The light was growing soft in the barn

Now it´s Curley's wife who relieves herself with Lennie and tells him that if some things had not been distorted she wouldn´t be there.

What this woman liked was to be an actress and in a couple of occasions she almost succeeded, but, both the two-bit actor who went through Salinas and the guy who was in pitchers from whom he expected a letter of recommendation, failed her. Because she didn't find anything better, that's why she married Curley.

On page 104 there´s a phrase that´s the proof of the magnificent inner observation that this writer had. He´s referring to Curley's wife and writes:

And the meanness and the plannings and the discontent and the ache for attention were all gone from her face.

Meanness, plannings, discontent, ache for attention; here is — in a nutshell — the character of the boss´ daughter-in-law.

The chapter ends with the disappearance of Lennie and the posse that goes out to search. Steinbeck´s cliffhanger.

From my Borstal.

LDR

Of Mice and Men. John Steinbeck. Pocket Penguin Classic. London, 2006.