Epilogue: of mice and men
This is an epilogue that I wrote for the book Of Mice And Men. I wrote this in my English class.
EPILOGUE: OF MICE AND MEN
It was quiet in the night, with this eerie silence hanging in the air. There was this uncomfortable aura blanketing the entire dreary room. All the men sat, contemplating in silence, on their hard, shapeless beds. Curley slumped on his bunk with a grief-ridden, sullen face, with this depressed drunk look in his eyes. He would occasionally take a sip out of the almost empty whisky bottle in his hand, staring at the empty ones littering the floor by his feet. Everyone in the room could feel a lonely vibe radiating off of him. On the other side of the room George was sulking, not on his bunk, but on Lennie’s. Without even knowing what happened, you could look at him and see remorse and loss written all over his face and in his posture.
“This isn’t helpin’ anythin’ or anyone,” Slim spoke up, “we need to clear our heads.”
At that Curley stood up with the bottle in his hand and attempted to leave through the old wooden door. Slim pressed a hand to his chest and said, “Oh, no you don’t! You’re staying here with us. You are not going to get into some useless bar fight and get your ass beat!”
“We should do something,like go to a cat house or somethin’ to, ya know, get our minds off everything that’s gone on. Don’t ya think?” someone spoke up from the other side of the room.
Then almost simultaneously most everyone shouted different things they wanted to do, like drinking or gambling, and some agreed with the first person who wanted to go to the cathouse.
Then George spoke up, “Why don’t we just work?”
Everyone went silent.
“LIke go out into the fields and do our jobs to just think and work out our problems our own way while earning some money while doing it,” he finished.
There were murmurs around the room and then they all started nodding their heads at George. Within minutes they were all outside in the fields, even Curley.
“Alright, ya all know what yer s’posed to do. Now get to.” Curly yelled out.
George and Slim looked at each other.
Slim spoke up, “Oh no, yer gonna work too, ‘cause it’s you who needs the diversion. Of course we need it too after all that went down not too long ago, but it’s you who…”
“NO I DON’T! IM FINE! IT’S ALL YOU THAT ARE THE YELLOW BELLIES WHO CAME UP WITH THIS BALDERDASH!” Curley screamed at the the men while stepping towards Slim and shoving him with both hands.
Slim threw his hands up in frustration, then screamed, “FINE! YOU DO WHAT YA WANT! GO TO A DAMN BAR, AND GET DRUNK TO FORGET ABOUT EVERYTHING! BUT GUESS WHAT? SHIT LIKE THAT DOESN’T GO AWAY! YOU HAVE TO FACE IT HEAD ON AND GRIEVE OR WHATEVER BUT DON’T THROW YOUR LIFE AWAY, ‘CAUSE IT WON’T JUST AFFECT YOU! SO IF YOU WANT TO RUIN EVERYONE ELSE IN YOUR LIFE, GO RIGHT AHEAD. ‘CAUSE, WHAT DOES IT MATTER? IT’S NOT LIKE WE ALL HAVE A LIFE OR ANYTHING, OR THAT WE HAVE FEELINGS, OR THAT WE HAVE PROBLEMS OF OR OWN! SO GO AHEAD AND SCREW ALL OF US OVER, ‘CAUSE THATS WHAT ALL Y’ALL AT THE TOP ARE GOOD AT, SCREWING ALL OF US OVER, ISN’T IT?”
Slim sighed, taking a deep breath after yelling all of that in Curley’s face. He had just realized that everyone had gone silent, and was staring at him in amazement. He then stormed off towards the bunkhouse, murmuring about getting some sleep.
It was George who spoke up next, “How about we all just get some rest and then get back to work tomorrow, huh?”
They eventually all went back to the bunkhouse after standing there a few more moments.
Once all were asleep, George stood up and walked to the window. All was quiet as George stared out the window at the stars, “Why Lenny? Why did you have to go and kill her? We could’ve had a good life, you and me. At the ranch, with the rabbits, and the berry patch. Why did you have to go and ruin it for us? You know what I promised that aunt of yours, now look at what you’ve made me go an’ do.” He slowly looked away, shaking his head. His gaze landed on the old man, Candy, standing beside him.
