incapable of fully standing up for his own beliefs. He allows another man to shoot his dog, despite his repeated insistence that he wants to keep the old hound. The shooting of the dog in the back of the head, a supposedly painless manoeuvre, foreshadows later events in the story. Candy makes his presence most felt in the story through his silence. When he knows that his dog is dead, Candy retreats into an obvious silence that makes his melancholy even more obvious to those around him; Candy displays his emotions through lack of action rather than through effecting change. Furthermore, he is entirely dependent on others. Crippled and on his last legs, much as his suffering dog was, Candy suggests pooling money with George and Lennie primarily because they will be able to take care of him. He sees himself not as a fully functional member of the community but rather as a man who needs others to care for him.
In the generally docile Lennie there are concurrent indications that this pacifism resides along with a capacity for great violence. Lennie will resort to violence as a protective measure. He interrupts George's farm story only when he mentions that the cats may harm the rabbits, and issues a stern warning that he would snap the neck of any animal who hurt the rabbits. When Curley attacks him, Lennie does not fight back, merely accepting the violence inflicted upon him. However, when George gives him permission to fight back, Lennie cannot control his capacity for violence. He only stops crushing Curley's hand when George issues a direct order. The fight between Curley and Lennie fulfils the foreshadowed confrontation between the two characters, but it does not resolve the situation. Curley remains a dangerous presence for Lennie, not because he proves a physical threat for Lennie, as Lennie's quick dispatch of him proves, but because he could provoke Lennie to uncontrollable violence.
Chapter Four:
Crooks, the black stable buck, kept his room neat and well-swept; he was a proud, aloof man who kept his distance and demanded that others keep their distance from him. His name came from his crooked spine. Lennie appeared in Crooks' doorway in a misguided attempt to make friends. Crooks sharply tells him that he has no right to be there, and tells Lennie that he isn't wanted in the bunkhouse because of his colour. Only after repeated sharp comments from Crooks does Lennie realize that he is not wanted, but Crooks at last relents and allows him to stay. He and Candy are the only ones at the ranch, for everyone else has gone into town. Lennie tells Crooks about the rabbits and the farm house. Crooks says that nobody listens to him simply because of his race, but then tells Lennie that he obviously doesn't understand what George tells him. He even asks Lennie what he would do if George left him or if George was hurt. Crooks tells Lennie that he would be taken to the insane asylum. Lennie can only think of the situation in terms of George getting hurt, and becomes angry with Crooks. Crooks finally admits that he was talking about himself more than he was talking about Lennie and George. Crooks tells Lennie that his dreams of owning a bit of land are absurd, for so many men have similar dreams that come to nothing. Candy comes in, and Crooks criticizes their plan. However, when Candy makes it seem as if their dream of owning land is tangible, Crooks says that he could help them out, if they wanted. Curley's Wife enters, looking for Curley. She derisively says that only the weak men are there. Lennie watches her, fascinated, but Candy and Crooks look away. She says that men will only talk when they're solitary, for they're too scared of each other when they are in groups. She also tells them that she knows Curley didn't get his hand caught in a machine. Candy tells her that she's a floozy and not wanted around. She laughs at his plans for a small farmhouse, then notices the bruises on Lennie's face. Finally Crooks tells her to leave, and she calls him a ‘nigger’ and threatens him. She claims that she could get him lynched quite easily. George returns from town and finds Lennie in Crooks' room. He reprimands Lennie for telling Crooks about their plan. Just as Candy leaves, Crooks says that he didn't mean what he said about wanting to help them, for it is a foolish idea.
Analysis:
This chapter diverges from the previous focus on George and Lennie to develop the character of Crooks, who has only been given minor mention up until this point. Crooks is a proud and bitter man filled with a controlled anger; he is the most obviously intelligent character in the novel and uses this intelligence to manipulate the foolish Lennie. Race is the most prominent motivation for Crooks' anger toward the other men; he realizes that he is isolated because he is the lone black on the farm and one of the few blacks in the entire area. When Crooks makes Lennie realize how bereft he would be if George would abandon him, Crooks in fact attempts to make Lennie realize his own isolation, as he freely admits. His rude demeanour stems from this isolation; he refuses to let others into his room because he is aware of how others exclude him. However, Crooks has the benefit of insight that other characters lack. He is openly sceptical of Lennie's claim that he will soon own a piece of land, telling him that such dreams never come to fruition.
Crooks does soften his rigid contempt for others throughout the chapter, finally allowing Lennie to stay when he realizes that Lennie has nothing but decent intentions and even offering to help Lennie and Candy when he thinks they may actually get a farmhouse. This indicates that Crooks behaves as such not out of any inherent dislike for others; rather, he uses his brusque manner as a defence mechanism. Significantly, he returns to his abrasive manner when Curley's Wife exposes his frailties, characterizing him as a crippled character along with Candy and Lennie.
Curley's Wife, who has to this point appeared to be a one-dimensional harlot, demonstrates more complex characteristics in this chapter. She is a bold and shameless woman, and she does not fully contradict earlier suspicions that she is cheating on Curley, but for the first time she reveals some depth of emotion. She realizes that she is loathed by the men and that her presence makes them uncomfortable, blaming this on male insecurity. According to her, fear between men causes them to lash out at women, while men act honourably and with compassion when they interact with her alone. This coincides with Steinbeck's view that individualism is a hindrance to the common man; if men could pursue common interests, as Lennie, George and Candy intend to do, they would feel little need to compete with one another and thus take their frustration out on women. Curley's Wife provides an interesting parallel to Crooks: both are sharp-tongued and incisively intelligent, hindered by their minority status at the ranch. She and Crooks are also perceptive: she registers equal disbelief in Candy's and Lennie's plans and realizes that her husband was hurt when he fought with Lennie. However, if she is no longer the amorphous tramp that Steinbeck had previously portrayed, she is no less threatening. She knows the power that she wields over men, and even threatens Crooks with lynching.
