Curley, on the defensive and looking for someone to fight,
picks a fight with Lennie and punches him unmercifully
. Lennie doesn’t protect himself until George tells him to fight back. When Lennie does, he crushes all the bones in Curley’s hand.
What happens between Curley and Lennie in Chapter 2?
Looking at Lennie, Curley fists his hands and assumes a fighter’s stance
. He wants to know if they are the new guys, and when George answers, Curley insists that Lennie must talk when he is spoken to. Lennie repeats George’s answer softly. Satisfied, Curley leaves to go look for his father.
Why does Curley kill Lennie?
A stomach wound results in a most painful death. … Shooting Lennie “in the guts” would cause a very painful, prolonged death full of the suffering that Curley wants Lennie to experience because
Curley himself suffered not only pain but also humiliation when his hand was crushed
.
Why does Curley get into it with Lennie?
When he sees Lennie smiling at the thought of the farm and the rabbits that George has discussed,
Curley sees it as Lennie laughing at him
. This causes Curley to fly into a rage and take on Lennie. It never dawns on Curley to refrain from attacking Lennie because of his size.
Why did George shoot Lennie quotes?
I ain’t mad, an’ I ain’t now. That’s a thing I want ya to know
” (Steinbeck 106). This quote shows that George is killing Lennie for Lennie’s own good. George realizes that if the other men were to find Lennie alive they would have tortured him.
Why did Curley keep his hand in Vaseline?
Curley wears a “glove fulla Vaseline” on one hand because, according to Candy,
“he’s keepin’ that hand soft for his wife
.” Since farm work is physical and tough on a person’s hands, the Vaseline will prevent at least one of Curley’s hands from becoming chapped and rough—something he clearly believes his wife would find …
What is Lennie’s disability?
Lennie has
a mental disability
, making him dependent upon George to manage day to day life in the difficult environment in which they live and work. Lennie is physically very strong (so his name is ironic), but cannot control himself, leading to escalating acts of accidental violence through the book.
What is stable buck?
Stable Buck: A derogatory name
for an African-American man who works in the stables
.
Why did slim drown the puppies?
Slim reports that he drowned four of the puppies
immediately because their mother would have been unable to feed them
. Carlson suggests that they convince Candy to shoot his old, worthless mutt and raise one of the pups instead.
How did Lennie respond when Curley attacked?
Curley was balanced and poised.
He slashed at Lennie with his left, and then smashed down his nose with a right
. Lennie gave a cry of terror.
What does Curley symbolize?
Curley is
the boss’s son
, and because his father only appears once, Curley is the main representative in the novella of the land-owning class. Like his father, Curley wears “high-heeled boots” to mark his wealth and status, and most likely to lessen the smallness of his stature.
What is Curley looking for?
Curley, on the defensive and looking for
someone to fight
, picks a fight with Lennie and punches him unmercifully. Lennie doesn’t protect himself until George tells him to fight back. When Lennie does, he crushes all the bones in Curley’s hand.
What did George say after he killed Lennie?
George’s actions in the end of the book results in him murdering Lennie. For example, in Of Mice and Men George tells Lennie, “
No, Lennie. I ain’t mad, an’ I ain’t now. That’s a thing I want ya to know”
(Steinbeck 106).
What is the last thing George says to Lennie?
Towards the end of Chapter 6, George is about to kill Lennie. His last words to
Lennie have to do with their dream
. He tells the whole story to Lennie again — how they will live, what it will be like. Then he kills Lennie.
Why does George lie about the gun?
George has lied about the Luger
because he has taken it
; he does not want to admit this act as the men will believe he is involved in Curley’s wife’s death and hurt him, too, and he will not be able to accompany the men and intercede for Lennie when they find him, or to take action on his own.
Why is Curley’s wife nameless?
Curley’s
wife is never called by her own name as a way of depicting her lack of independence
. By only referring to her as Curley’s wife, her identity is confined to the limited, dependent role she must play in her marriage.
