Of Mice and Men: Chapter 3, Pt. I

Summary

In Chapter 3, the scene unfolds in the bunkhouse during the evening, where the atmosphere is darkened, both literally and metaphorically. George and Slim engage in a conversation reflecting on Lennie's capabilities and their unusual companionship. The camaraderie is portrayed through George's protective nature and Slim's understanding demeanor. The narrative shifts as Candy's old dog becomes a subject of discussion, illustrating the harsh realities and decisions faced by the laborers. As Carlson insists on shooting the dog to end its misery, the emotional struggle is evident, symbolizing the challenges of survival and companionship during these tough times. The chapter reflects on themes of isolation, companionship, and the inevitability of harsh realities faced by the characters, painting a vivid picture of life on the ranch.

Highlights

• George defends Lennie's abilities and character, despite his lack of intelligence. 🛡️
• Slim shows understanding and empathy towards Lennie's situation. ❤️
• Candy struggles with the decision to let Carlson shoot his ailing dog. 💔
• The moment illustrates the brutal nature of life on the ranch, where tough decisions are part of survival. 🌾

Key Takeaways

• George and Lennie's bond is unique and highlights the rarity of companionship in their world. 💑
• Lennie's strength is admired but also feared due to his lack of understanding. 💪
• Candy's dog symbolizes the harsh choices faced in the unforgiving life on the ranch. 🐕
• Slim's calm presence provides a moral compass for others to follow. 🧭
• The silence in the bunkhouse emphasizes the tension and emotional weight of their decisions. 🤫

Overview

As evening falls inside the dimly lit bunkhouse, George and Slim discuss the practicality and uniqueness of George's companionship with Lennie. Slim, a reassuring presence, acknowledges Lennie's work ethic and George's loyalty, despite Lennie's mental challenges. This exchange sets the stage for the unfolding drama in the bunkhouse.

The focus shifts to Candy and his aging dog, which becomes a poignant symbol of the tough decisions faced by the ranch workers. Carlson's insistence on shooting the dog to end its suffering reflects the cruel realities of the life these men lead. Candy's reluctance and emotional turmoil add depth to the narrative, highlighting themes of attachment and survival.

With tension thick in the air, the silence of the room following the distant gunshot reverberates with meaning. The chapter closes with a sense of foreboding and reflection on the transient nature of relationships and dreams in this harsh environment. The underlying message suggests a commentary on the broader challenges of isolation and humanity during desperate times.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 19:00: Of Mice and Men: Chapter 3, Pt. I In the first part of Chapter 3 of 'Of Mice and Men', the setting is the bunkhouse during the evening, where it's getting dark inside, even though there's still some light outside. Sounds from a horseshoe game can be heard through the open door, along with voices reacting to the game. Slim and George enter the bunkhouse together. Inside, Slim turns on an electric light over the card table, illuminating it brightly.

