George tells Lennie the dream for the first time.

1. George tells Lennie the dream for the first time. After losing his temper with Lennie, George agrees to tell Lennie about their dream of owning their own place. George erupts at Lennie about the ketchup and this is a culmination of his frustration with Lennieand George feels guilty about this. Lennie shows a child-like ability to manipulate George and is able to convince him to tell the story about the dream. When George recites the dream, he tells it like a bedtime story and it doesn’t appear to be something that he really believes in himself. Lennie believes in the dream 100% and the aspect of it that is most important to him would be the rabbits. There are not a lot of specific details about the dream and this would reflect the fact that it is such a long way from becoming a reality at this point in the story. The dream is used by George as a way of encouraging Lennie to behave well – if Lennie is good, he will be allowed to tend the rabbits. Immediately after the dream, George then tells Lennie what to do if something goes wrong again – the business-like way he tells Lennie this suggests that he thinks this will happen. During the first section we see Lennie’s admiration for George in the way that he copies his body language. We see the way that George takes charge with the incident involving the mouse – where Lennie reluctantly agrees to do as he is told. When George becomes angry with Lennie and describes the life he could have without him, this is the typical life of a migrant worker moving from ranch to ranch without any ties. The key element of George and Lennie’s dream is that they will be together and that there is someone else who cares about them. We discover that George and Lennie are moving to work a new ranch having previously worked up in Weed – the problems there prepare us for the later problems in the novel.

2. George and Lennie arrive at the ranch. George and Lennie arrive at the ranch and during the course of the chapter meet the variety of characters at the ranch. The men all share one bunk-house (apart from Crooks) and there is little space or privacy. There is only an apple-box for possessions, as the men move around so often they have few possessions. George becomes angry when he thinks that there might be something wrong with his bed – it is a way of illustrating the way that he always looks to protect Lennie. The Boss is suspicious of George as it was so unusual for one men to care for another in the way that he cares for Lennie. George protects Lennie by speaking on his behalf to the Boss. We see the way that George does not feel confident to confide in the Boss due to the story he creates about how he knows Lennie. The aggressive nature of life on the ranches is seen in Curley’s reaction to Lennie. The unfairness is seen in the way Curley can behave like this because he is the son of the Boss and can not be canned. Whilst we do not meet Crooks, Candy describes him and his language shows the racist attitudes that existed on the ranches. Both the Boss and Curley want to show people that they are not simply workers and do this through the clothes they wear. The first reaction of George to Curley’s wife is to be fearful of her and the problems that she might cause. She is the only woman on the ranch that we see. The men dismiss Curley’s wife as a ‘tart’ and this reflects some of the sexist attitudes on the ranch and the fact the men do not actually get to know her. Slim is well-respected by the other characters and this respect comes from his skill and manner, rather than needing his clothing to reflect this like the Boss and Curley. We see that Candy serves as a ‘guide’ to the ranch for George and Lennie and tells them about the other characters – he is very friendly and open and we see he relies on his dog for friendship. Carlson is representative of a typical ranch worker. He is not a cruel or unpleasant man, but his lack of feelings reflects the harsh life for men on the ranches.

3. The dream becomes real and the fight After the death of his dog, Candy offers money if he can join George and Lennie on their own place. For the first time, the dream starts to become a reality. However, Curley and Lennie then fight which casts a shadow over this. Carlson shoots Candy’s dog and this reflects the harsh nature of life on the ranches. Slim is respected above everyone else and he tells Candy that this is the right thing to do. Candy lets Carlson shoot his dog and at the end of the section he tells George that he should have done this himself which influences George’s actions at the end of the novel. Candy describes his feelings to George and Lennie and the fact he is willing to ‘go in’ with people he has only just met emphasises the loneliness for people on the ranches. The money that Candy offers makes the dream seem like it might be a reality – we see that for George in particular, this is something that he has never really believed could happen in the past. On this occasion when the dream is described, there are more specific details and facts about the place and this emphasises that it is now seeming like it might become real. George is anxious that no-one is told about the dream as he is worried that this might result in them being ‘canned’ – they want to protect the dream so that no-one can take it from them. When there is a possibility of a fight, the way most of the men flock to see it emphasises the harsh nature of life on the ranches. After the way that Curley is dismissed by Slim and then ridiculed by Carlson he has lost reputation and this is why he attacks Lennie as a way of re-asserting this. None of the men step in to help Lennie – even though Curley is in the wrong and Lennie doesn’t want to fight, it is unacceptable on the ranches for other men to become involved. Lennie’s strength and inability to manage this once he panics is made clear in the fight and this prepares us for what will take place with the death of Curley’s wife. As the son of the Boss, Curley could have got Lennie and George ‘canned’, but he would rather not allow his reputation to be damaged on the ranch. Normally George and Lennie would run when there is trouble, but as they need the money to realise their dream, they stay – jobs were scarce at the time and they may have found it hard to get a new one.

