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STUDYWORLD STUDYNOTES

Of Mice and Men

Lennie sat in the barn after accidentally killing his puppy. He tries to hide it so George does not find out. He got angry and threw the puppy and walked away. Curley's wife came into the barn but Lennie refused to talk to her. She tells him she is lonely and wants to talk to somebody. She finds out that the puppy died and tells him he could get another one. When Lennie tells her that he is not supposed to talk to her, she gets angry and convinces him that she will not harm him. She then tells Lennie that she does not like her husband and hates living on the ranch. Curley's wife lets Lennie feel her soft hair. When she tells him to stop and let go, he panicks, squeezes her neck too hard and breaks it accidentally. Lennie plans to throw the puppy away and leaves. Candy finds Curley's dead wife and shows George. Both realize that it was Lennie's fault. Candy asks George if they would still get the land, but he knows it will not happen. Curley and the rest of the men find Curley's wife and everyone realizes that Lennie did it. All the men get together to look for Lennie, planning to shoot him.

Review:

All of the trouble George predicted begins to come true. Lennie, by handling the puppy too much, has broken its neck. As he tries to hide the animal, Curley's wife enters the barn. She talks to Lennie about her life, seemingly seducing him. When she learns of Lennie's love for soft things, she invites him to touch her hair. He does so, but as always, holds on too tight. The woman begins to struggle and yell. Lennie panics, accidentally breaking her neck, just like his puppy.

After Lennie flees, Candy finds the woman's body. He gets George and asks for reassurance that their dream will still be fulfilled, even without Lennie. But, George has already forsaken the vision. He asks Candy to give him a few minutes head start before telling the others. In that time, he steals Carlson's gun - the same one used to kill Candy's dog. George reenters the barn with the others to discover the body and he attempts to convince the men that Lennie should only be put away because he meant no harm. But, Curley insists on lynching and they all go out to look for Lennie.