Similarities Between John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

It is often pointed out in the novel that while Lenny is by no means intelligent, he has physical strength far beyond the other men. Is this an accurate portrayal of mental disorders or mental illness? And what could have been done about it in the 1930s? It is never said if anything can be done about Lennys condition but this could be because of Georges own ignorance. Lenny’s hallucinations and memory are other points to be researched as well. Also, people would often call Lenny a lunatic. What was the public opinion on the mentally handicapped in that time? I will discuss the accuracy of these portrayals and support it with evidence. Firstly, it is debatable what Lenny’s condition actually is. For the purpose of this discussion let’s assume it’s a common case, Down syndrome, and take a look at evidence that could support it. If it is adequately supported, you could see the accuracy with which John Steinbeck portrayed it. One reason I believe it to be Down syndrome is that those with Down syndrome experience a much greater risk to dementia and dementia related diseases. This could easily explain Lenny’s memory and his hallucinations. Emphasis is put in the beginning of the book on his inability to remember things. This could be connected

Studies done by the National Center on Health, Activity, and Disability state that individuals with Down syndrome experience much greater muscle hypertonicity. Meaning Lennys muscles could stretch far more than a normal persons would, increasing the weight his muscles could bear and adding a great deal to his strength. This shows an accurate portrayal by Steinbeck. Lenny is also described as looking like a large baby, this also fits in the theory of Down syndrome as they generally have small muscle tone. Though tone has little bearing on overall strength. On the other hand those with Down syndrome are usually short or stocky; Lenny is described as being very large and