how are characters presented in of mice and men

Throughout “Of Mice and Men” Lennie is a very interesting character that doesn’t have that much

In chapter one of “Of Mice and Men”, we are introduced to the characters Lennie and George. The book starts with describing a serene scene of a valley with a river running through it. The book then focuses on the two characters that emerge out of the forest. One with sharp features and strong stance and the other looking as though he is still in his pubescent years. As the chapter progresses, the author, John Steinbeck, allows readers to catch a glimpse of the characters’ relationship with each other and see the inner workings of their symbiotic partnership.

Although Lennie is among the main characters in ‘Of Mice and Men’, he is perhaps the least self-motivated. He experiences no significant changes, development, or growth throughout the novel and remains exactly as the reader encounters him in the opening pages. Throughout this essay I will be explaining the different aspects of his character.

In my opinion, Lennie Small is the most interesting character in Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck does a very good job describing and characterizing Lennie's personality. Lennie's character is, indeed, quite unique. A large man with enormous strength, yet kind and childlike, he seems to find joy in simple life pleasures like petting a furry animal and making the water ripple. Lennie's greatest difficulty seems to be remembering; and it is the lack of the ability to remember that ultimately leads to his tragedy at the end of the book. In the novel, Steinbeck seems to reinforce Lennie's characteristics of strength, kindness, childlike manner, and somewhat animal-like personality.

In the beginning of the novella, Lennie is portrayed as innocent and dependent on George. When Lennie had a mouse and George asked for it, Steinbeck describes Lennie’s reaction

Deep down inside, each person has a strong desire for a companion. Someone you can trust, who you can learn from and teach, but most importantly, one who can always be there for you no matter what happens. The relationship between the intelligent and feeble George Milton and the imbecile, but vigorous Lennie Small is displayed as the main objective in Steinbeck 's novel, Of Mice and Men. The description among these two characters is a form of juxtaposition because the two characters vary in several ways. The author’s intention of using this technique points out the differences between characters and how their personalities counteract each other significantly.

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

“Her feet battered in the hay and she writhed to be free; and from under Lennie's hand came a muffled screaming,” (Steinbeck, 91). In the novel Of Mice of Men, John Steinbeck replaces the struggles and realities of the mid-1930s through the characters in his novel. Of Mice of Men details the life of George Milton and Lennie Small who work and travel together. After they begin a new job on a ranch in Soledad, California and plan their future, their lives take a turn for the worst. Eventually, Lennie and another character, depicted as Curley's wife, are killed. Steinbeck portrays the theme of prejudice through these two characters. In the novel Of Mice of Men rash judgments made by characters lead to tragedy.

The author, Steinbeck, uses his own personal experience to “serve as an inspiration…” (Johnson 1) when writing this particular story. His past experiences also helped him for the future. Lennie, of all characters, is the least dynamic. He undergoes a significant amount of change and develops throughout the story. He has been isolated with George throughout his life. His sole purpose in life is to make George happy and to own a farm with George and take care of the soft rabbits. Lennie is the most innocent and defenseless. He also is the largest and strongest, which does not help in certain situations. Lennie is the protagonist in the story. He gains the readers sympathy by his intellectual disability and helplessness. Lennie murders things by accident such as the mouse in his pocket, the puppy and Curley’s wife. He enjoys the touch of and somehow uses those murders and experiences to scare him from doing it again. George’s opinion means the most to him.

Of Mice and Men has many recurring themes and motifs. One of them is the idea of male friendship. This theme is mostly developed vicariously through the relationship between George and Lennie. It’s shown to be complicated, since they’re dependent on each other, but they cause problems for each other as well, and it sets them apart from the others on the ranch.Lennie and George are dependent on one another. George has taken care of Lenniesince Aunt Clara’s death. In Chapter 1, Lennie talks of living on his own in a cave but George counters that by saying “Yeah? How’d you eat? You ain’t got sense enough to find nothing to eat” (Steinbeck 16). Lennie’s mental disability prevents him from being able to live in his own. In addition to that, George functions as a parental figure or role model for Lennie. This is evidenced by how Lennie tends to imitate George’s actions and is fixated on not disappointing George. On the other hand, George is also dependent on Lennie for companionship and optimism. While talking about the dream, He finishes by saying “You jus’ let ‘em try to get the rabbits. I’ll break their God damn necks. I’ll...I’ll smash ‘em with a stick’ He subsided, grumbling to himself, threatening the future cats which might dare to disturb the future rabbits. George sat entranced with his own picture.” (Steinbeck 61). This represents how George is protective of Lennie and their future together. The rabbits are symbols for Lennie and the future ranch.George

Of Mice and Men is a fable about what it means to be human, and the obstacles that present themselves in the process of fulfilling our own ambitions. Although this parable is short, Steinbeck does not fail to satisfy with this absolute unforgiving tale of a broken friendship. This story of George and Lennie’s dream of owning their own ranch is subsided by unattended consequences, it capitalizes on the emotions of the characters, as well as, the audience. John Steinbeck’s classic, is a book of what it means to be human, this parable engages us in friendship, loneliness, and sacrifice.

Lennie in of mice and men is someone we could probably all relate to one way or another in some aspects of his life. As in some way or another we have all been in some type of turmoil, and Lennie has to experience this type of turmoil every waking hour and day. As he is so kid like and naive he doesn't understand what is going on and why it’s going on. Because of this he must always be cared for by George which also puts a huge amount of guilt at all times on lennie as he feels bad for slowing george down and stopping him from having a good life, at least he thinks he’s stopping him.

As far as strength goes, Lennie has more than enough of that physically. Unfortunately he does not know his own strength and tends to hurt and even sometimes kill people and animals accidentally. For example, at the climax of the narrative, Lennie becomes frightened and, while trying to keep her quiet, he snaps Curley’s wife’s neck. This incident happened only minutes after he unintentionally kills his puppy while playing with it. Lennie is just too strong for his own good. On the other hand, his intellectual ability is contrastingly weak. He routinely forgets things, much to the annoyance of his companion, George. Lennie and George are a rarity when it comes to farm workers in 1930s California. The majority of the workers travel alone, never with a companion. But George and Lennie stick together. George looks after Lennie and Lennie in turn is happy to comply with George’s every command, even when it may get him in trouble or put him in harm’s way. Lennie and George have a fantastic dream planned. After they get the money, they’ll get a small ranch and tend to the acreage and the fields. For now, however, they travel together, going from farm to farm and earning enough money to get by with. John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, is no different from any other quality story- it has multiple well placed, undeniable themes. His novella also makes several well

John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men follows the journey of two men, George Milton and Lennie Small, who struggle through the navigation of working on a ranch in California and fulfilling their dreams together during a time of financial depression. The novel begins with George and Lennie traveling through the California wilderness to get to a new ranch just south of Soledad where they are going to begin new work. They had to leave their previous jobs in a town called Weed because Lennie had caused trouble with a girl by holding on to her red dress because he wanted to feel it, and this incident spiraled into rape allegations against Lennie. As George and Lennie make their way to the new ranch, Lennie; who is a large, but simple minded man; found a dead mouse and wanted to keep it to pet because he likes soft things. George, who is more serious and protects Lennie, takes the mouse away from him because even though it’s dead, he should not be messing with it. Lennie often does not realize his strength because of his mental incapabilities and as a result, he causes a lot of trouble and harm. George finds taking care of Lennie to be taxing, but he knows that their friendship is an important bond that he does not want to be without. In order to comfort Lennie in the wilderness, George tells the story of their shared dream to own their own ranch where they can follow their own rules and live as they please. When they finally arrive at the ranch the next day, George and Lennie