Showdown

     Curley stalked out of the barn looking white as a ghost. He paced around the yard with his hands plastered to his forehead, as he turned and looked back into the barn at his wife still lying in a motionless heap. A look of pure rage grasped him, and he turned and looked George straight in the eye.
     "I'm gona' kill that crazy big bastard!"
     "You don't think about touchin' Lennie, it ain't his fault he's as dumb as a stone" Yelled George looking into Curley's face as it turned red as a brick.
"I'm gonna tear him apart limb from limb" screamed Curley in retaliation.
"You're as blind as a bat if you can't see he didn't mean it."
"Are you as dense as a lead brick! He killed my wife, you ain't stopping me!"
The other men stood in the door way looking puzzled and confused not knowing what to do or say. It was now a Mexican standoff, as the two glared at each other. Curly being a loose cannon grabbed ahold of George and started to shake him like a rag doll, they hit the dirt and became entangled as a ball of string. Fists started flying as they continued their tumble across the ground and into the barn. Being as careful as a bull in a china shop, tools and equipment hanging on the walls were sent flying across the barn.
"You're putting the last nail in your coffin too George" Curley squealed like a pig as George socked him. Curley picked up a big hammer that was knocked to the ground and swung and missed, the hammer's blunt nose leaving a large dent in the wooden post, followed by a loud ringing. Blood was pouring from Curley's forehead as he now looked bent out of shape.
     "Why do you keep on fighting," panted Curly,"you know that he's done for, he's going to get strung up for murder."
     "I can't let that happen to Lennie, he didn't mean it" cried out George as tears started falling.
     Just then Slim, Carlson, and Whit pried the two combatants apart and pulled them away from each other. Both were panting like a pair of dogs, and around their eyes were starting to swell. A glum look crossed Georges face, as he realized that Curley was right.
    "I...I just can't... I just can't let nobody get Lennie, he's my friend, he's all i got."
    "Look," whispered Slim, "He's right, nobodies going to see this the way you do, no jury is going to believe him innocent. Even if they did they'd still be in favor of stringing him up. You got to look at it from their point of view. I'm sorry George, there's nothing else I can do or say to change anything." Curley, collapsed to the ground and started to sob like a baby, moaning and sniffling, while hitting the ground with his fists. With glowing red puffed eyes Curley looked up from the ground and looked up to the sky.
     "I never even got to tell her that I loved her."
     "Look I've got to go and find Lennie, it's best that I be the one to find him, he won't know whats going on if someone else does." whispered George into Slim's ear with a cupped hand. Slim only nodded and looked gravely back at George. George then slipped outside the circle of men, and crept past and around the barn outside of view. He the started to run like the wind with the glowing sun at his back.

Unproportional and Falsely Aclaimed

     In a completely horrible portrayal, Lennie was inaccurately played in the film Of Mice and Men. The novel written by John Steinbeck created a character who was supposed to be the stereotypical big, slow and stupid guy. He was envisioned to be well into his prime, a strong and capable worker, unlike the poorly cast character seen in the feature. Lennie was only a fair margin taller in  height compared to the other men, and was nowhere near as large in stature as Lennie was portrayed to be. The much older and nearly bald Lennie did not meet the expected criteria, as he was much more slim and of only an average build. The image of Lennie in the written saga had the deep and heavy voice of a large man, but in the feature film he once again didn't meet his expected grandeur, coming up short with his squeaky, feeble and stuttering voice. The only accurate depiction of him was his shy fascination of Curly's wife, as he peeked from the corner of his eye at her her at their first introduction, and again when he hid behind one of the posts in the barn and peered around it as she attempted to talk to him. However, Lennie was again inaccurately seen to be more violent than the book suggested. During his fight with Curly he snapped into a violent rage making him the aggressor not seen in the book. Also, during his struggle with Curly's wife he turns again immediately violent, threatening her to be quiet as he puts her into a headlock and covering her mouth, once again targeting him as an aggressor. Lennie was inaccurately portrayed in not only his physical appearance and stature, along with his behavior described the the novel.

Forgotten Amusement

     Jim sat down on the couch, put his feet up on the coffee table, and pulled out the morning paper. His wife Clair sat next to him and sipped her coffee, not saying anything. A sour look crossed her face as she frowned. A considerable time past as Jim read the morning paper.
    "So did you hear about the break and enter last night?" Jim asked his wife in an attempt to break the agonizing silence.
    "No" she sniffed in remark.
    With a great sigh he replied "I take it that you are still mad at me then?"  
    Followed by another sniff as she looked the other way she smirked "No, why would I be?"
    "Look," exclaimed Jim "I said I was sorry."
    "You forgot our anniversary!" bellowed Clair as she turned to look at him with fiery eyes.
    "I know" mumbled Jim into his hands, "I know." With hands collapsing to his knees he exclaimed "you know how things have been with work lately. I've just been swamped." With his wife still glaring at him he blurted "why did it have to be on a Thursday?"
    "How could you forget!"
    "I...I said I was sorry," Jim exclaimed, "I promise to make it up to you. This weekend I promise to take you out to dinner...just the two of us...at...at the Le Chateau Fleur De Restaurant!"
     Rolling her eyes Clair mocked " Oh really?"
     "Yes!, Yes!, I'll get on the phone and book a reservation right away" Jim declared, as he got up and rushed through the door and into the kitchen. Leaving a still disgruntled Clair to sip her coffee alone on the couch.From the kitchen came the rasp of the telephone book being flipped through and numbers on the telephone being punched. "Yes hello" Jim's voice echoed from the other room,"I would like to make a reservation for two for tonight please." A short pause followed before Jim replied "Seven O'clock would be just perfect! Thank you!" A huge sigh then followed from the kitchen. He walked back into the living room with an uncertain look on his face not knowing to smile or grimace. Clair sat there looking at him with one eyebrow raised as if to signal something to him.
     "You haven't forgotten anything else have you?"
     "Um...Oh! John, yeah I'll phone his grandmother and see if she can look after him tonight." Jim reassured himself. Jim then went back to the kitchen and made another phone call. He came and sat himself back down onto the couch beside his wife.
     "Everything is set then?" questioned Clair.
     "Yes of course!" Jim hastily replied. Clair gave him an amused smile as she got up and left the room. Jim sat on the couch and let out another sigh of relief as he rubbed his  forehead.