Lennie Character Analysis

In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Lennie and George have both similarities and differences that are revealed throughout the storyline. These comparisons and contrasts are used to explain their unique friendship and dependency on one another. The story begins with the description of their physical and intellectual differences and establishes their roles of who is the dominant one. The story shares the obstacles that have stood in the way of them obtaining their “American Dream” to own land, even if they if they have different motivations. The story concludes with the difficult choice that George makes to end Lennie’s life himself, out of his love for his friend.

Lennie is dim witted but still has conscious when he first got to the ranch he decided not be acquainted with Curly and instead take a liking to Candy. George and Candy say that George say that Lennie is just some dumb person who doesn't know at he's doing. Mostly, Lennie dreams about having different colored rabbits and in doing so it takes him away from the real world. John Steinbeck portray Lennie as this person who has a compulsive need to have rabbits. On page 28 Lennie said "An' rabbits," Lennie said eagerly. "An' I'd take care of 'em. Lennie's obsession for Rabbits affects the story because he's so fixated on them he has so little awareness is in the book with very little thought or comprehension of anything else. Lennie's obsession with rabbits doesn't affective his relationship with the character that much except with George, whenever they start or have a conversation it almost always comes back to Lennie bringing up the farm with a place for the rabbits and how he would get to feed them. Lennie's personality is severely hindered by the fact that he wants rabbits so much because he just doesn't have the want or urge to make friends or talk to people besides the case with accidentally running into the stable boy.

Lennie Small is a character that readers are drawn to right from the beginning of the book. His innocence stands out from the grimey coverings of loneliness and hopelessness that the other characters wear. The reason Lennie is so innocent is because he has a mental handicap, one that prevents him from understanding complex human emotions such as guilt, or concepts such as death. In addition Lennie has trouble remembering things, “" I tried and tried [to remember]...but it didn't do not good." Consequently, Lennie has trouble fitting in with society. Ultimately his mental disability is what leads to Lennie's demise at the end of the book. Another trait that is an essential part of Lennie's innocent character is his devotion to his closest friend George. In fact, the only times Lennie is shown to be angry is when George is insulted or threatened. When Crooks, the crippled, black, stable hand, implies bad things about George, this devotion is clearly shown. “Suddenly Lennie's eyes centered and grew quiet, and mad. He walked dangerously toward Crooks. 'Who hurt George?' he demanded" When it comes to George, Lennie would deviate from the normal passive motives of his persona. More support can be found when George is the only one who can convince Lennie to “get him[Curly]” when Curly attacks him, as well as being the only one to stop him. Perhaps the most prominent support for Lennie's childlike innocence is in his utter belief of George and his dream. No matter how

Individuals have had to do something they do not want to do at least once in their lives. It could be something small, or something to a bigger extent. In the novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, many characters struggle with loneliness because the novel is set during the Great Depression when many people found it difficult to make a living. This is one of the reasons why many readers find it odd that Lennie Small and George Milton travel together in these desperate times. George and Lennie look out for each other at every place they go. At the Tyler Ranch, Lennie’s disability causes him to get into trouble, big trouble. George has to make the toughest decision of his life: kill his friend or let him die a painful death. George decided to kill Lennie because he would not be able to allow Lennie to experience misery. George Milton did not kill Lennie Small out of hate, but out of friendship.

Wole Soyinka once said, “I have a kind of magnetic attraction to situations of violence.” In John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, Lennie seems to attract violence and tragedy like a moth to a flame. George takes care of Lennie because of Lennie’s mental disability, and Lennie manages to find some trouble in every place George takes them. Lennie’s actions throughout the novella, play a major role in the events that occur, they leave Weed because of him, his new puppy dies because of him, Curley’s wife dies because of him, and their dreams shatter because of him.

In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Steinbeck makes Lennie a very sympathetic character because of his lack of intelligence, his kind heart and his large body type. In the book Of Mice and Men, 2 men Lennie and George search to find work so that one day they can accomplish the dream of owning a farm. Lennie and George go to do work on a ranch and they stay in a bunker with a couple other guys. Lennie and George's boss of the ranch is pretty tough on them and so is the boss's son Curley. Lennie and George hope that the dream of having their own plot of land will one day come true. Steinbeck was successful at making Lennie sympathetic because Lennie is A very affectionate person who does not like to hurt anyone and he really cares about other people.

