Of mice and men - timeline

By martinfr

  • In the town Weed, Lennie grabs a girl dress and does not let go. She gets really scared and accuses Lennie of rape. Lennie and George escape town.

    Lennie got scared when the girl started to scream and couldnt let go. He liked her dress, and this foreshadows Curly's wife death. After the accusations a group of men gathered to lynch Lennie so Lennie and George hides in an irrigation ditch and escape town as soon as possible.
  • George and Lennie camp by the river before they go to the ranch. Lennie keeps a dead mouse in his pocked, after killing it by petting it too hard. George forces Lennie to hand the dead mouse over.

    George and Lennie camp by the river before they go to the ranch. Lennie keeps a dead mouse in his pocked, after killing it by petting it too hard. George forces Lennie to hand the dead mouse over.

    This was the first time we heard about Lennie accidentally killing someone. The fact that he liked petting the mouse, but accidentally killed it while doing so, showed that he's just a big softy who doesn't know his own strength. It serves as foreshadowing for what happens later with Curley's wife and one of the pups. This scene also is when George talks about how lonely he is. Loneliness seems to be a recurring theme throughout this book.
  • George and Lennie talks about the farm they want to buy.

    George and Lennie talks about the farm they want to buy.

    They talk and dream about the farm they will own and the much easier life they will have. Lennie talks about wanting to tend the rabbits and shows how innocent and kind Lennie is. This ties directly to the theme in the movie which is "pursuit of happiness"

  • George and Lennie are hired on the ranch.

  • Lennie finds out about Slim's puppies and tries to take one.

    Lennie finds out about Slim's puppies and tries to take one.

    Slim allowed Lennie to pet some of them but Lennie tried to take one into the bunkhouse to pet it even more. George finds out and makes him put it back. This shows that Lennie has no intent to hurt the pup, and only wants to pet it.
  • Candy's dog gets shot by Carlson because it was old and smells bad.

    Candy's dog gets shot by Carlson because it was old and smells bad.

    The dog couldn't take care of itself and therefore Carlson convinced Candy that its best that it gets put out of its misery. This shows how cruel the people at the ranch is. This foreshadows Lennie death later on in the book.

  • George and Lennie start to plan to buy the farm and live of it. Candy overhear the conversation and gets himself in on the plan.

    George seems to be idealizing their life on the farm even though it is an unrealistic dream. But the fact that candy could give them his money in exchange for living with them has sparked hope for George and Lennie. The reader also gets hope that it will work out for them.

  • Lennie ends up in a fight with Curly and breaks Curly's hand

    This is another instance of Lennie not knowing his own strengths. He just wanted to stop Curly but ended up mangling his hand.

  • Lennie accidentally kills a pup in the barn.

    This is another instance of Lennie being clumsy and not knowing his strengths. This gives more foreshadowing to Curly's wife death.

  • Curly's wife comes into the barn and takes to Lennie. She says that she gets lonely and that she could've been an actor but she married Curly instead.

    The reader becomes uneasy as soon as she enters the barn. The foreshadowing with the dress, the mouse and the pup set up the reader to become nervous in this scene.

  • Curly's wife lets Lennie touch her hair after he says he likes to touch soft things. She tells him to let go but Lennie gets scared and doesn't let go. During the struggle, Lennie ends up breaking her neck.

    The climax in the story. The death of Curly's wife had been foreshadowed by the story from Weed and also by the death of the mouse and pup. Everything in the book has led up to this moment.

  • Everyone on the farm figures out that Lennie did it and they go after him to kill him.

    At this moment all the hope that George had got crushed.

  • Lennie realizes he did a bad thing again and leaves to hide in the brush like George told him to if he does a bad thing again. While hiding, he hallucinates his Aunt Clara and a giant rabbit scolding him in his own voice.

    I think the hallucinations Lennie had once he was hiding in the brush, of his Aunt Clara scolding him in his voice, and then a rabbit scolding him, also in his voice, showed that he truly knew what he did was wrong. He doesn't realize the strengths that he has and that leads to his demise.
  • George shoots Lennie in the back of the head because he can no longer deal with the problems he keeps causing.

    George shoots Lennie in the back of the head because he can no longer deal with the problems he keeps causing.

    A very tragic ending. For me, this meant the end of all of their hopes and dream. The idealized picture of their lives became impossible. I think the situation with Candy's dog also led George to realize that he can't let the others kill Lennie and must do it himself. A kind of "mercy kill".