Of Mice and Men Chapter by Chapter Summary
Six chapters, three days and a story that ends where it began
Of Mice and Men has six chapters and takes place over about three days, from a Thursday evening to a Sunday afternoon. It begins and ends at the same quiet pool by the Salinas River.
Each chapter is built like a scene in a play, set in one place, because Steinbeck designed the book to be staged.
The six chapters at a glance
| Chapter | Day | Where | Key event |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thursday evening | Pool by the river | The plan for the farm; the dead mouse |
| 2 | Friday morning | Bunkhouse | They meet Candy, Curley, his wife and Slim |
| 3 | Friday evening | Bunkhouse | Candy's dog is shot; Candy joins the dream; Curley's hand |
| 4 | Saturday night | Crooks's room | Crooks, Lennie and Candy; Curley's wife |
| 5 | Sunday afternoon | Barn | The puppy and Curley's wife |
| 6 | Sunday afternoon | Pool by the river | George finds Lennie |
Chapter 1: By the river
Two migrant workers stop for the night by a green pool of the Salinas River, a few miles from the ranch where they are to start work. George scolds Lennie for keeping a dead mouse in his pocket and reminds him why they had to flee their last job in Weed: Lennie grabbed a girl's dress because it felt soft, and she accused him. Lennie asks to hear about the farm they will one day buy, with rabbits for him to tend. George tells him that if he ever gets into trouble, he must come back to this spot and hide in the brush.
↑ Back to the topChapter 2: The bunkhouse
At the ranch, the old swamper Candy shows them their bunks. The boss is suspicious that George does all the talking. Curley, the boss's son, takes an instant dislike to Lennie, and Curley's wife appears in the doorway, looking for her husband, which frightens George. They meet Slim, the respected mule driver, whose dog has just had puppies, and Carlson, who suggests Candy's old dog should be shot.
↑ Back to the topChapter 3: The dog, the dream and the hand
George tells Slim about Weed and why he looks after Lennie. Carlson takes Candy's old dog out and shoots it, and Candy lies silent on his bunk. Overhearing George and Lennie, Candy offers his savings to join them, and suddenly the farm seems within reach. Then Curley, looking for a fight, attacks Lennie. Lennie does not defend himself until George tells him to, and then crushes Curley's hand. Slim makes Curley promise to say it was caught in a machine.
↑ Back to the topChapter 4: Crooks
On Saturday night the other men go to town. Lennie wanders into Crooks's room in the barn. Crooks teases him cruelly about George never coming back, then admits his own deep loneliness. Candy joins them, and for a moment Crooks hopes to join the dream too. Curley's wife comes in, mocks them all and threatens Crooks, reminding him of the power she has over him. Crooks withdraws his offer.
↑ Back to the topChapter 5: The barn
On Sunday afternoon Lennie sits in the barn with his puppy, which he has killed by petting it too hard. Curley's wife comes in, lonely, and tells him about her lost dream of acting in films. She lets him stroke her soft hair, then panics when he holds on too tightly. In his own panic, trying to keep her quiet, Lennie kills her without meaning to, then runs to the hiding place George told him about. Candy finds her body, George understands at once, and Curley gathers the men to hunt Lennie down.
↑ Back to the topChapter 6: Back to the river
Lennie waits by the pool where the story began, haunted by visions of his Aunt Clara and a giant rabbit scolding him. George arrives first, carrying Carlson's pistol. He sits beside Lennie and tells him once more about the farm, asking him to look across the river and imagine it. Then, as the men's voices come closer, he ends Lennie's life himself, quickly, so that Lennie dies happy rather than at Curley's hands. Slim leads George away, and Carlson cannot understand what is wrong with the two of them.
↑ Back to the topMore about Of Mice and Men
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Q & AVikas SwarupThis guide discusses the whole plot, including the ending.