The Possible Impacts Of Weakness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

The harsh reality is one which hit everyone in America in the 1930. People found work hard to find and crime was on the uprise. This meant, unfortunately, that innocent people were the easy prey and, as we see in the Of Mice and Men, there were plenty of characters that were easy prey. Of Mice and Men characters have and do thing that make them vulnerable in way which do cause trouble. In this essay, that harsh reality and easy prey will be shown through to see which characters are the most vulnerable.

"...and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws."

“So you forgot that awready, did you? I gotta tell you again , do I ? Jesus christ, you're a crazy bastard!” George says (4-5). You can infer that the two characters have some issues with each other. In Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck shows the weaknesses that most of the characters have and the trials they face with those weaknesses. The characters such as Lennie, Crooks and Candy all have something that happens to them in the story that brings out their weaknesses. John Steinbeck portrays the effects that weak people reveal through the characters Lennie, Crooks and Candy.

This attachment is made towards Lennie by both Crooks and Curley’s wife. They take advantage of Lennie’s disability, and use him to assuage their solitude. Curley’s wife complains to Lennie of her isolation while in the barn, saying, “I get lonely,’(...) ‘You can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad.” (Steinbeck, 87) She establishes outright that she is lonely, and uses that to persuade Lennie to speak to her. This was, however, unhealthy because she didn’t actually care about Lennie. When he stayed with her, she only talked about her past, and vented her issues, without a care for Lennie. In the same fashion, Crooks also chose to ignore any emotional needs that Lennie may have, preferring to speak only to alleviate his loneliness. When Lennie comes to Crooks’ room, Crooks is so desperate for another person to talk to-for a chance to be social-that it doesn’t matter to him that his words fall on deaf ears. He revels in the company, explaining, “So it don’t mean nothing, see? You couldn’t remember it anyways. I seen it over an’ over- a guy talkin’ to another guy and it don’t make no difference if he don’t hear or understand.”(Steinbeck, 71) This encounter between Crooks and Lennie affirms the fact that theirs isn’t a symbiotic relationship. Crooks is fueled by his need for human contact, and it makes absolutely no difference to him what Lennie feels or thinks. He is dependent on Lennie’s defective brain for assurance that he can just talk without having to worry, though a healthy relationship should include mutual understanding and care. Isolation is evidently not best relieved through a flimsy form of

“And it don't matter. It's just the talking.” This shows that Crooks is probably a hidden conversationalist. He likely loves having conversations, but that’s not possible for him anymore. “It's just bein' with another guy. That's all." More so, it’s the company aspect of having a friend that is more important than merely talking. “S’pose George don’t come back no more.” Crooks went from being friendly to attacking Lennie’s only weakness, George. “What’ll you do then?” Crooks wants Lennie to imagine how he would be without George. George is the only one caring for Lennie, essentially protecting Lennie from himself. Lennie cries: “He won’t do it,” right before he becomes nearly hysterical. Lennie cannot fathom a life without George. It’s nearly identical to a toddler realizing they are lost in a mall without their parents. “Crooks’ face lighted with pleasure in his torture.” Crooks acts very sadistic in this particular passage. He knows very well how attached Lennie is to George. They have one of the most recognizable friendships on the ranch. Crooks does not want that to be - he wants everyone to feel how he

In the middle of the story, Crooks originally came off as rude and intimidating to Lennie, but through mood, we learn that he really is just lonely. This is found when Lennie wanders into Crooks’s room. Crooks doesn’t want Lennie in there, but Lennie stays anyway, and Crooks soon realizes that he really does need someone to talk to so that he isn’t so lonely. Crooks states, “‘You got no right to come in my room. This here’s my room. Nobody got any right in here but me,’” (Steinbeck, 68). This quote goes along with the theme because as you can see, Crooks comes off as very negative towards having a friend. He attempts to shut Lennie out, but Lennie insists on staying. Crooks yells at Lennie a second time, but Lennie doesn’t stop. Crooks states, “‘Well go get your pup, then. Don’t come to a place where you’re not wanted.’ Lennie lost his smile. He advanced into the room, then remembered and backed to the door again.” (Steinbeck, 69). By the way Crooks is talking and the mood he has set, it is obvious that he has been plagued by loneliness. Those who desperately need a friend are usually the ones who shut everyone out; and this is exactly what Crooks is doing to Lennie. Although it was probably unintentional due to Lennie's mental stability, Lennie finally “won the battle”, and Crooks allowed him into his room. Steinbeck writes, “Crooks scowled, but Lennie’s disarming smile defeated him.”

