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Lennie of mice and men character analysis
Lennie of mice and men character analysis
Analysis of of mice and men lennie and george
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Casi Kilano Mrs. Shehane Pre AP English 18 April 2014 Is George’s Love for Lennie Sympathy or is it an Unconscious Effort to Make up for Lennie’s Mental Weakness? Of Mice and Men, a classic novella by author John Steinbeck, gives several examples showing how George, a small, clever man, is put through various trials to test his love for Lennie. Lennie, a large, overgrown childlike migrant worker, which due to his mild mental handicap, completely and wholeheartedly relies upon his closest friend and traveling companion, George, for guidance and protection. While George and Lennie are both magnificent workers, they have a hard time keeping a job for the reason that of Lennie’s childlike mentality and his obsession with petting things. George’s love for Lennie is simply an unconscious effort to make up for Lennie’s mental weakness, yet at the same time his sentiment and kindness is out of sympathy. In chapter one, it is apparent to the reader that Lennie does have a slight mental impairment, but we do not yet know how acute it actually is. For example, when George asks Lennie what he has in his pocket, Lennie responded, “Ain’t a thing in my pocket,” (Steinbeck 5) as if he were intelligent. George knew something was in Lennie’s pocket, yet Lennie still tried to act as if there was nothing there. This gives the reader just a quick glimpse into the thought process of this complex character that is actually quite unpretentious. George attempts to compensate for Lennie’s mental illness whenever he speaks for him throughout the book. A prime example of this is when George tells Lennie, “Now, look, I’ll give him the work tickets, but you ain’t gonna say a word. You jus’ stand there and don’t say nothing” (6). George knows that ... ... middle of paper ... ... talking about killing Lennie and doing all of these horrible acts of hate to him, but George made a comment to try to help him. “I’ll come. But listen, Curley. The poor bastard’s nuts. Don’t shoot ‘im. He di’nt know what he was doing” (98). This shows how strongly George feels for his friend, Lennie. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is about the friendship between George Milton and Lennie Small, who travel together due to the fact that Lennie suffered a childlike mental illness and someone needed to take care of him. Lennie only listens to his friend George, no matter what George may say. This novel shows characteristics of their true friendship and George's compassion towards his companion. George shows acts of love and kindness out of sympathy for Lennie, yet he also seems to show an unconscious effort to make up for Lennie’s mental impairment.