The novella, Of Mice and Men, has many conflicts. Surprisingly, most of the conflicts that occurred so far have taken place in about a day! These conflicts seem to build up and continue to create the story and make it into a more 'binge-worthy', in my opinion. I found three different types of conflicts, out of the many, that help shape the novella into a interesting read.
The first and most common conflict is the situation between Curley, George, and especially Lennie. From the beginning when they first met, Curley is bitter towards them. In the novella Curley states, "By Christ, he's gotta talk when he's spoke to. What the hell are you gettin' into it for?" (Pg 25) This effects George and Lennie because they learn to keep their distance from him. They do that, but a little later on in the story, Curley and Lennie actually get into a physical fight. The novella states, "Curley's fist was swinging when Lennie reached for it. The next minute Curley was flopping like a fish on the line, and his closed fist was lost in Lennie's big hand." (Pg 63) This effects Curley's hand, which is now broken, and effects Lennie because he now feels bad and ashamed. It also causes a lie to form, in which Slim makes sure Curley doesn't say anything to anyone. This conflict is Man vs Man.
The second conflict I chose is how George feels almost obligated to care for Lennie and himself. He feels like Lennie is his responsibility ever since he promised Clara (Lennie's aunt) that he would take care of him. In the novella George states, "I got you! You can't keep a job and you lose me ever' job I get. Jus' keep me shovin' all over the country all the time. An' that ain't the worst. You get in trouble. You do bad things and I got to get you out." His voice rose nearly to a shout. "You crazy son-of-a-bitch . You keep me in hot water all the time." (Pg 11) Lennie effects George greatly because George has to think for him, and he lost his job because of him. If Lennie hadn't grabbed that girl's skirt they wouldn't be in the situation they're in right now. Not only that, but he has to keep an eye on him all the time. In other words, Lennie is a burden to George. Lennie also has to be told what to do all the time. In the novella, George tells Lennie, "Don't you even take a look at that bitch. I don't care what she says or what she does. I seen em' before, but I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her. You leave her be." (Pg 32) This reveals how George always has to make sure Lennie doesn't do anything that costs them. This is why I would consider this a problem, especially to George. This conflict is Man vs Self since George feels like it's his responsibility to care for Lennie.
The last conflict I chose deals with the timeline the novella takes place in and how that links to racial inequalities. In the short story, Crooks is known as the only 'negro' on the ranch and he is treated with less respect and importance than the other workers. In the novella Lennie and Crooks gave a conversation, "Why ain't you wanted?" Lennie asked. "'causes I'm black. They play cards in there, but I can't play because I'm black. They say I stick..." (Pg 68) This shows that back in their time black people were treated with less importance and were not considered to be friends with white people. In the novella Crooks also talked about how it felt being black to Lennie, he said, "Maybe you can see now. You got George. You know use's goin' to come back. S'pose you didn't have nobody. S'pose you couldn't go into the bunkhouse and play rummy 'cause you was black. How'd you like that? S'pose you had to sit out here an' read books. Sure you could play horseshoes till it got dark, but then you got to read books. Books ain't no good. A guy needs somebody-to be near him." (Pg 72) This shows that life back then for a colored person felt isolated and lonely. Crooks isn't allowed to do stuff with the normal workers, and he feels trapped by that. This conflict is Man vs Society.
Overall, there are many conflicts in Of Mice and Men, most of them which help develop the story. They make the story so much more captivating and give it more life. Although they mostly all take place in one day it creates a unique novella.
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