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Society’s Attitude Toward People with Disabilities
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Recommended: Society’s Attitude Toward People with Disabilities
What is there left to do when helping someone disabled is completely out of our reach because it is impossible to look after them every second of the day? In the story Of Mice and Men, one issue John Steinbeck mentions throughout the book is the relationship between George and Lennie vs. Lennie’s disability. Lennie is a big strong man, capable of seriously hurting anyone, with the mentality of a child which sets George back on his own dreams for the reason that Lennie cannot care for himself. They have to travel together for this reason and as tough as it is already watching over Lennie, they are running away from an incident that happened in Weed, their previous job. Lennie‘s disability is the main conflict and because he is not fully capable …show more content…
Curley, the boss’s son, becomes threatened by Lennie’s large appearance and Curley’s wife flirtatious personality is a problem when Lennie could easily fall into her traps and all this leads to Lennie’s death. Immediately, Steinbeck writes, “You can’t keep a job and you lose me ever’ job I get. Jus’ keep shoving’ me all over the country all the time. An’ that ain’t the worst. You get in trouble. You do bad things and I got to get you out” (11). George is not sure whether Lennie will be able to stay out of trouble in this next job they get which is upsetting. He is also upset that they are not able to settle because Lennie does not know right from wrong. George should be able to live his dream life but having to care for Lennie is a big weight on his shoulders. Their friendship would be a better one if only Lennie were able to realize how his disability affects him. Although Lennie being mentally disabled, he cannot process everything like a normal person and it is essential that he has someone looking out for him. To avoid anyone becoming aware of Lennie’s disability, George tells him not to say a word when they arrive …show more content…
I know he done it… I’m gonna get him. I’m going for my shotgun. I’ll kill the big son-of-a-bitch myself. I’ll shoot ‘im in the guts. Come on, you guys” (Steinbeck 96). Since Curley had a problem with Lennie, he takes advantage of what he did to his wife to kill him. If he truly cared about his wife, he would have been strict on her from the beginning and restricted her from talking to the workers. If he really wanted to get even for his wife’s death he would have gone after Lennie in fury without having to ask for the men to go with him. Also, shooting someone is the easiest way to kill someone. If Curley wanted to prove his manliness, he should have wanted to fight him with his bare hands. Consequently, instead of letting Curley kill Lennie and making him suffer, George decided to be the one to take his life and make it painless “…George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head…He pulled the trigger… George shivered and looked at the gun, and then he threw it from him” (Steinbeck 106). Being so close to Lennie, George could not watch him get killed in a cruel way. Although Lennie did a bad thing, George did not think he was deserving to die painfully for his uncontrollable actions. He was a loyal friend to Lennie, even after everything he made him go through, because he was the closest thing he had
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 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.
Although Lennie was unattractive and has the tendency of accidental violence, compassion was still something readers had for him. Steinbeck constantly reminded us that he has a mental disability which automatically makes someone feel pity for him. Additionally he was ignored and made fun of by other characters, “Blubberin’ like a baby! Jesus Christ! A big guy like you”(Steinbeck 10). Him getting in trouble was beyond his control because of his mental disability which is something else that makes a reader feel sympathetic for him. Also, the readers are solicitous towards Lennie because of how much he looks up to George. This is portrayed when Crooks asks Lennie what he would do if George never came back, “Well, s’pose, jus’ s’pose he don’t come back. What’ll you do then?”(Steinbeck 70). Because of his inability to comprehend information, he got extremely defensive and said, “George is careful. He won’t get hurt” (Steinbeck 70). This scene is crafted in such a way that it automatically
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”.
Lennie Short, who is one of the main characters in the novella Of Mice and Men, has defining characteristics that exposes the true meaning of the book. The complexity of the Lennie’s nature is so thought provoking that the story, Of Mice and Men, is often considered one the greatest short works of fiction of all time. Predominantly, Lennie is a kindhearted, simple-minded soul who unfortunately is mentally disabled. Lennie also has a very distinctive external feature, his size. Being a massive individual, Lennie is magnificently strong and never intentionally causes harm to other beings. In contrast to his size Lennie has a love for all things soft mice, puppies, Curley’s wife and most of all rabbits. It is for this reason that readers find the book remarkable. In a secluded setting at the beginning of the story, Lennie tells George “But I wouldn't eat none, George. I'd leave it all for you. You could cover your beans with it and I wouldn't touch none of it.” (page) This quote expresses the author, Johns Steinbeck’s point of view of Lennie, by starting the book off showing multiple acts of benevolence towards Lennie’s partner George. Even though Lennie is a beast of a human, and is capable of severe destruction, he is an empathe...
