2.2.1
Section 2 - Plot
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Section 2 Plot
In Section 2, the reader is introduced to the ranch and key characters, including Curley and his wife, Candy, and Slim.
The ranch
- George and Lennie arrive at the ranch and begin working. Candy, accompanied by his ancient dog, is an old man who has lost one of his hands.
- He shows George and Lennie around “the bunkhouse”, “a long, rectangular building” with “whitewashed” walls and “unpainted” floors, which is where the men live.
- George is worried that the bunks they have been given could be infested with lice.
The Boss
- Candy tells George about the Boss, who is evidently “a pretty nice fella”.
- Soon after, the Boss arrives. He is suspicious of George's relationship with Lennie because he has “never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy”.
- George persuades them that they are just cousins (which is a lie), and that “he got kicked in the head by a horse when he was a kid” (which is also a lie) to explain Lennie’s slowness.
- The Boss is satisfied and allows them to begin work.
Ranch workers
- George and Lennie then meet the other ranch workers, including the Boss’s unpleasant son, Curley, who Candy describes as “pretty handy. He done quite a bit in the ring”.
- Curley is wearing “high-heeled” boots, suggesting he has a higher status than the other workers. It seems that Curley takes a particular disliking to Lennie because he “hates big guys.”
Curley's wife
- Curley’s wife, who has “full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes” and is “heavily made up” also comes into the bunkhouse and is flirtatious with George and Lennie.
- Lennie finds Curley’s wife attractive and this worries George, who warns him to “not even take a look at that bitch.”
Slim
- George and Lennie are also introduced to Slim, a “jerkline skinner” (person in charge of the horses), who is an impressive man who moves “with a majesty achieved only by royalty and master craftsmen” and is referred to as “the prince of the ranch.”
- George is immediately drawn to him and clearly respects his authority.
- Slim is also impressed by the friendship between George and Lennie, pointing out how rare it is for two men to look out for each other in this way.
1Context & Overview
1.1Context & Overview
2Plot
2.1Section 1 - Analysis
2.2Section 2 - Analysis
2.3Section 3 - Analysis
2.4Section 4 - Analysis
2.5Section 5 - Analysis
2.6Section 6 - Analysis
3Key Characters
3.1Main Characters
3.2Minor Characters
4Themes
5Authorial Method
6Recap: Main Quotes
6.1Quotes per Section
6.2Text Structure - Quotes
Jump to other topics
1Context & Overview
1.1Context & Overview
2Plot
2.1Section 1 - Analysis
2.2Section 2 - Analysis
2.3Section 3 - Analysis
2.4Section 4 - Analysis
2.5Section 5 - Analysis
2.6Section 6 - Analysis
3Key Characters
3.1Main Characters
3.2Minor Characters
4Themes
5Authorial Method
6Recap: Main Quotes
6.1Quotes per Section
6.2Text Structure - Quotes
Practice questions on Section 2 - Plot
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- 1What has Candy lost?Multiple choice
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