In the final chapter, after George has shot Lennie, he sits alone and hears the sound of other people approaching in the distance — the voices/footsteps of the ranch hands who are coming toward the clearing. Soon Slim arrives and consoles him.
Why this matters (step by step):
- Scene setup: Chapter 6 mirrors the opening chapter; George and Lennie are back at the riverbank where they camped at the novel’s start.
- After George kills Lennie to spare him a worse fate, George is left by himself on the bank.
- The distant sounds George hears are the approaching men from the ranch (the other hands) — this signals that the rest of the world is returning to the scene and that George must face the consequences and social aftermath of what he has done.
- Literary effect: The distant voices/footsteps emphasize George’s isolation and the finality of the act; they also allow the novel to close with Slim’s sympathetic presence, underlining themes of mercy, loneliness, and responsibility.
So, in short: George hears the distant voices/footsteps of the ranch hands approaching — the other men coming toward the clearing.