George and Lennie are two guys who are travelling around together, working around wherever they can to earn some money.
George is the smaller of the two but the one with the brains. Lennie on the other hand is a big strong lump. The classic type of couple to go travelling around. Lennie isn’t just all brute force, he is actually very affectionate he likes soft animals that he can pet. He doesn’t quite understand his own power, as you will find out later. George takes care of Lennie through there travels, because Lennie wouldn’t survive by himself. Even though Lennie is a burden on George, he doesn’t just leave Lennie because he knows that he’d be nothing without him. Lennie does respect George though like an older brother or parent, he will listen to everything George says and do it. But everyone else he couldn’t give a damn!
After a discussion Lennie and George were having about there dream place, George announces to Lennie he knows somewhere like they’ve always talked about. Candy over hears as he is still in the room. Now Candy is an old swamper, who spends his time sweeping. He doesn’t want to live the rest of his life like this. He interrupts there conversation, to give George a proposition of helping them out with the land. He offered a huge sum of money towards it. Maybe he was also buying himself into a relationship. He also offers to cook clean and other various chores around the place. After he offers the money they can’t resist the offer or there dream would stay a dream forever. But I think they knew they could trust Candy as he hasn’t got anything to live for or in any way betray the two.
Crooks is the only nigger in this story. I think Steinbeck gave a sense that even if you didn’t read the description of crooks you would know he was different somehow. He isn’t allowed to play cards with the other guys in the bunkhouse, he’s not even aloud in the bunkhouse. He has his own room out in the stables, its kind off like they’ve just said, now he’s out with the other animals. Just because he is a different colour, they just look down on him, like he is an animal. This shows the extent of the racism. But in one way this is the one thing, crook is aloud to have, that is his own personal space. I think the others respect this as they know if they want to come in, then they need his permission first. He is very sour towards white people, as what they have pout him and his family through for generations. So he is very bitter against racists, and white people in general.
When Lennie is in the barn, after his pup died, via the over petting from Lennie. Curly’s wife enters the scene. They sit and talk, at first Lennie wants to obey George’s orders, but she convinces him to settle down. I think Steinbeck made this scene more than just to put an end to Curly’s wife. I think its also to bring the two most lonely people on the ranch together. All the men are outside horseshoeing, apart from Lennie. And Curly’s wife just expelled from everyone as per usual. So after talking, they seem to have made ‘friends’. When lennie talks about his love of animals and soft things, she says he can touch her hair, because its soft. But now after Lennie touches her hair it has flipped the story right round to the beginning. Lennie not understanding the delicate female emotions. After stroking her hair for abit, she asks him to stop.
But Lennie can’t resist, and just has to keep stroking her. After this she thinks she’s being attacked or assaulted. She gets very panicky, and starts screaming. This gets George very confused and scared. In shock he pleas for her to stop, with his hands around her mouth. This just gets her even more scared and she keeps going. Lennie not knowing what to do, gets angry that she’s not listening to him and violently shakes her. Resulting in her breaking her neck. After he realises what he’s done. He remembers what George told him, and run’s away to the riverside where he was told to go if he caused trouble.
Now after everyone had found out Curley’s wife was dead George and curly knew there dream was shattered. There’s nothing they could do to save Lennie from a fait ending only with death. Candy seems very thoughtless and selfish, when he asks George “George can we still do it?” But I think hes just trying to keep his dream alive for a little more. He really needed an outlet from the life he is leading at this time. George must have been quite offended, especially how close he was to Lennie. But they both must have been annoyed. They’ve both just had there dream shattered in a moment. I think Candy wanted to keep it alive just for a little longer.
