By John Steinbeck
Read in 9th grade
George and Lennie have traveled to a ranch in the countryside. George is a small, intelligent man, while Lennie is massive, but has the brains of a child. Lennie got them in trouble by trying to touch a girl. Just liked the dress, he says. When she panicked, he wouldn't let go because he didn't know what to do, and he hid with George in a ditch until they could get away. They have decided to work on the ranch and make enough money to buy their own place, with rabbits for Lennie. When they get there, they meet the owner, who is nice enough, but his son is the problem. His son is a fighter with a flighty wife, always afraid the men on the ranch are after her. He is especially wary of Lennie because of his size. George tells Lennie to steer clear of Curly, and not to brawl unless he says so. For a day, everything is fine. The duo even finds an old man who is willing to add his money to their funds. However, Curly soon fights with Lennie, during which his hand is crushed. Meanwhile, Curly's wife attempts to talk to Lennie, who denies her, being under strict orders from George. When she persists, asking her to feel how nice her hair is, he does, for he loves stroking things. His tendency to hold on too hard, though, has resulted in the death of a dog and a mouse. When Curly's wife tries to pull away, he won't let go, accidentally killing her.Curly and his buddies conduct a manhunt, and George is forced to go along to avoid suspicion. He finds Lennie first, and reassuring him with images of what the farm they were going to buy would've looked like, kills him. He couldn't bear to have anyone else do it.
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