Of Mice and Men: Chapter 3, Pt. I Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 of mice and men chapter three part one although there was evening brightness showing through the windows of the bunkhouse inside it was dusk through the open door came the thuds and occasional clings of a horseshoe game and now and then the sound of voices raised in approval or derision slim and george came into the darkening bunkhouse together slim reached up over the card table and turned on the tin shaded electric light instantly the table was brilliant with light and the cone of the shade through its brightness straight downward
• 00:30 - 01:00 leaving the corners of the bunk house still in dusk slim sat down on a box and george took his place opposite it wasn't nothing said slim i would have had to drown most of them anyways no need to thank me about that george said it wasn't much to you maybe but it was a hell of a lot to him jesus christ i don't know how we're going to get him to sleep in here he'll want to sleep right out in the barn with him we'll have trouble keeping him from getting right in the box with them pups
• 01:00 - 01:30 oh it wasn't nothing slim repeated say you sure was right about him maybe he ain't bright but i never seen such a worker he damn near killed his partner bucking barley dary nobody can keep up with him god almighty i never seen such a strong guy george spoke proudly yes tell lenny what to do and he'll do it if it don't take no figurine he can't think of nothing to do himself but he sure can take orders there was a clang of horseshoes on iron steak outside in a little cheer of voices slim moved back slightly as the light
• 01:30 - 02:00 was not on his face funny how a you and him strung along together it was slim's calm invitation to confidence well what's funny about it george demanded defensively oh i don't know hardly none of the guys ever travel together i hardly never seen two guys travel together you know how the hands are they just come in and get their bunk and work a month and then they quit and go out alone never seem to give a damn about nobody just seems kind of funny a
• 02:00 - 02:30 cuckoo like him and a smart little guy like you traveling together he ain't no cuckoo said george he's dumb as hell that he ain't crazy and i ain't so bright neither or i wouldn't be bucking barley for my 50 and found i was bright if i was even a little bit smart i'd have my own little place and i'd be bringing in my own crops instead of doing all the work and not getting what comes up out of the ground george fell silent he wanted to talk slim neither encouraged nor discouraged him
• 02:30 - 03:00 he just sat back quiet and receptive it ain't so funny him and me going around together george said it last him and me was both born in auburn i know it is aunt clara she took him and he was a baby and raised him up when his aunt clara died uh lenny just come along with me out working got kind of used to each other after a little while hmm said slam george looked over at slim and saw the calm godlike eyes fastened on him funny said george i used to have a hell
• 03:00 - 03:30 of a lot of fun with him he used to play jokes on him because he was too dumb to take care of himself but he was too dumb even though he had a joke played on him i had fun made me seem goddamn smart alongside of him why he'd do any damn thing i told him if i told him to walk over a cliff over he'd go that wasn't so damn much fun after a while he never got mad about it neither i've beat the hell out of him and he could have bust every bone in my body just with his hands but he never lifted a finger against me
• 03:30 - 04:00 george's voice was taking on the tone of confession tell you what made me stop that one day a bunch of guys was standing around up on the sacramento river i was feeling pretty smart i turned to lenny and says jump in and he jumps couldn't swim a stroke he damn near drowned before we could get him he was so damn nice to me for pulling him out clean forgot i told him to jump in well i ain't done nothing like that no more well he's a nice fella said slim i don't
• 04:00 - 04:30 need no sense to be a nice fella seems to me sometimes it just works the other way around take a real smart guy and he ain't hardly ever a nice fella george stacked the scattered cards and began to lay out his solitary hand the shoes thudded on the ground outside at the windows the light of the evening still made the window squares bright i ain't got no people george said i seen the guys that go around on the ranches alone that ain't no good they don't have no
• 04:30 - 05:00 fun and after a long time they get me they get one in a fight all the time yeah they get me slim agreed they get so they don't want to talk to nobody of course lenny's a goddamn nuisance most of the time said george but you get used to going around with the guy and you can't get rid of him well he ate me said slim i can see that lenny ain't a bit mean of course he ain't mean but he gets in trouble all the time because he's so goddamn dumb like uh what happened in weed he stopped stopped in the middle of
• 05:00 - 05:30 turning over a card he looked alarmed and peered over at slim you wouldn't tell nobody what'd are you doing weed slim-assed calmly you wouldn't tell no of course you wouldn't what'd he do in weed slim asked again well uh you seen this girl in a red dress dumb bastard like he is he wants to touch everything he likes just wants to feel it so he reaches out to feel this red dress and the girls
• 05:30 - 06:00 let out a squawk that gets lenny all mixed up and he holds on because that's the only thing he could think to do well this girl squawks and squawks i was just a little bit off and i heard all the yelling so i comes running by that time lenny's so scared all he can do thing to do is just hold on i socked him over the head with a fence picket to make him let go he was so scared he couldn't let go of that dress and he's so goddamn strong you know slim's eyes were level and unwinking he nodded very slowly