This chapter further establishes that Lennie is capable of violence. He becomes angry at Crooks when he muses about what would happen if George got hurt, thinking that Crooks is actually telling him that George was hurt. His lack of mental clarity along with the capability for uncontrolled violence will prove a dangerous combination. Steinbeck also makes it clear how easily Lennie disobeys George. Despite George's strict warning, Lennie reveals to both Crooks and Curley's Wife their plan to buy land. Although Lennie wishes to obey George, his low mental capacity makes him susceptible to those mistakes that George warns against.
Chapter Five:
On Sunday afternoon, Lennie was in the barn petting his new puppy. He had killed the puppy by bouncing it too hard. Lennie scoops out a little hollow and lays the puppy in it. Lennie plans to tell George that he found it dead, but realizes that George will know that he did it. Suddenly Lennie becomes angry at the dead puppy, raging at the puppy for being so fragile and worrying that he won't be allowed to tend rabbits. Curley's Wife enters the barn, wearing her bright cotton dress. Lennie tells her that George forbids him from talking to her, but she tells him that she knows that he broke Curley's hand. She tells Lennie that she gets lonely and needs to talk to people. She asks what Lennie is trying to cover up, and then dismisses the fact that the dog died, for he can get another one. She tells Lennie that she once met an actor who said that he could travel with his show, certain proof that she could live better than she does now. She admits that she doesn't like Curley and wishes that she were in the movies. She asks why he likes rabbits so much, and he says that he likes to pet soft things. She asks him if he likes to feel velvet, and says that her hair is soft. She allows Lennie to feel her hair, but he messes it up. She screams at him to let go, and Lennie covers her mouth to stop her from screaming. She struggles violently, and Lennie breaks her neck. Lennie says that he has done a bad thing, and paws up the hay until it covers her. Lennie leaves the barn with the dead puppy. Curley's Wife lay there half-covered in hay, her rouged cheeks and reddened lips seeming more alive than ever. Candy comes looking for Lennie in the barn, but finds the body of Curley's Wife. He calls for George and shows her. George tells Candy that they should find Lennie and have him locked up. Candy says that they should let Lennie get away, for Curley will have Lennie lynched. Candy worries that this will upset their plans to get a place. George tells Candy to tell the guys at the bunkhouse, and he will come along and act like he hadn't seen her. When George leaves, Candy scolds the corpse for being a lousy tart. Candy does what George said: the rest of the men, including Curley, find the body, and Curley immediately blames Lennie. George tells them that Lennie must have gone south, since they came from the north. George suggests that they find Lennie to have him locked up, but Slim says that Curley will just want to shoot him. Carlson tells them that his gun has been stolen, and Curley blames Lennie. Curley had a shotgun, and rounded up the men to find Lennie. Curley tells Whit to go to Soledad and find Al Wilts, the deputy sheriff. George pleads with Curley not to shoot Lennie, for Lennie is insane and didn't know what he was doing. George suggests that Lennie stay there with his wife, but Slim suggests that Candy stay. Curley orders George to stay with them so that they know that he had nothing to do with the murder.
Analysis:
Just as George foretold, Lennie accidentally kills his puppy when he plays with it too hard. When he does this, he reveals his greatest fear: that George will become angry at him and thwart their plans to buy land have let Lennie keep a rabbit hutch. He is unable to grasp the consequences of his actions beyond how they may affect him; he even rages against the dead puppy, essentially blaming it for being so easily killed. This quality recurs when Lennie accidentally murders Curley's Wife. Once again he cannot control his physical force and, when he kills Curley's Wife, cannot feel a sense of genuine remorse.
Yet Steinbeck rests a great deal of blame for the murder on the victim herself. Her offer to let Lennie touch her hair may be construed as a sexual advance. She even prefaces the offer with a complaint about how she is a lonely woman who dislikes her husband and is dissatisfied with her marriage. Her complaints of loneliness are likely sincere, yet she presents them in a manipulative manner that reduces any sympathy that the reader may have for the character. Curley's Wife clearly believes that she deserves a better life. She considers herself a possible Hollywood starlet stuck in a loveless marriage because she refused what she believes were possible opportunities for greatness. When Lennie kills her, Steinbeck offers a disturbing image. He describes her with more life and vitality as a corpse than he did as a living character, her rouged face and reddened lips giving her the appearance of life even after she is dead. In this manner Steinbeck portrays her as a tremendously false character: her appearance of vitality is entirely separate from her actual self, a masquerade of life that continues even in death. This represents Steinbeck's first concrete praise for Curley's Wife; he writes for the first time that she appears sweet and young, a more commendable character as a corpse than as a living human being. But even in her death she appears a ‘lousy tart’, as Candy calls her, reinforcing the tremendously misogynistic portrayal of this character.
When Candy and George find Curley's Wife, George immediately realizes what has happened, and quickly takes control of the situation. George proves himself a sharp thinker who can manipulate the situation. Almost immediately he correctly appraises the situation, knowing almost intuitively several facts of the situation: that Lennie killed Curley's Wife but did so without any ill intention, that Curley would immediately blame Lennie and perhaps even implicate George, and that Curley would forego legal action to murder Lennie himself.
Candy's reaction to the murder demonstrates his solipsistic tendency to depend on others. He worries that the murder will prevent his chances of buying land with George and Lennie and having the two men take care of him. Like Lennie he views the situation in instrumental terms, but Candy has the capacity for a broader viewpoint that Lennie lacks.
George gives the men deliberately misleading information about Lennie. He tells them that Lennie would continue to go south, when he has given Lennie specific orders to return to the place near the river north of the ranch. The disappearance of Carlson's gun is a significant plot point. While the workers at the ranch believe that Lennie stole the gun, such an action seems far too premeditated for Lennie, whose escape was likely motivated by panic. Since Lennie does not likely have the gun, this leaves only George, who even disappears for a long enough period of time to steal it. George will likely have to use this gun, foreshadowing the inevitable tragedy and sacrifice to come.
