Before meeting the boss, George instructs Lennie to keep his mouth shut and let him do all the talking. George fears the boss will let them go if he discovers Lennie is mentally disabled. In the current economic climate, finding a steady job is rare and difficult. George does not want to lose an opportunity to earn some money and plans on speaking for Lennie. Unfortunately, Lennie opens his mouth by repeating George and reveals his mental disability. The boss immediately notices that something is wrong with Lennie and calls George out for answering all of the questions.
This is exactly the situation George hoped to avoid and comes to Lennie's defense by mentioning that he is strong as a bull and will do anything asked of him. When the boss suspects that George is taking advantage of Lennie by stealing his wages, George is forced to lie about his relationship with him. George proceeds to tell the boss that Lennie is his cousin and was kicked in the head by a horse when he was a boy, which explains his mental handicap. The boss simply cannot understand why two men would travel and work together. Migrant workers typically traveled alone, which makes George and Lennie's situation unusual. George lies about being Lennie's cousin to make their unique relationship more believable. George realizes the boss will never comprehend their friendship but can understand why he is looking out for a family member.
George lies to the boss because if he realizes that Lennie’s mental deficiency is a threat they won’t get the job.
George lies and tells the boss that Lennie is his cousin, and that they left the job in Weed because it was done. George tells the boss that Lennie is not smart, but does not tell him he’s mentally challenged.
When the men arrive at the ranch, they are already in trouble because they were late. The boss is not happy about it. He asks them questions, but only George answers them. The boss begins to get suspicious.
George broke in loudly, "Oh! I ain't saying he's bright. He ain't. But I say he's a God damn good worker. He can put up a four hundred pound bale." (ch 2)
The boos thinks that Gerge might be taking Lennie’s pay because he is talking for Lennie. He assumes that since George seems to be in control, he is taking advantage of Lennie.
George has to be careful, because if he annoys the boss they might not get the job. He needs to walk the fine line of protecting Lennie and not making it seem like he needs protection. If Lennie is mentally challenged, the boss might not want him to work.
George finally makes up a story that he thinks the boss will buy.
"He's my... cousin. I told his old lady I'd take care of him. He got kicked in the head by a horse when he was a kid. He's awright. Just ain't bright. But...
See This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this answer and thousands more. Enjoy eNotes ad-free and cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
he can do anything you tell him." (ch 2)
The boss finally concedes that “he don't need any brains to buck barley bags” (ch 2). When George tells him they left because the job was done, he seems to accept the explanation. He warns George not to pull anything over on him, telling him that they better not be wise guys.
George’s relationship with Lennie is an unusual one. This situation is an example of how George is constantly on the defensive. He never knows what Lennie is going to do, and what trouble they are about to get into. It cannot be easy for George, and he sometimes has to stretch the truth to protect Lennie
George does this because the boss picks up on the fact that Lennie is mentally slow and suspects George is travelling around with him simply in order to take advantage of him and steal his pay. George therefore pretends that Lennie is his cousin and that is why he looks out for him. The boss isn't entirely convinced, though. This shows how the ranch workers generally tend to keep themselves to themselves, avoiding close connections like the one that exists between Lennie and George. The boss simply can't understand why a drifting ranch hand like George would care so much about a co-worker. This is rather a sad indictment on human relationships such as they are portrayed in the novel. George and Lennie’s friendship is presented as being virtually unique in the world of the novel.
George lies about his relationship to Lennie so that they can get a job at the ranch. This is his primary reason. Why is this lie necessary to secure the job?
Friendships like the one shared by Geore and Lennie are not common among the itinerant workers of the area. As the two repeatedly tell one another, they are not like the other wandering ranch hands who are characterized by solitude.
"With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us."
George does not want to attract special notice or special scrutiny. This is one reason he lies to the boss about his relationship with Lennie, though the boss is certainly suspicious at first.
George allays his suspicions, at least for the time, and he lies to the boss, saying that Lennie is his cousin who was kicked in the head by a horse when he was younger.
Another important reason behind George's lie relates to Lennie. George feels that it is best to keep Lennie's mental deficiencies secret. This means that he has to excuse the fact that he is doing all the talking for Lennie, while also communicating Lennie's competence.
This is a difficult balance and George chooses a truly excellent cover story to strike the necessary balance in his presentation of Lennie as someone who he is (1) looking after for understandable reasons and (2) who can do the work required of him.
Why does George lie about the gun in the last chapter Of Mice and Men?