“It wasn’t your fault, ya’ know,” Candy said gruffly.
“Yeah,” he sighed, “I know.”
“And ya’ know it wasn’t his fault either, right?” George hesitated in responding. “He wasn’t all there so it wasn’t all his fault.”
This time George responded, yet slowly, “Yeah...I know,” as he sighed in defeat.
“This isn’t helpin’ anythin’ or anyone,” Slim spoke up, “we need to clear our heads.”
At that Curley stood up with the bottle in his hand and attempted to leave through the old wooden door. Slim pressed a hand to his chest and said, “Oh, no you don’t! You’re staying here with us. You are not going to get into some useless bar fight and get your ass beat!”
“We should do something,like go to a cat house or somethin’ to, ya know, get our minds off everything that’s gone on. Don’t ya think?” someone spoke up from the other side of the room.
Then almost simultaneously most everyone shouted different things they wanted to do, like drinking or gambling, and some agreed with the first person who wanted to go to the cathouse.
Then George spoke up, “Why don’t we just work?”
Everyone went silent.
“LIke go out into the fields and do our jobs to just think and work out our problems our own way while earning some money while doing it,” he finished.
There were murmurs around the room and then they all started nodding their heads at George. Within minutes they were all outside in the fields, even Curley.
“Alright, ya all know what yer s’posed to do. Now get to.” Curly yelled out.
George and Slim looked at each other.
Slim spoke up, “Oh no, yer gonna work too, ‘cause it’s you who needs the diversion. Of course we need it too after all that went down not too long ago, but it’s you who…”
“NO I DON’T! IM FINE! IT’S ALL YOU THAT ARE THE YELLOW BELLIES WHO CAME UP WITH THIS BALDERDASH!” Curley screamed at the the men while stepping towards Slim and shoving him with both hands.
Slim threw his hands up in frustration, then screamed, “FINE! YOU DO WHAT YA WANT! GO TO A DAMN BAR, AND GET DRUNK TO FORGET ABOUT EVERYTHING! BUT GUESS WHAT? SHIT LIKE THAT DOESN’T GO AWAY! YOU HAVE TO FACE IT HEAD ON AND GRIEVE OR WHATEVER BUT DON’T THROW YOUR LIFE AWAY, ‘CAUSE IT WON’T JUST AFFECT YOU! SO IF YOU WANT TO RUIN EVERYONE ELSE IN YOUR LIFE, GO RIGHT AHEAD. ‘CAUSE, WHAT DOES IT MATTER? IT’S NOT LIKE WE ALL HAVE A LIFE OR ANYTHING, OR THAT WE HAVE FEELINGS, OR THAT WE HAVE PROBLEMS OF OR OWN! SO GO AHEAD AND SCREW ALL OF US OVER, ‘CAUSE THATS WHAT ALL Y’ALL AT THE TOP ARE GOOD AT, SCREWING ALL OF US OVER, ISN’T IT?”
Slim sighed, taking a deep breath after yelling all of that in Curley’s face. He had just realized that everyone had gone silent, and was staring at him in amazement. He then stormed off towards the bunkhouse, murmuring about getting some sleep.
It was George who spoke up next, “How about we all just get some rest and then get back to work tomorrow, huh?”
They eventually all went back to the bunkhouse after standing there a few more moments.
Once all were asleep, George stood up and walked to the window. All was quiet as George stared out the window at the stars, “Why Lenny? Why did you have to go and kill her? We could’ve had a good life, you and me. At the ranch, with the rabbits, and the berry patch. Why did you have to go and ruin it for us? You know what I promised that aunt of yours, now look at what you’ve made me go an’ do.” He slowly looked away, shaking his head. His gaze landed on the old man, Candy, standing beside him.
“It wasn’t your fault, ya’ know,” Candy said gruffly.
“Yeah,” he sighed, “I know.”
“And ya’ know it wasn’t his fault either, right?” George hesitated in responding. “He wasn’t all there so it wasn’t all his fault.”
This time George responded, yet slowly, “Yeah...I know,” as he sighed in defeat.