Of Mice and Men

Summary: The story starts out with George and Lennie walking down a rode on their way to work on a farm. Lennie is mentally retarded and George tells him not to speak to the boss when they meet him tomorrow. That night they will just camp out by the road and George tells Lennie to go gather some sticks to cook their beans. George tells him to show him what is in his pocket and Lennie reluctantly does. It is a dead mouse and George takes it and throws it in to the river. George then goes off on Lennie about all he could do if he didn't have to care for him. They make their beans and George tells a story of what their future will hold.

Response: I think that George doesn't treat Lennie very well. Even though his mind is not as developed as his. He should still not yell at him the way he did.

The Red Pony Part 3 "The Promise"

Summary: After thinking about how well Jody took care of Gabilan, Billy Buck and Jody's father think that it would be a great experiance for Jody to care for a colt right after birth. So Jody takes his horse down to Jess Taylor's house to get bread by his stallion. Jody starts to take more responsibility on the farm and he learns how to cut hay and milks the cows every morning. Then Billy Buck and Jody who is growing impatient go to check on the horse who is bred and Jody complains that there is no change. They then talk about the birth and Jody asks Billy to promise him that nothing will go wrong and this horse won't die like Gabilan did. Billy is hurt by this because he is upset that Jody hasn't forgotten that Billy let him down. Jody then goes worried to sit under the cypress tree and imagines the colt being a hero stallion helping out the cops and winning all the rodeos. Nellie's stomach is growing faster by the day and is due in mid January. Jody is growing anxious and stays up some nights waiting for her to birth the colt. One night Billy comes to get Jody and says he is having spasms. Billy explains that their is a problem and tells Jody to leave. He doesn't and takes a hammer and hits Nellie in the head with it and starts cutting the colt out with his pocket knife. He pulls the colt out and it takes a breath and Billy tells him there is the colt. Billy feels sick inside.

Response: Jody continues to have promblems with his horses. The colt didn't die but they had to work hard to keep it alive. Hopefully the colt grows up to be a good horse and doesn't die like Gabilan does.

The Red Pony Part 2

Summary: Jody is very curious about the mountains and asks his father various questions about what is in the mountains and what comes after them and does anyone life there. He then goes off wandering and finds a perfect rock for his sling shot and shoots a bird in the head and kills it. Later as he is by the road he sees a man coming towards the house and the man says his name is Gitano and he has come back. He says his father and he were born there and he will stay until he dies. Jody's father says no but he can stay the night and leave in the morning. When morning comes, Ganito is gone and so is the farms oldest horse. A neighbor says that she saw an old man on a horse go away towards the mountains.

Response: This was an interesting chapter because the old man wanted to die where he was born. I think I would have had the same response to the old man as Jody's father did. I wouldn't even have trusted Ganito for one night because they had no clue what his background was.

The Red Pony pg. 27-47

Summary: Jody is excited but also very nervous to ride Gabilan. Billy spends hours with him teaching him the tecnique of riding. He leaves for school and leaves Gabilan outside in the coral because Billy says that it will not rain. But it rains and nobody is home to put the pony inside and Jody is scared he will get sick. Gabilan is very sick and Jody is extremely worried. Billy continues to take care of the pony and he is doing everything in his power to keep him alive. One night as Jody is staying with Gabilan he falls asleep and the wind blows the door open and Gabilan walks away. When Jody realizes he is gone he goes and looks for him and finds him dead in the pasture not far from their farm house. Jody then kills a buzzard that is trying to eat Gabilan.

Response: I think it is very sad that Gabilan died. It really made Jody upset and it is sad that he grew so close to him and then he dies.

The Red Pony pg. 7-27

Summary: The main character in the story is a boy named Jody. They live on a farm and Jody does his chores and then starts his mile long walk to school. Jody gets done with school and does more chores and then his father and Billy Buck came home from town. His father told him to get to bed because he would need his help in the morning. He wakes up and eats his breakfast and goes to the barn with his father and Billy Buck. This is where Jody sees the present that is waiting for him. It is a red pony that his father had bought for him. Jody was very excited so after school he had his friends come over to see the pony. Jody names it Gabilan which means hawk. His father says that he will have to teach him how to lead and how to take a saddle and he can ride him in 3 weeks.

Response: I think that that this pony will make Jody very happy. I am happy that he got the pony but what happens later in the story is very sad and I am interested to see how Jody handles Gabilan.

Chapter 26!

Summary: Holden tells us that he doesn't want to finish the story and that he got sick and left the apartment and went home. He is now in an asylum. He might be going to school next fall and he thinks he will apply himself. He says he misses all the people in the story that he has told.

Response: I'm glad that he fianlly went to a place where he can get help and hopefully become and normally functioning human being.

Chapter 25

Summary: Holden arrives at Grand Central Station and stays there for the night. He then decides to go to Phoebe's school and make her a note telling her to come out and talk to him. He is going to the school to talk to her to tell her that he is leaving and to say goodbye. He gets to the school and hands the note to the secretary and makes up a story to make her not look at it. He talks to the secretary for a while in order to kill time and then leaves the room and walks around the school. Finally Phoebe arrives a few minutes late carrying a suitcase and saying that she is going with him. He says no and she gets angry and won't talk to him. He tells her if she will talk to him he will take her to the zoo. They then go to the zoo and Holden finds himself growing closer to Phoebe. They get to where the carousel sets and Phoebe wants to ride it and Holden buys her a ticket and watches her ride. Holden says he is so happy he could have cried.

Response: I think it is good that Holden wants to go say goodbye to Phoebe. Im glad that he is so happy to be with her, happy enough to cry.