When Lennie is in the barn because he killed the puppy Curley’s wife walks in and starts talking to Lennie. “…Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely.”(86) In doing this Curley’s wife is coming right out and telling Lennie that she is lonely and just wants someone to talk to. Curley’s wife is always looking for someone just to talk to because she doesn’t have anything better to do.
For example, Lennie tells Curley’s wife the George has told hin to “stay here and not get in no trouble”(68). The manner in which George talks to Lennie is akin to the way in which a parent might talk to a child. George also calls Lennie a “crazy bastard”(6) when telling him what to do during their job interview with the boss of the ranch. The individuals on the ranch also exclude Lennie from activities by not letting him go to town with them and making him
Another scene in the book that was different from the movie was when George and the rest of the guys except for Lennie, Candy, and Crooks go into town. In the book Lennie is in the barn playing with his pup and then walks into Crook’s room in the barn. They start talking about Crook’s childhood and how he’s not used to the kind of racism. Candy comes in and talks to Lennie about the rabbits they will have on their own land. Curley’s Wife comes in and talks about how she never get to talk to anyone and how she’s lonely.
Though the pet was once a great sheepherder, it was put out to pasture once it stopped being productive. Candy realizes that his fate is to be put on the roadside as soon as he’s no longer useful; on the ranch, he won’t be treated any differently than his dog. Worse than the dog parallel, though, is that Candy (unlike his dog) is emotionally broken by this whole affair. He can’t bring himself to shoot his pet himself, and we suspect this is going to be the same fear and reticence that keep him from making anything more of his life. Candy can’t stand up for his pet because Candy can’t stand up for himself.
Character Description 1: Lennie Small A very important main character we are introduced to in this story is Lennie Small. In my opinion Lennie is the most interesting character in the story because he differs from the other characters in many ways. Lennie Small as well as his companion George Milton are migrant workers who travel around the country working on ranches. They hope that one day they will pursue the dream they share of owning their own land or as Lennie says “living off the fatta’ the lan”. Lennie is incapable of making decisions by himself and relies and depends on George entirely and also looks to him as sort of a big brother.
Crooks is being derogated even before being introduced into the novella. His personality is deemed as useless and therefore he is labeled as “the nigger”. Everybody else on the ranch is treated equally and called by their actual names, but the workers do not accept Crooks into their community, making him an outcast. After Curley’s wife leaves and everybody settles down into their bunk house, Lennie goes to the barnhouse in order to look and pet the puppies that Slim breeds. He eventually finds Crooks’ room and enters, to talk with Crooks.
Charley offers him a job, trying to be a sympathetic friend and neighbor. “You want a job.... Don't get insulted.” Charley puts up with Willy like a good friend would. You take it too hard. To hell with it. When a deposit bottle is broken you don't get your nickel back.” Bernard, Charley's son, is a loyal character as well.
Friend Tolerance George and Lennie have been friends for most of their lives. George has had to deal with Lennie’s mistakes and their punishments for so long. It upsets George; all he wants is a successful life. John Steinbeck, the author of Of Mice and Men shows how George gets through all of the setbacks that Lennie gives them. George and Lennie want to own a farm together, but with how Lennie acts it might not happen.
Lennie was very isolated also from the ranch workers because he wasn't normal and acted very childish, this mustn't of been nice for Lennie and that is how the ranch is unpleasent for him. Carlson made Candy's life on the ranch very hard because he depised Candy's smelly old dog, in the book Carlson kills the dog because it was old and it stank but he never cared about how Candy felt about the dog he just cared about himself. Carlson killed the dog eventhough he knew how much Candy loved it, when Carlson suggested killing the dog “Candy looked for help from face to face” but nobody helped him. The reason why Candy couldn't stop Carlson from killing his dog was because he was a very brittle old man and was mainly over powered by people stronger than him. This event was very unpleasent for Candy.
Like Candy's dog, Lennie depends on George to take care of him and show him what to do. Candy, like George, is different from the other ranch hands because he has his dog as a constant companion, someone devoted and loyal to him. That at the time the novel is set, most men were alone as they didn’t have the company of another and so they were lonely and drawn into themselves. Candy takes such a shine to George