Written by: imasterxx
(I figure I might as well share it instead of toss it out once I'm done with the class)
The beginning few scenes are almost identical in the movie and the book. They let the reader know what has just happened to Lennie and George (the trouble they almost got into) and also foreshadows to what might happen in the near future. It is apparent that Lennie and George have had dreams for the future for some time because Lennie makes George tell a story of how they will eventually have their own ranch with rabbits and other animals. It is during this opening scene that the audience learns of Lennie’s mental dysfunction and how it holds George from leading a normal life.
Lennie and George make their way to the ranch the next day where they were told they’d find work. Before getting hired they meet Candy, an elderly worker who lost his hand in a machine on the ranch. Candy shows the new workers around and to the boss’s office. The boss of the ranch is a fair man who is in charge of everything. Because George told Lennie to keep quiet, the boss seemed a little suspicious of the couple but still gave them a chance to prove themselves as workers.
Candy shows the new workers to their bunks, during which time Curley (the boss’s son) enters. Curley soon gets angry at Lennie for no apparent reason and quickly leaves. George and Lennie find out from Candy that Curley doesn’t like big guys much because he’s jealous. To the audience, Curley becomes a conflict that George and Lennie must face. Because of Lennie’s mental handicap, George will have an even tougher time controlling Lennie’s actions of staying away from Curley and keeping out of trouble that any common sense person would know how to.
Other minor characters Slim, Carlson, and Curley’s wife are introduced. Carlson is another worker on the ranch and Slim manages the workers on the field. Curley’s wife wanders in alone in a desperate attempt to get some company. Curley’s wife also becomes a conflict because George realizes that she won’t stay in her house and will try to attract attention from the guys in the bunk house. If Curley notices either of the new people talking to her, he’ll get very angry and want to pick a fight. George knows this but Lennie doesn’t have a clue. And the reason why none of them can fight Curley is because they could get kicked off the ranch. The way in which women are treated is also demonstrated in this scene and several others. Women are portrayed as objects and must do whatever the man says. Another demeaning element is Curley’s Wife’s name, which is purposefully not given by Steinbeck. I assume in Steinbeck’s time, women were treated in a similar manner in his book.
After meeting Slim, Lennie gets anxious about the new litter of puppies his bitch just had and has George as Slim if he could have one. After researching a little online, I found out how Slim’s puppies symbolize the society the workers live in as far as the strong and the weak characters. Slim drowns 4 of his new puppies and says they were weak. This can also be seen in how people are treated. The weak (Ex: Candy, Crooks, and Lennie) aren’t cared for the way weak people are looked after in today’s society.
One night after Curley goes on a rampage looking for his wife he ends up in the bunk and is very frustrated because he cannot find her. He sees Lennie in the back and decides to pick a fight with him. In the end Lennie crushes Curley’s hand, putting him in a big bandage throughout the rest of the book. I found the power struggles interesting during this scene. Curley is small and obviously realizes the damage the Lennie can inflict on him but continues to provoke him. Lennie on the other hand is huge and doesn’t abuse his strength at all even though he has the power to. The mental abilities are also distinguishable between the two and it is ironic that Lennie who is smarter. Slim helps Lennie and George out by convincing Curley not to tell anyone what happened to his hand because he would be made a fool of.
After another day of work, Carlson gets fed up with Candy’s old dog (because it smells) and offers to kill it. He assures Candy that it won’t feel a thing. After much convincing and complaining, Candy gives in and allows his dog to be shot even though he doesn’t want it to happen. This is another example of the strong vs. weak and how the old aren’t cared for. Candy regrets letting Carlson kill his dog and says how he shouldn’t have let no stranger kill his dog. This saying holds even more meaning in the end when George must decide if he kills Lennie or someone else like Curley.
Candy overhears George and Lennie talking about their dream of getting a ranch and raising all sorts of animals on their own without any help from anyone else. After hearing the story, Candy becomes interested and asks if he could join them. George and Lennie are reluctant to let this outsider share their dream but willing to do so because of the money he can contribute. They figured with the extra money they could have their own place in 1 month. At the end of this scene the reader knows that their dream isn’t so far off and that it’s quite possible. This could give foreshadowing in two different directions. One is that they buy the house and complete the dream, and the other is that some conflict occurs and destroys any chance they have. At this point the reader does not know which will happen but could make some educated guess based on the previous events in the story.
While in the barn looking over the puppies, Lennie notices a light and invites himself into Crook’s place. Lennie doesn’t understand that Crooks must stay outside of the regular bunk because he’s black. This is another example of irony. Lennie, a mentally challenged person does not see Crooks begin abnormal, aside from the way he walks. The other (mentally capable) workers, however, are prejudice to Crooks, forcing him to stay in his own place. Here is yet another example of how Lennie is fairer than any of the other characters in the novel.
Crooks, realizing Lennie’s handicap, begins to put assumptions in his head like if George didn’t come back from town. I believe Crooks does this not to be mean, but because he normally doesn’t have power over those around him and is told what to do 24/7. Crooks suddenly has power over a white man and the roles of their society are reversed.
While the workers are playing horseshoes, Lennie is in the barn with his puppy, which is dead. Lennie is seen crying about it because he killed it by accident. It is at this point where Curley’s wife enters and begins tormenting Lennie by asking him a bunch of questions trying to get his attention. Lennie eventually gives in and begins talking to her. Their conversation leads to her hair and how it’s soft. She allows him to feel it but doesn’t realize what is going to happen. Lennie begins to feel her hair but doesn’t want to let go because it’s so soft. When Curley’s wife tries to fight Lennie off, he breaks her neck by accident.
I believe this is the turning point in the book. The audience can tell that their dream will not be accomplished because of what Lennie did to Curley’s wife. The foreshadowing from the beginning of the book comes in play here because Lennie almost got caught for something similar right as the book started.
Lennie runs away to a hiding place George told him to go incase anything like this happened. The others find the body and begin looking for Lennie with guns. Curley refuses to stay with his wife and insists that he help look for the killer so he can have revenge. George makes it down to Lennie first and calms Lennie down. He begins telling Lennie the story of their ranch and all the animals they’ll have. At the peak of the George’s story he kills Lennie with a revolver he had in his pocket.
It is in this scene where George must make a decision. Kill Lennie himself or turn him over to the others looking for him. He knows what they’ll do to Lennie and realizes that the best thing to do is kill Lennie himself. The relevance of Candy’s quote about him shooting his dog instead of some stranger is seen here. It is also ironic that George had to kill Lennie to become free from him. I’m sure if George knew this would happen, he wouldn’t have told Lennie how much better his life would be if he wasn’t there.