Carlson also describes how Candy could kill the dog in a quick, humane way. He says, “shoot him right in the back of the head – he’d never know what hit him.”
This is particularly important because George kills Lennie in this exact way. It is where he got the idea that ‘mercy killing’ was even an option.
Slim is then asked to give his opinion and he agrees with Carlson saying, “That dog aint no good to himself.” As Slim is the only person on the ranch to have natural authority, and his “opinions were law.” Candy reluctantly agrees to let Carlson shoot his dog.
If this scene was left out we would not understand why George would even consider killing Lennie and we would get the impression that George carried it out in cold blood and did not care.
The scene should be set in a dimly lit, dark setting. The darkness would help to emphasize the end of life.
Carlson should be talking abruptly and quickly showing that he is not thinking about Candy’s feelings and is unaware of how much the dog means to Candy.
Slim in contrast should be taking is time over his speech, showing that he wants this to be as painless as it can be for Candy. He shows that he cares when he instructs Carlson to “take a shovel,” so that he can bury the dog so Candy wont have to see his dog in the morning.
The Fight Scene
Another important scene is the fight between Curley and Lennie. In this scene Curley has just accused Slim of being with his wife and in return Slim shouts back at him. Carlson and Candy take advantage of the situation by insulting Curley.
Curley feels degraded and wants to take it out on someone. Lennie is there and is the perfect person because Curley being small always feels as though he has something to prove and a ‘real chip on his shoulder’ towards bigger guys.
Lennie is smiling at the thought of the dream of living ‘off the fat of the land’ and Curley uses it as an opportunity to pick a fight.
He says, “What the hell you laughin’ at?” and punches Lennies face making his nose bleed. Lennie is described as being ‘too frightened to defend himself.” But under the instruction of George, Lennie grabs Curley’s hand and cannot let go, even with George slapping him round the face telling him to.
Lennie feels guilty afterwards and he shows it when he says, “I didn’t wanta hurt him,” and “I didn’t mean no harm.” It is this scene that enables us to see the extent of Lennie’s strength and how dangerous it can be when combined with such a simple mind.
The scene gives us a clue towards the main plot. Without this scene we would not realise what a true accident Curley’s wife’s death was and the reader would not feel as sorry for Lennie as they do. It would make the ending much less effective.