Chapter Six:
Lennie appears from the brush near the Salinas River and comes to the pool's edge. He kneels down and drinks, barely touching his lips to the water. Lennie talks to himself, saying that he didn't forget George's order to return there. He says that he can find a cave in the mountain and live there. Lennie imagines a little fat woman with thick glasses, wearing an apron. This imaginary vision of Aunt Clara frowns disapprovingly at Lennie, and scolds him for getting George into so much trouble. Lennie cries, begging Aunt Clara for forgiveness. Lennie says that he will go off in the hills, where he can't bother George. Lennie then imagines a gigantic rabbit that scolds him for his idea that he could tend rabbits. The imaginary rabbit says that when George finds him, he will beat Lennie with a stick. As Lennie sobs, George comes out from the brush. Lennie admits that he did a bad thing. George says woodenly that if he were alone he could live so easily. George begins his speech about how they differ from other men, for they have each other. George tells Lennie to take off his hat, then continues to tell Lennie how it will be for them. As George speaks, he gets out Carlson's gun and shoots Lennie in the back of the head. Hearing the gunshot, Curley and the other men find George. Slim tells him "never you mind. A guy got to sometimes." George tells Carlson that Lennie took his gun, and when he took it back from him, he killed him with it. Slim reassures George that he had to do it, while Carlson and Curley look on in disbelief, wondering why he is so upset.
Analysis:
The final chapter brings the novel to a conclusion at the same point where it began, the clearing near the Salinas River. In this one instance Lennie did follow George's orders, remembering where he should go in case an emergency occurred. The novel thus comes full circle, with Lennie once again repeating a pattern of harmful behaviour that causes the two characters to need to escape. Yet in this instance both George and Lennie realize that continuing to move from ranch to ranch is now impossible. Lennie suggests removing himself from society completely, living in a mountain cave, while George finds another solution.
In this chapter Lennie's behaviour moves from simplistic innocence to complete lunacy. He experiences wild hallucinations that draw out his fear that George will harm or abandon Lennie. These visions reveal once again the simplicity of Lennie's thought. He is in this instance literally haunted by his rabbits. The image of Aunt Clara is more problematic. She is a domineering mother figure that lends well to Freudian analysis of the text, and perhaps explains the docile tendencies in Lennie despite his massive strength. Lennie had been cowed by the little old lady, who despite her death years before still holds great sway over the dim-witted man. Both the rabbit and Aunt Clara reinforce the idea that Lennie fears that he is a burden to George and that he would be better off living alone and isolated.
This chapter also marks a change in George, who has finally lost his dreams of finding a farm with Lennie. He confirms Lennie's idea that he would live so much easier if he were alone, but George says this in a stilted and wooden manner, indicating that he does not believe his own words. He rather seems to be preparing himself for the action he knows he must commit. When he shoots Lennie, it is an obvious mercy killing. George prepares Lennie for his death by giving the soothing speech about the little farm and the rabbits, and shoots him in the back of the head, which neatly parallels the earlier sacrificial death of Candy's dog. This is a pure mercy killing: George knows that Curley will murder Lennie as soon as he finds him, and would prefer to do so himself. This returns back to an earlier moral code established when Candy allows Carlson to shoot his dog and says that Candy should have done the job himself. George views Lennie's death as imminent and inevitable, and thus finds it appropriate that he kill Lennie, putting him out of his misery before Curley commits a more brutal murder.
When the other men find George, he manipulates the situation further, telling them that he murdered Lennie out of self-defence when he wrested the gun that Lennie supposedly stole from him. He thus absolves himself of any blame for the mercy killing. Yet what remains for George is the sense of guilt that comes with the crime. Slim senses George's feeling of remorse over the situation. However, the book ends with Carlson wondering why George is upset, once again demonstrating that the other men cannot comprehend the bond of friendship between George and Lennie.
Two men emerge from the path along the Salinas River that runs a few miles south of Soledad, California. Travelling to a nearby farm for work, they were let off by the bus driver several miles away. The two men walk in a single file path down to a deep pool near the river. Both men, George Milton and Lennie Small, wear denim trousers and coats. George is small and quick, dark of face with restless eyes and strong, sharp features. Every part of him is defined. Lennie, who walks behind him, is an enormous man with wide, sloping shoulders. Lennie drinks long gulps from the pool, and George admonishes him, telling him that he will get sick again, for the water may be dirty. George warns him that he should never drink water that isn't running. Lennie imitates the way that George wears his hat. Lennie, who is mentally deficient, asks George where they are going, and George in turn scolds him for forgetting. Lennie claims that he remembers about the rabbits, the only part of their plan that he can ever remember. George notices that Lennie has his hands in his pockets, and asks what he has. It is a dead mouse that Lennie kept to pet with his thumb as they walked. George explains to Lennie that they are going to work on a ranch like the one in Weed from which they came, and tells Lennie not to speak when they get to the ranch, for their boss will think that Lennie is insane. He also warns him not to do the things that caused them to be run out of Weed. George makes Lennie hand over the dead mouse, and tells him that he might get him a live mouse if he can take care of it. Lennie remembers that a woman (whom George identifies as his Aunt Clara) would give mice to him, but George reminds Lennie that he always killed them. They eat cans of beans for dinner, and Lennie tells George that he likes them with ketchup. George, angered at what he perceives to be Lennie's complaint, tells Lennie that without him he could do whatever he wanted, but Lennie gets him fired from every job they take. They were run out of their previous job when Lennie wanted to feel a girl's dress, and she screamed, accusing Lennie of attempting rape. Lennie feebly apologizes. George tells him that at the first chance he gets, he will get Lennie a puppy, which he will find harder to kill than a mouse. Lennie asks George to tell him about the rabbits. George tells him the story which he has told Lennie many times: men like George and Lennie that work on ranches are the loneliest in the world, with no family and no home, but they have each other. Someday they're going to raise enough money to have a small farm. They will live off the fat of the land and have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch. George makes Lennie promise that he will not say a word, and tells him that if there is any trouble like last time, he should hide in the brush until George comes for him.
Analysis:
Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men deals with the plight of migrant labourers in California during the Great Depression, with the focus on two random migrant workers, George and Lennie. The first chapter sharply establishes the relationship between the two primary characters. George is by necessity a rational realist who must care for the simplistic and child-like Lennie. George consistently scolds and reprimands Lennie for his actions, while Lennie strives to please and placate George.
