George: Hey, your name wouldn't happen to be Jack would it.
Jack: Why yes, yes it is...
George: I heard what happened on that deserted island...were those stories true? How did you justify the killing of several other boys? The reason I ask is not to put you on the spot, but to help me mentally justify what I did to someone close to me?
Jack: How did you hear about that?! I'd rather not talk to much about it, it's a sore subject! Why what did you do that is bothering you so much?
George: Well... I... I...put a bullet through my brother (Lennie's) head the other day but it had to be done. He was going to be killed either way so I did the only thing I could think of to protect my life and to end it quickly for him. You see he had a slight disability where he wasn't completely right in the head and he had this passion for touching/holding onto soft things. When he was little this was never a big deal but as he got older and much stronger he began to lose touch with how strong he really was. As Lennie got older his love for soft things grew but the way he handled them became disasterous. Lennie was so strong that many of the things he held onto would be killed under the pressure from his strong hands.
Jack: Wait, just because he had a disability and a bizzar passion, you thought you could kill him?!
George: Hold up one second Mr. Perfect! You haven't heard the whole story yet. Well as i was saying he had this desire to touch and squeeze the life out of soft things. At first, he only killed rats, rabbits, and other small animals until one day he killed a puppy that belonged to the owner of a farm we both worked on. Not only did he kill that puppy he killed the that man's wife without realizing what he had done. I did what I had to, he was a dangerous man.
Jack: Yeah, I guess but he was still your brother.
George: How can you say that, look what you did in your past. You were in charge of a hostile group of boys that killed several other innocent boys and were in the attempts to kill Ralph too.
Jack: Hey! Stop there! Thats completely different! I was doing all I could to protect my followers from the beast while also occuping them with pig hunts. I was a good leader who looked out for his one, I didn't kill them because they messed up once.
George: You killed innocent people! How can you say thats justifiable! I did something that had to be done in order to protect others down the road. Plus, he was going to be killed anyway and probably in a worse way! You know what I don't care what you say! Were done here! Good Day! Sorry I wasted your time!
Jack: Whatever! Go on a live your life knowing you killed your own brother!
(Both Jack and George turn and head their own seperate ways).
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
Kristy Hoffman 4th hour
Kristy Hoffman
4th hour
Willy: At least you work hard and know where you are going in life. I have sons
that don't respect me and the sacrifices I've made for them.
George: I settled here for the opportunity it offers me and the chances I get to make something of myself and make my life worth while.
Willy: My sons Biff and Happy just don't seem to get the concept to be successful. I keep trying to pound in their heads that in order to be successful you have to work hard and push that little more even when you feel like giving up.
George: Yeah I work hard on the farm, but I am appreciative of what I can do and accomplish with my life.
Willy: I have made a lot of sacrifices for my sons and they don't seem to acknowledge it. I drive a lot of miles to put food on the table for my family and they don't even care. I have a very loyal wife, Linda, who stands behind me and tries to get the boys to listen, but they won't here us.
George: Yeah I know what you mean.
Willy: I want my boys to be successful and have a good life, but in order to do that you have to have your priorities set and in place. You have to be willing to work hard and strive for the goals that you have set for yourself to become a better person. I am pretty sure my sons want to have a good life they just do not want to work for it. They want to take the easiest way out and it is very stressful and frustrating for me.
George: Yeah I have a similar situation with Lennie. I wanted him to have a job on farm and told the employer he is a good worker and all you need to do is put him to work, but they were a little bit apprehensive about giving him a job because he is a little different.
Willy: Basically I think human beings just want the best for the people they love and care about and it kills us when they do not want the same thing. Or when those people do not take advantage of what is right in front of them until it hits them in the face, but by then it may be too late which is unfortunate.
George: I agree with you. Thanks for talking with me it was nice to have someone going through the same thing talk about. Thanks
4th hour
Willy: At least you work hard and know where you are going in life. I have sons
that don't respect me and the sacrifices I've made for them.
George: I settled here for the opportunity it offers me and the chances I get to make something of myself and make my life worth while.
Willy: My sons Biff and Happy just don't seem to get the concept to be successful. I keep trying to pound in their heads that in order to be successful you have to work hard and push that little more even when you feel like giving up.
George: Yeah I work hard on the farm, but I am appreciative of what I can do and accomplish with my life.
Willy: I have made a lot of sacrifices for my sons and they don't seem to acknowledge it. I drive a lot of miles to put food on the table for my family and they don't even care. I have a very loyal wife, Linda, who stands behind me and tries to get the boys to listen, but they won't here us.
George: Yeah I know what you mean.
Willy: I want my boys to be successful and have a good life, but in order to do that you have to have your priorities set and in place. You have to be willing to work hard and strive for the goals that you have set for yourself to become a better person. I am pretty sure my sons want to have a good life they just do not want to work for it. They want to take the easiest way out and it is very stressful and frustrating for me.
George: Yeah I have a similar situation with Lennie. I wanted him to have a job on farm and told the employer he is a good worker and all you need to do is put him to work, but they were a little bit apprehensive about giving him a job because he is a little different.
Willy: Basically I think human beings just want the best for the people they love and care about and it kills us when they do not want the same thing. Or when those people do not take advantage of what is right in front of them until it hits them in the face, but by then it may be too late which is unfortunate.
