Section 3 Summary

Slim and George return to the bunkhouse at the end of the workday. Slim decides to give one of the puppies to Lennie. George states that Lennie is “dumb as hell,” but insists that he is not cruel or crazy. Slim appreciates the men’s friendship, lauding the fact that it is a refreshing change to witness such a friendship in a world where nobody cares for another. George narrates to Slim how Lennie and he became friends. They were born in the same town, and George took charge of Lennie after Aunt Clara, who looked after Lennie, died. George admits to bullying Lennie at first; sometimes even berating him for his own amusement. One day, he made Lennie leap into the water but he didn’t know how to swim. When Lennie almost drowned, George felt ashamed of his behavior and since that day took good care of his friend, protecting him even when he gets in trouble. He reveals what had happened in Weed when Lennie wanted to touch a girl’s red dress. When she pulled away, Lennie was scared and refused to let go till George hit him on his head to let go. The girl accused Lennie of rape, and the two men had to flee the town to escape a lynch mob.

Lennie enters the bunkhouse, trying to sneak in his puppy by hiding it under his coat. George admonishes him for taking the new pup away from its mother. Lennie returns the puppy to the litter. Meanwhile, Candy and Carlson enter. Carlson starts complaining about Candy’s smelly dog and tries to persuade him to shoot it. Candy says that he has had the dog for too many years to kill it; however, Carlson continues to pressurize him. Slim joins the conversation, suggesting that Candy would be putting a suffering animal out of its misery. Slim offers Candy a puppy and tries to coax him to let Carlson shoot his dog. Whit, another worker at the ranch, comes in and hands Slim a letter that has been published by a pulp magazine. This letter was written by a man they used to work with. The men think it is quite extraordinary to know someone who has had his letter published.

Carlson now offers to kill Candy’s dog. To make it quick, he suggests shooting it in the back of the head. Candy agrees reluctantly. Promising that he will bury the dog’s corpse, he takes it outside. The bunkhouse falls silent. A shot is heard after a moment, and Candy turns his face to the wall.

Crooks enters to inform Slim that the tar is ready to be put on the foot of a mule. After Slim leaves, the men start playing cards and discuss Curley’s wife. They agree that she will cause trouble for someone. Whit invites George to accompany them to a local whorehouse the following night. He discusses the merits of Suzy’s place over Clara’s; Suzy’s is cheaper and has good-quality chairs. George declines the offer saying that he cannot afford to waste his money on a whorehouse.

Lennie and Carlson enter. Carlson avoids Candy’s eyes and cleans his gun. Curley appears searching for his wife again. Jealous and suspicious, he enquires about Slim. The other workers tell him that Slim is in the barn. Curley storms off for the barn. He is followed by Carlson and Whit, who are hoping to see a confrontation.

George asks Lennie if he saw Slim with Curley’s wife at the barn. Lennie says no. George warns Lennie about how women can cause trouble. Lennie requests George to describe the farm that they dream to buy. As George describes it, Candy listens and becomes excited by the idea of such a beautiful place. He asks if this place really exists. George is cautious initially but reveals that the place does exist and the owners are desperate to sell it. Candy offers his own life savings in the hope that the two friends would allow him to live there too. Candy is old and handicapped; hence; he is worried about his future at the ranch. The three men agree that they will work on the ranch for a month, save enough of their money, and then make the down payment on the house. George requests the two men not to reveal their plans to anyone else. As the other men can be heard approaching, Candy admits to George that he should have shot his own dog and not let somebody else do it.

Slim, Curley, Carlson, and Whit return. Slim is annoyed at being suspected, and Curley tries to apologize. The other men start mocking Curley, which enrages him, and knowing that he wouldn’t be able to beat Slim in a fight, he itches to vent his rage on someone else. He notices Lennie who is still smiling in childlike delight, dreaming of the farm. Lennie begs to be left alone, but Curley attacks him. He punches Lennie several times, bloodying his face, and hits him in the gut. George urges Lennie to fight back. With George’s permission now, Lennie grabs Curley’s right hand and breaks it effortlessly. As Slim leads Curley away to a doctor, he tells him not to report the matter to the boss and get George and Lennie fired as then he would become the laughing stock at the ranch. Curley agrees not to have them fired, instead he plans to blame the incident on a machinery accident. George consoles Lennie, telling him that the fight had nothing to do with him. Lennie has only one fear—that he will not be allowed to tend the rabbits on their farm. George comforts him that he will.

Section 3 Analysis

Every person on the ranch is disempowered in some way, whether for their physical or intellectual capacities—Candy for his age, Crooks for his race, Lennie for his intellectual disability, and Curley’s wife for her gender. Candy is an old man, who is crippled, which makes him anxious about his future. The shooting of his dog is an example of the pitiless way of this world, where once someone ceases to be useful, he is put to death or removed from the system. This is a world where the strong prey on the weak. This applied to George too when in their childhood he bullied Lennie for his amusement. While he had a moral awakening and was ashamed of his behavior, this is an exception in the cruel nature of the world of the ranch hands, in which the weak are always at peril.

While the world Steinbeck portrays in the book offers no protection for the vulnerable, there are instances of small comforts. George and Lennie’s shared dream is one such reprieve. The possibility of a peaceful, idyllic life is such a powerful dream that it soothes the wounded mind of the men. Just like this dream was enough motivation to gather themselves after their tumultuous departure from Weed, it keeps working its charm even in this section when Curley beats Lennie. Lennie is comforted by the idea of this future. Even Candy is roused from the mourning of his dog’s death when he hears about the farm.

However, while with Candy chipping in, the possibility of making the down payment of the farm increases, events in this chapter make it clear that this paradise will ultimately not be achieved. The narrative propels forward with the eventual tragedy that will strike the men. Curley physically assaults Lennie, and his wife continues to remain a troublemaker. Further, the manner in which Candy’s dog is put down foreshadows how this world has no place for a man who is not capable in the way society dictates. Most significantly, when Candy admits that he should have shot his dog and not let a stranger do it, it foreshadows the decision George will make to kill Lennie himself rather than let Curley and the others kill him.

Women too are dangerous creatures in this world. The near-lynching incident in Weed emphasizes the danger women pose. The woman in the red dress in Weed (it is the dress that “provokes” Lennie into action) alludes to Curley’s garishly made-up wife. The only good women in the novel are women who are desexualized—Aunt Clara for example—or women whose sexual motivations are already established, in this case, women at the whorehouse. The women are as dangerous to Lennie as he is to them due to his extraordinary strength.

The fight between Lennie and Curley in the final episode of this section reveals how there is a ruthless, ferocious capacity in Lennie despite his docile behavior. This violence is sometimes inadvertent—when he kills the mouse—but this scene shows that it can be directed, and in his fury, he crushes Curley’s hand. It is only when George issues a direct order that he restrains himself. It makes one wonder what he would have done if George was absent. This incident also triggers Curley’s enmity—Lennie has not only crushed his hand (the hand that he keeps soft for his wife) but has also crushed his manhood, as he has been beaten in front of the other men and is forced to not divulge the truth to his father.