• 06:00 - 06:30 so what happens george carefully build his line of solitaire cards well uh that girl rabbits in and tells the law she's been raped as in weeds start a party out to lynch lenny so we sit in an irrigation ditch under water all the rest of that day got only our heads sticking out of the water and up under the grass that sticks out from the side of the ditch and that night we scrammed out of there slim sat in silence for a moment didn't hurt the girl none huh he asked
• 06:30 - 07:00 finally hell no he just scared her i'd be scared too if he grabbed me but he never hurt her he just wanted to touch that red dress like he wants to pet them pups all the time well he ain't mean said slim i can tell a mean guy a mile off of course he ain't i don't do any damn thing i lenny came in through the door he wore his blue denim coat over his shoulders like a cape and he walked hunched way over hi lenny said george how you like the
• 07:00 - 07:30 pup now lenny said breathlessly he's brown and white just like i wanted he went directly to his bonk and lay down and turned his face to the wall and drew up his knees george put down his cards very deliberately lenny he said sharply lenny twisted his neck and looked over his shoulder huh oh what you want george i told you you couldn't bring that pup in here what pup george i ain't got no pup pop george went quickly to him grabbed him
• 07:30 - 08:00 by the shoulder and rolled him over he reached down and picked the tiny puppy from where lenny had been concealing it against his stomach lenny sat up quickly oh give him to me george george said you get right up and take this pup back to the nest he's gotta sleep with his mother you wanna kill him just born last night and you take him out of the nest you take him back or i'll tell slim not to let you have him lenny held out his hands pleadingly oh give him to me george i'll take him back i didn't mean no harm dorado honest i
• 08:00 - 08:30 didn't i just wanted to pet him a little george handed the pup to him all right you get him back there quick don't you take him out no more you'll kill him the first thing you know lenny fairly scuttled out of the room slim had not moved his calm eyes followed lenny out the door jesus he said he's just like a kid ain't he sure he's just like a kid there ain't no more harm in him than a kid neither except he's so strong i bet he won't come in here to sleep
• 08:30 - 09:00 tonight he'd sleep right alongside that box in the barn well let him he ain't doing no harm out there it was almost dark outside now old candy the swamper came in and went to his bunk and behind him struggled his old dog hello slim hello george didn't either of you play horseshoes i don't like to play every night said slim candy went on either you guys got a slug of whiskey i got a good egg i ain't said slim i'd drink it myself if
• 09:00 - 09:30 i had and i ain't got a gut egg neither i got a bad gut ache some candy and my damn turnips give it to me i know they was going to before i ever eat them the thick-bodied carlson came in out of the darkening yard he walked to the other end of the bunkhouse and turned on the second shaded light darker and hill in here he said jesus how that stable buck can pitch shoes he's plenty good said slim damn right he is said carlson he don't give nobody else a chance to
• 09:30 - 10:00 win he stopped and sniffed the air still sniffing looked down at the old dog god almighty that dog stinks get him out of here candy i don't know nothing that stinks as bad as an old dog you gotta get him out andy rolled to the edge of his bunk he reached over and patted the ancient dog and he apologized well i've been around him so much i'd never notice how he stinks well i can't stand him in here said carlson that stink hangs around even after he's
• 10:00 - 10:30 gone he walked over with his heavy legged stride and looked down at the dog got no teeth he said he's all stiff with rheumatism he ain't no good to you candy and he ain't no good to himself why don't you shoot him candy the old man squirmed uncomfortably well hell now i had him so long i had him since he was a pup i heard a sheep of him he said proudly you wouldn't think it to look at him now
• 10:30 - 11:00 but he was the best damn sheepdog i ever seen george said i've seen a guy in weed that had an airedale compared sheep learned it from the other dogs carlson was not to be put off look candy this a dog just suffers itself all the time if you was to take him out and shoot him right in the back of the head he leaned over and pointed right there by he'd never know what hit him andy looked about unhappily
• 11:00 - 11:30 no he said softly no i couldn't do that i i had him too long he don't have no fun carlson insisted and he stinks to beat hell tell you what i'll shoot him for you then he won't be you that doesn't and he threw his legs off the bunk he scratched the white stubble whiskers on his cheek nervously i'm so used to him he said softly i had him from a pub
• 11:30 - 12:00 well you ain't being kind to him keeping him alive said carlson look a slam this [ __ ] got a letter right now i bet slim would give you one of them pups to raise up wouldn't you slim the spinner had been studying the old dog with his calm eyes yeah he said you can have pup if you want to he seemed to shake himself free for speech earl's right candy that dog ain't no good to himself i i wish somebody shoot me if i got old and crippled
