The story begins with two workers, George and Lennie getting off of a bus by a farm where they are supposed to work. Lennie is very dependent upon George for protection and guidance. He also likes to pet soft things and often ends up killing them. Even though George always says how much easier his life would be without Lennie, you can sense that their friendship is mutual. The two dream of buying a farm and farming it. The next day, the men go to the ranch they will be farming and meet Candy and his old dog, and Curley, the boss's mean son. After they work for a while they all go to have lunch where they meet Slim, the mule driver. Carson, another ranch hand, finally convinces Candy that they should kill his old dog to put it out of its misery and Slim will give him one of his new puppies. This is some big time foreshadowing of what happens to Lennie at the end of the story. Candy hears George and Lennie talking about their future ranch and offers them his life saving's if he can live there too. They make a pact to let no one else know of their plan. A couple days later Curley's wife enters into the barn where Lennie is sitting. She offers Lennie to feel her hair because it is so soft. When Lennie pulls to hard she screams. In his attempt to keep her quiet, Lennie snaps her neck. Lennie runs to go tell George of what happened while a lynch mob is being formed. George shoots his friend in the head. When the mob arrives George makes it seem like they got in a fight and he took the gun from Lennie and shot him. Only Slim understands what has happened and he takes George and they both walk away.
Lennie is a huge, clumsy, childish migrant worker. Because he is mentally disabled Lennie is completely dependent upon George. The two men share a vision of a farm that they will own together, a vision that Lennie believes in wholeheartedly. Gentle and kind, Lennie however doesn't understand how strong he really is.
