Chapter 6

Summary

Waiting for George, Lennie feels proud that he has remembered about coming to the stream, but he feels terrible about CurleyÂ’s wife. He suddenly has a vision of his Aunt Clara talking to him. She scolds him for his irresponsible behavior and for causing George trouble. When she disappears from his sight, a giant rabbit appears in her place. Like Aunt Clara, the rabbit also reprimands Lennie and adds that he is not worthy of tending rabbits. It also relays that George is very upset with him and is going to beat him, but Lennie refuses to believe it, for George has never been cruel. He screams out for George, who soon appears and quiets him. Lennie confesses his mistake, and George tries to reassure his upset friend that everything is going to be all right. In the conversation that follows, George repeats the dream to Lennie, who gets excited and asks George to buy their farm right away.

When the voices of the ranch hands come closer, George asks Lennie to look away and try to picture the farm in his mind. As Lennie stares out across the stream, George continues to talk about the rabbits and tells Lennie he will soon be in a place where no one can hurt him. As he speaks, George takes Carlson’s pistol and raises it behind Lennie’s head, without the latter noticing. George pulls the trigger, and Lennie falls down dead. Hearing the gun shot, the men rush towards the sound. They are surprised to find the dead Lennie with George standing next to him. The men ask if Lennie had Carlson’s gun, and George nods a ‘yes’. The men praise George for a good job. Only Slim has any understanding of what has really happened. He tells George that sometimes things just have to be done and insists upon buying George a drink. As they leave, Slim assures George that “you hadda. . .I swear you hadda.”

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