Slim
is not the owner or manager of the barley ranch at whichandwork. In
's , Slim is the mule skinner, capable of driving twenty mules with a
single rein. He is described as having a quality of majesty
only achieved by royalty and master craftsmen. He was a jerkline skinner, the prince of
the ranch....His authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject, be it politics
or love....His ear heard more than was said to him, and his slow speech had overtones not of
thought, but of understanding beyond thought.
Clearly
Slim is a superior being, with his "god-like eyes" and his sublime qualities. And,
yet, he is able to communicate with the men, understanding their conflicts and desires. For, it
is Slim who consoles George after his shooting of Lennie, "You hadda,
George."
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