Of Mice And Men Lennie's Downfall

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People are always quick to blame whenever something goes wrong. By doing so, people do not recognize the fact that their actions rule their fates. In John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, characters determine their own fates in through their actions. This is evident in the actions of Lennie, Curley's Wife, and George.

Throughout the novel, Lennie's actions tend to be the cause of many events including his own downfall. This is shown in George's conversation with Slim when George says, "Well the girl rabbits an' tells the law she been raped. The guys in Weed start a party out to lynch Lennie" (Steinbeck 42). This quote shows how Lennie's action to grab a girl's dress results the guys in Weed chasing him and George out. This is significant because through this one action, Lennie ends up working at the ranch setting himself up for his eventual death. Unlike George who is …show more content…

For example, George tells Lennie, "Lennie, if you jus' happen to get in trouble like you always done before, I want you to come right here an' hide in the brush... Hide in the brush till I come for you". This quote suggests that George does not have a very keen sense of justice. Even though he knows Lennie does not mean harm, the fact remains that Lennie does kill innocent animals and scare women. By helping Lennie constantly, George not only burdens himself, but he also fails to stop Lennie before he ends up doing something far worse than killing animals. Despite always dealing with Lennie's problems, George knew what would eventually come. After Lennie kills Curley's wife, George speaks out of remorse, "George said softly, -I think I knowed from the very first. I think I knowed we'd never do her" (Steinbeck 94). This is the result of George's actions of dealing with all of Lennie's problems. George knew from the very beginning that his dream would never come true because he could not deal with all of Lennie's problems

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