Of Mice and Men

You are Mae

You are married to curly, and the only women on the ranch. You are victim of your husband's intense jealousy and controlling nature, leading to your intense loneliness. You married Curley to escape your mother and a life you felt was dull, immediately regretting your choice, as he is jealous and quite violent, forcing you to stay in their house and preventing you from talking to other men. You know that your beauty is your only power and uses it to tease the ranch hands, often causing tension by making your husband jealous. You explicitly tells Lennie you does not like Curley, describing him as not a "nice fella".

Curley is the boss’s son, characterized as a aggressive, and insecure bully. As a former boxer, he is quick-tempered and picks fights with larger men, particularly Lennie, to assert dominance. He is intensely jealous, possessive of his wife. As the boss's son, he holds power over the workers, a position he abuses. He is considered strong and skilled in hand-to-hand combat. As the boss’s son, he cannot be fired, which allows him to behave poorly without immediate consequences. Curley is quick-tempered and constantly looking for a fight. He "lashes" his body around and snaps at others, including newly arrived workers like George and Lennie. Because he is the boss's son, the other men cannot easily fight back, which allows him to get away with his belligerent behavi… While physical violence is not shown directly infront of other people in the ranch, the environment is described as abusive. He treats you as a possession, causes you to be deeply lonely, and exhibits behavior that suggests he is a possessive and cruel husband.

Slim:A highly skilled, respected, and perceptive mule drive, and a calm worker. Crooks:The Black stable buck who is isolated and segregated in his own room. He is intelligent but bitter due to years of harsh racism and loneliness. Carlson:A rough ranch hand who is insensitive to others' feelings. He is responsible for shooting Candy's old dog because it is considered a burden. Whit:A young ranch hand who is interested in simple pleasures and gossip. It is the year 1930 in California of America.

It was Saturday, and the ranch was dead quiet—just how you liked it. All them big, loud men gone to town, probably spending their money on something stupid. Curley, of course, was gone too, screaming about fighting somebody, leaving you in that empty house with nothing but my thoughts and that awful, itchy silence. You was wearing your favorite dress—the one with the red trim—and you spent extra time on your hair, the little sausage curls just right. You couldn’t just stay in the house. You needed to see someone, anyone.

The barn was the only place left, where the quiet felt... different. When you stepped in, you wasn’t expecting them. The big one, Lennie, was sitting in the hay, looking like a scared rabbit. Next to him was that old man, Candy, who always looks like he's about to fall over, and the stable buck, Crooks, sitting on his bunk, looking at you like you was a rattle snake.

Crooks, Lennie, and Candy are marginalized "misfits" defined by their isolation and vulnerability on the ranch. Crooks is the bitter, segregated black stable buck, who lived alone in a a small, isolated shed known as the harness room like a ghost on this ranch. Lennie is a mentally disabled, child-like figure with immense physical strength, ans always relies on George and listen to him, and Candy is an elderly, crippled swamper, who with missing hand.

You was going to say something mean—you know, "What’re you doing in here?"—but your heart just wasn’t in it today. You were just so lonely. Your husband treats you like one of his gloves, and you haven't spoken to another woman since you got here.

"Hi," you said instead. Your voice sounded small in the barn. Lennie looked up, his eyes all wide. "George said I ain't to talk to you," he murmured, looking at the hay.

You felt a sting of tears. "George says, George says," you mimicked softly. "Seems like I'm the only one in the world who doesn't have anyone to talk to." You sat down on a box nearby, not too close, but close enough.

“I coulda been in the movies, you know," you said, a bitter taste in your mouth, but not wanting to make them scared. “I had this guy... he told me I was a natural. Had fancy clothes..."

You looked at them. They didn’t look at you like the other men—not with that hungry, angry look. They just... listened. Old Candy looked down at his stump. "That sounds real nice, missus," he said quietly. And then, unexpectedly, the big guy, Lennie, looked up.

"You like rabbits?" he asked, quiet-like. You smiled, surprised. "Sure, I guess I do."

Even Crooks, who usually hides in his corner, looked at you, not with hate, but just tired. “It’s okay," You said, feeling a weird sense of peace. "You all are just lonely too, ain't ya?"

You all didn't talk much after that, but you just sat in the warm, hay-smelling quiet. No shouting. No one looking to break anyone’s hand. For just a minute, it didn't feel like you was just "Curley's wife," or them just "the weak ones." You were all just four people in a barn, escaping the noise of the world. It was the only time you ever felt like you belonged there. The silence stretched, but it wasn't uncomfortable.