George: I agree with you. Thanks for talking with me it was nice to have someone going through the same thing talk about. Thanks
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
MITCH RAECK FINAL CONVERSATION- CAPT. BEATTY and GEORGE
(We find George and CAPTAIN BEATTY sitting in a comfortable room, with a small coffee table in front of them. There is another, smaller seat between them. BEATTY and GEORGE have glasses of water in front of them. THE MODERATOR walks in and sits in the open chair. He speaks :)
MODERATOR: Hello, everyone, I just wanted to thank you both right now for joining our little chat. This will be rather brief as I’m sure you are both very busy.
BEATTY: Yes. I have a fire station to run, after all.
MODERATOR: Well then, let’s get started. An often heard phrase is “ignorance is bliss.” Do you think this phrase is true?
GEORGE: Yes I do. My buddy, Lennie, was like that. He wasn’t all that smart, but he was happy. Probably the happiest guy I ever met. And he didn’t know nothing about the world or people or stuff like that.
BEATTY: I’m going to have to agree with my counterpart, here. In my society, books are illegal, and therefore, knowledge is illegal. The citizens are quite content with their blissful ignorance. They don’t know anything, but still are enjoying themselves.
GEORGE: Yeah, Lennie, unlike me, didn’t understand how the world worked, but he sure was happy. He died a happy man. Something a lot of us can’t say. My life hasn’t seemed that great, and I think what I know about the world and people have something to do with it.
BEATTY: You’re on to something. Matthew Prior said “From ignorance our comfort flows. The only wretched are the wise.”
MODERATOR: Very true, very true. Now, another question: Do you enjoy solitude, or “alone time?”
GEORGE: You know, I spent a lot of time with Lennie, so I didn’t have a whole lot of “me time,” but when he wasn’t around, I usually kept to myself. I’m always playing solitaire. I guess you could say that was my alone time.
BEATTY: I’ve always been a solitary man. Ever since I was growing up, it’s just been me and my books. Of course, once they embargoed books, I had to start interacting with people, but I’ve always taken advantage of my time alone.
GEORGE: I’ve never really designated time for just me. I’ve always had to keep one eye on Lennie, making sure he isn’t getting into trouble.
BEATTY: What is it with you and him? Why do you have so much compassion for another person when you aren’t even related?
GEORGE: Well, I never really had a lot of friends, and his Aunt Clara always wanted me to look after him, so when she died, he just kind of started following me around. I really took a liking to him.
BEATTY: I see…
GEORGE: Well, it turned out that he couldn’t live without me, and I couldn’t live without him. Jeez, he was one in a million. (He starts getting choked up…)
BEATTY: Ah, yes. You two were total opposites, yet you needed to be there for each other. Henry Adams once said “One friend in a lifetime is much; two are many; three are hardly possible. Friendship needs a certain parallelism of life, a community of thought, a rivalry of aim.”
GEORGE: I know all I needed was Lennie. (Sighs)
MODERATOR: Well, growing off from that, here’s another question: Do you think that it’s right for someone to die for the greater good?
(GEORGE is silent.)
BEATTY: Well, if it’s a rule breaker, of course. Laws are there for a reason, and if someone gets in the way of those laws, they must be punished.
GEORGE: (Exasperated sigh) Lennie was a really great guy. He had to die. I couldn’t have him die afraid, or confused. In the end, it was for his own good. It was for my own good.
BEATTY: Well, I had to make a tough decision like that, too. Mind you, it wasn’t over the death of my own living best friend, but it was over the death of my figurative best friends: Books. When books were declared illegal, I had to make a difficult decision, but the law is the law. I didn’t want to be a lawbreaking hooligan. So I decided to give up on my passion of learning.
(Slight pause)
How, might I ask, did Lennie die?
GEORGE: (fighting off tears) Well, he got in some trouble, he accidently killed a higher-up’s wife, and they were coming to get him. We had a meeting spot for when he would eventually get into trouble, and I found him there. He was pretty scared. So I reminded him of our dream to own our own farm… (breaks, takes a deep breath) … and how he got to feed the rabbits. He was happy… and then I shot him in the back of the head (sobs). My best friend… (continues to sob)
BEATTY: I’m sorry I asked.
GEORGE: (regaining composure) But… it was for his own good. Like I said, he died a happy man.
MODERATOR: All right, thank you George. It must be very difficult to bring up that topic.
GEORGE: It’s all right, I guess it’s good for me to get this all out.
MODERATOR: All right then, moving along. Here is a rather different question: Do you consider yourself a selfish person? Did you do what you did for your own selfish gains?
(BEATTY remains silent, introspecting.)
GEORGE: Of course not, didn’t you hear my whole, uh, what was the word? Oh yeah- soliloquy over there? I did it for Lennie’s own good, and it sure as hell didn’t benefit me.
BEATTY: Are you sure, George? Ayn Rand said “Selfishness does not mean only to do things for one's self. One may do things, affecting others, for his own pleasure and benefit.” Are you sure you didn’t kill Lennie for your own gain?
GEORGE: Of course! I had nothing to gain there!