• 12:00 - 12:30 andy looked helplessly at him for slim's opinions were law maybe you'd hurt him he suggested i don't mind taking care of him carlson said by the way i'd shoot him he wouldn't feel nothing i'd put the gun right there he pointed with his toe right back of the head he wouldn't even quiver andy looked for help from face to face it was quite dark outside by now a young laboring man came in his sloping shoulders were bent forward and he walked heavily on his heels as though he
• 12:30 - 13:00 carried the invisible green bag he went to his bunk and put his hat on his shelf then he picked up a pulp magazine from his shelf and brought it to the light over the table did i show you this lim he asked show me what the young man turned to the back of the magazine put it down on the table and pointed with his finger right there read that slim bent over it go on said the young man read it out loud dear editor slim right slowly
• 13:00 - 13:30 i've read your mag for six years and i think it is the best on the market i like stories by peter rand i think he is a wingding give us more like the dark rider i don't write many letters i just thought i would tell you i think your mag is the best dimes worth i ever spent slim looked up questioningly would you want me to read that for whit said well go on read the name at the bottom slimrad yours for success william tenor he
• 13:30 - 14:00 glances up at whit again what do you want me to read that for whit closed the magazine impressively don't you remember bill tenor worked here about three months ago slim thought little guy he asked drove cultivator that's him we cried that's the guy you think he's the guy wrote this letter i know it bill and me was in here one day bill had one of them books that just come he was looking in it and he says i wrote a letter wonder if they put it in the
• 14:00 - 14:30 book but he wasn't there bill says maybe they're saving it for later and that's just what they've done there it is yes you're right said slim got it right in the book norge held out his hand for the magazine let's look at it whit found the place again but he did not surrender his hold on it he pointed out the letter with his forefinger and then he went to the box shelf and laid the magazine carefully in i wonder if bill's seen it he said phil may worked in that patch of field peas
• 14:30 - 15:00 while cultivators both of us bill was a hell of a nice fella during the conversation carlson had refused to be drawn in he continued to look down at the old dog candy watched him uneasily at last carlson said if you want me to i'll put the old devil out of his misery right now and get it over with ain't nothing left for him can't eat can't see can't even walk without hurting andy said hopefully you ain't got no gun the hill i ain't i got a luger won't hurt him none at all
• 15:00 - 15:30 candy said maybe tomorrow let's wait till tomorrow i don't see no reason for it said carlson he went to his bunk pulled his bag from underneath it and took out a luker pistol let's get it over with he said we can't sleep with him stinking around in here he put the pistol in his hip pocket and he looked a long time at slim to try to find some reversal and slim gave him none at last candy said softly and hopelessly
• 15:30 - 16:00 all right naked he did not look down at the dog at all he laid back on his bunk and crossed his arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling from his pocket carlson took a little leather thong he stooped over and tied it around the old dog's neck all the men except candy watched him oh boy come on boy he said gently and he said apologetically to candy he won't even feel it andy did not move
• 16:00 - 16:30 nor answer him he twitched the thong come on boy the old dog got slowly and stiffly to his feet and followed the gently pulling leash slim said carlson yeah you know what to do what you mean slim take a shovel said slim shortly oh sure i'll get you he led the dog out into the darkness george followed to the door and shut the door and set the latch gently in its
• 16:30 - 17:00 place andy lay rigidly on his bed staring at the ceiling slim said loudly oh one of my lead mules got a bad hoof gotta get some tar on it his voice trailed off he was silent outside carlson's footsteps died away the silence came into the room and the silence lasted george chuckled i bet lenny's right out there in the barn with his pup he won't want to come in here no more now he's got a pup
• 17:00 - 17:30 slim said candy you can have any of them pull up she won't candy did not answer the silence fell on the room again it came out of the night and invaded the room george said anybody like to play a little euchre i'll play out a few with you said wit they took places opposite each other at the table under the light but george did not shuffle the cards he rippled the edge of the deck nervously and the little snapping noise drew the eyes of all the men in the
• 17:30 - 18:00 rooms that he stopped doing it the silence fell on the room again a minute passed and another minute candy lay still staring at the ceiling slim gazed at him for a moment and then looked down at his hands he subdued one hand with the other and held it down there came a little gnawing sound from under the floor and all the men looked down toward it gratefully only candy continued to stare at the ceiling sounds like there was a rat under there said george we ought to get a trap down
• 18:00 - 18:30 there wit broke out what the hell is taking him so long lay out some cards why don't you we ain't going to get no euchre played this way george brought the cards together tightly and studied the backs of them the silence was in the room again a shot sounded in the distance men looked quickly at the old man every head turned toward him for a moment he continued to stare at the ceiling then he rolled slowly over faced the wall and lay
• 18:30 - 19:00 silent