4. Lennie enters Crooks’ room George has gone into town with the other men and Lennie, looking for company, enters Crooks’ room. Candy then enters the room when he was looking for Lennie, before Cureley’s wife arrives. George has gone into town with the other men and only the outsiders on the ranch (Lennie, Candy, Crooks and Curely’s wife) have been left behind. Lennie is looking for someone to talk to and as he doesn’t understand the racist attitudes of the other men, he looks to enter Crooks’ room to talk to him. Crooks tries to pretend he wants no company, but is actually happy to invite Lennie in. Talking to Lennie, he realises that by travelling with Lennie, George has somebody to talk to and confide in. Due to the cruel treatment that he has experienced over the years, Crooks is cruel to Lennie and asks him to imagine life without George and he enjoys tormenting him. Lennie becomes angry and Crooks realises just in time the danger and is able to calm Lennie. This prepares us for the death of Curley’s wife as we see the danger Lennie poses when angry. Crooks confides in Lennie, just as Curely’s wife will later in the novel and explains the way his life has changed and the harsh lessons he has learnt about the treatment of black men on the ranches. Candy arrives and only enters Crooks’ room when asked. The fact that Candy has never entered this room before, despite having been on the ranch for many years, shows the isolation of Crooks on the ranch. Candy talks of the dream and at first Crooks dismisses this as it is a dream common to many ranch workers. Unlike other ranch workers though, this is different as George hasn’t taken the money to spend in town. Despite initially dismissing the dream, Crooks is quick to want to become part of it and this shows how lonely and isolated he must feel. Curley’s wife arrives as she is also looking for companionship. The men do not want her there and filled with confidence about the possibility of the dream, they look to take charge and dismiss her. Curley’s wife turns on the men and points out that she could make a false accusation and have Crooks hung. Candy speaks up for Crooks, but Curley’s wife is also quick to ‘put him in his place’. The men return and Curley’s wife leaves. George arrives and does not approve of the other men being in Crooks’ room as a white worker would not normally enter the room of a black man on the ranches.

5. The death of Curley’s wife Curley’s wife joins Lennie in the barn as the rest of the men play horseshoes outside. At first they talk, but when she allows Lennie to stroke her hair and then tells him to stop, he panics and this lead to her death. The death of the puppy at the start of the section is a progression from the mice that Lennie has previously killed – next he will kill a human. Curley’s wife comes to see Lennie as she is desperate for friendship and someone to talk to – there is no flirting here, as this is just a way of getting attention from some men. From the start, George has been wary of the trouble Curley’s wife might cause, revealing the attitudes of ranch workers to women. Lennie tries to explain these warnings to Curley’s wife. Curley’s wife describes her dream of being in the movies – with her death in this section, it is not only George and Lennie’s dream that comes to an end. Curley’s wife is lonely and when she has the chance to speak to Lennie she confides in him – we realise how terrible her life must be and feel sympathy for her. At the point of her death, Lennie is angry with Curley’s wife – this is more than a tragic accident. Lennie remembers that he needs to hide in the brush which George told him to at the start of the novel – ever since this, we have been waiting for something to go wrong. Even after her death, we do not know the name of Curley’s wife, revealing the low status that she has on the ranch. Candy is worried about the dream, but knows without George saying it that it is over. The dream was never about the place for George, it was the place with Lennie. George is not surprised at what has happened and accepts immediately that it was Lennie. On some level, he always knew Lennie was capable of this, but now he can not deny it. When Curley finds out his wife has died, he is more excited at the possibility that he will be able to take his revenge on Lennie than upset about his wife’s death. The mob mentality of the men is seen in the way that they go for their guns to hunt Lennie down. There is no intention of handing Lennie over to the authorities.

6. The death of Lennie Curley’s wife joins Lennie in the barn as the rest of the men play horseshoes outside. At first they talk, but when she allows Lennie to stroke her hair and then tells him to stop, he panics and this lead to her death. The chapter starts with a description of nature as at the start of the novel – as at the start of the novel, the arrival of Lennie scares nature and the rabbits run for cover! The conversations with Aunt Clara and the giant rabbit reflect the fears that exist in Lennie’s mind – the fear is that he is a burden to George and that George does not care for him. George reassures Lennie that he has always cared for him and never been mad at him – he realises he has to kill Lennie and he is preparing for this. George knows that they can not run and start again as he now knows that Lennie is capable of killing someone – if it was to happen again, then George would be responsible for this. George describes the dream to Lennie better than he has ever done in the past – he makes sure that Lennie is happy and can practically see the dream before shooting him. George has learnt from Candy’s experience in not shooting his own dog that he needs to kill Lennie – he needs to take responsibility for this. George is able to kill Lennie in the least painful way possible and Lennie dies instantly. If Curley had caught him, he would have made Lennie suffer. George also knows that he needs to do this after Slim told him that locking Lennie up would be ‘no good’. To lock Lennie up would be even more cruel. The fact that George took Carlson’s luger reflects that he knew almost immediately what he was going to have to do. With the death of Lennie, George and Lennie’s dream of getting their own place has gone wrong – in a novel about how the plans of men fail, this is the prime example of this. One interpretation of the ending is that George will now become a typical migrant worker going from ranch to ranch. The fact Slim takes him back to the ranch for a drink offers a glimmer of hope. Carlson and Curley reflect the typical ranch workers and their lack of understanding of friendship as they can not understand why George is upset at the end.