BEATTY: Really? Lennie wasn’t hindering you at all? You said you never had time for yourself, now that that burden’s gone… You can do (pause) whatever you want, my boy. Nobody following you around, you don’t have another mouth to feed. You finally have (pause) freedom.
(GEORGE sits bewildered)
So let’s ask again: Did you really kill Lennie for just his own good?
GEORGE: (shaken) I guess… no. I do enjoy the freedom. I can do whatever I want without worrying when Lennie’ll get me in trouble… I am a selfish person…
BEATTY: I know I’m a selfish person. I’ve always wanted to be the smartest. So, once books were made illegal, and all knowledge ceased to grow, I decided to instead of learning more than any other, I must destroy anyone’s chances of learning more than me. That’s why I became a fireman. So I could become the smartest person in the world. Also, I didn’t finish my Ayn Rand quote. Picking up from where I left off: “This is not immoral, but the highest of morality.” Using others for my own gain makes me a good person, a saintly person.
MODERATOR: Ok, well we’re almost out of time, so I’ll leave you with one final question: Do you think that mankind as a whole is naturally good?
GEORGE: Absolutely. Lennie couldn’t interpret life, he didn’t know how real life worked, and he was just like a child. And he loved life, mankind and was a very kind person. He was the kindest person I’ve ever met. And he was a genuine individual.
BEATTY: Hmmm… (pauses and thinks) I’d have to say people are naturally primitive and destructive, so I assume that would be bad. People need to be exposed to information. Once they have this information, they will make a decision on how to use it, be it good or bad, and have the chance to form morals. In my society, people never wince at a death, unlike George here. People will go out of their way to hit someone with their cars. Once information is obtained, morals can be formed.
MODERATOR: Thank you for your time, gentlemen.
BEATTY: You’re welcome.
GEORGE: No problem.
(BLACKOUT, Exeunt)
MODERATOR: Hello, everyone, I just wanted to thank you both right now for joining our little chat. This will be rather brief as I’m sure you are both very busy.
BEATTY: Yes. I have a fire station to run, after all.
MODERATOR: Well then, let’s get started. An often heard phrase is “ignorance is bliss.” Do you think this phrase is true?
GEORGE: Yes I do. My buddy, Lennie, was like that. He wasn’t all that smart, but he was happy. Probably the happiest guy I ever met. And he didn’t know nothing about the world or people or stuff like that.
BEATTY: I’m going to have to agree with my counterpart, here. In my society, books are illegal, and therefore, knowledge is illegal. The citizens are quite content with their blissful ignorance. They don’t know anything, but still are enjoying themselves.
GEORGE: Yeah, Lennie, unlike me, didn’t understand how the world worked, but he sure was happy. He died a happy man. Something a lot of us can’t say. My life hasn’t seemed that great, and I think what I know about the world and people have something to do with it.
BEATTY: You’re on to something. Matthew Prior said “From ignorance our comfort flows. The only wretched are the wise.”
MODERATOR: Very true, very true. Now, another question: Do you enjoy solitude, or “alone time?”
GEORGE: You know, I spent a lot of time with Lennie, so I didn’t have a whole lot of “me time,” but when he wasn’t around, I usually kept to myself. I’m always playing solitaire. I guess you could say that was my alone time.
BEATTY: I’ve always been a solitary man. Ever since I was growing up, it’s just been me and my books. Of course, once they embargoed books, I had to start interacting with people, but I’ve always taken advantage of my time alone.
GEORGE: I’ve never really designated time for just me. I’ve always had to keep one eye on Lennie, making sure he isn’t getting into trouble.
BEATTY: What is it with you and him? Why do you have so much compassion for another person when you aren’t even related?
GEORGE: Well, I never really had a lot of friends, and his Aunt Clara always wanted me to look after him, so when she died, he just kind of started following me around. I really took a liking to him.
BEATTY: I see…
GEORGE: Well, it turned out that he couldn’t live without me, and I couldn’t live without him. Jeez, he was one in a million. (He starts getting choked up…)
BEATTY: Ah, yes. You two were total opposites, yet you needed to be there for each other. Henry Adams once said “One friend in a lifetime is much; two are many; three are hardly possible. Friendship needs a certain parallelism of life, a community of thought, a rivalry of aim.”
GEORGE: I know all I needed was Lennie. (Sighs)
MODERATOR: Well, growing off from that, here’s another question: Do you think that it’s right for someone to die for the greater good?
(GEORGE is silent.)
BEATTY: Well, if it’s a rule breaker, of course. Laws are there for a reason, and if someone gets in the way of those laws, they must be punished.
GEORGE: (Exasperated sigh) Lennie was a really great guy. He had to die. I couldn’t have him die afraid, or confused. In the end, it was for his own good. It was for my own good.
BEATTY: Well, I had to make a tough decision like that, too. Mind you, it wasn’t over the death of my own living best friend, but it was over the death of my figurative best friends: Books. When books were declared illegal, I had to make a difficult decision, but the law is the law. I didn’t want to be a lawbreaking hooligan. So I decided to give up on my passion of learning.
(Slight pause)
How, might I ask, did Lennie die?