has the mental age of a child and does not see the reason why George
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Steinbecks novel, Of Mice and Men portrays the
one day want their own plot so they can 'live off the fatta the lan'
Many tell us to keep dreaming. To chase our dreams until they come true, and that the unattainable can always be achieved with enough pursuance. Is this saying really true? In the novella Of Mice and Men, the story follows the life of two immigrants, George and Lennie. Lennie a gigantic man with a mental infirmity travels with a man named George, they dream of owning a farm, and living off of the land and thus only working for themselves. With Lennie’s disability, he repeatedly gets into trouble. As result, both Lennie and George flee from their old town, Weed, to find new jobs in the hopes to collect enough money to buy a piece of land. They find employment as barley buckers on a ranch and meet the other workers, Candy, and old swamper who’s hand is missing, Crooks, a black man with a bad back, and the only woman on the ranch, who is Curley, the boss’s son’s wife. Not long after does Lennie get into trouble once again. He breaks the neck Curley’s wife and runs to the stream where George told him to go if he were to get in any trouble. George then shoots Lennie in the back of his head to end him of his misery. They could not live by constantly running. Throughout the novel, a motif of unachievable American dreams is presented. American dreams are always a thirst, and although they are highly sought out, several unfortunately never make it to reality.
Throughout the novel, George and Lennie have a strong relationship which is quite unique. George takes care of Lennie through thick and thin but, sometimes George sees Lennie as just a burden until he realizes that he is incapable to take of himself when Lennie tells George “Well, I could go off in the hills there. Some place I’d find a cave” (Steinbeck, John 12) George responds to very broth...
So the question is why wasn’t Lennie included? Lennie shouldn’t have been treated differently because he had disabilities. This quote makes Lennie look like a little boy instead of a grown man.“Good boy! That’s fine, Lennie! Maybe you’re gettin’ better” (Steinbeck 15). If George didn’t treat him differently he could get smarter and start knowing the right and wrong. George treats him like a child, but if he didn’t he might have been able to kind of growing up a little more than a 4 year old. Lennie could be able to play with the others and Lennie could be better because he’s with people his age and they do not treat him
For example, this quote shows that Lennie can’t remember things, “I remember a lady used to give ’em to me—ever’ one she got. But that lady ain’t here.” George scoffed. “Lady, huh? Don’t even remember who that lady was. That was your own Aunt Clara.” (10). How is Lennie going to be able take care of himself? This is why he always has to have George by his side. Lennie may get bashed for his mistakes, but George is just teaching him what not to do and what to do because of his mental disabilities. At the same George is protecting Lennie he’s also protecting their dream of a farm together. One of the quotes shows George is willing to do anything for their dream, “I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy. I just like to know what your interest is.” George said, “He’s my…cousin. I told his old lady I’d take care of him. He got kicked in the head by a horse when he was a kid.” (75). George lied to his new boss just so he and Lennie could get the job. If George had told the truth to the Boss then his and Lennie’s lives could’ve been much harder. Another instance of George having the harder life is in this quote, “Lennie said, ”George. "Yeah?" ”I done another bad thing.“ ”It don’t make no difference,“ George said, and he fell silent again.” (45). This shows that Lennie can’t be trusted and can’t behave properly. Lennie always goes to George for help and who to talk
The first character we meet with a disability is Lennie Small. Contradictory to his name Lennie Small isn’t really small at all. He is described as a large, lumbering, childlike person. Due to his mild mental disability, Lennie completely depends upon George, his friend and traveling companion, for guidance and protection. Lennie’s relationship with George is almost one similar to a person and their dog. When meeting the boss George states, "Oh! I ain't saying he's bright. He ain't. But I say he's a God damn good worker. He can put up a four hundred pound bale"(22). Gentle and kind, Lennie nevertheless does not understand his own strength. Right from the beginning of the novel Lennie is illustrated as a character that is extremely strong physically yet is very “dumb” mentally. Often times this mental disability gets him into trouble because of is innocent intentions were misunderstood. According to George, Lennie “Dumb bastard like he is, he wants to touch everything he likes. Just wants to feel it” (41). An example being when Lennie went to feel the women’s red dress...
Curley makes sure his wife doesn’t talk to anyone. She is a victim of herself because she married a man that she hardly even knew. She married him though, to have a companion. She killed herself and Lennie because of her need for companionship. She craves companionship because she is an attractive woman with a need for interaction.
The characterization of George and Lennie’s friendship shows the importance of having a friend to be staunch for you. Here, when George and Lennie argue, they resolve to do whats best for eachother. “I was only foolin’, George. I don’t want no ketchup. I wouldn’t eat no ketchup if it was right here beside me.” Lennie later adds: “I’d leave it all for you. You could cover your beans with it and I wouldn’t touch none of it.”(Steinbeck 12) Lennie, although mentally disabled, still does what he can for George and only wants him to be happy because he knows how much George does for him. He can’t help himself, but when it comes to George he’ll do anything for him, because George gives him hope. Lennie gives George the ambition to succeed because George knows he has to succeed to support both of them. Lennie is later told by Crooks what it’s like to be lonely: “A guy needs somebody―to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. Don't make no difference who the guy is, long's he's with you. I tell ya, I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick.” (Steinbeck 72) Without a friend, Crooks doesn’t have the brightest light for a great future because he has nobody to depend on like Lennie and Georg...