Lennie gets upset and angry at his dead puppy because he thinks that when George finds out that George won’t let Lennie tend to the rabbits anymore. Lennie becomes angry at Curley’s wife because she keeps screaming and yelling and Lennie thinks George will hear and check on him.

The increasing violence in Of Mice and Men foreshadows the tragic events at the end. Life is not valued in the book; Lennie accidentally kills the creatures he pets and Candy’s dog is shot by Carlson when he is no longer useful.

From the beginning of the novella, Steinbeck foreshadows that Lennie will accidentally kill Curley’s wife while trying to stroke her hair. In the first section, George scolds Lennie for petting mice until they die. Later, Lennie accidentally kills his puppy while petting it.

One example of foreshadowing is when Lennie kills the mouse in chapter one. It shows that Lennie doesn’t know his own strength and will probably hurt something accidentally later. This happens twice later in the book, when Lennie accidentally kills the puppy, and when he kills Curley’s wife.

In the first scene, we learn that Lennie likes to stroke mice and other soft creatures, but has a tendency to kill them accidentally. This foreshadows the death of his puppy and the death of Curley’s wife.

Lennie’s puppy is one of several symbols that represent the victory of the strong over the weak. 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.

What did Slim do to four of his pups, why? Drowned them… because his dog couldn’t have nursed that many. If he can have one of the pups.

Lennie accidentally kills his puppy, probably by squeezing him or hitting him too hard. Not knowing his own strength, Lennie was too rough with his puppy and ended up killing it. Like the dead mouse he had at the beginning, Lennie continues to stroke it because it’s soft.

In Of Mice and Men, George feels anguish after killing Lennie, but he knows that killing Lennie was the most humane thing to do. In killing Lennie, George loses both a friend and a representation of his dreams.

George knows that if he doesn’t kill Lennie himself, Curley will torture and murder Lennie in a more inhumane way, making Lennie suffer for killing Curley’s wife.

Of Mice and Men is a story about an intellectually disabled man. Lennie’s disability is central to the plot; if he were not intellectually disabled, the story would simply not work. It has also been suggested (Loftis, 2015, 2016) that Lennie exhibits characteristics of autism.

Lennie is very innocent and sweet-natured; he always means well and is focused on simple pleasures, which his dream with George reminds the reader of. He lacks awareness of social conventions and so does not feel the same racism and prejudice against women that many of the other male characters feel.

In chapter 2 of Of Mice and Men, George tells the boss that Lennie got kicked in the head by a horse and that he and Lennie are cousins.

Lennie has a dead mouse in his pocket, and when pressed to throw it away by George, he reluctantly agrees, but secretly keeps the mouse. The mouse symbolizes Lennie’s love for soft things, which will eventually get him into trouble.

What has George told Lennie about that he always remembers even when he forgets everything else? Lennie always remembers that he will be the one to tend to the rabbits on their “dream” farm. You just studied 10 terms!

A dead mouse

Why does Lennie not have it in “his” pocket? Because Lennie would have lost that card so George held it.

George tells Lennie to come and hide in the bushes near where they are camping in Chapter 1. He will come and find Lennie there and tell him what to do next. “Look, Lennie–if you jus’ happen to get in trouble like you always done before, I want you to come right here and hide in the brush.”

Carlson

George tells Lennie not to drink too much water because it is scummy and he is afraid it will make him sick. The men have not yet reached the ranch, and it is standing water.

George understands that Lennie likes to touch soft things, which are a comfort somehow to Lennie; however, because Lennie doesn’t know his own strength, he typically kills small animals. That the mouse is dead is what disturbs George, I think, because it could carry disease and make Lennie sick.

He feels hopeless because Lennie most likely won’t remember and George will have to tell him again and he won’t understand.

What details show that Curley does not love his wife? Because he wants to find Lennie and murder him even though he should stay with his dead wife.

Why does Curley’s wife get angry when Lennie tells her that George said he shouldn’t talk to her? Curley’s wife gets mad because no one talks to her and it’s lonely 6. Curley’s wife offers to let Lennie stroke her hair because he likes soft things and she wanted to prove to him that it was soft.

Here, Candy asks if he can join in George and Lennie’s plan to own a small farm, ultimately turning their dream into a possible reality since he has money to contribute. “They all sat still, all bemused by the beauty of the thing” because the three men realize that this plan now has real possibility.

Why is Curley jealous of Slim? Slim is the “perfect” and popular guy on the ranch and Curley thinks he is having an affair with his wife.

As was mentioned in the previous post, George and Lennie’s dream is simply wishful thinking. They imagine having their own house and creating a self-sufficient homestead where they raise animals and plant vegetables. Making enough money selling vegetables to feed three grown men seems highly unrealistic.

Lennie