GEORGE: (fighting off tears) Well, he got in some trouble, he accidently killed a higher-up’s wife, and they were coming to get him. We had a meeting spot for when he would eventually get into trouble, and I found him there. He was pretty scared. So I reminded him of our dream to own our own farm… (breaks, takes a deep breath) … and how he got to feed the rabbits. He was happy… and then I shot him in the back of the head (sobs). My best friend… (continues to sob)
BEATTY: I’m sorry I asked.
GEORGE: (regaining composure) But… it was for his own good. Like I said, he died a happy man.
MODERATOR: All right, thank you George. It must be very difficult to bring up that topic.
GEORGE: It’s all right, I guess it’s good for me to get this all out.
MODERATOR: All right then, moving along. Here is a rather different question: Do you consider yourself a selfish person? Did you do what you did for your own selfish gains?
(BEATTY remains silent, introspecting.)
GEORGE: Of course not, didn’t you hear my whole, uh, what was the word? Oh yeah- soliloquy over there? I did it for Lennie’s own good, and it sure as hell didn’t benefit me.
BEATTY: Are you sure, George? Ayn Rand said “Selfishness does not mean only to do things for one's self. One may do things, affecting others, for his own pleasure and benefit.” Are you sure you didn’t kill Lennie for your own gain?
GEORGE: Of course! I had nothing to gain there!
BEATTY: Really? Lennie wasn’t hindering you at all? You said you never had time for yourself, now that that burden’s gone… You can do (pause) whatever you want, my boy. Nobody following you around, you don’t have another mouth to feed. You finally have (pause) freedom.
(GEORGE sits bewildered)
So let’s ask again: Did you really kill Lennie for just his own good?
GEORGE: (shaken) I guess… no. I do enjoy the freedom. I can do whatever I want without worrying when Lennie’ll get me in trouble… I am a selfish person…
BEATTY: I know I’m a selfish person. I’ve always wanted to be the smartest. So, once books were made illegal, and all knowledge ceased to grow, I decided to instead of learning more than any other, I must destroy anyone’s chances of learning more than me. That’s why I became a fireman. So I could become the smartest person in the world. Also, I didn’t finish my Ayn Rand quote. Picking up from where I left off: “This is not immoral, but the highest of morality.” Using others for my own gain makes me a good person, a saintly person.
MODERATOR: Ok, well we’re almost out of time, so I’ll leave you with one final question: Do you think that mankind as a whole is naturally good?
GEORGE: Absolutely. Lennie couldn’t interpret life, he didn’t know how real life worked, and he was just like a child. And he loved life, mankind and was a very kind person. He was the kindest person I’ve ever met. And he was a genuine individual.
BEATTY: Hmmm… (pauses and thinks) I’d have to say people are naturally primitive and destructive, so I assume that would be bad. People need to be exposed to information. Once they have this information, they will make a decision on how to use it, be it good or bad, and have the chance to form morals. In my society, people never wince at a death, unlike George here. People will go out of their way to hit someone with their cars. Once information is obtained, morals can be formed.
MODERATOR: Thank you for your time, gentlemen.
BEATTY: You’re welcome.
GEORGE: No problem.
(BLACKOUT, Exeunt)
Devin Alexander
Of Mice and Men Dialog Project
** Willy is sitting at a coffee shop by himself, whispering. George enters and sits at the table next to him.
George: “ I’m exhausted! I work my whole life and I ain’t got much to show for it, that’s for sure.” (leaning over talking to Willy, like one of those overly friendly strangers) “ Say, what’s your name and your story?”
Willy: “Uh? Hello?” (Willy momentarily snaps out of his trance) “I’m Willy.”
George: “So what do you do for a living?”
Willy: “ I used to work as a salesman, but I was recently let go.”
George: “Aw. I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to touch a touchy subject.”
Willy: “It’s ok. It’s just I had such high hopes for the future. I just don’t know where I went wrong. You see, my son, Biff, bright boy, well liked in high school, now can’t hold down a job. He was my pride and joy and now I’m ashamed of him.”
George: “Is there something wrong with him? My pal Lennie had got some problems, but he was a right good worker.”
Willy: “Nah, nothing wrong. He is just so damn lazy. I just can’t understand how he got this way. He was supposed to be a successful businessman. I was supposed to be a successful businessman.”
George: “Well, shoot! I never cared for business, Lennie always seemed to get us into some sort of trouble, you see with his problems. I was always meant to be doing something with my hands, like building something or labor work. I think I like to be outside.”
MITCH RAECK FINAL CONVERSATION
(We find George and CAPTAIN BEATTY sitting in a comfortable room, with a small coffee table in front of them. There is another, smaller seat between them. BEATTY and GEORGE have glasses of water in front of them. THE MODERATOR walks in and sits in the open chair. He speaks :)
MODERATOR: Hello, everyone, I just wanted to thank you both right now for joining our little chat. This will be rather brief as I’m sure you are both very busy.
BEATTY: Yes. I have a fire station to run, after all.
MODERATOR: Well then, let’s get started. An often heard phrase is “ignorance is bliss.” Do you think this phrase is true?
GEORGE: Yes I do. My buddy, Lennie, was like that. He wasn’t all that smart, but he was happy. Probably the happiest guy I ever met. And he didn’t know nothing about the world or people or stuff like that.
