Of Mice and Men: Chapter 2 Summary
boxer
bunk
Candy
Carlson
Crooks
Curley
dog
Lennie
right hand
Slim
stable
swamper
George Lennie
wife
George and Lennie reach the ranch and inspect the bunk house where they will be
staying. There they meet Candy, the old swamper, who is missing his right hand and
who is constantly followed by his old sheep dog. From Candy they learn about the
previous tenant, the boss; the boss’s son, Curley; Curley’s wife; and the stable buck,
Crooks. While in the bunk house our protagonists also meet the boss, Curley, Curley’s
wife, Slim, and Carlson. When the boss meets George and Lennie, he thinks they are
up to something because George doesn’t let Lennie talk. George talks his way out of it
by making up an excuse for Lennie’s mental deficiency and praising his ability to work.
In this chapter we learn that Curley is a mean little guy who was a boxer and who is
recently married. He doesn’t like Lennie right away, supposedly because Lennie is
bigger than Curley. Curley’s wife is pretty and she is also a flirt. She shows this when
she visits the bunkhouse with the excuse of searching for Curley. George has a bad
feeling about both Curley and his wife, and he tells Lennie to avoid them as much as
possible. When the other ranchers return from the fields for dinner, Slim and Carlson
enter the bunkhouse and introduce themselves. Slim’s dog just had a litter of puppies
the night before. Carlson suggests that Slim give one of his puppies to Candy so that
they can get rid of the old dog who smells and has many health problems. During this
discussion, Lennie gets excited and before going to dinner asks George to ask Slim for
one of his pups. George and Lennie are supposed to join Slim’s team after dinner to
return to the field and buck barley.