The arguments between the two characters reveal a great deal about each of them. George is careful and controlled; he formulates a plan for every situation and acts to prevent any dire occurrence. His careful planning stems primarily from past experience; Steinbeck implies that Lennie has placed George into so many precarious situations that he must now consider every possible tragedy that might occur. Although George and Lennie are similar in age, George serves as a parental figure. He guides the simplistic Lennie through almost every situation, supplying the common sense that Lennie lacks. Yet in this parental role George is weary and often dissatisfied. He quickly tires of Lennie's constant questions, having likely answered them many times before, and harshly dismisses Lennie when he behaves oddly. George, like an overtaxed parent of a small child, has reached the point where diplomatic behaviour is useless and thus forgoes tact when dealing with Lennie. Within George there is a core of regret. He realizes that he has given up the life of an unattached man and its relative ease to care for Lennie, as well as the numerous opportunities he has lost because he cares for his friend.
However, if George realizes what he has given up for Lennie, he nevertheless judges the merits of his travels with Lennie to be greater than the solitude of an aimless man. George admits to Lennie that his situation is far superior to that of the lonely migrant workers, for he has a companion who cares about him and whom he can care about. Furthermore, George's sharp rationality operates concurrently with a sense of idealism and hope. George retains hope for a middle-class life; the speech that he recites to Lennie about owning a small farm together remains palpable for George, despite the hard circumstances that he now faces.
Lennie, in contrast, demonstrates none of the despair and rationality that marks George, partially because his mental disability limits his ability to formulate broad and complex plans or ideas. Significantly, while George has a detailed picture of the farm that he hopes to have, Lennie can only remember one detail of this plan, the rabbits. Despite his large stature, Lennie is the archetypal gentle giant, who cares for small animals and can focus only on simple pleasures such as ketchup. It is Lennie's innocence that makes him dangerous rather than any malicious intent. He is unable to control his massive strength, frequently killing mice when he tries to play with them. He operates on the basis of his desires rather than on any conception of propriety. He grabbed the woman's dress at their previous job not to harm her, but rather because he wanted to feel her soft dress.
The first chapter foreshadows many of the events of the novel. George warns Lennie several times to remain silent when they meet the boss at their next job, a certain indication that Lennie will disobey George's order. Steinbeck establishes that George and Lennie move from job to job because Lennie behaves foolishly, a pattern that the novel will certainly continue. George's plan for Lennie to hide in the brush indicates that the two men may run into trouble once again. Also, Lennie's inability to physically control himself will prove an important plot point, as he moves from exerting his strength on small mice to actual persons. This foreshadowing is compounded by the recent calamity that George and Lennie suffered, blamed for attempting to harm a woman when he simply wanted to touch her dress.
Chapter Two:
George and Lennie reach the bunk house at the farm. The old man who shows them the bunk house tells them that his boss was expecting them last night and was angry when they weren't ready for work that morning. Near his bed George finds a can of insect poison, but the old man reassures him, telling him that person who had the bed before was a blacksmith so conscientious that he even washed his hands after he ate. This blacksmith, Whitey, would put the insect killer around even if there weren't any bugs around. The old man, Candy, tells George and Lennie that the boss is a nice enough man, although he gives the stable buck hell whenever he's angry. The boss, a stocky man in blue jeans and a flannel shirt, enters and asks George and Lennie for their work slips. George attempts to talk for Lennie, but the boss notices that Lennie is silent and attempts to get him to talk. George tells the boss that Lennie isn't bright, but he's strong as a bull and can do anything. The boss wonders why George is so concerned for Lennie, and he tells the boss that Lennie is his cousin and that he promised his mother that he would take care of him. George tells him that they no longer work in Weed because their job, digging a cesspool, was done. When the boss leaves, George scolds Lennie once more, since the boss now suspects the two men. George admits that he lied about Lennie being his cousin. The old man returns with his old sheepdog, and George criticizes Candy for listening to their conversation. Curley, a young man, enters looking for his father, the boss. He behaves rudely to Lennie. When he leaves, Candy explains that Curley is like many short guys. He hates big guys out of jealousy. He says that Curley is handy in a fight and that he goes after big guys because, if he loses, he can claim that the big guy was unfair. George warns Candy that Lennie is strong and doesn't know the rules of a fight. Candy reveals to him that Curley is recently married and has become cockier ever since. Curley wears a left glove full of vaseline to keep the hand soft for his wife, whom the old man thinks is a tart. George warns Lennie to avoid Curley for his own safety. Curley's Wife comes to the bunk house looking for her husband. She had rouged lips and red fingernails and wore a red cotton house dress. The positioned herself to emphasize her figure. When she leaves, George remarks that she's a tramp, while Lennie can only say that she's pretty. George warns him to keep away from her. Slim the jerk line skinner, a man with an ageless face who carried himself with great gravity, questions George and Lennie about what work they can do. Carlson, a large, big-stomached man, also enters the bunk house, and asks Slim whether his dog had her litter last night. Slim tells him that she had nine puppies, but he drowned four immediately, since she couldn't feed so many. Carlson complains about Candy's dog, and tells Slim that Candy should shoot it, for the dog can't even chew. Lennie is excited to hear about the dogs. Curley confronts George, asking if his wife has been around. George admits that she was at the bunk house looking for Curley, who seems eager to start a fight.
Analysis:
The structure of this chapter resembles that of a stage play. The chapter continues a series of character entrances in which they interact with George and Lennie, exit, and are subsequently followed by yet another character's entrance. Since the action of the chapter occurs in a single setting, it could easily be transferred into a stage adaptation. This structure allows Steinbeck to introduce and develop characters quickly, including Candy, Curley and Curley's wife.
Steinbeck portrays the elderly Candy as passive and weak, a decaying man meant to inspire the pity of those around him. Steinbeck parallels him with his dog, a virtually worthless animal that is on its last legs. Carlson's complaints about Candy's dog are in fact veiled complaints about Candy himself, an aging man no longer of much worth to society and incapable of taking any dramatic action. In terms of the story, however, Candy plays a significant role. He serves as the guide to the farm society for George and Lennie as well as for the reader. As a man no longer significant within that society, he serves as an observant outsider, even when this trait causes him to be nosy and meddlesome.
