My english class recently finished reading the book "Of mice and men" and the ending confused me a bit. Before George shot Lennie, George told Candy that they can't buy the farm. Why not? They had the money. Was Lennie important for obtaining the farm, or was there never REALLY a farm for them to buy? Please explain this to me. Thanks.
2006-09-30 20:02:00 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
Can I first state... Lennie did not kill Candy!!!!
(I'm an English teacher who has taught the text many many times)
The farm was their dream... But George always thought it would never really happen. The point was that whereas most farm workers moved alone from farm to farm; Lennie and George moved together so they built a friendship. Part of that friendship was to share their dreams for the future.
Lennie, being simple, needed the dream to comfort him in a very overt way. George and the other men needed the dream too but in a less obvious way; they would never have admitted in the same terms that they all needed something to dream of.
When Lennie shared the dream with Candy and Crooks it suddenly became a real possibility because between the four of them they had enough money to actually buy some land. The dream became a possible reality for a short while.
The problem was that George knew that Lennie was simple and did not know how to behave around women. They had already run from Weed where Lennie had been accused of raping a woman, something that Lennie would never have done. George knew that Lennie was a liability.
When George kills Lennie it brings him back to reality and the futility of his life; that it amounts to nothing of substance, particularly without Lennie's friendship. How could they really have run a farm with a liability like Lennie, an old one handed man, a black man (a genuine handicap in that era of American history) with a crooked spine and George. How could they run it at all without Lennie's strength?
It was just a dream they needed to get through the harsh reality of their lives lived without the security and love of family or, in most cases, friends.
Hope that helps!
2006-09-30 22:25:45 · answer #1 · answered by Zadok 1 · 4⤊ 0⤋
They were planning on buying a farm together, it was their dream, but they never actually bought it. With all the trouble they got in they wouldn't be able to buy the farm, he knew since he just got in trouble by killing candy, he wouldn't be able to buy the farm. Lennie was important for obtaining the farm because it was all of their dream, including the man whose dog was killed. He had the money to get them the farm. There would've been a farm, but since lennie got in trouble by killing candy, he knew he'd never be able to get it, and finally George killed lenny, because it was more humane than the way the others were going to kill him.
2006-09-30 20:11:29 · answer #2 · answered by Answerer 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
we read that book last term...i think that maybe it was just a dream he had and knew he could never really do it but at one stage he thought he could but once he shot lennie he knew he couldnt because maybe lennie was a major factor like he would think of lennie every time he see's those rabbits etc...maybe there was no farm like maybe he made it up so lennie would follow with his coz he liked the company...i need to read the ending again. lol
2006-09-30 20:05:40 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Great book, I love Steinbeck. There was never a farm.
2006-09-30 20:04:17 · answer #4 · answered by Scott K 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Great book . go rent the movie!!
2006-09-30 20:06:09 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wow, it is so long ago since I read this book, that I can't remember, but thanks for the memory, I did enjoy that book.
2006-09-30 20:04:55 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