The first time we see George and Lennie, they're anonymous workers: two men walked in ‘single file’, ‘both were’ ‘both wore’ George ‘small, quick’, ‘nervously’ ‘sharp, strong’ ‘behind him walked his opposite’; Lennie is: ‘huge’ ‘shapeless’ like a ‘bear’ ‘the follower’ ‘like a horse’ ‘big paw’ ‘imitated George exactly’
George uses a lot of violent language: “bastard bus driver” “God damn” “damn” “Jesus Christ, you’re a crazy bastard!” “you forget an I tell you ‘em again”
Mmm, Rabbits!
Lennie “I remember about the rabbits, George.”
G “The hell with the rabbits!’ ‘the hell” “crazy bastard”
The Broken Mouse
Lennie on the mouse: “I didn’t kill it.” “I found it dead.” they elude to “do no bad things like you done in Weed”
Lennie ‘I ain’t gonna say nothin’’
Why do they stick together?
G “you’re a lot of trouble’ ‘I could live so easy’ without you”
‘flaming’ mountains and the ‘water snake’ ‘poor bastard’
“blubberin like a baby” “a big guy like you”
“you’ve broke it pettin’ it’ ‘you always killed em.”
Lennie: “I’d pet ‘em, and pretty soon they bit my fingers and I pinched their heads a little and then they was dead”
“live so easy” “no trouble. No mess”
‘Lennie’s face was drawn with terror’ ‘anguished’
George “I want you to stay with me. Trouble with mice is you always kill ‘em”
Yet More Rabbits, and the Dream:
L “Tell me - like you done before... about the rabbits”
G “you get a kick outta that”
“Guys like us that work on ranches are the loneliest guys in the world. ... They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to.” G “With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us.”
L: ‘delightedly’ “because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you.’ ‘Go on now, George.”
G ‘You got it by heart.”
L “live off the fatta the lan’” George’s feelings are ambiguous “-nuts!’ straight after he warns Lennie, if you “jus’ happen to get in trouble like you always done before, I want you to come right here an’ hide in the brush.” ... “but you ain’t gonna get in no trouble, because if you do, I won’t let you tend the rabbits.’
Millions of crazy rabbits:
“red and blue and green rabbits” “millions of ‘em”
