The one word that stayed in my mind throughout part four was misfits. The entire chapter was about the misfits who were on the ranch, an old swamper who was growing too old to work, a black outcast whom no one liked, a woman who was given no rights and expected to abide to the every wish of her husband, and a worker whose child like mind couldn't keep up with his hulking body. They demeaned each other, lashed out at each other, and criticized each others dreams. This was all because each one felt bad for him or herself. They hated their situation and in all the others they could see something to be jealous of.
Candy hated that he was growing old and would soon be unable to make a living for himself and he had lost a great deal of hope especially with the death of his dog. The dog had been what tied him to the ranch and it had been his last family. But now, it was gone. He was depressed until he heard Lennie and George's plan. George seems rational and you want to believe what he says and Lennie's childlike joy helped. He began to believe in the dream and he got caught up in it as well. The dream was all he had. Later in the chapter when Curly's wife stepped in and Candy warned her he would tattle about her being there, I feel that he was being sexist, if a man had criticized his dream I feel he would have given in more easily. Still, the dream was all he had so he defended it with all his might.
Crooks had long since learned his lesson, the whites rule. Do what they say if you know whats good for you. So, he became a recluse, staying away from the whites and the cruel world. In his little room, trying to absorb himself into his few dirty books, so as not to think about painful things. I suspect Lennie was the first person to hear him rant even if he didn't completely understand it. And also, when Crooks tortured Lennie by saying George would be hurt, I feel that he was trying to get Lennie to understand his predicament since he was ignored by all and no one bothered to ever listen to him. I feel like Lennie brought a little hope into Crooks with his dream but then George arrived and Crooks realized he would never be able to share their dream. When George chided Lennie on going in Crooks's room he was once again reminded of the gap between blacks and whites.
Curly's wife was no better or worse that the rest of them. Until I heard her speak in chapter four, I thought she enjoyed being Curly's wife and was dumb. But when I heard her speak I realized she was smarter than her description made her out to be and she was no better or worse than the misfits. Just like them, she was not pleased with her situation and just did her best with the situation she was in. She had as much control of her life as the rest of them and she was discriminated against as well. The reason she spoke so meanly to them was that she hated her situation and was just lashing out.
Lennie was the most innocent of the lot and didn't understand much of what was going on. His one dream in life was to have rabbits with George. But although he wasn't aware of it, his child likeness was bringing a little hope to people's hearts. Candy how had a dream to believe in and for the first time someone had heard Crooks out. I bet there will be a scene involving Curly's wife and Lennie.
George wasn't in the actual chapter much but this chapter gave you a large perspective on what certain people though of him. To Lennie, George was and would always be like his guardian angel. To Candy, George had originally been just another rancher but now, he had pinned all his hopes on George's dream and George was the only one who knew how to achieve it. During chapter four the way he said "George said it would happen", reminded me of Lennie. It seemed that George had became his guiding light as well. Crooks, for him George was the opposite. Lennie had almost won him over but when he heard George, who didn't care for blacks and just accepted the white and black relationship norm, he went back into his shell. As for Curly's wife she didn't care much about who George was except for the fact that he didn't have any high status or had anything she may want to warrant her time.
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