Original artwork, not a still
Of Mice and Men · 1937
We could live offa the fatta the lan'.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
This is the dream in one phrase, and living off 'the fat of the land' is the old image of plenty that two poor men have never had. Lennie says it quietly and means it completely. After this scene Candy believes it too, and so does the reader, which is what gives the ending its force. The phrase has become shorthand for the modest American dream: a small farm and a fair chance.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Of Mice and MenShow the scene
Chapter 3 of Of Mice and Men, in the bunkhouse, the night Candy's old dog is taken out and shot by Carlson. George sits playing solitaire while Lennie asks, as always, to hear about the farm. George describes a ten-acre place with a windmill, an orchard, a pig pen and rabbit hutches, and cream so thick it must be cut. Lennie, watching with wide eyes, says softly that they could live off "the fatta the lan'". Candy, listening from his bunk, then asks how much such a place costs and offers his savings.
Sources (1)
- Of Mice and Men (scanned text, Internet Archive)Chapter 3, the bunkhouse scene after the dog is taken outReference checked
Context reviewed
