Can the "weak" be powerful??

   The answer is yes.  For example; in section four of Of Mice and Men, in the middle of a conversation between Crooks, Candy, and Lennie, Curly's wife walks into Crooks's stable house.  When she walks in she says "They left the weak ones here." (77).  When Curly's wife said "weak ones", what she means is crippled.  In this book, all three of these men are crippled.  Crooks has to hunch over because of his crooked spine, Candy is missing a hand due to a machinery incident, and Lennie is mentally handicapped.

   What is so ironic about this statement is that all of these men are actually strong, mentally and physically.  Even though Crooks and Candy are both physically crippled, they are as strong as bulls.  they have to work day in and day out shoveling, and taking care of horses (Crooks), and bailing hay and harvesting wheat (Candy).  Lennie is also mentally crippled, but he is stronger than anyone on the farm.  So when Curly's wife says that they are weak, she is wrong!