Lennie Small Symbolism

Throughout the book we see an interesting bond between two very different men. George is similar to an older brother and has become responsible for Lennie. Because of his mental disorder Lennie is dependent on George and does whatever he says. They both had plans to spend their futures together. It was very difficult for George to kill Lennie, but he did it out of him love for him, which made it even harder. In that moment it is clear how much George really cares for Lennie. Though their friendship comes an appealing finish it is evident that both characters are extremely close to each other and would go to extreme lengths for one

Lennie never does anything without the consent from George. He knows he has to listen to George, If he doesn't he knows he will end up in trouble like he did while picking weeds. In all the trouble that Lennie gets in, he doesn't do it on purpose. Lennie has a good heart and never means to hurt anyone. His mental disability causes all his action.

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 mentally disabled and so always ‘does bad things’, because of this, he constantly depends on George to protect him and get him out of trouble. For example, in Weed, Lennie constantly ‘wants to touch

George takes care of Lennie many ways. George has taken care of Lennie for a long time. George took him under his wing even though he didn’t need to. George genuinely cares for Lennie. He feeds him, makes sure he is safe, also he gives him hope. George is constantly watching Lennie. George is a good friend to Lennie; however, George gets annoyed with Lennie very easily. He does this to make sure he doesn’t get into trouble or lost. He never leaves him by himself. This is shown when Lennie offers to leave, but George tells him “I want you to stay with me Lennie”(Steinbeck 104). George really cares for Lennie.

I could also notice when I was reading through the first chapter that George has a sense of authority over Lennie, “you gonna get that wood”. This is like a parent telling a child to do his chores. On some occasions though George shows a bit of hatred towards Lennie, he thinks of what he could have if Lennie wasn’t around and contrasts that with George.

Although Lennie has the mental capacity of a child, he is innocent to doing anything wrong to George. George just seen him as a potential threat.

    George took Lennie in after Lennie’s aunt died. George knew his aunt pretty well. Lennie had nowhere to go afterwards, so George let Lennie come along with him. George wasn’t always nice to Lennie in the beginning. George would tease him and trick him. Lennie didn’t know any better than to listen to George, even if it was a taunt. After an incident happened to Lennie, George stopped tormenting him. He felt bad for Lennie and how he treated him. From this moment on, George actually took into consideration of Lennie’s mindset. In the book, Steinbeck writes,

The problem with Lennie was that he was mentally disabled, back in the 1930's people did not understand things like that, and had no clue about disabled people. Lennie was sweet and loved thing that were soft. Lennie would put himself in very dangerous situations and with disability he lacked the capacity to control himself physically. Lennie did not understand how strong he was and they damage he would do until after the fact. He also shares the dream of having the small farm and tending to his small rabbit hutch. Since Lennie is mentally disabled he depends on George for almost everything. Lennie is like a small child that has to a have a parent nearby always or he will get into

Lennie’s mental disability is one of his most defining traits of how he tends to forget everything. The origin of his mental disability is unclear but his mind seems to be like a two year old and forget everything. George seems to stick around Lennie because he cares for him but most importantly for his disability. In the first chapter when Lennie and George are settling down by the

George frequently reminds Lennie to stay out of trouble because of his last accident that happened in Weed. Lennie has a weakness for touching soft things. In Weed, Lennie was accused of raping a girl because he was touching and holding on to her red dress. Of course, George and Lennie didn’t tell Lennie's situation to their new boss.

George has the job and responsibility of looking after lennie and helping him each and everyday with basic activities. Lennie on the other hand, has a hard time at remembering things such as what he has to do on a day to day basis. Therefore George is there for him. Without Georges help and strict rules, Lennie would cause even more trouble than he already does. For example, one time george snapped “You ain't gonna put put nothing over me” (Steinbeck, 14). This shows how had to lay down the rules to let lennie know who was always in charge, and to make sure nothing gets avoided. Without Georges power over lennie, Lennie definitely not be where george has helped him to grow to.

George is constantly having to remind him of certain things, like what happened in weed, when Lennie wouldn’t let go of the girls dress and he lost them their jobs or to tell him when he shouldn’t speak solely because he’s afraid Lennie will say something wrong and put their jobs at jeopardy again. George does all the work for Lennie, which only makes him look incompetent. Lennie is often picked on because due to his disability, when Curley instigated a fight with him he was defenseless and just stood there as he got beat. He cried helplessly “Make ‘um stop, George.”, When it finally hit Lennie to defend himself he grabbed Curley’s hand and didn’t let go till he broke it. The author does the most to convey Lennie as one who has no control over what they do and is clueless most of the time. Crooks

In the novella Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck, the relationship between Lennie Small and George Milton is complex. Lennie and George are two companions who look for work and brave the hardships of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression together. Although Lennie and George are both grown men, their relationship resembles more of a child and a single parent, or a boy and his dog. Lennie is portrayed as animalistic and childish through his behavior and Steinbeck’s comparisons. This reveals the crucial power dynamic in George and Lennie’s relationship.

Often times when reading a novel, readers tend to get overwhelmed with all the characters presented simultaneously. However, in the novella, Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, he simply illustrates to readers how each character portrays a different role and possess characteristics, which makes them distinctive from one another in their society. One character that is key to this novella is Lennie Small. Steinbeck illustrates Lennie as a flat character, who does not undergo any significant development, remaining utterly the same throughout the novella as readers were first introduced to him in the first few pages. Lennie’s simplicity character traits indisputably have an influential impact. He is consistently being set up for inevitable