Crooks Alternate Ending

Now Candy spoke his greatest fear. “You an’ me can get that little place, can’t we, George? You an’ me can go there an’ live nice, can’t we, George? Can’t we?”

Today Candy was listenin' in on me and Lennie havin' a chat, normally I don't like people listenin' in on me but Candy had somethin' interesting to say. He wanted to join the little dream me and Lennie 'ave got of gettin' our own little place and land and a few crops an' animals. He's got $350 to help buy the land. Since he aint no harm and he's probabally gonna die soon we decided to let him come. The dream that was just a dream is now comin' to reality just coz that old man Candy. Im gonna get hold of these old people and tell them that we are going to buy the house at the end of the month, we will have $430 and then I’d keep working on the ranch to pay off the rest.

The morning bird was playing and singing around the ranch in cool morning. The Sun rays was increasing with. Candy was sitting in the Crooks' room he was drinking tea with Crooks. "Crooks, I saved the money each and every month for more than 3 years, what should I use my money that I saved up all my life? Should I use this money to buy new farm or release our old friend?" asked Candy

For the longest time they had both talked about their desire to become landowners and to grow their own crops. All Lennie wanted was to grow alfalfa to feel to his rabbits. Their shared dreams being out of reach is apparent to the reader until Candy comes into the picture. Candy, a hardworking ranch handyman comes in with a full-fledged proposal. He offers them all of the money he saved up to fund a bit of land George and Lennie had their eyes on. In return, he would like to live on the land with them. They all agree that this is what they will do and not to let anyone know. Lennie destroys this dream by accidentally crushing Curley’s wife’s spine. George, Lennie, and Candy’s dream fails to become reality because of Lennie’s ignorance and strength.

Explanation – George makes Lennie understand why the people that work on the ranches’ are so lonely, and don’t associate with others, which is because workers don’t have anyone there for them. Unlike other workers, George and Lennie have another way to keep their distance from the loneliness - because they have each

Understanding just how important security is to his own future, Candy hopes he can tempt George with his life’s savings and seal the deal when he mentions he had no living relatives to either help him or benefit from his death. Scared and embarrassed, Candy never comes straight out and admits how ageism has affected him, but he does express his feelings of fear and his desire to feel like he belongs when he comments to George, “They’ll can me purty soon. Just as soon as I can’t swamp out no bunkhouses…” (60). Without any family or friends, without a job or any money, Candy latches on to the idea of owning land together: “An’ it’d be our own, an’ nobody could can us” (58). Unfortunately, since Candy is much older than the other ranch workers, he often feels left out and lonely amongst a group of young, healthy men. Despite his insecurities, Candy still wants to contribute something to society to help provide him with a sense of purpose and to help make him feel like someone still needs him.

While describing his vision for the ranch, he frequently mentions increased stability: “‘We’d jus’ Iive there. We’d belong there. There would’t be no more runnin’ round the country and gettin’ fed by a Jap cook. No, sir, we’d have our own place where we belonged and not sleep in no bunkhouse’” (Steinbeck 57). While living as migrant worker implies instability, having one’s own land results in comfortable permanence. George says that he would not have to “run round the country” and sleep in a bunkhouse. This illustrates the freedom of choice that only comes with ownership of a ranch. He can settle down and live on his own terms. He also stresses how having his own ranch would mean living on his own schedule, and being free from the demands of others. George says that if “'they was a carnival … or any damn thing’” coming to town, then “‘we’d just go to her,’” and that he and Lennie would not be obligated to “‘ask nobody if we could’” (61). Living as a migrant worker for several years has resulted in George being exhausted of constant authority, and having to ask for permission before partaking in anything. He realizes that when he is in possession of the ranch, he would not “have to ask nobody” for approval. This expresses an increase in personal freedom. A similar concept applies to Candy, the old

Lennie and George’s dream is to own a piece of land to work and live where they can have cows, pigs, chicken a vegetable patch with alfalfa and rabbits. “O.K Someday – we’re going

It’s been a few months since I’ve last seen and talked to you. It’s been a few months since Lennie died. That day Lennie died, the dream died, our future died. My life hasn’t been the same since. I remember saying to Lennie "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place. They come to a ranch an' work up a stake and then they go inta town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they're poundin' their tail on some other ranch. They ain't got nothing to look ahead to." Now, I am one of those guys, I’m all alone. When I left the ranch I didn’t know where I was going, all I knew was that I had to get out. I went back to the scene of where I shot Lennie,

Chapter 1: “Guys like us that work on ranches are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place.”[78]This quote sets the tone of the novel early on as a bleak and hard way to live. It helps the reader connect with George and Lennie by giving them an idea of their situation, that what makes it good.

This book is about two men named George and Lennie, who go to a ranch to earn a stake to make their dream of owning land a reality. In the novella, Steinbeck uses George and Lennie’s relationship as well as the relationship of others to focus on the importance

businesses. “all they had to do was give us justice and look at this, “he said. “This a war zone

With him losing his hand four years back and recently losing his dog, Candy knows the end of his job at the ranch is coming to a close. His dog was his last bit of family he had left and with no hope left, all he wants is a nice place to live. When he overhears George and Lennie talking about their dream home, he offers his help. “S'pose I went with you guys, I ain’t no good, but i could cook and tend the chickens. I ain't got no relative nor nothin.”

A few minutes later, Lennie returned to the bunk house from the barn. Then he asked George to repeat their dream as he often did. So George began again. When we get enough money we are going to have a little house, a few acres of land, and a few animals. We will be our own bosses and do what we want to do. Candy was still in the room and got very excited at hearing this that he asked if he could go in on it with them. George hesitated until he heard how much money Candy had saved up and

This seed is one of the foundational pieces of the whole play, perhaps it’s most important. There are numerous bits to analyze in this passage, ranging from its reflection of the American Dream during the Depression to the fact that the dream is so repeated among the two men that even dull Lennie has memorized some of it. For our purposes, it’s very important that this talk of the farm is talked about wildly throughout the play – it seems like the farm is a dream to George, a hope for Lennie, and (eventually) even a plan for Candy. It’s especially interesting that sometimes it seems the farm is the dream that keeps them going, and sometimes it is just a reminder of the lack of usefulness of dreaming.