Jesus Christ, Lennie! You can’t remember nothing that happens, but you remember ever’ word I say.
Chapter 6 · George Milton
Context
George, surprised that Lennie remembers their familiar refrain about being better off alone, exclaims at the inconsistency of his memory.
Analysis
The situational irony cuts in two directions: George is irritated that Lennie remembers the lines that wound him while forgetting the actions that endanger him, but the reader recognizes that this very selective memory is what will make the coming dream-recital effective as an instrument of execution. The colloquial blasphemy 'Jesus Christ' is one of the few moments George's diction breaks into pure exasperated reflex, the verbal sign of a man whose tactical control is fraying.
How to Use in Essay
Support a thesis that Lennie's selective memory is structurally weaponized in the novella's ending—this line establishes that George knows Lennie will remember the script, which is the cognitive precondition for the dream-monologue working as cover for the killing.