Essay On Lennie Condition In Of Mice And Men

What Is Lennie’s Condition?

Lennie: Big and strong kid in a grown mans body, cant keep nor get a job. Avery sweet guy but is mentally behind. He relies upon George who is a caring, compassionate, and understanding human being and dreams of owning his own piece of land. Physically he is an intelligent and small man who has strong features. He is Lennie’s cousin. It was during the Great Depression of the 1930s beside a stream, close of Soledad, California. A fictional Novel. No one Really knows what’s wrong with Lennie. “He is mentally retarded” says John Steinbeck, author “Of Mice and Men”.

There are many arguments Regarding Lennie’s condition. It seems to be some kind of mental illness, which is a condition that disrupts a persons thinking, feeling, mood and ability to relate to others and their daily functioning. Back in the 1930s people with a mental illness was treated but they were just thrown into mental hospitals that may have provided therapy. During this period of time no one really knew what type of illness it could be. Mental illnesses today like Autism, Down syndrome, etc was not even thought of. The treatment and status of people suffering mental illness improved after World War 1, But in some cases, many cultures have viewed mental illness as a religious punishment, Cultures such as, Ancient Egyptian, Indian, Greek, and Roman. In the 1930s Mental hospitals had easier admission procedures and professional care by specialists and trained mental nurses. They provided facilities called “Reception Homes” and “Neuropathic Hospitals”

Although they had mental health facilities in the 1930s, there was no way George was sending Lennie to one. He barely could take care of himself, Let Alone be in some home suffering in an envi...

... middle of paper ...

...ng skills. Student Chelsea Greenlee says “We help the kids keep boundaries, teach them alternative responses, and we teach them things that a typical person does on a daily basis. It all ties into their basic social skills” People with autism are very smart and Lennie could have had the opportunity like kids today and his life could have been different. Given these arguments research has shown Lennie may have had some kind of autism, which is the same as mental retardation. “Autism is just a complex brain disorder that affects that way the brain uses or transmits information” and due to Lennies symptoms it is 90% that he has Autism. Research also suggests that boys are almost 4 times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls . Throughout the story Lennie showed many different symptoms repetitively but overall he was a good character that showed much quality.