Of Mice and Men

Lennie and George are best friends on a road trip, but this isn't that fun kind of road trip with wacky adventures. They're broke and looking for work on the farms of Northern California. The duo can't hold down jobs for long, thanks to Lennie's childlike mentality and odd fetish for petting things, which includes mice, rabbits, puppies, and women.

Good fortune smiles upon them briefly when they get work at a ranch near Soledad, California. Their co-workers include Candy, Crooks and Curley. We also meet Slim, our local and wise ranch demi-god; and Carlson, a callous ranch hand, who tells Candy to adopt a new puppy and shoot his old dog because it's smelly.Curley is itching for a fight after he (falsely) suspects Slim of making time with his girl, so he gets into a brawl with Lennie—who crushes his hand. 



On Sunday afternoon, Lennie's in the barn with a dead puppy. He admonishes the puppy for "going and getting killed," which we think is actually not so much the puppy's fault as it is Lennie's.  Finally, George shows up. He's acting all weird, so we're pretty sure something bad is about to happen. And it does. George starts talking about their dream farm and tells Lennie to look out over the river and imagine it—and then shoots him in the head. 

Themes

The Predatory Nature of Human Existence

Nearly all of the characters, including George, Lennie, Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife, admit, at one time or another, to having a deep sense of loneliness and isolation. The characters are rendered helpless by their isolation, and yet, even at their weakest, they seek to destroy those who are even weaker than they. The novella suggests that the most visible kind of strength—that used to oppress others—is itself born of weakness.

Fraternity and the Idealized Male Friendship

One of the reasons that the tragic end of George and Lennie’s friendship has such a profound impact is that one senses that the friends have, by the end of the novella, lost a dream larger than themselves. The men in Of Mice and Men desire to come together in a way that would allow them to be like brothers to one another. That is, they want to live with one another’s best interests in mind, to protect each other, and to know that there is someone in the world dedicated to protecting them. 

Symbols

George and Lennie’s Farm

It seduces not only the other characters but also the reader, who, like the men, wants to believe in the possibility of the free, idealized life it promises. The farm represents the possibility of freedom, self-reliance, and protection from the cruelties of the world.

Lennie’s Puppy

Lennie kills the puppy accidentally, as he has killed many mice before, by virtue of his failure to recognize his own strength. Like an innocent animal, Lennie is unaware of the vicious, predatory powers that surround him.