Almost immediately upon his introduction Curley becomes a dangerous force for the novel. He is a small man yet strong. It is his small stature that leads Curley to be act in an intimidating manner. He overcompensates for his height by attempting to prove that he is stronger than those of larger size. Behind his cocky boasts Curley is tremendously insecure. He brags about his sexual conquests with his wife to ward others away from her. He is quite paranoid concerning his wife, monitoring her activity even when she is simply looking Curley himself. Upon meeting Lennie he is eager to start a fight with him, for fighting a man so much larger would prove Curley's physical prowess.
Steinbeck portrays Curley's Wife, however, as conforming to Curley's worst anxieties. It is only when Steinbeck introduces the wife that Curley's bravado becomes understandable. She is an obvious tramp, likely having an affair only weeks into her marriage. When she meets George and Lennie, she shamelessly flirts with them, comically thrusting out her breasts. There is more than a trace of sexism in this character. She is the only female character and also the only character not given a name. She is a farm femme fatale that will certainly prove dangerous for Lennie, out of place among the rough working men. Her rouge, painted fingernails, dress are ostentatious, meant to attract the attention of the workers. She will prove equally dangerous to George and Lennie as her husband. Lennie's previous problem with a woman at Weed and Curley's wife's aggressive manner combined with Curley's paranoid bravado and immediate dislike for Lenny make a conflict concerning the three characters inevitable.
When George lies to the boss by telling him that he is Lennie's cousin, he reinforces the suspicion that there is something suspect about their friendship. The boss cannot understand that two men would have any concern for each other unless they were bound by familial connections, and George's lie demonstrates that this view is widespread. George, in particular, has cares that occur beyond a narrow scope of self-interest, a view that clashes with the widespread individualist mindset. He is in some ways comparable to Candy, whose care for a decrepit old dog marks him as a weak and sentimental oddity.
The exchange between Carlson and Slim emphasizes the theme of sacrifice that Steinbeck develops through the novel. Slim has to drown the four least healthy of his dog's nine puppies so that the others may survive. Carlson also suggests that Candy sacrifice his dog, for the worthless mutt is now simply a burden to others. This also foreshadows later developments in which characters must make further sacrifices.
Chapter Three:
At dusk, Slim and George return to the bunkhouse. Slim has given George a puppy for Lennie. Slim praises how hard Lennie works, saying that he isn't bright, but Lennie is certainly a formidable worker. Slim finds it funny how Lennie and George travel together. He says that hardly any of the guys ever do so. George defends Lennie, saying that he's not bright but certainly not crazy. George says that he lived near Lennie's Aunt Clara and the two grew up together. When Aunt Clara died, Lennie went with George when he looked for work. George tells how he used to play jokes on Lennie, but Lennie never even lifted a finger at him. Once, George told Lennie to jump in a river. He did, even though he couldn't slim. George claims that men who travel alone soon get violent. George tells Slim what happened in Weed (how Lennie wanted to touch the girl's red dress and she accused him of rape). The men in Weed formed a lynching party, so George and Lennie were forced to hide. Lennie never hurt the girl; he only scared her. Lennie brings the puppy in the bunkhouse, but George tells him that the pup isn't allowed in there. Lennie tries to hide the puppy. George warns him that he's going to end up killing the pup. Candy returns to the bunkhouse with his old dog. Carlson complains about the dog's smell, and suggests that Candy shoots him. Candy squirms uncomfortably. Carlson tells him that the old dog just suffers, and would be better off dead. Candy says that he can't do it; he's had the dog too long. Carlson tells him that he could have one of Slim's new dogs instead, and Slim says that if he were that old and decrepit, he would want someone to shoot him. Carlson offers to shoot the old dog, and Candy says maybe tomorrow. Candy at last relents, and Carlson takes the dog out to shoot it. When Slim offers him a new puppy, Candy does not answer. When they hear a gunshot, everyone looks at Candy, who merely rolled over on his bed and faced the wall silently. Crooks, the stable buck, enters and tells Slim that Lennie is messing with his new puppies. George tells Slim to kick Lennie out if he's causing trouble. George and Whit, another worker, discuss Curley's wife. Whit says that Curley's Wife can't keep away from the guys. Whit suggests that they go to Old Susy's whorehouse tomorrow night. There are two whorehouses nearby: one run by Old Susy, another run by a woman named Clara. Curley bursts in to the bunkhouse and demands to know where his wife is. He asks where Slim is and how long he has been gone, then leaves once more. Lennie returns after Slim tells him not to play with the puppies anymore. George says that he prefers whores to other women, for with a whore he knows what to expect and doesn't have to risk anything. He tells Lennie about a friend from grammar school who is in San Quentin on account of a tart.' Lennie asks George to tell him about the rabbits. George launches into his monologue about the house they will have. When he says that they'll have cats, but they'll have to watch out that the cats don't hurt the little rabbits. Lennie interrupts him, saying that he'd break the neck of any cat that hurts the rabbits. Candy, who has been listening to their story, says that he knows a little farmhouse like the one they've mentioned. Candy says that he could get it for six hundred dollars. He proposes that they go in on the farmhouse together. George claims that if they work for a month, they should raise enough for the farmhouse. The three men fall silent, as they realize their dream may come to fruition. Candy reminds them that because of his injured hand he will not be able to do much work. Candy laments that he let another man shoot his dog. Curley returns with Whit, Carlson and Slim. Curley argues with Slim over his wife, and the other men join in making fun of Curley. When Curley notices Lennie smiling (he is still thinking about the ranch), he confronts him. Curley punches Lennie, who refuses to fight back. Lennie cries out to George for help, and George gives Lennie permission to get Curley. Lennie grabs Curley's hand and crushes it. He does not let go until George tells him to. Slim tells Curley that he should claim that he got his hand caught in a machine. Nobody will tell what happened unless Curley does.