In Steinbeck's powerful novella, danger looms over George Milton and Lennie Small from the very beginning. Dispossessed and alienated from others, George knows that he must be very wary of associations with others, especially those that involve the childish man with animal strength, to whose aunt he has sworn to protect. As certain foreshadowing of tragedy, in Chapter 1 there is the allusion in George's conversation to the incidents in Weed in which Lennie clutched a pretty girl's skirt too insistently, causing her to scream in fear, an act that resulted in the men's having to flee the area.
In Chapter 5, Lennie sits in the barn. Having petted the puppy too much when it was not yet whelped, the puppy dies. "Why do you got to get killed?" Lennie asks, uncomprehendingly. Lennie covers it with hay and decides to tell George that he has found it dead. With foreboding, Lennie whispers, "Now I won't get to tend the rabbits. Now he won't let me," rocking back and forth in sorrow. But it is not long before Curley's wife enters and wants to talk because, she says, "I get awful lonely." As she talks with him, Curley's wife draws attention to her hair, she tells Lennie he can touch it. "Lennie's big fingers fell to stroking her hair," but she becomes frightened and starts to scream; Lennie tries to quiet her, but she struggles under his strength. Panicking, he tightens his hold upon her, until she collapses from a broken neck.
In Chapter 6, Lennie flees to the area where George has instructed him to go; in the meantime, George discovers what has happened. As he stands in the barn with Candy, George says he must retrieve Lennie who will starve on his own, but Candy suggests that they let him go because Curley will want to get him lynched. "Curley'll get 'im killed. George agrees. Therefore, to keep from being implicated, George returns to the bunk house with the plan for Candy to be the one to have "discovered" Curley's wife's body.
After Candy leads the other men to the barn, Curley vows to kill Lennie with his shotgun, and Carlson says, "I'll get my Luger." George tries to convince the men that they could bring Lennie is because he is "nuts...He never done this to be mean." Slim agrees, but points out that Curley will not be satisfied; he wants to shoot Lennie because he is "still mad about his hand." Soon, Carlson rushes in, accusing Lennie of having stolen his gun. George again pleads with Curley not to shoot Lennie.
"Don't shoot 'im?" Curley cried. "He got Carlson's Luger. 'Course we'll shoot 'im."
George said weakly. "Maybe Carlson lost his gun."
"I seen it this morning," said Carlson. "no, it's been took."
George has lied about the Luger because he has taken it; he does not want to admit this act as the men will believe he is involved in Curley's wife's death and hurt him, too, and he will not be able to accompany the men and intercede for Lennie when they find him, or to take action on his own.
Why does George lie about the gun in the last chapter Of Mice and Men?
At the end of Chapter Five of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men the ranch hands, including a very angry Curley, prepare to go after Lennie when Curley's wife is found dead in the barn. When Carlson goes to retrieve his Luger pistol he discovers it missing and blames Lennie, claiming, "The bastard's stole my Luger" which prompts Curley to order the men to shoot for Lennie's "guts." George immediately lies, suggesting that Carlson has lost his gun. In reality, George has taken the gun with the idea of killing Lennie himself. George most certainly remembers the words of Candy who insists that he should of shot his dog himself. George's decision is further strengthened when Slim tells him that it wouldn't be good for Curley to get to Lennie first or for Lennie to be locked up and strapped down. In the end, George uses the Luger to shoot Lennie in the back of the head.
Why does George tell Lennie white lies in Of Mice and Men?
George tells Lennie white lies to make him feel better and make him happy.
A white lie is a harmless lie. You might tell someone you think their shirt looks nice, for example, when you really think it’s hideous. The person is happy, and you did not hurt anyone’s feelings. That is what makes it a white lie. We usually tell white lies to make another person happy.
The biggest lie George tells Lennie is that they are going to buy some land and raise rabbits. George knows this is not likely to ever happen, but it is a dream that he can use to entertain and soothe Lennie. As migrant farm laborers, their lives are dull. They do not have much, so being able to hold onto that dream makes them feel better. Lennie just doesn’t realize it isn’t real.
Lennie has special needs. He has the mind of a child. For this reason, George often treats him like a child. Just as you might tell a child that his dog went to live on a farm, instead of saying it died, George lies to Lennie to keep him happy.
George tells Lennie that the two of them are different from most guys because they have a future. They are going to buy land some day and live off the fat of the land. Hearing about this mythical land makes Lennie deliriously happy. George talks about it when he wants to focus Lennie, or just cheer him up.
"Good boy! That's fine, Lennie! Maybe you're gettin' better. When we get the coupla acres I can let you tend the rabbits all right. 'Specially if you remember as good as that."
Lennie choked with pride. "I can remember," he said. (Ch. 1)
Over the years, George has found ways of dealing with Lennie. Since Lennie does not know what is going on most of the time, George has to look out for both of them. The dream of the land makes him feel good too, even if it is just a fantasy.