Synopsis:
Drifters in search of work, George and his simple-minded friend Lennie, have nothing in the world except each other and a dream - a dream that one day they will have some land of their own. Eventually they find work on a ranch in California's Salinas Valley, but their hopes are doomed as Lennie, struggling against extreme cruelty, misunderstanding and feelings of jealousy, becomes a victim of his own strength. Tackling universal themes; friendship and a shared vision, and giving voice to America's lonely and dispossessed, Of Mice and Men has proved one of Steinbeck's most popular works, achieving success as a novel, a Broadway play and three acclaimed films.

SUMMARY OF THE CHAPTERS:

1) By the pool: Our story begins a few miles south of Soledad, where we meet George and Lennie (two men who are talking about going to work on a ranch). The thing is that Lennie seems not to remember what George says, so he has to remind Lennie what are they going to do all the time.
Also, Lennie has a strange obsession with stroking things, which I think it would be an important issue for the plot.

2) Supper time: The two men have dinner by the fire. We can see Lennie is always obeying George and that he only can remember a few easy things.
George gets angry with him and starts shouting and saying unkind things (like if you weren't here I would have an easy life). Then he regrets saying that, and they start talking about their future (a kind of farm with lots of rabbits).

3) Arrival at the ranch: They arrive at the ranch, and they meet the boss, who is angry because they should have arrived earlier.
The boss is suspicious because Lennie doesn't talk, so he says he is going to keep an eye on them.
George later meets an old man (with his dog) who explains him things about Curley's wife -who is a whore- and that because of this fact he is always trying to fight someone.


4) Curley's wife: George and Lennie meet Curley's wife (she is always 'looking for her husband') and Lennie likes her (she's very pretty). George gets angry and reminds him not to do anything wrong.

5) Slim's puppies: They meet Slim (whose dog has recently had puppies) and Curley (the boss' son). Lennie wants a puppy (Brown and White) and asks George if he can talk to Slim to get one and he agrees to do it.
Curley tries to find out why was his wife there and where's now, but George avoids any kind of trouble.

6) Lennie in Weed: George explains Slim that Lennie is a good worker even though he's stupid. He also tells him they met in Album (where they were born) when Lennie was with his aunt Clara; since his aunt died they got used to each other.
They had to leave Weed because Lennie touched a red girl's dress and the woman went to the police to say that he rapped her.
After the talk Lennie comes in the bunk-house with one puppy and George tells off him like he is a child.

7) The end of Candy's dog: Carlson complains about the smell of Candy's dog (who is very old) and explains that the better option is to kill the dog because he can't see, eat or move. Slim offers one of his puppies to Candy and then Carlson shots the dog to end his life.

8) Warning of trouble: In this chapter we have on the one hand that the dog is dead so Candy is sad and in the other hand that Whit starts talking about Curley's wife, when Crooks comes in and warns Slim that Lennie is stroking his puppies. They go to the barn and Lennie goes to the bunk-house.
Curley appears asking for his wife, and he goes to the barn to look for fight.

9) Plans for the future: Lennie and George start again talking about the ranch they Will buy in the near future (with all the details) and Candy hears them, so he offers to pay a part of the Price and live and work there (due to that fact that he is old, and he lost the right-hand so the boss is going to tell him good bay son).
They agree not to tell anyone about the plans and at the end of the chapter Candy regrets about letting Carlson shot his dog.

10) The fight: Curley tries to fight Slim and then Carlson but the two men frighten him, so he tries to fight Lennie instead. Lennie at first let Curley hit him but when George encourages him to fight back he breaks Curley's hand.

11) In the harness room: Crooks, the stable man, has an own room because he's black, so he has to live a part. He tells Lennie that he's lucky owing to the fact that he has George, who is always taking care of him.
Then Candy comes in too, and they start talking about the ranch and Crooks wants to go with them (to work without being paid).

12) Another visitor for Crooks: Curley's wife comes in Crook's room looking for her husband again. She starts asking what happened with his hand, and they told her it was just an accident with a machine. She doesn't believe a word (she finally realizes it was Lennie's fault because he has bruises in his face) and they tell her about the ranch. When George comes back they leave Crook's room and the stable man tells Candy to forget everything he has said before. Then he continues putting cream in his back.
13) Death in the barn: Lennie kills his puppy by stroking him, and he tries to hide the body with hay when Curley's wife comes in the barn and starts explaining him her life (she wanted to be an actress but her mum didn't let her, so she married Curley to be out of Salinas).
She lets Lennie stroke her hair until he becomes to do it harder and when she starts crying he kills her (breaking her neck by mistake) and escapes to the forest (where George told him to hide if he was in trouble).

14) What will happen to Lennie: Candy finds out the body and calls George. They pretend that George hasn't seen the body (to avoid becoming suspicious) so Candy has to tell the other men.
Candy has to stay there waiting for the sheriff but the rest of them go to find Lennie (George wants him to be in prison but Curley wants to shoot him).

15) Back to the pool: George finds his friend next to the pool, and he convinces Lennie to look away at the river while he is explaining again the ranch's story. When George is behind Lennie he shoots him with Carlson's pistol to end his life.
Finally, the other men fins George and Slim tries to confort him.

Kisses,

Myn