In the novella, Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, a number of main, as well as minor characters suffered unjustly throughout. Although the majority of the characters were innocent, some suffered so much more than others, and these characters include: George, Lennie and Crooks. George Milton, Lennie's best friend, may be described as short tempered, but he means well. He is almost always putting others before himself, especially Lennie, and has been ever since Lennie lost his Aunt. "When his Aunt Clara died, Lennie just come along with me out workin'", George explains. (page 40). Despite Lennie's difficulty to process information, George has been patient with him, explaining things repeatedly until he understood, only for Lennie to …show more content…
Even though Lennie has killed many living creatures, especially mice, Lennie was an innocent character. The reason behind this is because Lennie did not intentionally mean to take the lives of the creatures he came in contact with. Due to his intellectual disability, Lennie processes information slower than the standard rate. Along with that, Lennie is also unable to control his strength and often ends up hurting or killing the animals he touches. "I don't want to hurt you", Lennie told Curley's dead wife on page 90. "And then he whispered in fright". Every now and then, Lennie would be tempted to touch soft things. However, due to Lennie's strength, if he is not stopped, he always ended up killing them whenever he got frightened or angry whilst in the middle of touching that soft something. The idea of being responsible for taking the life away from another living creature frightens him, as George mentioned once before that if he were to ever get into any trouble, he would not be able to tend the rabbits, which is all Lennie ever cared about. "But you ain't gonna get in no trouble, because if you do, I won't let you tend the rabbits." (Page 17). Although Lennie might have killed a pup, a human and several mice in his lifetime, Lennie still suffers incredibly because he has to live up to George's expectations, which is a huge challenge for him, as he is unable to control his strength. Also, because of his intellectual
George and Lennie were lifelong friends and had varying personalities even from the start. Lennie thought about how his Aunt Clara said he should have been more like George. At the time when the story took place, the two men were travelling together, and had been for some time, working and then moving on to search for the next job they could find. They were like many other men in search for work, except it was rare for men to travel together. George felt a need to take care of Lennie because he was somewhat slow. George was an average man of the time. He was a good size, nice, but firm, and he had aspirations to be more than just a nomadic laborer. Lennie, on the other hand, had always been a little different. He was big, goofy, clumsy, but sweet. They were also both good workers. George was concerned with working and getting his money before they got into trouble and had to leave camp. Lennie was the one who normally started the trouble. He was a hard worker and lived to appease George, but he got distracted easily which angered George. George told about how they would own a house and a farm together and work for themselves. Lennie loved to hear the story and think about the possibilities, even though nobody knew if any of it was a possibility. George and Lennie's differences in part led to George's inclination to kill Lennie. Despite their dissimilarity, the two men needed each other probably more than they realized.
As George becomes aware of the situation he begins to ponder what will happen if Lennie gets away. George understands that Lennie would not be capable of providing for himself out in the wild. As George contemplates allowing Lennie to be free of all the men, he “[is] a long time in answering” (94). George is one of the few men who understands Lennie’s mental limitations, he knows Lennie would not remember how to survive and “the poor bastard’d starve” (94). He
Lennie's stupidity and carelessness constantly causes him to unintentionally harm people and animals. When he gets into sticky situations, George is there to help him get out of them. Ever since Lennie's Aunt Clara died, George has felt that he has a sense of duty
Lennie Small, a mentally impaired man, is first introduced to us traveling with George. George, however, is not related to Lennie. Lennie travels with George because no one else understands him like he does. Lennie says, “Because…because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you…” (Steinbeck 14). Lennie believes if George ever left him that he could live in a cave by himself and not bother anyone again (Steinbeck 12). Lennie realizes he would be alone without George, but he never has known anyone else to depend on but George, and from that, they have a bond, a friendship. This shows Lennie’s need for his relationship with George.
Lennie has always been told what to do by George. George really helps him through problems that keep happening during the book. Lennie is incapable to live because he does not know his strength and George has to play the role as a living assistant for Lennie. Lennie does not mean to harm but because of his condition he essentially harms people. In the book it explains the
Lennie had a soft spot for petting animals and soft things. He is totally oblivious to the fact that he hurts almost every thing he touches. He had pet mice and ended up killing them and when he played with the 'pup' he ended up killing it too. His uncontrolled strength also caused him to kill Curley's wife. "Lennie's fingers fell to stroking her hair... he stroked harder... "Let go!" she cried... She struggled violently... and then she was still; for Lennie had broken her neck." (Page 91). With the death of Curley's wife, Lennie's innocence was taken. He had unwillingly killed. He had to pay the price, by losing his life.