Analysis:
This chapter elucidates the story about George and Lennie's escape from their previous workplace that George hints at in the first chapter. Lennie and George faced lynching because Lennie touched the woman at the ranch in Weed; this occurred not simply because Lennie frightened the woman, but because she directly accused him of rape. This is one of several examples in this chapter of women who prove dangerous. The previous chapter introduced Curley's Wife, whom the others deride as a tramp, as a likely source of contention between Curley and the other characters, while this chapter continues to show how she causes her husband to panic over possible infidelity and cannot keep away from other men. The characters describe a marked contempt for women; George even says that he prefers the company of whores to the company of the average woman, for with a whore there is only a simple transaction. There is no chance of such dangers as misconstrued advances, underage women, or faithless wives. This also bolsters previous examples of foreshadowing; Curley's Wife, the one female character in the novel, will certainly prove as troublesome to George and Lennie as the other women that characters have mentioned. The only woman mentioned who does not fit the mode of a whore is Aunt Clara, and even she has a direct parallel in a prostitute of the same name. The choice of the name Clara for the madam is deliberate, for it the reader must now associate the name with a mother-figure and a prostitute.
George once again must explain why he travels with Lennie. Slim finds it odd that the two of them travel together, and even when George explains the particular reasons why he travels with Lennie he cites habit and loneliness Slim does not register anything more than recognition. Slim and the other workers are in fact representative of the type of loneliness and anger that George describes; with the limited exception of Candy, who cares for his dog, these men lack any articulated dreams or concerns that do not derive from self-interest.
Yet even with George and Lennie there is the sense that they will never achieve the dream that they seek. When Candy decides to collaborate with them and the idea of owning a ranch becomes tangible, none of the men know how to respond. For George and Lennie their dream serves as a diversion from the travails of everyday life and not as a realistic goal, even in its simplicity. Quite significantly, George and Lennie, who draw their strength from companionship, finally seem able to achieve their goal when they collaborate with yet another person. Only through communal aid do these men become able to transcend their lowly position as migrant labourers.
The idea that the three men may buy a small farm together highlights the similarities between Candy and his new partners. Candy is the only other character in Of Mice and Men who manifests an interest in others and hope for the future. He cares for his old dog even when the dog is a burden to him, while the other men find it strange that he keeps the dog. Candy only relents to their request to put the dog out of its misery when they frame the argument in terms of the dog's suffering, and even this request is not granted easily.
Yet Candy does finally relent to the men, for despite his similarities to George and Lennie, Candy is an inherently passive character. He relents to others' decisions easily, incapable of fully standing up for his own beliefs. He allows another man to shoot his dog, despite his repeated insistence that he wants to keep the old hound. The shooting of the dog in the back of the head, a supposedly painless manoeuvre, foreshadows later events in the story. Candy makes his presence most felt in the story through his silence. When he knows that his dog is dead, Candy retreats into an obvious silence that makes his melancholy even more obvious to those around him; Candy displays his emotions through lack of action rather than through effecting change. Furthermore, he is entirely dependent on others. Crippled and on his last legs, much as his suffering dog was, Candy suggests pooling money with George and Lennie primarily because they will be able to take care of him. He sees himself not as a fully functional member of the community but rather as a man who needs others to care for him.
In the generally docile Lennie there are concurrent indications that this pacifism resides along with a capacity for great violence. Lennie will resort to violence as a protective measure. He interrupts George's farm story only when he mentions that the cats may harm the rabbits, and issues a stern warning that he would snap the neck of any animal who hurt the rabbits. When Curley attacks him, Lennie does not fight back, merely accepting the violence inflicted upon him. However, when George gives him permission to fight back, Lennie cannot control his capacity for violence. He only stops crushing Curley's hand when George issues a direct order. The fight between Curley and Lennie fulfils the foreshadowed confrontation between the two characters, but it does not resolve the situation. Curley remains a dangerous presence for Lennie, not because he proves a physical threat for Lennie, as Lennie's quick dispatch of him proves, but because he could provoke Lennie to uncontrollable violence.
Chapter Four:
Crooks, the black stable buck, kept his room neat and well-swept; he was a proud, aloof man who kept his distance and demanded that others keep their distance from him. His name came from his crooked spine. Lennie appeared in Crooks' doorway in a misguided attempt to make friends. Crooks sharply tells him that he has no right to be there, and tells Lennie that he isn't wanted in the bunkhouse because of his colour. Only after repeated sharp comments from Crooks does Lennie realize that he is not wanted, but Crooks at last relents and allows him to stay. He and Candy are the only ones at the ranch, for everyone else has gone into town. Lennie tells Crooks about the rabbits and the farm house. Crooks says that nobody listens to him simply because of his race, but then tells Lennie that he obviously doesn't understand what George tells him. He even asks Lennie what he would do if George left him or if George was hurt. Crooks tells Lennie that he would be taken to the insane asylum. Lennie can only think of the situation in terms of George getting hurt, and becomes angry with Crooks. Crooks finally admits that he was talking about himself more than he was talking about Lennie and George. Crooks tells Lennie that his dreams of owning a bit of land are absurd, for so many men have similar dreams that come to nothing. Candy comes in, and Crooks criticizes their plan. However, when Candy makes it seem as if their dream of owning land is tangible, Crooks says that he could help them out, if they wanted. Curley's Wife enters, looking for Curley. She derisively says that only the weak men are there. Lennie watches her, fascinated, but Candy and Crooks look away. She says that men will only talk when they're solitary, for they're too scared of each other when they are in groups. She also tells them that she knows Curley didn't get his hand caught in a machine. Candy tells her that she's a floozy and not wanted around. She laughs at his plans for a small farmhouse, then notices the bruises on Lennie's face. Finally Crooks tells her to leave, and she calls him a ‘nigger’ and threatens him. She claims that she could get him lynched quite easily. George returns from town and finds Lennie in Crooks' room. He reprimands Lennie for telling Crooks about their plan. Just as Candy leaves, Crooks says that he didn't mean what he said about wanting to help them, for it is a foolish idea.
