The Peripeteia

Of Mice and Men shows a perfect example of a peripeteia, or sudden change. During the story, the two main characters, George and Lennie, are desperate to earn money, in order to buy their dream home. And it seems like there’s a great chance that they will manage to scrap together the money the need, but then Lennie goes and mess it all up. When Lennie was alone in the barn with a puppy he just managed to kill, Curley´s wife walked into the barn. She sat down beside him and they talked for a while. Curley´s wife insisted that Lennie felt her hair, and Lennie just couldn’t resist, since it was so soft and beautiful.   

At that very moment, all the dreams that George and Lennie had, about having a free life, with their own house and farm, turned to smoke. It completely changed the outcome of the book. Now, Lennie had to run as a fugitive. He did as George had told him, and ran back to the clearing they had been in, in the beginning of the book. That’s where George found him.

Lennie´s big fingers fell to stroking her hair.(...) “Look out, now, you´ll muss it.” And then she cried angrily, “You stop it now, you´ll mess it all up.” She jerked her head sideways, and Lennie´s fingers closed on her hair and hung on. “Let go,” she cried. “You let go!” Lennie was in panic. His face was contorted. She screamed then, and Lennie´s other hand closed over her mouth and nose. “ Please don´t,” he begged. “Oh! Please don´t do that. George´ll be mad.”(…) she continued to struggle, and her eyes were wild with terror. He shook her then, and he was angry with her. “Don´t you go yelling,” he said, and shook her; and her body flopped like a fish. And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck.

(Of Mice and Men, 1937, Steinbeck, John, p. 102-103)

George knew that he had to kill Lennie. If he hadn´t killed him, Curley surely would have, but more painfully. It was a kind of “mercy-kill”, if there is a thing like that. Lennie was almost like a faithful dog to George. He was like old Candy´s dog. Old Candy just couldn´t get rid of him, even if he knew he was suffering. The best thing was probably to put him down, and the same thing with Lennie.

Lennie said. “I thought you was mad at me, George.” “No,” said George. “No, Lennie. I ain´t mad. I never been mad, an´ I ain´t now. That´s a thing I want ya to know.” The voices came close now. George raised the gun and listened to the voices. Lennie begged, “Le´s do it now. Le´s get that place now.” “Sure, right now. I gotta. We gotta.” And George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie´s head. The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger.

(Of Mice and Men, 1937, Steinbeck, John, p. 120)

This book really tells a harsh, but realistic ending. It is now fairytale, where everyone forgives each other and lives happily ever after. A similar book is “The Green Mile” by Stephen King. It´s about a man who’s sentenced to death. He is quite like Lennie, a big and mildly retarded guy. The death row supervisor gets to hear his story, and believes he is innocent, but can´t do anything about it. But after everything he has been through, it was best for him to die as well, no matter how harsh it might sound.

In the end, I think the message that the author is trying to present, is that sometimes it´s better for some people, if the simply died, even if I disagree with that statement. Everyone deserves a second chance, but in this case Lennie was already living on his second one. And he would have died anyway. If George hadn´t killed him, Curley would have. And if Curley hadn´t, Lennie would have ended up just like the death sentenced man in The Green Mile. So maybe, for once, it was better for him to die quickly and hopefully without pain.          

The Conflicts

There are many conflicts within this book. Every character seems to have their own conflict to fight, if not with others, with themselves, which reflects back on real life. Every person has some kind of battle to fight.

The first conflict that reveals itself is that within George, whether he should stay with Lennie or leave him behind, walking along the roads alone.“”God, you’re a lot of trouble,” said George. “I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn’t have you on my tail””(Of Mice and Men, 1937, Steinbeck, John, p.7)   

Yet George knows that it would be morally wrong to leave Lennie behind. He probably has all the right in the world to do so him, but he knows he would feel bad, since Lennie would most likely go get himself killed if he left him.    

George said, “I want you to stay with me, Lennie. Jesus Christ, somebody’d shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself. No, you stay with me. Your Aunt Clara wouldn’t like you running off by yourself, even if she is dead.”(Steinbeck, John, p. 12)

The biggest conflict in the book is still between Lennie and the ranch boss son, Curley, even though Lennie doesn’t appear to be fully aware of this conflict. Curley is quite a troublemaker, it seems. He has something against everyone on the ranch, and everyone has something against him, even his wife. She is always running around with the other guys, looking for a chance to run away from Curley and the stinking ranch. He keeps picking on Lennie, because he knows that if Lennie hits him, both George and Lennie would be caned in a blink of an eye, since Curley is the boss son, after all.

But one day Curley snapped on Lennie after Lennie laughed at a joke thrown at Curley.

Lennie looked helplessly at George, and then he got up and tried to retreat. (…)He slashed at Lennie with his left, and then smashed down his nose with a right. Lennie gave a cry of terror. Blood welled from his nose. (…) Then Curley attacked his stomach and cut off his wind. Slim jumped up. “The dirty little rat,” he cried, “I’ll get ‘um myself.” George put out his hand and grabbed Slim. “Wait a minute,” he shouted.(…) “Get ‘im, Lennie!” (…)Lennie took his hands away from his face and looked about for George, and Curley slashed at his eyes. The big face was covered with blood. George yelled again, “I said get him.” Curley’s fist was swinging when Lennie reached for it. The next minute Curley was flopping like a fish on a line, and his closed fist was lost in Lennie’s big hand. George ran down the room. “Leggo of him, Lennie. Let go.” But Lennie watched in terror the flopping little man whom he held. Blood ran down Lennie’s face, one of his eyes was cut and closed. (Steinbeck, John, p. 51-52)

It turned out that Lennie actually broke pretty much every bone in Curley´s hand. If it hadn’t been for Slim and the other guys on the ranch, George and Lennie would certainly have lost their job. But Slim and the others managed to make sure that Curley kept his mouth shut.

This tells that whenever you get in to a conflict it’s good to always have friends with you.