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 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 evil 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.
"I just wanted to pet it"
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 mice to actual people.
In Chapter two the novel suddenly becomes more like a play with a series of character entrances who, in turn, interact with George and Lennie then exit. This structure allows characters to be introduced and developed quickly, including Candy, Curley and Curley's wife.
Steinbeck portrays Candy as passive old 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 complaints about Candy himself - an ageing man no longer of much worth. In terms of the story, however, Candy plays a significant role.
"He ain't no good to you…he ain't no good to himself."
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.
"If he ain't, I guess I better look some place else…"
There is distinct sexism in this character. She is the only female character and also the only character not given a name. She is a character that will prove dangerous for Lennie, out of place among the rough working men. Her rouge, painted fingernails and dress are 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 paranoia and immediate dislike for Lennie 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. He is in some ways comparable to Candy, whose care for an old dog marks him as weak and sentimental.
The exchange between Carlson and Slim emphasises 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 it is now a burden to others. This also foreshadows later developments in which characters must make further sacrifices.
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 danger. 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 into this mode is Aunt Clara.
Slim finds it odd that George and Lennie 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 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. 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.
In the generally docile Lennie there are concurrent indications that this innocence 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.
Despite the different circumstances and situations the two men are put in during the first three chapters, they are very much dependant on each other and although they are on a ranch with other people who they begin to get to know, the feel most comfortable and safe with each other, maintaining their parent-child friendship.
Rowan Yemm
11F1