The Great Depression affected millions of people in America, two of those people affected were George and Lennie. George and Lennie are migrant workers that struck a job in California. George can be described as the brains of the partnership, while Lennie is more of the muscle. In the story Lennie has a fascination with feeling soft objects. This later gets them in trouble in the town of Weed. Once they get to the job, they go months will no big problems. Until, Lennie accidentally killed The owner’s son’s wife. After this happened Lennie ran off, and all the workers went to go find him and kill him. George does find Lennie before any of the other workers, and even with the chance to escape, he shoots Lennie. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the murder of Lennie was not Justified.

In order to fully understand George’s decision, one must take into account the kind of world in which George and Lennie lived. As evidenced by the book’s publication date, 1937, Of Mice and Men took place in the 1930s, a time of severe economic hardship for many Americans due to the Great Depression. During this time, traditional American values such as self-reliance and individuality were reemphasized by a scared and shaken population, retreating from the personal gratification and self-indulgence characterized by the 1920s to ideals of the self-made man and other

In Of Men and Men by John Steinbeck the characters Slim and Candy feel bad for Lennie. The reader also feels bad for Lennie because he is not brightest character. Steinbeck depicts Lennie as a sympathetic character because of his childlike innocence and mental disability in order to show that complex ideas are not something everyone is capable of.

In the novella Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck brings to light the rampant oppression and powerlessness of an individual through the allegorical portrayals of his characters in the 1930’s. Even though the characters in the book are capable of achieving many things, they are not as powerful as one would think. Lennie Small is described as physically strong - which is a trait that would seem to represent someone of power. However, because of his mental handicap and his childish way of viewing the world he can’t overcome the impulses that come to his mind. Lennie’s friend, George Milton, has helped him realize the difference between good and bad, but he does not understand why some things are to be avoided and some things are better left unsaid or undone.

First of all, Lennie is childlike, the way he speaks you can tell he might have a speech impediment and the way he is always forging things, makes him childlike. This characteristic makes people feel sympathetic for him. During the story George always talks about how Lennie isn't the brightest but he's a great worker. On page 34 in Of Mice and Men George says "He ain't bright. Hell of a good worker, though. Hell of a nice fella, but he ain't bright.” His childlike trait causes George to get mad at him often. As you can see in the quote George is talking about how Lennie isn’t smart, but is a very good worker. George was telling slim this so Slim wouldn't yell at Lennie for forgetting things and not thinking clearly. Also this characteristic makes it hard for him to build new relationships with other. It gets him into trouble a lot and doesn't help him. Being childlike works against Lennie, but it causes people to feel sympathetic for him. George tells him not to speak too much when they are at work because he is afraid that is lack of intelligence will lose them the job. Because Lennie doesn't talk with others that much he can't build any friendships there for his only friend is George. It also gets him in trouble when they were in weed he wanted to touch a girl's dress and when he did she screamed, but he didn't let get because he was scared his characteristics got him kicked out of his job and also got George in trouble.

Lennie, like other social outcast in this book, has a dream to own a piece of land with George. But along with everybody else his dreams get crushed, and Lennie's die along with him. In the novella Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck portrays the use of

Although mental illness is widely accepted and generally understood in today’s modernized society, this awareness did not always exist within the bounds of civilization. Due to this lack of understanding, mentally ill people would often be regarded as deranged and dangerous. Throughout Steinbeck’s novel, “Of Mice and Men,” Lennie demonstrates many qualities associated with mental illness, making him an intensely misunderstood and often violent character, eventually forcing George to bring Lennie to his inevitable demise.

In the book Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck shows the damaging effects of the America’s harsh influence of individual’s decisions. Protagonists Lennie and George travel across the country in hopes of settling into a steady career to earn a decent living. Along the way their ambitions are all they can anticipate, altering their judgments. Coming to truth, George attempted to pull Lennie from the depths of his imagination. Like many of the other characters within American novels, his emotion and mental functioning could not repel away from the unlikely possibilities.

“The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft agley. an’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain, for promis’d joy!” These famous words from Robert Burns’ poem “To a Mouse” inspired John Steinbeck’s title for Of Mice and Men. Just as it is useless for a mouse to try and protect its home from the blade of a plow, so are the human efforts and dreams for the unattainable in the face of natural and economic calamities. In the midst of the Great Depression, a man like Lennie who is incapable of thinking logically for himself renders it nearly impossible to survive without causing any trouble. George knew of this and tried to prolong the inevitable, but eventually had to face the ultimate price of taking away the life of the only friend he’s ever known and had. Mercy is defined as compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm. Although mercy is the ideal side to choose, some readers think that George chose to kill Lennie because Lennie because Lennie is constantly in trouble and George was sick of solving all of Lennie’ problem. From murdering Lennie out of selfishness and murdering Lennie out of mercy, the basis of the debate on the intent of