Analysis:
This chapter diverges from the previous focus on George and Lennie to develop the character of Crooks, who has only been given minor mention up until this point. Crooks is a proud and bitter man filled with a controlled anger; he is the most obviously intelligent character in the novel and uses this intelligence to manipulate the foolish Lennie. Race is the most prominent motivation for Crooks' anger toward the other men; he realizes that he is isolated because he is the lone black on the farm and one of the few blacks in the entire area. When Crooks makes Lennie realize how bereft he would be if George would abandon him, Crooks in fact attempts to make Lennie realize his own isolation, as he freely admits. His rude demeanour stems from this isolation; he refuses to let others into his room because he is aware of how others exclude him. However, Crooks has the benefit of insight that other characters lack. He is openly sceptical of Lennie's claim that he will soon own a piece of land, telling him that such dreams never come to fruition.
Crooks does soften his rigid contempt for others throughout the chapter, finally allowing Lennie to stay when he realizes that Lennie has nothing but decent intentions and even offering to help Lennie and Candy when he thinks they may actually get a farmhouse. This indicates that Crooks behaves as such not out of any inherent dislike for others; rather, he uses his brusque manner as a defence mechanism. Significantly, he returns to his abrasive manner when Curley's Wife exposes his frailties, characterizing him as a crippled character along with Candy and Lennie.
Curley's Wife, who has to this point appeared to be a one-dimensional harlot, demonstrates more complex characteristics in this chapter. She is a bold and shameless woman, and she does not fully contradict earlier suspicions that she is cheating on Curley, but for the first time she reveals some depth of emotion. She realizes that she is loathed by the men and that her presence makes them uncomfortable, blaming this on male insecurity. According to her, fear between men causes them to lash out at women, while men act honourably and with compassion when they interact with her alone. This coincides with Steinbeck's view that individualism is a hindrance to the common man; if men could pursue common interests, as Lennie, George and Candy intend to do, they would feel little need to compete with one another and thus take their frustration out on women. Curley's Wife provides an interesting parallel to Crooks: both are sharp-tongued and incisively intelligent, hindered by their minority status at the ranch. She and Crooks are also perceptive: she registers equal disbelief in Candy's and Lennie's plans and realizes that her husband was hurt when he fought with Lennie. However, if she is no longer the amorphous tramp that Steinbeck had previously portrayed, she is no less threatening. She knows the power that she wields over men, and even threatens Crooks with lynching.
This chapter further establishes that Lennie is capable of violence. He becomes angry at Crooks when he muses about what would happen if George got hurt, thinking that Crooks is actually telling him that George was hurt. His lack of mental clarity along with the capability for uncontrolled violence will prove a dangerous combination. Steinbeck also makes it clear how easily Lennie disobeys George. Despite George's strict warning, Lennie reveals to both Crooks and Curley's Wife their plan to buy land. Although Lennie wishes to obey George, his low mental capacity makes him susceptible to those mistakes that George warns against.
Chapter Five:
On Sunday afternoon, Lennie was in the barn petting his new puppy. He had killed the puppy by bouncing it too hard. Lennie scoops out a little hollow and lays the puppy in it. Lennie plans to tell George that he found it dead, but realizes that George will know that he did it. Suddenly Lennie becomes angry at the dead puppy, raging at the puppy for being so fragile and worrying that he won't be allowed to tend rabbits. Curley's Wife enters the barn, wearing her bright cotton dress. Lennie tells her that George forbids him from talking to her, but she tells him that she knows that he broke Curley's hand. She tells Lennie that she gets lonely and needs to talk to people. She asks what Lennie is trying to cover up, and then dismisses the fact that the dog died, for he can get another one. She tells Lennie that she once met an actor who said that he could travel with his show, certain proof that she could live better than she does now. She admits that she doesn't like Curley and wishes that she were in the movies. She asks why he likes rabbits so much, and he says that he likes to pet soft things. She asks him if he likes to feel velvet, and says that her hair is soft. She allows Lennie to feel her hair, but he messes it up. She screams at him to let go, and Lennie covers her mouth to stop her from screaming. She struggles violently, and Lennie breaks her neck. Lennie says that he has done a bad thing, and paws up the hay until it covers her. Lennie leaves the barn with the dead puppy. Curley's Wife lay there half-covered in hay, her rouged cheeks and reddened lips seeming more alive than ever. Candy comes looking for Lennie in the barn, but finds the body of Curley's Wife. He calls for George and shows her. George tells Candy that they should find Lennie and have him locked up. Candy says that they should let Lennie get away, for Curley will have Lennie lynched. Candy worries that this will upset their plans to get a place. George tells Candy to tell the guys at the bunkhouse, and he will come along and act like he hadn't seen her. When George leaves, Candy scolds the corpse for being a lousy tart. Candy does what George said: the rest of the men, including Curley, find the body, and Curley immediately blames Lennie. George tells them that Lennie must have gone south, since they came from the north. George suggests that they find Lennie to have him locked up, but Slim says that Curley will just want to shoot him. Carlson tells them that his gun has been stolen, and Curley blames Lennie. Curley had a shotgun, and rounded up the men to find Lennie. Curley tells Whit to go to Soledad and find Al Wilts, the deputy sheriff. George pleads with Curley not to shoot Lennie, for Lennie is insane and didn't know what he was doing. George suggests that Lennie stay there with his wife, but Slim suggests that Candy stay. Curley orders George to stay with them so that they know that he had nothing to do with the murder.
Analysis:
Just as George foretold, Lennie accidentally kills his puppy when he plays with it too hard. When he does this, he reveals his greatest fear: that George will become angry at him and thwart their plans to buy land have let Lennie keep a rabbit hutch. He is unable to grasp the consequences of his actions beyond how they may affect him; he even rages against the dead puppy, essentially blaming it for being so easily killed. This quality recurs when Lennie accidentally murders Curley's Wife. Once again he cannot control his physical force and, when he kills Curley's Wife, cannot feel a sense of genuine remorse.
