Candy, a one-handed ranch hand, eventually learns of George and Lennie's plans and offers to invest in the farm; Crooks, the black stable hand, is also made aware of George and Lennie's plans and wishes to become part of the dream. While the men work the fields and contemplate their future, Curley's wife, interrupts their dream. While the men recognize the danger that Curley's wife poses to the group, and especially Lennie, there is little that they can do to avoid her. She, too, has had to give up her dreams and must make do with the hand she was dealt. Curley's wife tempts fate as she tries to strike up a friendship with Lennie, and knowing that he likes to pet soft things, offers Lennie the opportunity to pet her soft hair. Her reaction to his expected behavior tragically leads to her death as Lennie does not comprehend her reaction and accidentally kills her. This incident throws George, Lennie, Candy, and Crooks' plan into disarray as Lennie's actions jeopardize the safety...
Unfortunately for Lennie, George believes that the only way to "save" Lennie is to kill him. As George is preparing to shoot Lennie, he tries to distract him by telling him how it will be alright and that their dream of owning a rabbit farm can still come true.
As one writer says, not reading this novel "…deprives individuals and communities of the opportunity to respond to an ethical imperative insisting on virtuous treatment of our fellow human beings" (George, 83). This is a tremendous summation of fundamentally what Steinbeck is trying to achieve with a novel like of Mice and Men, and a notion which sums up most likely Steinbeck's strongest motivation for writing the novel. However, as one
Mice and Men is an excellent short novel by John Steinbeck which reflects the extraordinary bond of friendship that exists between George and Lennie, two migrant workers and physically contrasting personalities. This short novel gives a vivid account of the dangers that are in store for an innocent man like Lennie. Lennie has mild mental derangement which makes him vulnerable in the society and he depends on the constant
Of Mice and Men ends much the same way it began: with rich, lyrical descriptions of the local geography and landscape. Salinas means "salt marsh" in Spanish. Marshy waters make up much of what Steinbeck describes in the novel. At the end of the book, Lennie and George meet at a watering hole, their secret spot. Here, Lennie sees a heron, a grand, green water bird. Hungry, the heron tries
...and then by her unfortunate marriage to Curley, whom... she does not even like." (Attell) All of her attempts to talk to the other characters, disastrous as they potentially might be, can be seen as attempts to make any kind of human contact. The solution for the farmhands in their loneliness is more simple -- they need to learn to reach out and make friends, and commit to each other
There are costs to bearing and believing in such a secret. These costs are manifested in many ways. There are the psychosomatic costs Jesse endures, his impotence, his weakness around the black boy in the jail, his tremors at the thought of Otis, "Now the thought of Otis made him sick. He began to shiver." There are also the psychological costs that Jesse is plagued by, the self-delusion associated with
Mice and Men Isolation in Steinbeck's of Mice and Men Of Mice and Men is a novelette by John Steinbeck that is filled with isolated characters desperate to latch onto the American dream. The dream of the protagonists, George and Lennie, is to have a place of their own in Depression-Era southern California. Things look promising as the itinerant workers get jobs on a farm, make friends, and devise a plan
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now