George

Physically small and with distinctive features, George Milton is the companion of Lennie, and together they work as farmhands across Salinas, California. George understands that Lennie is diminished in mental intellect and takes a parental responsibility towards him, variously playing roles as educator and disciplinarian. Although George is frequently frustrated by the trouble of having to look out for Lennie and frequently tells Lennie how much better off he would be without him, he is at the same time protective and compassionate towards Lennie, most notably demonstrated through his rehearsal of the dream farm he and Lennie are working towards whenever Lennie asks for the story to be retold. George values his friendship in Lennie and knows that they possess something unique in a lonely world of hardened farm workers where each man seems focused solely on his own benefit. George is aware of Lennie’s immense strength and his inability to control it and takes responsibility in protecting Lennie from himself and from others; George is acutely aware of the fact that Lennie would not last long without being able to look to him for direction. George is a realist and is unsurprised at the end of the novella when his and Lennie’s dreams of being independent farmers do not materialise.

George Quotes

The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose. (George) Chapter 1

‘O.K.- O.K. I’ll tell ya again. I ain’t got nothing to do. Might jus’ as well spen’ all my time tellin’ you things and then you forget ’em, and I tell you again.’ (George to Lennie) Chapter 1

‘God, you’re a lot of trouble,’ said George. ‘I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn’t have you on my tail. I could live so easy and maybe have a girl.’ (to Lenny) Chapter 1

George looked quickly and searchingly at him. ‘I been mean, ain’t I?’ (to Lenny) Chapter 1

George said, ‘I want you to stay with me, Lennie. Jesus Christ, somebody’d shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself. No, you stay with me …’ (George) Chapter 1

‘Well, he better watch out for Lennie. Lennie ain’t no fighter, but Lennie’s strong and quick, and Lennie don’t know no rules.’ (George to Candy about Curley) Chapter 2

George said softly, ‘I think I knowed from the very first I think I knowed we’d never do her. He usta like to hear about it so much I got to thinking maybe we would.’ (George to Candy about the dream of buying the farm) Chapter 5

Lennie

Lennie is the child-minded large-statured companion of George whose intellectual disability make him dependent on George’s direction for most situations. Lennie has an inability to determine right from wrong and to feel guilty as a result of his actions and this is demonstrated through his conceptualising the consequences of his bad behaviour in terms of how George will respond; ‘If I get in any trouble, you [George] ain’t gonna let me tend the rabbits.’ Lennie is devoted to George and tries to follow all his directions but his ability for memory recall is limited and he knows he is a trouble to George at times. Despite this, Lennie has some influence over George and knows he can rely on George’s compassion towards him, this is shown in his ability to coerce George into retelling the story of their dream farm which usually occurs after George has had to admonish Lennie for doing ‘a bad thing’. Lennie gets a sense of security from patting soft things but his immense physical strength, of which he is unaware and unable to control, make him dangerous; Lennie has inadvertently killed small animals such as mice and a puppy simply by applying too much strength in handling them. Lennie’s fate against the cruel and competitive nature of the Depression-era farmhand world provides a constant source of suspense.

Lennie Quotes

Behind him [George] walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely. (Lennie) Chapter 1

‘O.K.- O.K. I’ll tell ya again. I ain’t got nothing to do. Might jus’ as well spen’ all my time tellin’ you things and then you forget ’em, and I tell you again.’ (George to Lennie) Chapter 1

‘Well, he better watch out for Lennie. Lennie ain’t no fighter, but Lennie’s strong and quick, and Lennie don’t know no rules.’ (George to Candy about Curley) Chapter 2

‘Jus’ tell Lennie what to do an’ he’ll do it if it don’t take no figuring. He can’t think of nothing to do himself, but he sure can take orders.’ (George to Slim) Chapter 3

‘Jesus,’ he said. ‘He’s jes’ like kid, ain’t he.’ (Slim to George about Lennie) Chapter 3

‘I didn’t want no trouble’ … (Lennie, after hurting Curley) Chapter 3

‘I can still tend the rabbits, George?’ (Lennie to George) Chapter 3

‘Why do you got to get killed? You ain’t so little as mice.’ (Lennie to the dead puppy) Chapter 5

