Of Mice and Men features many characters that appear throughout the book, the most important characters being George and Lennie. George and Lennie are complete opposites of each other but still manage to get along and stick together. George and Lennie are bound together by a rough past and a similar dream. George has started watching over Lennie and taking care of him mainly because of the death of Lennie’s aunt, Clara. Lennie’s aunt being deceased is first mentioned in this quote; "I want you to stay with me, Lennie. Jesus Christ, somebody'd shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself. No, you stay with me. Your Aunt Clara wouldn't like you running off by yourself, even if she is dead." (Steinbeck Pg. 7) Which also shows how George wants Lennie to stay by his side so he can take care of him. George also takes care of Lennie because he feels bad for how he used to treat him in the past. George mentions how he used to prank Lennie and how it nearly lead to him drowning "Tell you what made me stop that. One day a bunch of guys was standin' around up on the Sacramento River. I was feelin' pretty smart. I turns to Lennie and says, 'Jump in.' An' he jumps. Couldn't swim a stroke. He damn near drowned before we could get him. An' he was so damn nice to me for pullin' him out. Clean forgot I told him to jump in. Well, I ain't done nothing like that no more." (Steinbeck Pg. 20) The quote emphasizes how bad he felt after seeing how Lennie reacted and how
Lennie, a mentally disabled man was one of the main characters in Of Mice and Men. His mental disability caused him to not know his own strength (Steinbeck 33). Steinbeck hints that Lennie has done a lot in the past that has led to them living the life there living now (Timmerman). Lennie is very friendly but his mental illness causes him to make bad decisions. His biggest flaw is that he doesn’t know his own strength; he injures things unknowingly and easily breaks Curley’s fingers without even realizing it (Hill). George, Lennie’s best friend, has been taking care of him since they were younger. When Lennie’s Aunt Clara dies George vows to always take care of Lennie (Stienbeck 45). Though Lennie continues to get into trouble George continues to take care of him and jump from town to town just to keep him safe (Telgin). George is being prepared for a tragedy throughout the whole story, which causes readers to feel sympathy. He’s basically doomed from the start because he cannot avoid the tragedies provided by Curley, Curley’s wife and the rest of the characters. Steinbeck uses Lennie’s innocence to ensure his destruction (Hadella).
Throughout Of Mice and Men, George never leaves Lennie’s; however, George does not seem to like being around Lennie: it is a responsibility he accepts. In one scene at the beginning of the book, George grows intensely frustrated with Lennie and begins a lecture which leads into a one-sided fight. They settle down for the night next to a river, when one insignificant question from Lennie sets George over the edge. He chides Lennie about how he holds him back instead of pushing him forward, and rants, “‘You can’t keep a job and you lose me every job I get. Jus’ keep me shovin’ all over the country all the time. An’ that ain’t the worst. You get in trouble’” (11). As George berates Lennie, he gives the impression that he does not enjoy being with Lennie and instead, treats Lennie like he is an unintelligent child and grudgingly takes him in. If George claims to be a suitable friend of Lennie,
The long, hard war of human equality in society, has been a war since the beginning of civilization. The Great Depression, a tragic time in America’s history, reflects American determination, but also social inequality. In the fiction novella, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses symbolism and characterization to address ableism and sexism in society. Steinbeck addresses these flaws in society in an attempt to ultimately bring awareness these riffs before society falls.
Lennie is the most sympathetic character in Of Mice and Men because he’s not very bright when it comes to things and happens to forget a lot. As George and Lennie are walking to go to a new ranch George asked Lennie
In conclusion, I believe that overall in the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck ,George was not a good friend to Lennie. George did take care of Lennie but,in my point of view, not because he actually cared for Lennie.George never once mentions how he cares for Lennie or how much he loves his companionship but does mention how easy life would be without him and if if they were related he would kill himself .Yes George looked over him and stuck by him but in most cases Lennie would have been better of being with someone
After the Great Depression, many things changed, different\\ genders and races were all treated differently. Blacks and white women were forced to be outcast in the world, women belonged in the house and blacks did not belong anywhere. In the book Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck portrays perfectly of how blacks and women were separated from everyone else with Curley’s wife and Crooks, the black stable hand. Curley’s wife and Crooks are alike in many ways; in their loneliness, the way they are separated from everyone else and how they get out casted from everything, discriminated against during the time period; which helps show how blacks and women were treated during this time period of life.
In John Steinbeck’s book Of Mice and Men we are introduced to two main characters, Lennie and George. In the book, George acts like the leader of the two men. In that sense, Lennie is viewed more so as the incapable one in the group. Lennie also can’t seem to remember anything that’s important to George and their life together which makes Lennie a character that readers feel sympathy towards. Lennie also looks up to George which makes him the more vulnerable character because he feels that he need permission from George if he wants to do something. Since Lennie is described as such and innocent character, John Steinbeck made the reader feel sympathetic to Lennie.
In Of Mice and Men George and Lennie are almost like brothers as they travel and do everything together. It was rare to have such a close friend like they had with each other and they knew that. They both knew that they had to stay with each other or else they would have a very tough time. This is because George and Lennie have opposite characteristics. George is smart and small while Lennie is big, strong, yet dumb. This could be surprising to one because they are so different but so friendly to one another even though they have so many differences. In the beginning of the novel, George and Lennie had a disagreement and when Lennie threatened to leave his partner, George said, “No-- look! I was jus’ foolin’, Lennie. ‘Cause I want you to stay with me” (Steinbeck 13). This shows that George knows that he needs Lennie because Lennie is very strong which can get them a lot of work on farms so that they can make money. Lennie had a dream where a
"Of Mice and Men" is a play written by John Steinbeck that focuses on life during the mid 1930's. This play has many recurring themes, and one of these themes is that of loneliness. This loneliness is because of the intolerance of society on those who are different. The underlying, yet stunningly obvious, theme of loneliness can be found in many characters with many examples. This loneliness due to isolation and intolerance is found in the characters of Candy, because he is old and useless; Crooks, because he is black and crippled; and Curley's wife, because she is a beautiful woman and the only girl on and all guy ranch.
For my book report I read Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Of Mice and Men is a fiction book told in the third person. The story is set most likely in the early to mid 1900’s, and most of the story takes place on a ranch in California. The story’s language was out-of-date for our younger generation, and it helped determine the time period. This was an excellent story and in the following paragraphs I’ll talk about the protagonist and antagonist, extra characters, and a summary of the book.
Emily P. In the story Of Men and Mice, Steinbeck writes about the journey that two men named Lennie and George take together. George is a strong willed, little, smart, natural born leader. Lennie is a big man, who is forgetful, irresponsible, and clueless. It’s hard for Lennie to understand basic concepts like death.
Do you have an unrealistic dream? In the book Of Mice and Men by John
Men in Of Mice and Men normally travelled alone and it is difficult for them to settle down or make a long term friendship. But in Steinbeck’ novel, the main two characters, George and Lennie are travelling together. They are not related but Lennie’ aunt has brought up George and he has promised her that he will look after Lennie. Gorge and Lennie share a dream. We are introduced to them both at the beginning of the book. As the two talk, it becomes clear that Lennie has a mental disability but is deeply devoted to George and dependent upon him for protection.
"'No- look! I was jus' foolin', Lennie. 'Cause I want you to stay with me.'"
In addition to George always picking on Lennie, George was the only person who vowed to take care of Lennie when his great aunt Clara became ill. “I told his old lady i’d take care of him” (Steinbeck 22). Given by that, Lennie could not function alone and by himself, even though he was a grown man he just had some major difficulties. At one time he relied on his Aunt Clara, but now since George has betrayed his promise he had made to take care of