Of Mice and Men

Dusk falls at the bunkhouse. After a hard Friday afternoon’s work, George thanks Slim for giving Lennie one of his dog’s puppies. Slim compliments Lennie’s strength and work ethic: “There ain’t nobody can keep up with him” (44). Slim comments on George and Lennie’s relationship, which at first makes George defensive, but soon George confides in Slim. He explains their history, beginning with George’s friendship with Lennie’s Aunt Clara, who raised Lennie since infancy, and the fun he had with Lennie when they were young. George used to beat up Lennie just because he could, until one day when George casually instructed Lennie to jump in a river. Lennie jumped in even though he couldn’t swim. George continues: “An’ he was so damn nice to me for pullin’ him out” (45). Since then, George has appreciated that Lennie’s friendship has kept him from “wantin’ to fight all the time,” like “the guys that go around on the ranches alone” (46). George confesses to Slim the real reason George and Lennie left their last job in Weed, explaining that Lennie, in his enthusiasm for soft things, saw a girl in a red dress and “reache[d] out to feel this red dress an’ the girl [let] out a squawk” (47). In his fear of the girl’s reaction to his innocent gesture, Lennie held on tighter to the dress. The girl accused Lennie of rape, and “[t]he guys in Weed start a party out to lynch Lennie” (47), so George and Lennie hid in a ditch and then ran. Lennie enters the bunkhouse at this point, and George discovers that Lennie has taken the day-old puppy from its mother; Lennie agrees to take the puppy back to its den in the barn.

The rest of the men return to the bunkhouse, and Carlson and Slim confront Candy about the bad smell coming from Candy’s old dog. Carlson offers to shoot the dog since Candy is too sentimental to put the old sheepdog out of his misery. Although Candy tries to change the subject of conversation, Carlson insists that if he uses his Luger, the dog won’t feel any pain. Candy submits to the pressure, and Carlson leads the old dog out on his leash while Slim reminds Carlson to take a shovel. The men distract themselves with a card game, waiting for the sound of a gunshot, and when it sounds, Candy “rolled slowly over and faced the wall and lay silent” (56). While the men play cards, Crooks, the stable hand, knocks on the door of the bunkhouse to tell Slim that Lennie is in the barn with the puppies. Slim dismisses Crooks’s concern while Whit, another ranch hand, talks of Curley’s wife who has “got the eye goin’ all the time on everybody” (57). He expresses surprise that there hasn’t been a fight over Curley’s wife yet. Whit invites George to come with them on Saturday night to a place in town where Susy, a madam, offers five sex workers and unadulterated whiskey.

Lennie and Carlson return to the bunkhouse, and while Carlson cleans his gun, Candy remains facing the wall. Curley rushes in looking for his wife and for Slim. Lennie explains that Slim was in the barn with him and quickly changes the subject; he wants George to talk about the rabbits that will live with them on the farm they will buy sometime in the future. Candy turns away from the wall, listening. George obliges Lennie, describing in detail the abundance of their idyllic, fruitful farm. Candy asks about the farm, and although George is suspicious of Candy’s interest, he proposes that a farm would cost about $600. Candy explains that he has money saved away, and even though he “ain’t much good” (58), he could help tend to the property if George allowed him to contribute towards the purchase of the farm. Embarrassed by his poverty, George admits that he and Lennie have little money themselves, but that they may be able to save by the end of the month. Candy admits that he believes the boss will soon fire him due to his limitations, and George agrees that Candy should join them. In their newfound closeness, Candy confesses to George: “I ought to have shot that dog myself […] I shouldn’t ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog” (69).

The other men enter the bunkhouse, and Slim and Curley have a tense conversation during which Slim tells Curley to leave him alone and to “look after [his] own God damn wife” (70). As Carlson and Candy join forces to mock Curley, Curley spots Lennie, who “was still smiling with delight at the memory of the ranch” (70). Curley misinterprets Lennie’s smiles as laughter and threatens him before beating Lennie in the face. Lennie screams in terror, bleeding and unable to defend himself against Curley’s attack. George orders Lennie to “get him” and within moments, “Curley was flopping like a fish on a line, and his closed fist was lost in Lennie’s big hand” (71). Paralyzed by fear and confusion, Lennie is unable to let go of Curley. He crushes Curley’s hand, which leads Slim to order Candy to take Curley into Soledad for medical care. Slim says to Curley that if he tries to get Lennie fired, they’ll expose Curley’s cowardice and make him a laughing stock. George reassures Lennie, bloodied and worried, that he “ain’t done nothing wrong” (74).