BEATTY: I’m going to have to agree with my counterpart, here. In my society, books are illegal, and therefore, knowledge is illegal. The citizens are quite content with their blissful ignorance. They don’t know anything, but still are enjoying themselves.
GEORGE: Yeah, Lennie, unlike me, didn’t understand how the world worked, but he sure was happy. He died a happy man. Something a lot of us can’t say. My life hasn’t seemed that great, and I think what I know about the world and people have something to do with it.
BEATTY: You’re on to something. Matthew Prior said “From ignorance our comfort flows. The only wretched are the wise.”
MODERATOR: Very true, very true. Now, another question: Do you enjoy solitude, or “alone time?”
GEORGE: You know, I spent a lot of time with Lennie, so I didn’t have a whole lot of “me time,” but when he wasn’t around, I usually kept to myself. I’m always playing solitaire. I guess you could say that was my alone time.
BEATTY: I’ve always been a solitary man. Ever since I was growing up, it’s just been me and my books. Of course, once they embargoed books, I had to start interacting with people, but I’ve always taken advantage of my time alone.
GEORGE: I’ve never really designated time for just me. I’ve always had to keep one eye on Lennie, making sure he isn’t getting into trouble.
BEATTY: What is it with you and him? Why do you have so much compassion for another person when you aren’t even related?
GEORGE: Well, I never really had a lot of friends, and his Aunt Clara always wanted me to look after him, so when she died, he just kind of started following me around. I really took a liking to him.
BEATTY: I see…
GEORGE: Well, it turned out that he couldn’t live without me, and I couldn’t live without him. Jeez, he was one in a million. (He starts getting choked up…)
BEATTY: Ah, yes. You two were total opposites, yet you needed to be there for each other. Henry Adams once said “One friend in a lifetime is much; two are many; three are hardly possible. Friendship needs a certain parallelism of life, a community of thought, a rivalry of aim.”
GEORGE: I know all I needed was Lennie. (Sighs)
MODERATOR: Well, growing off from that, here’s another question: Do you think that it’s right for someone to die for the greater good?
(GEORGE is silent.)
BEATTY: Well, if it’s a rule breaker, of course. Laws are there for a reason, and if someone gets in the way of those laws, they must be punished.
GEORGE: (Exasperated sigh) Lennie was a really great guy. He had to die. I couldn’t have him die afraid, or confused. In the end, it was for his own good. It was for my own good.
BEATTY: Well, I had to make a tough decision like that, too. Mind you, it wasn’t over the death of my own living best friend, but it was over the death of my figurative best friends: Books. When books were declared illegal, I had to make a difficult decision, but the law is the law. I didn’t want to be a lawbreaking hooligan. So I decided to give up on my passion of learning.
(Slight pause)
How, might I ask, did Lennie die?
GEORGE: (fighting off tears) Well, he got in some trouble, he accidently killed a higher-up’s wife, and they were coming to get him. We had a meeting spot for when he would eventually get into trouble, and I found him there. He was pretty scared. So I reminded him of our dream to own our own farm… (breaks, takes a deep breath) … and how he got to feed the rabbits. He was happy… and then I shot him in the back of the head (sobs). My best friend… (continues to sob)
BEATTY: I’m sorry I asked.
GEORGE: (regaining composure) But… it was for his own good. Like I said, he died a happy man.
MODERATOR: All right, thank you George. It must be very difficult to bring up that topic.
GEORGE: It’s all right, I guess it’s good for me to get this all out.
MODERATOR: All right then, moving along. Here is a rather different question: Do you consider yourself a selfish person? Did you do what you did for your own selfish gains?
(BEATTY remains silent, introspecting.)
GEORGE: Of course not, didn’t you hear my whole, uh, what was the word? Oh yeah- soliloquy over there? I did it for Lennie’s own good, and it sure as hell didn’t benefit me.
BEATTY: Are you sure, George? Ayn Rand said “Selfishness does not mean only to do things for one's self. One may do things, affecting others, for his own pleasure and benefit.” Are you sure you didn’t kill Lennie for your own gain?
GEORGE: Of course! I had nothing to gain there!
BEATTY: Really? Lennie wasn’t hindering you at all? You said you never had time for yourself, now that that burden’s gone… You can do (pause) whatever you want, my boy. Nobody following you around, you don’t have another mouth to feed. You finally have (pause) freedom.
(GEORGE sits bewildered)
So let’s ask again: Did you really kill Lennie for just his own good?
GEORGE: (shaken) I guess… no. I do enjoy the freedom. I can do whatever I want without worrying when Lennie’ll get me in trouble… I am a selfish person…
BEATTY: I know I’m a selfish person. I’ve always wanted to be the smartest. So, once books were made illegal, and all knowledge ceased to grow, I decided to instead of learning more than any other, I must destroy anyone’s chances of learning more than me. That’s why I became a fireman. So I could become the smartest person in the world. Also, I didn’t finish my Ayn Rand quote. Picking up from where I left off: “This is not immoral, but the highest of morality.” Using others for my own gain makes me a good person, a saintly person.
MODERATOR: Ok, well we’re almost out of time, so I’ll leave you with one final question: Do you think that mankind as a whole is naturally good?