Yet Steinbeck rests a great deal of blame for the murder on the victim herself. Her offer to let Lennie touch her hair may be construed as a sexual advance. She even prefaces the offer with a complaint about how she is a lonely woman who dislikes her husband and is dissatisfied with her marriage. Her complaints of loneliness are likely sincere, yet she presents them in a manipulative manner that reduces any sympathy that the reader may have for the character. Curley's Wife clearly believes that she deserves a better life. She considers herself a possible Hollywood starlet stuck in a loveless marriage because she refused what she believes were possible opportunities for greatness. When Lennie kills her, Steinbeck offers a disturbing image. He describes her with more life and vitality as a corpse than he did as a living character, her rouged face and reddened lips giving her the appearance of life even after she is dead. In this manner Steinbeck portrays her as a tremendously false character: her appearance of vitality is entirely separate from her actual self, a masquerade of life that continues even in death. This represents Steinbeck's first concrete praise for Curley's Wife; he writes for the first time that she appears sweet and young, a more commendable character as a corpse than as a living human being. But even in her death she appears a ‘lousy tart’, as Candy calls her, reinforcing the tremendously misogynistic portrayal of this character.
When Candy and George find Curley's Wife, George immediately realizes what has happened, and quickly takes control of the situation. George proves himself a sharp thinker who can manipulate the situation. Almost immediately he correctly appraises the situation, knowing almost intuitively several facts of the situation: that Lennie killed Curley's Wife but did so without any ill intention, that Curley would immediately blame Lennie and perhaps even implicate George, and that Curley would forego legal action to murder Lennie himself.
Candy's reaction to the murder demonstrates his solipsistic tendency to depend on others. He worries that the murder will prevent his chances of buying land with George and Lennie and having the two men take care of him. Like Lennie he views the situation in instrumental terms, but Candy has the capacity for a broader viewpoint that Lennie lacks.
George gives the men deliberately misleading information about Lennie. He tells them that Lennie would continue to go south, when he has given Lennie specific orders to return to the place near the river north of the ranch. The disappearance of Carlson's gun is a significant plot point. While the workers at the ranch believe that Lennie stole the gun, such an action seems far too premeditated for Lennie, whose escape was likely motivated by panic. Since Lennie does not likely have the gun, this leaves only George, who even disappears for a long enough period of time to steal it. George will likely have to use this gun, foreshadowing the inevitable tragedy and sacrifice to come.
Chapter Six:
Lennie appears from the brush near the Salinas River and comes to the pool's edge. He kneels down and drinks, barely touching his lips to the water. Lennie talks to himself, saying that he didn't forget George's order to return there. He says that he can find a cave in the mountain and live there. Lennie imagines a little fat woman with thick glasses, wearing an apron. This imaginary vision of Aunt Clara frowns disapprovingly at Lennie, and scolds him for getting George into so much trouble. Lennie cries, begging Aunt Clara for forgiveness. Lennie says that he will go off in the hills, where he can't bother George. Lennie then imagines a gigantic rabbit that scolds him for his idea that he could tend rabbits. The imaginary rabbit says that when George finds him, he will beat Lennie with a stick. As Lennie sobs, George comes out from the brush. Lennie admits that he did a bad thing. George says woodenly that if he were alone he could live so easily. George begins his speech about how they differ from other men, for they have each other. George tells Lennie to take off his hat, then continues to tell Lennie how it will be for them. As George speaks, he gets out Carlson's gun and shoots Lennie in the back of the head. Hearing the gunshot, Curley and the other men find George. Slim tells him "never you mind. A guy got to sometimes." George tells Carlson that Lennie took his gun, and when he took it back from him, he killed him with it. Slim reassures George that he had to do it, while Carlson and Curley look on in disbelief, wondering why he is so upset.
Analysis:
The final chapter brings the novel to a conclusion at the same point where it began, the clearing near the Salinas River. In this one instance Lennie did follow George's orders, remembering where he should go in case an emergency occurred. The novel thus comes full circle, with Lennie once again repeating a pattern of harmful behaviour that causes the two characters to need to escape. Yet in this instance both George and Lennie realize that continuing to move from ranch to ranch is now impossible. Lennie suggests removing himself from society completely, living in a mountain cave, while George finds another solution.
In this chapter Lennie's behaviour moves from simplistic innocence to complete lunacy. He experiences wild hallucinations that draw out his fear that George will harm or abandon Lennie. These visions reveal once again the simplicity of Lennie's thought. He is in this instance literally haunted by his rabbits. The image of Aunt Clara is more problematic. She is a domineering mother figure that lends well to Freudian analysis of the text, and perhaps explains the docile tendencies in Lennie despite his massive strength. Lennie had been cowed by the little old lady, who despite her death years before still holds great sway over the dim-witted man. Both the rabbit and Aunt Clara reinforce the idea that Lennie fears that he is a burden to George and that he would be better off living alone and isolated.
This chapter also marks a change in George, who has finally lost his dreams of finding a farm with Lennie. He confirms Lennie's idea that he would live so much easier if he were alone, but George says this in a stilted and wooden manner, indicating that he does not believe his own words. He rather seems to be preparing himself for the action he knows he must commit. When he shoots Lennie, it is an obvious mercy killing. George prepares Lennie for his death by giving the soothing speech about the little farm and the rabbits, and shoots him in the back of the head, which neatly parallels the earlier sacrificial death of Candy's dog. This is a pure mercy killing: George knows that Curley will murder Lennie as soon as he finds him, and would prefer to do so himself. This returns back to an earlier moral code established when Candy allows Carlson to shoot his dog and says that Candy should have done the job himself. George views Lennie's death as imminent and inevitable, and thus finds it appropriate that he kill Lennie, putting him out of his misery before Curley commits a more brutal murder.
When the other men find George, he manipulates the situation further, telling them that he murdered Lennie out of self-defence when he wrested the gun that Lennie supposedly stole from him. He thus absolves himself of any blame for the mercy killing. Yet what remains for George is the sense of guilt that comes with the crime. Slim senses George's feeling of remorse over the situation. However, the book ends with Carlson wondering why George is upset, once again demonstrating that the other men cannot comprehend the bond of friendship between George and Lennie.