One night Lennie goes to talk to Crooks: “S’pose George don’t come back? S’pose he just took a powder and ain’t coming back?What’ll you do then?” (71) Crooks sees that Lennie will believe or do anything someone tells him to do. Lennie with his disability does not realize that he is above Crooks in the social order. Instead, he sees him as someone he could have as a friend.

The act of helping Lennie comes from George’s thoughtfulness that aids Lennie in certain situations. Moreover, George’s care makes others question the compassion he feels for Lennie, for instance, Crooks says “” Well, I never seen one guy take so much so much trouble for another guy”” (Steinbeck 22). Other characters such as Crooks share the pain of loneliness. Crooks race places a part of why he is alone as well as Candy’s relationship with his dog. The deep connection in which George and Lennie have is rare in the novella’s time period and location. The protection that Lennie receives from George demonstrates the sacrifice for life and brotherhood.

“They left all the weak ones here,” she said finally. (pg 60) The novel Of Mice and Men was written by John Steinbeck in 1937, the setting of the novel is on a ranch just a few miles from Soledad, California. In Of Mice and Men, there are many characters with different impairments, some examples of the impairments are mental or physical such as age, gender or health. The characters are Lennie, Candy, Crooks and Curley’s wife, which all apply to age, gender and health.

•When Lennie tries to hang out with Crooks, Crooks thinks about how nice is it to talk to someone, but he also remembers how mistreated he’s been and takes this out on Lennie, an easy target

All throughout the book, Lennie has counted on George and vice versa. Crooks, has taken into account of the type of bond that Lennie and George share, and in chapter four, while all of the men are in town, Lennie goes into Crook’s room and talks to him. Crooks almost immediately attacks him by saying “S’pose George don’t come back no more?…what would you do then?” S’pose he gets killed or hurt so that he can’t come back? (Steinbeck, 71). Crooks only attacks Lennie with questions like this because Crooks, unlike George and Lennie, has no one he can call a friend.

Lennie never understood the same things average adults could. Due to his mental ability, he was very oppressed. George told Slim, “Used to play jokes on ‘im ‘cause he was too dumb to take care of ‘imself. But he was too dumb to even know he had a joke played on him. I had fun… Why he’d do any damn thing I tol’ him” (40). George who is now Lennie’s closest friend used to oppress him. George didn’t have any authority over him at the time; he did it because Lennie didn’t know any better, and it was fun. Even though some people do nothing to deserve it, they still get oppressed. George was just an average person. Anyone can take enjoyment in oppressing someone because it makes them feel more powerful. The people in power want more because they are greedy, and the people that don’t have much try to gain it. When Lennie came to Crook’s room, Crooks kept mocking him. He was excited when “Crook’s face lighted with pleasure in his torture” (71). He finally had the advantage to torment someone else after continuously being the casualty. Everyone likes to feel like they are better than someone else. It boosts their self-confidence. Crooks was expeditiously put back in his place when Curley’s wife later reminded him, “Well, you keep your place then, nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny” (81). Curley’s wife also is profoundly oppressed, yet she jumped at the chance to feel better about

“They left all the weak ones here,” she said finally.” (Steinbeck 84). The novel Of Mice and Men was written by John Steinbeck in 1937, the setting of the novel is a ranch just a few miles from Soledad, California. In Of Mice and Men there are many characters with different impairments. Some examples of the impairments are mental or physical such as age, gender or health. The characters are Lennie, Candy, Crooks And Curley’s wife which all apply with age, gender and health.

When Lennie first enters, Crooks is at first defensive as he is not used to visitors invading his personal space. He then realises he can have some fun with Lennie, who is nowhere near his intellectual equal and Crooks reveals a slightly sadistic streak. He metaphorically, dances all over the slow witted Lennie and is far too quick for him. While he is trying to make the point that although Lennie has George, he is all alone, he enjoys tormenting Lennie

He questions Lennie about his relationship with George. What if George abandons you? Crooks demonstrates his want of a companion. Moreover, he seems insane with loneliness. Later, he scorns Lennie’s dream of his own land.