Of Mice and Men Summary
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- George and Lennie are migrant workers in California who dream of someday owning their own ranch.
- George and Lennie begin working on a new ranch. The boss's son, Curley, instantly dislikes Lennie.
- Candy, an aging ranch hand, offers to contribute money toward George and Lennie's farm if he can retire with them.
- Lennie accidentally kills Curley's wife. Knowing that their dream is out of reach and a lynch mob is pursuing Lennie, George kills Lennie as an act of mercy.
Detailed Summary -
The story begins with two farmhands, namely George Milton and Lennie Small, walking to a nearby ranch in Soledad of California where harvesting jobs are available. George who is small but smart leads, directs and makes decisions for Lennie, a childlike but large man. They stop at a stream for the evening, deciding to go to the ranch in the morning. It is there that George throws away the dead mouse which Lennie is carrying in his pocket. Lennie loves anything soft. George reminds him of the trouble Lennie got into in the last town they were in – he touched a girl’s soft dress. George warns Lennie not to talk to anyone in the ranch in the morning and asks him to come and hide in the brush by the riverside when anything bad happens. These two friends have a dream that one day they will have their own farm and work for themselves. Lennie will have some soft rabbits to care for. The dream gives both of them an immense pleasure whenever they talk about it.
The next morning, they reach the ranch. George speaks to the boss, but Lennie remains silent. As the boss looks doubtful about Lennie’s behaviour, George assures him that Lennie is a good worker. They meet Candy, an old swamper with a sheep dog; Crooks, the black stable hand; the boss’ son Curley, an amateur boxer with bad temper; Curley’s wife, trying to flirt men; Carlson, another ranch-hand; and Slim, the chief mule skinner. Lennie seems to be fascinated with Curley’s wife; therefore, George warns him to stay away from her and Curley.
In the evening, Carlson offers to kill the dog for Candy as it was old and useless. Candy agrees to let him do so. When all others go to see a fight between Slim and Curley over Curley’s wife, George and Lennie stay alone in the bunkhouse. George retells the story of their dream to make Lennie happy. Candy overhears it and pleads them to make him a part of their dream. He says he has some money to invest in their dream project. George cautions Candy and Lennie not to tell anyone about their plan.
As all the workers take the side of Slim in the fight, Curley attacks Lennie in his anger and beats badly until George tells Lennie to fight back. Lennie smashes all the bones in Curley’s hand. Slim takes him to hospital for treatment and there he gets Curley’s promise to say his hand got caught in a machine so that Lennie and George won’t be kicked out from the job. Lennie is afraid that he has done “a bad thing” and George won’t let him tend the rabbits. But he assures Lennie that he isn’t in trouble.
Later that week, Lennie shares his dream to buy a farm of their own with Crooks. Crooks also expresses his desire to join them. Meanwhile, Curley’s wife appears, but Crooks tells her to leave. However, she threatens him with lynching. Finally, George comes and tells her to get lost.
The next day, Lennie in in the barn with a dead puppy. He is worried about the dead puppy because George might shout at him for his bad deed. Meanwhile, Curley’s wife enters. First, he says he doesn’t want to talk to her but she stays and talks to him. She says she has no one to share with. She unfolds her story to him. Both of them enjoy touching soft things.She tells him he can touch her soft hair, but Lennie messes her hair up with his hard touch. She gets angry and tries to escape. Lennie holds her hair tightly. She screams to escape but he asks her not to shout. He is afraid that others might think he has done bad. In anger, he breaks her neck. Realizing he has done something bad, he secretly goes to the riverside to hide with the dead puppy.
Candy finds the dead body of Curley’s wife and immediately informs George about it. Candy knows that Curley will surely shoot Lennie. George asks Candy to wait for a few minutes before he calls others. He slips into the bunkhouse and steals Carlson’s Luger. When Curley comes and sees his murdered wife, he vows to kill Lennie. He takes his shotgun and orders Carlson to bring his gun too. But Carlson doesn’t find his gun and thinks that Lennie has taken his. All of them start searching for Lennie.
As they spread out, George goes straight for the hiding place by the riverside. He finds Lennie quite worried for the bad thing he did. George asks Lennie not to worry because he is not going to scold him. He says he is there to save him from Curley’s cruelty. He tells Lennie to look across the river and imagine their little farm. George describes the little farm and rabbits as he always does. While Lennie is envisioning the rabbits and smiling with pleasure, George shoots him at the back of his neck. Others arrive and George make them believe that he shot him in self-defense while trying to snatch Carlson’s gun from Lennie’s hand. Only Slim understands the truth, and he leads George off to the highway for a drink.
