George’s need for communication is also expressed throughout the second telling of “how things will be”(p.57-58). This passage shows that George somewhere deep inside really wants to believe in this dream and can’t keep it for himself any longer. Also, in this second telling of the dream we can see George has been so long keeping this dream within him, he has imagined every single detail of his future life and farm. He uses accumulation to show he is constantly improving this dream and his tone allows us to feel the excitement and the elevation of joy. Somehow, George is the character that seems to have found the greatest balance between his communication with Slim and Lennie: his dreams and what he thinks what will be impossible to happen, he chooses to share it with Lennie because he knows he won’t judge him nor take an advantage on the weakness within him at these moments. Whereas his pain and stories, he chooses to share them with Slim because he knows he will be listened.
Crooks and Curley’s wife both have lost faith in their dreams. Even if their role in the book is quite different their need of communication and confession toward Lennie are similar. These two characters are also alike in the way their dream will never become true. Indeed, Crooks has no rights in this 1930’s America, he is the only man that isn’t allowed in the bunkhouse and is victim of a lot segregation, racism and brutal vocabulary. Curley’s wife will die without ever being anything else than a rancher’s wife, as being the only female character on the ranch she is considered as the trouble maker by all men in the bunkhouse especially by Candy who will even yell at her after her death considering that she is the only culprit if his dream doesn’t occur. Crooks is used to be on his own and has been in the ranch for several years which could make us think that he is used to be on his own or that he doesn’t want to have anything to do with anyone since he “kept his distances and demanded that other people keep theirs”(p.67). But he actually really needs to communicate with anyone; this is why he gets jealous of the privilege that Lennie has, to have someone to trust and to talk to: “Books ain’t no good. A guy needs somebody- to be near him”(p.72). Still Crooks has a realistic sate of mind an knows that being black meens that he is excluded from the rest of the men in the bunkhouse and that he’ll remain for them at the bottom of the hierarchy. He even seems to has got used to it as when Lennie asks him why he isn’t wanted inside he doesn’t doubt or think of what to say before answering “’Cause I’m black”.Therefore he knows that even if he wanted to communicate with someone no one would listen to him because “If I say something, why it’s just a nigger sayin’it” (p.70). Crooks‘s need of companionship is also show when he realises Lennie isn’t listening to him but he still goes on telling his story. Once Crooks expresses his dream he is recalled in a brutal way by Curley’s wife the she could get him “strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny” (p.80) this shows that no matter what the man says he isn’t allowed to dream and that as soon as men in this novella express their dream they become victims of the own bunkhouse society.
Curley’s wife’s situation is rather similar to Crooks’s. Steinbeck emphasizes her talking with Lennie by making her console him and give him affection. Thus Curley’s wife’s word “tumbled out in a passion of communication”. Her and Lennie are both talking in different directions; even though they are both evoking their dreams: she is talking about the way she would be living if she hadn’t married Curley and he is talking about his rabbits. Both dreamers become victims because they weaken themselves by expressing openly their dreams. The two of them will die Lennie’s death echoing Curley’s wife’s as they both die because of getting to close one to another. Indeed, Curley’s wife dies because of getting to close to Lennie and slightly provoking him; wile Lennie gets killed because of getting to close to Curley’s wife forgetting Georges advices and his own violence. The woman’s need is also shown through her movement constantly closer and closer to Lennie: “moved closer and sat beside him”(p.87). As we can recall, in the previous chapter, she was announcing to the men “You’re all scared of each other, that’s what. Ever’one of you’s scared the rest is goin’ to get something on you” (p.77) but we can see now that even she didn’t trust anyone enough to talk with as she “ain’t told this to nobody before”. Curley’s wife is so desperate for conversation that she wants to stay there talking with lennie even if she isn’t interested in what they are talking about. We can see she has long been seeking for someone she would be able to talk to freely as she has elaborated every single detail of her dream just as George and Lennie do in the second telling of “how things will be”. Indeed from the beginning of the book and her first appearance, we see this woman is dangerous within the environment she is part of but this danger is due to the men’s attitude. They are mostly very cruel to her not considering her as a complete human being with true feelings but more like “a bitch”. Therefore in the ranch, the only way for her to express her presence is to use her sexual power and hoping that thanks to that someone will come up to her to talk. Thus it is often hard to understand Curley’s wife’s way of reacting as we mainly here of her throught the men in the bunkhouse’s words, it allows us to petty her for her naivety seeking contact with these men. In almost all the book we see her as one of the persons at the bottom of the ranch’s hierarchy we could think she is too happy to be superior to Crooks and benefits of it by being extremely cruel to him but “I could get you strung up on a tree so easy” could be her way of evacuating all her anger that she can’t keep for herself any longer.
