Of Mice and Men: ThemeTracker

The LitCharts ThemeTracker is a mini-version of the entire LitChart. The ThemeTracker provides a quick timeline-style rundown of all the important plot points and allows you to track the themes throughout the work at a glance.

	Back- story	Lennie and George work on a ranch in Weed, California. Lennie touches a woman’s dress. She accuses him of rape. George and Lennie flee Weed.
	1	Lennie and George walk toward another ranch, looking for work. Lennie can’t remember where they’re going. George explains, but then notices that Lennie is petting a dead mouse. Lennie picked up the mouse because he likes soft things, but then accidentally killed it. George says that his life would be so much freer if Lennie wasn’t with him. Lennie offers to go and live in a cave, saying that he could then keep mice there with him. But George responds that he wants Lennie to stay with him. George describes the farm he and Lennie dream of owning. Lennie talks about living off the “fatta the lan.” George tells Lennie to return and hide by the river if he gets into trouble.
	2	George and Lennie meet the boss, who is suspicious of the way that George looks after Lennie. Even so, the boss gives them work. After meeting Curley, George tells Lennie to keep away from him. Lennie promises to obey. Curley’s wife enters, searching for Curley. When she leaves, Lennie calls her “purty.” George warns Lennie to avoid her. Slim admires George and Lennie’s friendship. Carlson asks Slim about his dog’s new puppies. The dog gave birth to nine, but slim had to drown four of them because there wasn’t enough food for all of them. Carlson suggests that they shoot Candy’s crippled dog and replace it with one of the puppies. Curley again enters looking for his wife. The men go to dinner.
	3	Slim agrees to give Lennie a puppy, and again expresses admiration at George and Lennie’s friendship. George tells Slim that Lennie keeps him from becoming “mean.” Carlson persuades Candy to let him shoot his dog. He shoots the dog. Thinking themselves alone in the bunkhouse, Lennie and George talk about their dream farm. Candy overhears them and offers to contribute his life savings of $350 to their savings for the farm. George warns Lennie and Candy to keep the farm secret. Candy whispers back that he should have shot his dog himself. The men taunt Curley about his wife. Curley mistakenly thinks Lennie is also laughing at him, and punches him in the face. Lennie fights back only when George gives him permission, and then easily breaks Curley’s hand. Curley wants to fire George and Lennie on the spot, but Slim dissuades him.
	4	All the men but Lennie, Crooks, and Candy go to a brothel. Crooks tells Lennie how terrible it is to be lonely, and says, “A guy needs somebody.” Lennie accidentally mentions the farm to Crooks. Crooks tells Lennie all ranch workers dream getting of land, but none ever succeed. Candy enters and convinces Crooks that this time they’ll get the land. Crooks asks if he could go with them. Curley’s wife enters and mocks Crooks, Candy, and Lennie as being weak because they don’t go to the brothel. But she also admits that she’s sad and lonely. Crooks tells Curley’s wife to leave. She threatens to have him lynched. Crooks ceases to be interested in the farm.
	5	One Sunday, Lennie sits in the bunkhouse petting his puppy, which he has accidentally killed. Curley’s wife enters. She tells Lennie about her dreams, and let’s him stroke her hair. But he strokes too excitedly, and when she gets upset Lennie accidentally breaks her neck. Lennie sneaks away. Candy finds Curley’s wife’s body and gets George. They realize that Curley will lynch Lennie. Candy asks if this means they’ll never own the farm. George says he never really believed they’d own a farm, but had begun to believe because Lennie had. Curley rounds up the men to lynch Lennie. George knows Lennie is hiding by the river—where he told Lennie to hide—and sends the men in the wrong direction.
	6	George finds Lennie. He shoots Lennie while describing their farm. Slim tells the distraught George that he had to do it, but Carlson and Curley can’t understand what has George so upset.