SECTION 5 Death in the barn Lennie has killed his puppy. Curley’s wife tells Lennie her life story. Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife. Lennie goes to the pool by the river. The body of Curley’s wife is found. The men set off to hunt for Lennie.

Answer these quick questions: Why does Lennie get angry with the puppy? How does Curley’s wife explain the fact that she never received a letter from Hollywood? How does Curley’s wife try to persuade Lennie that it’s safe to talk to her? How did Lennie come to kill his puppy? Why didn’t Curley’s wife’s mother let her join the travelling show? What does Curley’s wife confide to Lennie about Curley?

Imagine that a reporter from the Salinas Gazette visits Curley’s wife’s mother some time after the news of her daughter’s death. Write what she might say in response to the questions below. It must have been tough bringing up your daughter. What sort of a teenager was she? A school friend of your daughter told us that she was ambitious. What kind of ambitions did she have? How did you feel about her marrying so quickly and about her going to live on a ranch? Some people have called your daughter’s death a tragic accident rather than a murder. What do you think about that? You will need to consider: what we find out about Curley’s wife from this section of the novel how far her mother’s version of events might differ from that given by Curley’s wife the fact that it is Curley’s wife’s mother who stops her joining the travelling show, so she may be a single parent the fact that Curley’s wife does not mention having any brothers or sisters the social context — how a poor mother might see her daughter in 1930s California what name to give Curley’s wife