The physical symbiosis of George and Lennie is beneficial to Lennie but detrimental to George. Although George used to hurt Lennie, Lennie now needs George to bail him out of trouble. Lennie also profits because he needs a person to tell him what to do. “He can’t think of nothing to do himself, but he sure can take orders” (39). Lennie is “a hell of a good worker”(22) and able to “put up a four-hundred pound bale” (22) but is likely to get himself in trouble without George’s protective influence. George likes Lennie but would be better off without him because “you (Lennie) can’t keep a job and you lose me ever’ job I get” (11). Lennie hinders George while George helps Lennie.
When lennie got in trouble in weed, he was holding on to a girls dress and she screamed which got him in trouble. As lennie quoted in document B, “Jus’ wanted to feel that girl’s dress, Jus’ wanted to pet it like it was a mouse. When he saw her dress he wanted to pet it, so when he went to go pet her dress he grabbed on when she started screaming and he wouldn’t let go, and then they sent people after george and lennie so they had to run away. Lennie has also killed the pup that was given to him by petting it too hard. Lennie said in document B, “ why do you got to get killed? You ain’t so little as mice. I didn’t bounce you to hard, you wasn’t big enough’. Lennie had killed the pup when he was just petting it, he didn’t want to kill it he was just patting it and since he is a gentle giant, he didn’t know he was patting it to hard. Lennie definetly made a clew, that he was going to kill curley’s wife, because in all the other events he got in trouble in he would end up doing a bad thing, just like in weed, and just like when he killed the
Lennie accidentally killing all of his pets establishes that the theme of this novel is death and loss. These pets consist of mice, dogs, kittens, etc. Lennie loves to feel and pet animals, but he does not know his own strength. He kills them without really noticing what he has done, until George tells him that he did something wrong. After being scolded, Lennie is very remorseful about what he did. Once, after being yelled at Lennie says, “I pinched their heads a little and then they was dead- because they were so little (13).” Lennie’s remorse is probably more for upsetting George than it is for actually killing the animal.
George knows Lennie has caused much trouble in the past. At the beginning, the book describes an incident in which Lennie wouldn’t stop feeling the dress of a girl. That is why they were forced to flee their old jobs. On their way to the new ranch, Lennie presumably kills a mouse by petting it death. Similarly, when Slim gifts Lennie a small puppy, Lennie once again kills by petting it too hard. The murder of Curley’s wife in the barn serves as a tipping point in George’s mind. He realizes that regardless of his best efforts, Lennie will continue to bring harm to
Lennie is a very big guy but has a problem with being able to mentally understand what happens around him. George befriends Lennie in weed while Lennie still lives with his aunt Clara. When Lennie was hallucinating about his aunt Clara she tells Lennie that “you never give a thought to George. He been doin’ nice things for you alla time. When he got a piece a pie you always got the half or more’n half. An’ if they was any ketchup, why he’d give it all to you”(101). George never had to be with Lennie. He could’ve been having a good time without him but stays with Lennie. George gives him everything he has and more.
Believe it or not, a lot of characters suffer in this novel, but there are some that a lot of people missed. In John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men, the three most innocent characters Lennie, Candy and Crooks suffer the most in the novel.
George and Lennie face tough times that could have potentially damaged their friendship. In the text, Lennie wanted to feel a girls dress and he scared her off and ripped her dress. George and Lennie ended up being hunted by men with horses and dogs because of that mishap. Eventually both of them got away. This proves that Lennie had a negative effect on George from this incident. He made them lose their current jobs
Lennie and George’s companionship meet and transcend all the needed requirements. They are a textbook example of loyal friends. They, together, are like peanut butter and jelly in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Lennie gives George someone to talk to and someone to keep him on track. George gives Lennie insight on the world and someone that will respect him even though he isn’t intelligent. They, more importantly, give each other something to live for. If George wouldn’t have met Lennie he would be a drunk in a whorehouse dying of cirrhosis. If Lennie didn’t meet George he would of died soon after his aunt did, because he would either have got himself in a bind with no one to help him or he would of simply wondered off and died of loneliness.
Curley's wife, an accident that seals his own fate and destroys not only his dreams but George's and Candy's as well. In the beginning Lennie used to pet mice that his Aunt Clara used to give him, he would always end up killing them because he didn't know his own strength. Lennie never killed any pet or person purposely; he pets too roughly and kills them accidentally. An example of his rough tendencies is in the first chapter (page7) when Lennie wants to keep a dead mouse and George wouldn't let him Lennie says" Uh-uh. Jus' a dead mouse, George.