Lennie's Arrival at the Pool

Lennie Small emerges silently from the brush beside the deep green pool of the Salinas River, moving with the quiet stealth of a creeping bear. He kneels to drink, barely touching his lips to the water, and then sits on the bank, hugging his knees and watching the trail's entrance. The scene is peaceful, with the sun leaving the valley and the hilltops blazing, but Lennie's presence carries a heavy foreboding. This opening establishes the novel's final setting and Lennie's vulnerable state, as he waits for George Milton, knowing he has done something terrible again.