GEORGE: Absolutely. Lennie couldn’t interpret life, he didn’t know how real life worked, and he was just like a child. And he loved life, mankind and was a very kind person. He was the kindest person I’ve ever met. And he was a genuine individual.
BEATTY: Hmmm… (pauses and thinks) I’d have to say people are naturally primitive and destructive, so I assume that would be bad. People need to be exposed to information. Once they have this information, they will make a decision on how to use it, be it good or bad, and have the chance to form morals. In my society, people never wince at a death, unlike George here. People will go out of their way to hit someone with their cars. Once information is obtained, morals can be formed.
MODERATOR: Thank you for your time, gentlemen.
BEATTY: You’re welcome.
GEORGE: No problem.
(BLACKOUT, Exeunt)
MODERATOR: Hello, everyone, I just wanted to thank you both right now for joining our little chat. This will be rather brief as I’m sure you are both very busy.
BEATTY: Yes. I have a fire station to run, after all.
MODERATOR: Well then, let’s get started. An often heard phrase is “ignorance is bliss.” Do you think this phrase is true?
GEORGE: Yes I do. My buddy, Lennie, was like that. He wasn’t all that smart, but he was happy. Probably the happiest guy I ever met. And he didn’t know nothing about the world or people or stuff like that.
BEATTY: I’m going to have to agree with my counterpart, here. In my society, books are illegal, and therefore, knowledge is illegal. The citizens are quite content with their blissful ignorance. They don’t know anything, but still are enjoying themselves.
GEORGE: Yeah, Lennie, unlike me, didn’t understand how the world worked, but he sure was happy. He died a happy man. Something a lot of us can’t say. My life hasn’t seemed that great, and I think what I know about the world and people have something to do with it.
BEATTY: You’re on to something. Matthew Prior said “From ignorance our comfort flows. The only wretched are the wise.”
MODERATOR: Very true, very true. Now, another question: Do you enjoy solitude, or “alone time?”
GEORGE: You know, I spent a lot of time with Lennie, so I didn’t have a whole lot of “me time,” but when he wasn’t around, I usually kept to myself. I’m always playing solitaire. I guess you could say that was my alone time.
BEATTY: I’ve always been a solitary man. Ever since I was growing up, it’s just been me and my books. Of course, once they embargoed books, I had to start interacting with people, but I’ve always taken advantage of my time alone.
GEORGE: I’ve never really designated time for just me. I’ve always had to keep one eye on Lennie, making sure he isn’t getting into trouble.
BEATTY: What is it with you and him? Why do you have so much compassion for another person when you aren’t even related?
GEORGE: Well, I never really had a lot of friends, and his Aunt Clara always wanted me to look after him, so when she died, he just kind of started following me around. I really took a liking to him.
BEATTY: I see…
GEORGE: Well, it turned out that he couldn’t live without me, and I couldn’t live without him. Jeez, he was one in a million. (He starts getting choked up…)
BEATTY: Ah, yes. You two were total opposites, yet you needed to be there for each other. Henry Adams once said “One friend in a lifetime is much; two are many; three are hardly possible. Friendship needs a certain parallelism of life, a community of thought, a rivalry of aim.”
GEORGE: I know all I needed was Lennie. (Sighs)
MODERATOR: Well, growing off from that, here’s another question: Do you think that it’s right for someone to die for the greater good?
(GEORGE is silent.)
BEATTY: Well, if it’s a rule breaker, of course. Laws are there for a reason, and if someone gets in the way of those laws, they must be punished.
GEORGE: (Exasperated sigh) Lennie was a really great guy. He had to die. I couldn’t have him die afraid, or confused. In the end, it was for his own good. It was for my own good.
BEATTY: Well, I had to make a tough decision like that, too. Mind you, it wasn’t over the death of my own living best friend, but it was over the death of my figurative best friends: Books. When books were declared illegal, I had to make a difficult decision, but the law is the law. I didn’t want to be a lawbreaking hooligan. So I decided to give up on my passion of learning.
(Slight pause)
How, might I ask, did Lennie die?
GEORGE: (fighting off tears) Well, he got in some trouble, he accidently killed a higher-up’s wife, and they were coming to get him. We had a meeting spot for when he would eventually get into trouble, and I found him there. He was pretty scared. So I reminded him of our dream to own our own farm… (breaks, takes a deep breath) … and how he got to feed the rabbits. He was happy… and then I shot him in the back of the head (sobs). My best friend… (continues to sob)
BEATTY: I’m sorry I asked.
GEORGE: (regaining composure) But… it was for his own good. Like I said, he died a happy man.
MODERATOR: All right, thank you George. It must be very difficult to bring up that topic.
GEORGE: It’s all right, I guess it’s good for me to get this all out.
MODERATOR: All right then, moving along. Here is a rather different question: Do you consider yourself a selfish person? Did you do what you did for your own selfish gains?
(BEATTY remains silent, introspecting.)
GEORGE: Of course not, didn’t you hear my whole, uh, what was the word? Oh yeah- soliloquy over there? I did it for Lennie’s own good, and it sure as hell didn’t benefit me.