Even thought Slim often invites the others to confess to him with his “calm invitations to confidence”(p.41) we can’t say he really is different from the others in the way that he doesn’t say much about himself and keeps a certain distance with the others. As we can see, George is the only person that can have a normal confidence with Slim. This Character mostly differences himself from the others because he is very caring for the others and has a real kindness towards the persons that are victim of racism, segregation and discrimination. Indeed, we can see whereas the others he calls the nigger “Crooks” and Curley’s wife “Good looking”. He also is the only one that has ever visited Crooks in his room. Slim is one of the few characters that realises “everyone in the whole damn world is scared of each other” (p.36). We may think that Slim was in need of communicating but he has got used to this constant solitude and wants the others to talk with him because he would have liked to have someone he could relay on while he had this deep need for communication. Even thought he is nice to everyone he also seems to be a character placed very high up in the hierarchy both moral and physical as he is a “jerkline skinner, the prince of the ranch, capable of driving ten, even twenty mules with a single line to the leaders”(p.34 and his “opinions were law”(p.46). As we read we may find that Slim and Curley are symbolised as the two opposite effects that can have solitude on a man. Slim also is presented as having an influence on all workers in the ranch even Carlson and Curley respect him but it is mostly shown as the facility with which he can so easily gain George’s confidence and persuade him to tell his story. Even if he doesn’t talk much, the little he says seems to de a great effect on the others as he is the only one that is able to comfort George and make him go forward after killing Lennie. Slim also is a very realistic character but whereas Crooks he allows the others to dream and doesn’t blame them for doing it maybe because he went trought this himself and understands the needs for the others to entertain this dream.
Candy is a character who seems that because he couldn’t find the communication he was seeking for in the bunkhouse, he found companionship within his dog. That is probably why Steinbeck decided to use the shooting of the dog as a foreshadowing of how a friendship can die. Candy knows a ranch worker has to keep quiet but he can’t help talking even if it’s only to draw people into gossips. Anyhow his need for communication is mainly shown in his speech on page 60. At this moment we get to see that even people that looked like they were used to this life on the ranch have kept their dreams inside themselves. Candy is one of the characters that seem to change a lot, indeed he becomes vulnerable as he talks to everyone about what he is planning to do with Lennie and George but he talks about it with so much passion that he is even able to convince Crooks about the reality of this dream. We can also see he hasn’t become as aggressive as Candy or Carlson have but he completely changes of attitude as soon as he sees Curley’s wife. Therefore Steinbeck shows through the passages in which Candy yells at the woman that all the men in this ranch need something to blame for all their problems here, for Candy it’s Curley’s wife as he says ”Ever’body knowed you’d mess things up. You wasn’t no good. You ain’t no good now, you lousy tart” . Candy seems to be desperate after Carlson shoots his last possession and companion, his old dog. Candy confesses to George and Lennie, hoping for a similar fate as his dog. Nevertheless, since he found out he could trust George, he seems to evoluate in a better way and he even feels compassion for Curley’s wife as he sees no one cares for her even after her death :”poor bastard” he said softly(page 97). And when Lennie kills Curley's wife and shatters the reality of the dream, Candy becomes hopeless and full of anguish, the broken shell of a man.
Carlson and Curley are the two Characters that under the influence of the bunkhouse have tend to become aggressive. Curley has an aggressive temper and is quick to become violent: “His arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists. He stiffened and went into a slight crouch. His glance was at once calculating and pugnacious.” (p.26). He doesn’t talk much and is always worried about his wife “giving the eye” to someone else. Curley is the son of the boss and therefore wants to be obeyed by everyone. Only Slim isn’t impressed by his constant anger. His lake of communication seems to have transformed him and we can see in the end that he no longer understand the meanings of trust nor friendship. We can also see that his superiority as being the son of the boss makes him worry more about himself and his own pride than about the others such as after the murder of his wife; indeed the first thing he says after earning his wife is dead is “I know who done it” “I’m gonna get him” (p.95). Listening Curley talk or his reactions we may feel like his constant selfishness has brought up that no one wanted to communicate with him and therefore leaving him in a deep loneliness which has made him become morally and physically brutal.
Carlson also seems on his way to become violent but already looks like he isn’t feeling anymore emotions toward the others. He doesn’t understand either the values that push Slim and George to stay together in the end therefore as he says “Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin’ them two guys?” this symbolizes a real parture between Slim and George and the bunkhouse culture. His brutal language is shown through most of the things he says such as when he fights with Curley: “You’re yella as a frog belly. I don’t care if you’re the best welter in the country. You come for me, an’ I’ll kick your god damn head off.” Carlson doesn’t seem to enjoy communicating with the others of the bunkhouse. The few time he does it, it’s used as a foreshadowing of Lennie’s faith such as in the shooting of the dog: “The way I’d shoot him, he wouldn’t feel nothing. I’d put the gun right there”. Carlson often shows himself fascinated by the prospect of violence.
In Of Mice and Men we can see that nearly all men are seeking for communications; others, got used to this constant solitude and are on their way to become more and more aggressive physically and morally. We may see that people who are the most wanting to communicate end up talking about their dreams to Lennie even thought they know he isn’t listening. Therefore we could say that this book is the story of what happens to men who seek but cannot have true communication. Nevertheless, there are still characters such as George who are able to have a true discussion with Slim. This is why Steinbeck uses in the end what Carlson says to show the difference between Slim and George and the bunkhouse. We can then see that Slim and George are the only two characters that escape to the echoes of the book.
