Lennie's mental disability makes him a fascinating character in Steinbeck's 'Of Mice And Men'. In fact, he could be considered the book's central character. Steinbeck describes him as having a 'shapeless face' and 'wide sloping shoulders', giving him an animalistic appearance. Lennie's behavior is also animal-like - he moves like a bear, drinks from a pool like a horse, and snorts into the water. These comparisons emphasize Lennie's unique traits and add to his complexity as a character.
Despite his size and strength, the character is depicted as innocent and mentally undeveloped. Comparing him to a child, George remarks that he relies on George for guidance, is inquisitive, and lacks intelligence. Reflecting on their friendship, George affirms this characterization with the statement, "Sure."
Despite being seen as unintelligent, the protagonist displays
...a gentle and kind personality throughout the book, particularly in his love for soft creatures like mice, puppies, and rabbits. However, due to his natural strength, he has accidentally killed mice given to him by his aunt Clara in the past. George and Clara have warned him not to handle them too roughly, but he may be inadvertently violent.
Despite not wanting to disobey, Lennie's considerable strength proves problematic for both himself and George in Weed. Lennie's desire for soft objects unfortunately leads to incidents such as the one in Weed. Due to his lack of understanding of his own sexual nature, Lennie is unaware that stroking and staring at women, such as Curly's wife, is inappropriate. Lennie wholeheartedly believes in the shared vision of he and George owning a farm where they can "live off the fatta the land."
Despite their differences, Lennie and
George rely on each other for survival. While Lennie lacks the necessary practical skills to procure food and shelter, George is able to provide for them both. Although Lennie acknowledges his dependence on George, he sometimes expresses a desire to venture off on his own.
It’s a poignant situation because, despite his immense strength, Lennie is destined to perish without George’s aid. It’s clear that George feels a strong sense of duty towards Lennie, having supported him through numerous challenging periods. For instance, when Lennie clutches onto a girl’s dress, George is obliged to extricate him from the situation. This is significant because it exemplifies the many actions George has taken to shield Lennie from harm. It highlights George’s immense responsibility in caring for Lennie and keeping him out of trouble. Likewise, the exchange about the tickets - "you never had none you crazy bastard" - further illustrates the depth of their relationship.
George is responsible for taking care of Lennie due to his clumsiness. He motivates Lennie with their dream of owning their own land and having a farm. Although Lennie is familiar with the dream, he continuously asks George to recount it for him. For instance, George remarks, "I got both of ‘em here. Think I’d let you carry your own work card?".
George serves as both a brotherly figure and a parental figure to Lennie due to his consistent support and deep understanding of him. With keen insight, he is familiar with everything from Lennie's hidden mouse to his missteps. However, their relationship isn't entirely one-sided; Lennie provides George with his immense physical strength, allowing him to secure and maintain employment. Although George lacks wealth,
property, and a wife, he compensates through his quick-wittedness and determined features. Ultimately, Lennie is the sole figure present in his life.
Upon meeting new people, he tends to harbor a great deal of suspicion. Demonstrating his short fuse, he takes issue with Candy over the presence of insect repellent on the shelves at the ranch, despite developing a positive rapport with George and Candy following the incident. Additionally, his short temper is frequently taken advantage of when it comes to Lennie.
Georges false dream involves fantasizing about life without his caretaking responsibilities. He claims that his life would be better if he was alone and declares that he could easily visit the cat house every month if Lennie weren't around. Despite this, George's loyalty and conscience keep him devoted to Lennie. As a caretaker and instructor, he constantly advises Lennie on how to behave and what to do. George is aware of the potential danger that Lennie could face, hence why he instructs him to return to the brush. He is also nervous and cautions Lennie not to say anything negative to the boss to avoid giving a negative impression.
George advises Lennie to give the object to Curley if required. When they were young, George urged Lennie to leap into the river, although he was incapable of swimming, and he nearly died. From that time on, George has endeavored to act in Lennie's best interests and regrets misusing his authority. Although it may seem unlikely, George depends on Lennie as much as Lennie relies on him. George does not require Lennie for emotional support, but rather for physical assistance, given that George is not a
large individual and cannot perform certain tasks without aid. In the first section of the novel, while in the brush, George tasks Lennie with gathering firewood, and Lennie will always comply with George's directives.
George appears to be the sole individual whom Lennie will truly heed. An example of this is when Lennie forcefully injures Curley's hand, as George instructs him to do so with the words "Give it to him". Moreover, Lennie provides George with a companion to converse with and a person to steer him towards accomplishing their shared aspirations. Were it not for Lennie, George would simply be an ordinary ranch laborer who frequents brothels on a monthly basis.
George's act of killing Lennie results in the loss of a friend and hope. George will have to continue his life as a rancher without Lennie, for whom he had to shoot for multiple reasons. Firstly, if George didn't kill Lennie, one of the other ranchers would have probably shot him. Furthermore, George understood that without his help, Lennie would not have been able to survive. However, when George kills Lennie, he does it in a unique way - with the happy thought of his dream of owning a farm and tending the rabbits.
George instructs him to oversee the pool, which represents gazing into the afterlife.
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