BEATTY: Are you sure, George? Ayn Rand said “Selfishness does not mean only to do things for one's self. One may do things, affecting others, for his own pleasure and benefit.” Are you sure you didn’t kill Lennie for your own gain?
GEORGE: Of course! I had nothing to gain there!
BEATTY: Really? Lennie wasn’t hindering you at all? You said you never had time for yourself, now that that burden’s gone… You can do (pause) whatever you want, my boy. Nobody following you around, you don’t have another mouth to feed. You finally have (pause) freedom.
(GEORGE sits bewildered)
So let’s ask again: Did you really kill Lennie for just his own good?
GEORGE: (shaken) I guess… no. I do enjoy the freedom. I can do whatever I want without worrying when Lennie’ll get me in trouble… I am a selfish person…
BEATTY: I know I’m a selfish person. I’ve always wanted to be the smartest. So, once books were made illegal, and all knowledge ceased to grow, I decided to instead of learning more than any other, I must destroy anyone’s chances of learning more than me. That’s why I became a fireman. So I could become the smartest person in the world. Also, I didn’t finish my Ayn Rand quote. Picking up from where I left off: “This is not immoral, but the highest of morality.” Using others for my own gain makes me a good person, a saintly person.
MODERATOR: Ok, well we’re almost out of time, so I’ll leave you with one final question: Do you think that mankind as a whole is naturally good?
GEORGE: Absolutely. Lennie couldn’t interpret life, he didn’t know how real life worked, and he was just like a child. And he loved life, mankind and was a very kind person. He was the kindest person I’ve ever met. And he was a genuine individual.
BEATTY: Hmmm… (pauses and thinks) I’d have to say people are naturally primitive and destructive, so I assume that would be bad. People need to be exposed to information. Once they have this information, they will make a decision on how to use it, be it good or bad, and have the chance to form morals. In my society, people never wince at a death, unlike George here. People will go out of their way to hit someone with their cars. Once information is obtained, morals can be formed.
MODERATOR: Thank you for your time, gentlemen.
BEATTY: You’re welcome.
GEORGE: No problem.
(BLACKOUT, Exeunt)
matt bohn
Of Mice and Men Conversation
George: I’ve seen you in this here bar a lot lately, son. This ain’t no place to be for a young’n like you. Shit, you must’n be more than eighteen.
Biff: Huh? Me? Why don’t you mind your own business and leave me be. I don’t believe I know you anyhow, old man.
George: Yes you, lintlicker, you’re too young to be sittin’ in here day after day drinkin’ your life away. Whats got a lad like you down anyhow?
Biff: With all do respect mister, I don’t rightly think you’d understand. Nor would I tell you even if I thought you could.
George: Now you listen here chief, I seen and done things in this day alone that you couldn’t dream of in a lifetime. You don’t tell me what a rough day’s like. Whats got a kid like you down?
Biff: Mister, I told you once. Ain’t none of your business!
George: Son, you listen here. Last week I killed a man. And this wasn’t just any man, this was my best friend. Best man I ever knew, you heard? And I had to wrestle a gun out of his bare hands and kill’m. You think you know what it’s like livin’ with that on your shoulders? Huh?
Biff: Damn mister. Sounds like you got some issues, yourself.
George: Kid, there’s plenty more to that story. So now, will ya quit bein’ stubborn and tell me what the hells got you so down?
Biff: Well, It doesn’t sound like much compared to your story, but it’s my family, sir. Everything about my life and my family has gone to shit. My Pa was delusional. He talked me up since high school, made me feel like everything would just come my way, and nothin’ ever did. I went to jail, I got a dead end job. Nothin’ worked out for me, ya see. And he didn’t pay no attention to how his family was doin’ because, well, he was goin’ crazy. Drove my mother mad, talked in circles all the time. Worst part is…he never realized he was crazy. He thought he had it all planned out; took his own life….so we could collect on life insurance. He thought it’d make all my problems go away…and by now, most of that money was spent sittin’ in this exact stool.
George: Jesus son. That sounds like a hell of a time. But you listen here kid. ‘Member how I told you the man I shot was my friend?
Biff: Yes, sir?
George: Well, we were no school-buddies. He had…well. He was dumb. Real mental-like. Somethin’ wasn’t quite right in his head. Anyhow, I pretty much raised him. We was always together. We had big plans, I tell ya. Big plans. But things change. See, he was always a burden. He was always gettin’ inta trouble, fergettin’ things and whatnot. And well…I got tired of it. Too tired to deal with it any longer. So I made it look like an accident, but it wasn’t no accident, ya hear. I shot’em. I didn’t want to. But damn-it-all I had to. He was keepin’ me back from my dreams, from livin a normal life, ya see? And the thought of it almost killed me, but I had to get rid of him if I was gunna make any kinda decent livin’. I had to get rid of the burden he was on me. You see what I’m getting at son?
Biff: I don’t know, sir.
George: What I’m tellin’ you is that life don’t always come easy. And everyone gets down on their luck sometimes, but you gotta keep on keepin’ on. Family, friends, sometimes you just needa let them go, and put those skeletons in the closet behind ya. You get me?
Biff: Well, I suppose your right…mister, eh…
George: Just call me George.