Plot Summary
Two men, dressed in denim jackets and trousers and wearing "black, shapeless hats," walk single-file down a path near the pol. Both men carry blanket rolls - called bindles - on their shoulders. The smaller, wiry man is George Milton. Behind him is Lennie Small, a huge man with large eyes and sloping shoulders, walking at a gait that makes him resemble a huge bear. When Lennie drops near the pool's edge and begins to drink like a hungry animal, George cautions him that the water may not be good. This advice is necessary because Lennie is retarded and doesn't realize the possible dangers. The two are on their way to a ranch where they can get temporary work, and George warns Lennie not to say anything when they arrive. Because Lennie forgets things very quickly, George must make him repeat even the simplest instructions.
Lennie also likes to pet soft things. In his pocket, he has a dead mouse which George confiscates and throws into the weeds beyond the pond. Lennie retrieves the dead mouse, and George once again catches him and gives Lennie a lecture about the trouble he causes when he wants to pet soft things (they were run out of the last town because Lennie touched a girl's soft dress, and she screamed). Lennie offers to leave and go live in a cave, causing George to soften his complaint and tell Lennie perhaps they can get him a puppy that can withstand Lennie's petting. As they get ready to eat and sleep for the night, Lennie asks George to repeat their dream of having their own ranch where Lennie will be able to tend rabbits. George does so and then warns Lennie that, if anything bad happens, Lennie is to come back to this spot and hide in the bush. Before George falls asleep, Lennie tells him they must have many rabbits of various colours.
Section Two
The next morning, George and Lennie arrive at the ranch and go to the bunkhouse. The old swamper, Candy, informs them the boss is mad because they were supposed to arrive the night before. After Candy shows them which bunks to take, the conversation turns to people at the ranch, whom he describes.When the boss arrives and questions Lennie and George about their work history and skills, George answers for Lennie, causing the boss to question Lennie's silence. George emphasizes Lennie's power and work ethic. Suspicious of their partnership, the boss asks George why they left their last job. George explains that the work was done. Satisfied, the boss leaves, telling them they can work after supper on Slim's grain team. After the boss leaves, George scolds Lennie for speaking. The old swamper returns with an old sheep dog. George asks Candy about his dog. Candy says he raised the old dog from a pup and that he was a great sheep dog in his younger days. Curley, the boss' son, enters and sizes up George. Looking at Lennie, Curley fists his hands and assumes a fighter's stance. He wants to know if they are the new guys, and when George answers, Curley insists that Lennie must talk when he is spoken to. Lennie repeats Goerge's answer softly. Satisfied, Curley leaves to go look for his father.
With Curley gone, Candy explains that Curley used to be a lightweight fighter and now he hates big guys and picks fights with them. If that weren't bad enough, according to Candy, Curley has gotten much worse since his marriage two weeks earlier. Cnady relates that Curley's wife is pretty but she has "got the eye", and she flirts with Slim and Carlson. Candy leaves, and George tells Lennie to stay away from Curley and not speak to him; however, George says, if Curley punches Lennie, Lennie is to "let him have it." Then George reminds Lennie of the place by the river where he is to go in case of trouble. Shortly after, Curley's wife comes into the bunkhouse, claiming to look for Curley. Fascinated, Lennie can't take his eyes off her. Then Slim enters and tells her he saw Curley go into the house; Curley's wife becomes apprehensive and leaves.
When George says that Curley's wife seems like a "tramp", Lennie responds that he thinks she is "purty," causing George to warn Lennie to keep away from her, just like he's supposed to keep away from Curley. This admonition worries Lennie, who says, "I don't like this place, George. This ain't a good place." But George reminds him they must stay long enough to make a stake for their farm. Another man, Carlson, enters the bunkhouse and asks Slim about his new puppies, suggesting that they could replace Candy's old dog, who is old, arthritic, and can barely walk or see, with one of the puppies. Hearing about the puppies, Lennie wants one too, and asks George to speak to Slim. Supper is called. As Lennie gets off the bunk and approaches the door, Curley returns, looking for his wife. George tells him that she was there looking for Curley. George is afraid he will tangle with Curley himself as they all leave for supper.
Section Three
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