‘I like to pet nice things …’ (Lennie to Curley’s wife) Chapter 5

Candy

Candy is an elderly man who does odd jobs around the ranch after having had his right hand amputated in a farm injury. His character provides a commentary into the discrimination of the times regarding age and disability. Like his dog Candy, who is euthanised for being old and unproductive, Candy is acutely aware that his time is running out, the story of him and his dog providing a parallel to that of George and Lennie. Candy partners with George and Lennie in their ill-fated venture to buy and run their own farm and gives another perspective to the dreams of hardworking men in post-war America to own and work their own piece of land.

Candy Quotes

‘Yeah. I had ’im ever since he was a pup. God, he was a good sheep dog when he was younger.’ (Candy’s sheepdog) Chapter 2

‘You seen what they done to my dog tonight? They says he wasn’t no good to himself nor nobody else. When they can me here I wisht somebody’d shoot me. But they won’t do nothing like that. I won’t have no place to go, an’ I can’t get no more jobs.’ (Candy to George) Chapter 3

‘Everybody wants a little bit of land, not much. Jus’ som’thin’ that was his. Som’thin’ he could live on and there couldn’t nobody throw him off of it.’ (Candy to Crooks) Chapter 4

Curley

Curley is a cruel and malicious figure who is always trying to pick a fight with guys that are bigger than him. As the Boss’ son, he is aware of his position of power over the farm hands and that any retaliation to his aggravations would jeopardise their employment. Only Carlson and Slim have the ability to put Curley in his place. Curley becomes fixated on fighting Lennie and this ends with Curley’s hand severely injured. Curley has an attractive wife whom he is unable to satisfy and whom he tries, unsuccessfully, to keep isolated in the house. He is always asking the men if they’ve seen her and suspects she is flirting with them.

Curley Quotes

‘Curley’s like a lot of little guys. He hates big guys. He’s alla time picking scraps with big guys. Kind of like he’s mad at ’em because he ain’t a big guy.’ (Candy to George) Chapter 2

Slim said, ‘Well, you been askin’ me too often. I’m gettin’ God damn sick of it. If you can’t look after your own God damn wife, what you expect me to do about it? You lay offa me.’ (when Curley asks if he’s seen his wife) Chapter 3

Carlson laughed. ‘You God damn punk,’ he said. ‘You tried to throw a scare into Slim, an’ you couldn’t make it stick. Slim throwed a scare inta you. You’re yella as a frog belly. I don’t care if you’re the best welter in the country. You come for me, an’ I’ll kick your God damn head off.’ (Carlson to Curley) Chapter 3

‘… I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad.’ (Curley’s wife to Lennie) Chapter 5

Curley’s Wife

Curley’s wife is an attractive woman who had girlhood dreams of being an actress but is now unhappily married to Curley. She is the only women in the novella and remains unnamed throughout, which positions her as Curley’s possession and provides a commentary on gender from the times. She is extremely lonely and uses her beauty and dressed-up appearance to be noticed by the men in the hope of having a conversation, risking her husband’s reprisals. The farmhands consider her the stereotypical flirt and temptress and urge her to stay in the house, fearing Curley’s reprisals should they be seen with her. An alternative view is that she is a lonely woman in an all-male setting who longs for companionship and to be valued.

Curley’s Wife’s Quotes

She had full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red. Her hair hung in little rolled clusters, like sausages. (Curley’s wife) Chapter 2

‘Well, you keep away from her, ’cause she’s a rattrap if I ever seen one.’ (George to Lennie about Curley’s wife) Chapter 2

‘Ranch with a bunch of guys on it ain’t no place for a girl, specially like her.’ (George to Whit about Curley’s wife) Chapter 3

‘I get lonely,’ she said. ‘You can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad. How’d you like not to talk to anybody?’ (Curley’s wife to Lennie) Chapter 5

