Who Is Lennie Innocent In Of Mice And Men

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Of Mice and Men is a novel written by John Steinbeck. In this novel, two very important characters become present. These characters are Lennie and George, who are farm hands that travel from farm to farm. Lennie has obvious mental issues, and because of this, George looks after him. Throughout the course of the novel, Lennie ends up killing a young lady. A question then presents itself, and this is whether Lennie is innocent in this killing. The answer is simply, yes. Throughout the novel, we learn that Lennie has very short memory and that he is in an environment where his challenges may be provoked. In the article “Personality Disorders” it states “that intellectual awareness of right or wrong is not enough; individuals must have some understanding …show more content…

Lennie has an extremely hard time remembering things, even when he just heard them. An example of this is when George asks Lennie if he remembers where they are going, “‘You remember where we’re goin’ now?’ Lennie looked startled and then in embarrassment hid his face against his knees ‘I forgot again’” (Steinbeck 6). This is demonstrating Lennie's childlike mind that has little capability to comprehend and remember anything. This goes hand in hand with his innocence, if Lennie can’t remember where he is going, then how is he supposed to remember what the laws …show more content…

George is constantly wanting him to remember things he simply can’t. However, the situation get worse when they get to the farm. The owner son, who was a fighter, is threatened by Lennie’s physical appearance. “Curley’s like a lot of little guys. He hates big guys. He’s alla time picking scraps with big guys” (Steinbeck 26). Curley is provoking Lennie and wanting to fight with him. However Lennie does not want to fight, and clearly states “ I don’t want no trouble” (Steinbeck 29). This is not good for Lennie because this only worsens his disability because he becomes more nervous. In the article “Personality Disorders” it states “ intellectual awareness of right or wrong is not enough; individuals must have some understanding of the moral or legal consequences of their behavior before they can be held criminally responsible”. Lennie does have remorse upon killing Curley’s wife. He is aware that what he did was wrong, however the statement above clearly states, this does not make him guilty. Lennie has no concept of legal consequences, after the killing he was just concerned that George wasn't going to let him tend the rabbits. This proves even further that Lennie is innocent of the

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