1. Chapter 3 To read and understand chapter 3 of the novel.

2. Let’s read chapter 3 up to p.75 Continue adding to your brainstorms of all the characters: George Lennie Candy Curley Slim Crooks

3. Candy’s Dog Candy’s dog represents the fate awaiting anyone who has outlived his or her purpose. Once a fine sheepdog, useful on the ranch, Candy’s mutt is now debilitated by age. Candy’s sentimental attachment to the animal—his plea that Carlson let the dog live for no other reason than that Candy raised it from a puppy—means nothing at all on the ranch. Although Carlson promises to kill the dog painlessly, his insistence that the old animal must die supports a cruel natural law that the strong will dispose of the weak. Candy internalizes this lesson, for he fears that he himself is nearing an age when he will no longer be useful at the ranch, and therefore no longer welcome. 1.What does this tell us about what might occur later in the novel? 2.Which characters are at risk of being ‘disposed’ of? 3.Who else might the dog be a representation of?

4. Let’s read the rest of chapter 3 Continue adding to your brainstorms of all the characters: George Lennie Candy Curley Slim Crooks Curley’s Wife (what can we learn about her from what other people say?)

5. Checking Understanding 1.What is it about Lennie’s actions in the bunk house which lead Slim to conclude that he has the mental age of a child and is not deliberately mean or wicked? 2.What does Carlson’s persistence in arguing for Candy’s dog to be shot tell us about the sort of man he is? How is Slim presented in this incident? 3.What do we learn about the characters through their discussion about buying their own ranch? 4.Why does Curley pick a fight with Lennie? Think about the size of Curley and Lennie – why didn’t he choose George instead? 5.Why does Lennie not fight back straight away? Why is it better for Curley to lie about his hand rather than tell the truth?

6. Consolidation How does Steinbeck present the relationship between George and Lennie in this chapter?