Biff: Well George, I just can’t live with the burden of knowing that I was the reason that my father killed himself. That he thought so highly of me, and I amounted to nothin’. I’ve just been in here drinking away that life insurance money like its going to solve anything!
George: Ya see kid, that’s what I’m tellin’ you. You don’t need to accept that burden as somethin’ you can’t get rid of. You needa get of your sorry ass, and turn your life around. I’m sure that’s what your Pa would want, right?
Biff: You know, you are probably right George. But I swear it ain’t that easy.
George: And you think pullin’ the trigger on my best friend was? Kid, what im tellin’ you is life ain’t fair. It’s got its ups and downs, but that’s life! You gotta stick with it, and get back in the race, before your old like me, son.
Biff: You know, it really means a lot hearing it from someone like you George. I’ll try to keep that in consideration. After this Buttery Nipple.
George: Good god, son…
Laycock-Final
Societal Structures
George: I just hate how this society works. Why can't we live in a place where everyone is treated the same.
Montag: Well George, the word “utopia” is literally Greek for “no place” as the man who coined the term, Thomas More, wanted to point out that there is no such place as the one you speak of. The world is an imperfect place, and there will never be a place where no one is treated unfairly.
George: I suppose that is true, where I come from no one would stop to consider what mental problems people might have, they were judged by their peers without consideration for the problems they have.
Montag: That's funny because where I come from it was the people who were inquisitive and intelligent who were discriminated against. The government wanted to make the people dumb and the people went with it. The people's floccinaucinihilipilification of books was caused by their apathy. So, books became anathema, and then were totally outlawed.
George: Wow, I didn’t expect such an overblown, pompous, and yet eloquent response. You must feel very strongly about this issue.
Montag: Of course. I have been the one of the few who has opposed the government and the reigning attitude of antidisestablishmentarianism.
George: Well the place I came from was also corrupted by the will of the people. The people willfully hurt each other and this caused great ruin among the whole country. The government did absolutely nothing to help. It was like the government just didn’t care about what happened to the people. The people became too worn out to do anything about it. They were almost as bad as the government. This caused many of the people to hate people who were less useful, and that includes people who have mental handicaps.
Montag: Obviously you also have strong opinions on this subject. I truly wish that my people would realize what a blessing books truly are. They enlighten the reader to the secrets of the world. Even fictional works have a lesson you can learn from them. Since discovering the true worth of books I have been reading so much and I have learned so many things that I didn’t know, and no one else even remembers these things. Its so sad that I am the only one who has this knowledge, and no one wants to learn either. My country is pathetic. They refuse to see the light and just hide in the shadows of ignorance. After all ignorance is bliss.
George: Well your problem seems much different then mine, however I can see that the root of the problems is the same. The root of the problem is that people are just not accepting enough. They cannot accept things that are different from what they know. This is the real problem. Change is too hard to bring to people they just can’t accept it.
Montag: I agree, the people in my country were simply too afraid of the unknown to be able go out of their comfort zone in hopes of finding something better. They were content where they were and were afraid that anything they did would just make it worse. They believe that they can’t truly become happy, so they reject change when it comes to them.
George: Again, though the root cause is the same the way it works is so different. The people in my country all say that they want things to change, but their actions belay their true intent. They really do like this world where the strong can rule the weak. That means that if you can gain any measure of power you can become like a small lord and rule over people and have a place where you are in charge and that is it. Period.
Montag: Strength wasn’t really a factor in my world, no one cared about how strong you were. No one cared about anything but their own comfort. In fact my people got married and wouldn’t really even know their spouse. They were more interested in TV programs and the radio.
George: The radio. What a great invention, but even that couldn’t help the misery felt in my country but a little bit. We were suffering so badly that people took solace in hurting each other, which as I said earlier is what caused our downfall in the first place. This vicious cycle will just keep repeating until we all die and the world is swept clean of all people.
Montag: Don’t be so pessimistic friend, not all people in the world are trying to hide from change. I met a group of people in my country who were dedicated to literature even though it had been banned. They memorized as many books as they could so that when the time came they could spread their knowledge and bring people back to true happiness.
George: Well, I suppose not everyone I met was terrible. Candy was an awful fine man. He was nice to both me and Lennie. He even comforted me after Lennie… died.
Montag: Your friend died, that’s terrible! I’m very sorry for you. Though I suppose my wife died during my own misadventures. But, as I said that doesn’t mean much I didn’t really know her. The true tragedy was when Clarisse died. It was unfortunate I didn’t ever get to know her better. She was a brilliant girl and would have been very happy to see how the world is changing. Things are somehow managing to get better and I hope that soon the whole world will see the light that is literature. That is significant literature.
George: Thank you for helping me I really do feel much better now. I realize that not every thing is so terrible as it appears, and I think that I can help make the world a better place. I think that I can advocate for those who are like Lennie, before what happened to him happens to them.
Montag: Well I am certainly glad that I could be of assistance. I am also glad to have met someone with whom I can share my opinions. You are certainly very understanding. Thank you for listening to my “overblown and pompous” speeches.
George: No problem, even though they were like that they were very enlightening, I hope we can speak again sometime.
Montag: Of course. Goodbye.
George: Goodbye.
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