Their boss becomes suspicious, but he decides to let them stay because he recognizes that Lennie's size and strength will increase productivity on the ranch. As a result of this experience, George decides that when they meet their new boss, Lennie should stay quiet and let George do all of the talking. The routine reveals that this vision has been a motivating factor in the men's lives for quite some time.ĭuring the first chapter, Steinbeck also reveals that Lennie and George were forced to leave their previous job in Weed, California because Lennie tried to feel the soft fabric of a girl’s dress, and his actions were misinterpreted as inappropriate. George begins to tell Lennie about an idyllic piece of land where they will " have a little house and a couple of acres an' a cow and some pigs and-," as Lennie exuberantly interjects, "an' live off the fatta the lan' An' have rabbits'" (13). George tells Lennie to dispose of the mouse or he is not going to let him tend rabbits on the farm they plan to own one day. In a moment of foreshadowing, Steinbeck shows that Lennie has a habit of stroking soft things and killing them by accident with the force of his grip. When setting up camp for the night at the Salinas riverbed, George discovers Lennie clutching a dead mouse. He also recalls his promise to "Aunt Clara" to care for Lennie, who is incapable of caring for himself. George, though often annoyed with Lennie's childlike and troublesome behavior, recognizes that Lennie keeps him from the aching loneliness of a ranch hand's solitary life. Steinbeck demonstrates that both men need each other for emotional support. In contrast, Lennie is depicted as George's opposite: "a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, wide sloping shoulders" (2).
Steinbeck describes George as: "small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features'' (2). Of Mice and Men opens with the two main characters, George Milton and Lennie Small, walking toward Soledad, California.
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