In the Salina’s Valley, just south of Soledad, California, there is a ranch. A ranch with skinners, barley buckers, stable bucks, swampers, and one boss with a highly unlikeable son. George Milton and Lennie Small, having gotten into a bit of trouble at another ranch have moved to work on this one. In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, readers follow George and Lennie’s time at this ranch, their good times and their hardships. Throughout the story, the reader meets many people, including the main characters George Milton, Lennie Small, Slim, Carlson, Curley and his wife, Crooks, and Candy. Many of these characters are relatively powerless. Lennie, being developmentally disabled, is powerless because he can’t think very well for …show more content…
He is tall and extremely muscular, however he is not completely aware of his own strength. he is also developmentally disabled, so he does not quite understand what his actions could be interpreted as. When Lennie was in the barn alone with Curley’s wife, he began stroking her hair too roughly. When she tried to pull her hair away, he clung tighter, now very frightened. She interpreted this as Lennie trying to hurt her or abuse her, so she grew scared as well and began to scream. Lennie realized that if George heard her screaming, he would be mad at Lennie, so he tried to keep her quiet, covering her mouth, not realizing that she couldn’t breathe. When she still continued screaming, he grew angry, and shook her violently until he had broken her neck and killed her. Lennie used his physical power to try to keep Curley’s wife quiet, although he ended up using the power too much so that it backfired on him.
Curley’s wife is relatively powerless, however she uses her sexual power or power of gender to get what she wants. Curley’s wife is lonely in her home. She is supposed to sit there alone while Curley checks on everything at the ranch. Instead, she walks around the ranch, flirting with every man she finds slightly attractive. She talks to Lennie, and because he finds her pretty, he stares and is fascinated by her. He cannot recognize that she means trouble, so he continues to talk to her and admire her. Curley’s wife wants