Chapter 5

Waiting at the Door

I can’t explain so deep inside
The very fabric of my soul
Only a heart that grieves such loss
Can ever truly understand

It’s like you’re waiting at the door
Until a loved one comes back home
You feel a longing in your heart
When they appear the longing stops

But in a loss that never ends
You’re always standing at that door
You feel the longing in the breeze
So incomplete and never filled

I cannot find the words to say
Just what it’s like to want forever
Never seeing them again
Just always waiting at the door

By Alison Mary Dunn

This poem shows what I think many people in this story feel to some degree. I think George is waiting for life to improve, for some sort of luck to come his way, and I think Curley's wife is waiting for someone to show her some kindness and friendship. In a sense, I think just about everybody on the farm is waiting for something, whether it be friendship, good fortune, or just happiness.

Personal Response
I liked the book version of this chapter better, because it was well written and very detailed, using lots of imagery and foreshadowing. In the beginning of the chapter the barn is portrayed as a happy peaceful place, but then we see that after the dog dies it becomes a more depressing place, and then after Curley's wife dies the barn transforms completely into a sad place. I think that no one is really to blame for Curley's wife's death, because Lenny didn't realize what he was doing wrong, Curley's wife didn't realize how dangerous Lenny could be, and George can't be expected to watch over Lenny 24/7, especially after taking care of him for all these years and keeping him out of trouble.