Of Mice and Men by Danielle
Of Mice and Men by DanielleGeorge Milton has cared for his mentally slow friend, Lennie Small, since the death of Lennie’s Aunt Clara. They travel together to work a various amount of jobs so that one day they will have enough money to live on their own and be their own bosses. Unfortunately, everytime they have a job, Lennie gets into some trouble, which forces them to run away. This time, they are running from a town called Weed to a ranch where they could work as ranch hands.
The story opens with George and Lennie, on their way to a job loading barley at a California ranch. It is Friday evening, and they spend the night along the Salinas River before arriving at their new place of work, a ranch, the next morning. Here, the reader discovers the main personality differences between George and Lennie. Because Lennie is slow mentally, George acts as Lennie’s guardian, taking care of the large child. They’ve been traveling together for a long time, since the passing away of Lennie’s Aunt Clara. Also, it’s stressed that Lennie’s habit of petting soft things, such as a dead mouse or the dress of a woman, often gets them into trouble - forcing the two men to continuously have to find new work. Their dream is to own their own place and be their own bosses in the future. There, Lennie will be able to “tend to the rabbits”.
Upon arriving at the ranch, they are met by an old man named Candy and his dog. It is Candy who explains to them the ways of the ranch and the personalities of the other ranch hands. Soon, the boss enters the cabin to visit with his new workers, quite angry that they had been too late for the morning shift. He asks both George and Lennie questions, which George proceeds to answer. Eventually, Lennie answers one question in his own, unintelligent way. George is angry, but the boss is a bit suspicious.
The reader also meets Curley’s seductive wife. As usual, she is “looking for her husband” as an excuse to meet and attempt to seduce the other workers. Of course, George and Candy deny her attempts, but Lennie innocently defends her. As George warns Lennie to stay away from her, Lennie shows that he wants to leave, “It’s mean here”. George agrees to leave once they have enough money to attain their dream.
Slim enters and announces that his dog has had puppies. He discusses with Carlson the idea of killing Candy’s old dog and replacing it with one of his puppies. In addition, George agrees to ask Slim if Lennie can also have one. Later, George confides in Slim his relationship with Lennie. He admits that Lennie isn’t bright, but obviously a nice person. Lennie not only provides companionship, but makes George feel smart.
Carlson enters and continues to pressure Candy to allow him to kill his...
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