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Characterization Of Lennie In Of Mice And Men

Decent Essays

In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, two men named Lennie and George work as laborers on a ranch in Salinas Valley, California. They have the American Dream of owning a piece of land one day, and work very hard to try to achieve it. Through traits and dialogue, Steinbeck successfully portrays Lennie as a sympathetic character. He shows Lennie’s reliance on George, gives Lennie childlike behavior, and reveals Lennie’s lack of intelligence. Lennie is reliant on George because George acts as the parental figure in his life and tells him what and what not to do. In Of Mice and Men, on pg. 64, the narrator says, “Suddenly Lennie let go his hold. He crouched cowering against the wall.” Then, Lennie says, “‘You tol’ me to, George,’ he said …show more content…

In Of Mice and Men, on pg. 88, Lennie says, "’Maybe if I took this pup out and throwed him away George wouldn't never know. An' then I could tend the rabbits without no trouble.’" Then, Curley's wife responds, "Don't you think of nothing but rabbits?’" This exchange in the story shows that Lennie doesn’t act like an adult and thinks of ideas that only children would; it shows Lennie is scared that George will not let him tend the rabbits because he killed his pup; and it reveals that Lennie can’t be taken seriously by other characters in the book. Lennie’s childlike behavior makes the reader feel sympathetic towards him because Lennie doesn’t know how to act mature like an adult. Towards the end of the book, Lennie’s childlike behavior will impact his life forever. Additionally, Steinbeck uses Lennie’s childlike behavior to show Lennie’s lack of intelligence. At first, Lennie’s naivety is subtle, but it changes throughout the course of the book, and he eventually gets into big trouble because of his lack of intelligence. Lennie is forgetful, like a child, and has little social etiquette. In Of Mice and Men on pg. 4, Lennie asks George, “‘Where we goin’, George?’” And George responds, “‘So you forgot that awready, did you? I gotta tell you again, do I? Jesus Christ, you’re a crazy bastard!’” Through this dialogue, Steinbeck shows that Lennie is so unintelligent that he must rely on George to remind him about everything. Additionally, on pg. 63, when

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