AUDIOBOOK - OF MICE AND MEN. by John Steinbeck. Part 2.
Channel: Audio Oasis
Date: 2023-04-01

AUDIOBOOK - OF MICE AND MEN. by John Steinbeck. Chapter 3/4 
The book opens with an introduction to George Milton and Lennie Small. Lennie, who is mentally challenged, is a large, bear-like man, with an innocent, naïve soul. He's very strong and kind but lacks control of his physical power which makes him dangerous. He loves soft things, like baby animals, but frequently unintentionally kills them. Most recently they have had to flee a prior job because Lennie had touched a women's skirt because he thought it looked really soft. George, fearing accusations of rape, flees with Lennie.George is the leader of the two, and they have a symbiotic relationship. They both take care of each other while traveling from one job to the next. George is small in stature compared to Lennie, but still strong enough for manual labor. He protects Lennie from his more dangerous inclinations, while Lennie's size and strength provide more labor than the average man. With George's lead, this makes them valuable ranch hands.

George has secured a lead on more work, and while in Soledad, a town in central California, they decide to wait until morning before walking to their new job. They pass the time relaxing by a pond. George instructs Lennie to return to this pond if he ever finds himself in trouble. George recounts an aspirational dream to Lennie that is often repeated. They dream of buying a piece of land with the money they save from jobs so they can work for themselves and have no one telling them what to do. Lennie dreams of having rabbits on the land and tending to them, especially soft baby rabbits. This dream is repeated often enough that even Lennie can recite it, but prefers to hear it from George.

The following morning, upon arrival at the new job, they are quickly introduced to the rest of the characters in the story. The boss of the new job is suspicious of George as he does all the talking while Lennie stands silent. He explains that Lennie isn't very smart, but can do more labor than most men. They meet the Boss's son, Curley, a mean, small man who is overly protective of his wife. Curley's wife is lonely and doesn't like her husband. She is prone to flirting with the ranch hands. Lennie immediately becomes attracted to Curley's wife. George warns him to stay away from Curley and his wife.

How is Steinbeck setting up the expectation that something will likely happen between Lennie and Curley's wife? What specific details about Lennie do we already know?

They also meet Candy, an old ranch hand who has his old dog put down by another ranch hand named Carlson. Slim is the chief mule skinner, the person who leads a pack of mules. Everyone looks up to Slim. He's a strong yet empathetic person with leadership qualities. Crooks is a black man with a crooked back who works and lives in the stables, separated from everyone else.

Later that night when the men go out to see a fight between Curley and Slim, Candy overhears George sharing the land dream with Lennie and offers to give his savings if they'll let him join them. George agrees, believing that with the savings and the money they will earn in a month, they will have enough to buy some land he's had an eye on. He cautions them to tell no one about their plans.

Curley has backed down from the fight with Slim, and feeling humiliated, loses his temper and beats Lennie. At first, Lennie is scared and doesn't fight back. George tells him to fight back. Lennie easily crushes Curley's hand, breaking all his fingers. Slim convinces Curley to say his hand caught in a machine or else be humiliated by everyone learning the truth. Slim does this to protect Lennie and George's jobs. Lennie feels bad but George assures him it wasn't his fault.

The next evening, Lennie is in the stable with Crooks. Crooks is initially reluctant to let him in but decides he would enjoy the company. Lennie shares with Crooks their dream about buying land and Crooks offers to work for free if he can live with them. Curley's wife comes through, and Crooks says she's not welcome. She threatens to get him lynched. Crooks backs down. She flirts with Lennie and eventually leaves. Crooks rescinds his offer to Lennie, realizing that as a black man, he won't be accepted anywhere with white people.

The following night, Lennie is in the stable stroking a dead puppy that he accidently killed. Curley's wife enters and flirts with Lennie. She shares her dream about becoming a big movie star. She offers to let Lennie touch her hair to help him feel better. She then tells Lennie to stop as he's getting her hair tangled. He gets scared and freezes, not letting go. She starts to scream, he covers her mouth, and accidentally breaks her neck, killing her. Once he realizes he's in trouble, he runs away to the pond from the beginning of the story.
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