‘Seems like they ain’t none of them cares how I gotta live. I tell you I ain’t used to livin’ like this. I coulda made somethin’ of myself.’ (Curley to Lennie) Chapter 5

Slim

The admired and respected lead farmhand Slim whose natural leadership, good judgment and empathy are frequently demonstrated throughout key events of the novella. He comforts Candy when his dog is euthanised, he appreciates the complexity of George’s relationship with Lennie and understands Lennie’s particular situation, and he takes authority in critical situations such as when Lennie hurts Curley’s hand and he contracts Curley to tell an alternative version so that George and Lennie won’t be fired. All the characters defer to Slim’s wisdom and direction and his influence is a positive example of power when it is exercised with empathy.

Slim Quotes

He was a jerkline skinner, the prince of the ranch, capable of driving ten, sixteen, even twenty mules with a single line to the leaders. He was capable of killing a fly on the wheeler’s butt with a bull whip without touching the mule. (Slim) Chapter 2

There was a gravity in his manner and a quiet so profound that all talk stopped when he spoke. His authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject, be it politics or love. (Slim) Chapter 2

‘He’s a nice fella,’ said Slim. ‘Guy don’t need no sense to be a nice fella. Seems to me sometimes it jus’ works the other way around. Take a real smart guy and he ain’t hardly ever a nice fella.’ (Slim to George about Lennie) Chapter 3

‘He ain’t mean,’ said Slim. ‘I can tell a mean guy a mile off.’ (to George about Lennie) Chapter 3

‘… An’ s’pose they lock him up an’ strap him down and put him in a cage. That ain’t no good, George.’ (Slim to George, after he shoots Lennie) Chapter 5

Slim said, ‘You hadda, George. I swear you had-da. Come on with me.’ (after George shoots Lennie) Chapter 6

Crooks

Crooks is the black stable hand who looks after the horses and who takes his name from the crooked back that he suffered as a result of having been kicked by a horse. Crooks suffers racial discrimination on the ranch and his treatment provides insight into the experiences of black people during the Depression era. Having grown up on a farm his father owned, Crooks enjoyed the freedoms of independent living which undoubtedly makes his present position as the most inferior person on the ranch an especially lonely experience to endure. Crooks is intelligent and proud, and buries his anger and loneliness in reading books in the quarters he occupies alone due to his inferior status.

Crooks Quotes

‘The boss gives him hell when he’s mad. But the stable buck don’t give a damn about that. He reads a lot. Got books in his room.’ (Candy about Crooks) Chapter 2

This room was swept and fairly neat, for Crooks was a proud, aloof man. He kept his distance and demanded that other people keep theirs. Chapter 4

It was difficult for Crooks to conceal his pleasure with anger. (Crooks to Candy) Chapter 4

‘Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.’ (Curley’s wife to Crooks) Chapter 4

Carlson

A large-stomached and insensitive ranch hand who persuades Candy to let him euthanise his aging dog with his gun. Though not as commanding as Slim, he has some power and is not afraid to exert it over the Boss’ son physically when Curley tries to provoke him to a fight.

Carlson Quotes

Carlson laughed. ‘You God damn punk,’ he said. ‘You tried to throw a scare into Slim, an’ you couldn’t make it stick. Slim throwed a scare inta you. You’re yella as a frog belly. I don’t care if you’re the best welter in the country. You come for me, an’ I’ll kick your God damn head off.’ (Carlson to Curley) Chapter 3

Curley and Carlson looked after them. And Carlson said, ‘Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin’ them two guys?’ (about Slim and George) Chapter 6

Whit

A ranch hand who epitomises the life of the ranch hand George frequently describes would be his if he didn’t have to look after Lennie. Whit enjoys a good time and frequents the brothel with the money he earns at work. His reminiscing of a former farmhand whom he considered a nice fellow suggests that like many of the characters, he too is lonely and uses the brothel and drinking as comforts.

Aunt Clara

Lennie’s aunt who raised him from childhood is already deceased at the commencement of the novella. Aunt Clara has remained in Lennie’s memory over the years and she appears in the final chapter in a vision to Lennie to reprimand him for having done another ‘bad thing’.