Conflicts And How They Affected "OMAM"

     There are certain conflicts in Of Mice And Men that affect its plot and characters. An example of a conflict changing the course of a character and the plot is Lennie versus Curley. In an earlier chapter, Curley suspects Slim of being with his wife. After yelling at him in the bunkhouse, he receives criticism from the other ranchers. He also sees Lennie smiling and believes that he's being laughed at so he starts socking him. As self defense, Lennie crushes Curley's hand and leaves a negative impression on him. This conflict and negative impression affects the plot because Curley believes he's just another troublemaker. When he sees his wife's corpse, he says: "'I know who done it,' he cried. 'That big son-of-a-bitch done it. I know why he done it. Why--ever'body else was out there playin' horseshoes.'" Curley believes that Lennie had a grudge on him. This is why he suspected Lennie first instead of Slim or George. This affects the plot because Lennie is Curley's target. Instead of getting any facts or considering other targets, he decides to lead his search party to find and kill Lennie. The plot is also affected because it causes George to kill his best friend.

     Another example of a conflict affecting the sequence of events is Curley's wife against Candy and Crooks. Curley's wife finds Lennie, Candy, and Crooks alone in the barn. After asking if they've seen Curley, she receives negative feedback from Candy and Crooks. They talk down to her because they believe she is purposefully flirting with other men. In the barn, she mentions that she doesn't want to stay in her house. She also tells Lennie that she's not allowed to talk with the ranchers when she says: "'I get lonely,' she said. 'You can talk to people, but I can't talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad.'" She reveals that Curley is possessive and doesn't let his wife chat with others. This is why she gets lonely. She's stuck in that house all day with nobody but Curley. This affects the plot because her loneliness causes her to talk with other men and go into the barn with Lennie. Her isolation made her want to talk to Lennie which lead to her death. This is how these conflicts, whether they're man vs. man or man vs. society, affect Of Mice And Men's sequence of events.