Thesis: Although Lennie is a sympathetic character, the reader feels more sympathy for George, who has to put up with Lennie and ultimately deal with the fact that he killed him. One of the reasons the reader feels sympathy for Lennie is because he is mentally ill. Lennie is Georgeś friend and companion, but George often gets angry at him because Lennie is always causing problems. In the beginning of the book, for example, Lennie has a dead mouse that he keeps in his pocket. George gets angry and makes Lennie throw it away. Even know the reader knows that carrying around a dead mouse is not sanitary, the reader feels sorry for Lennie because heś not smart enough to know better. Lennie has no family, either. He only has George. The thing that makes him the most happy is knowing that they travel together. When the men are talking about their dream ranch, Lennie says, ¨ I got you to look after me, but you got me to look after you¨ as if itś the best thing in …show more content…
George is who trying to do the right thing. He is really impatient with lennie he’s trapped with a guy who always in trouble. Another reason the reader feels sympathy for george lennie has a mind of a six year old which makes george frequently frustrates about how easy his life could be without having to take care of lennie. ”If i was alone i could live so easy.(11) I could work go get a job an’ work, an’ no trouble. No mess at all, and when the end of the month come i could take my fifty buck and go into town and get whatever i want….’’(12) ”You keep me in hot water all the time.’’(11) “We travel together,’’ said george.(40) Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They ain’t got no family. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. ”(13) George had to kill his best friend -- wants him to die happy “I never been mad, an’ i ain’t now”.
George and Lennie were lifelong friends and had varying personalities even from the start. Lennie thought about how his Aunt Clara said he should have been more like George. At the time when the story took place, the two men were travelling together, and had been for some time, working and then moving on to search for the next job they could find. They were like many other men in search for work, except it was rare for men to travel together. George felt a need to take care of Lennie because he was somewhat slow. George was an average man of the time. He was a good size, nice, but firm, and he had aspirations to be more than just a nomadic laborer. Lennie, on the other hand, had always been a little different. He was big, goofy, clumsy, but sweet. They were also both good workers. George was concerned with working and getting his money before they got into trouble and had to leave camp. Lennie was the one who normally started the trouble. He was a hard worker and lived to appease George, but he got distracted easily which angered George. George told about how they would own a house and a farm together and work for themselves. Lennie loved to hear the story and think about the possibilities, even though nobody knew if any of it was a possibility. George and Lennie's differences in part led to George's inclination to kill Lennie. Despite their dissimilarity, the two men needed each other probably more than they realized.
As George becomes aware of the situation he begins to ponder what will happen if Lennie gets away. George understands that Lennie would not be capable of providing for himself out in the wild. As George contemplates allowing Lennie to be free of all the men, he “[is] a long time in answering” (94). George is one of the few men who understands Lennie’s mental limitations, he knows Lennie would not remember how to survive and “the poor bastard’d starve” (94). He
Although Lennie was unattractive and has the tendency of accidental violence, compassion was still something readers had for him. Steinbeck constantly reminded us that he has a mental disability which automatically makes someone feel pity for him. Additionally he was ignored and made fun of by other characters, “Blubberin’ like a baby! Jesus Christ! A big guy like you”(Steinbeck 10). Him getting in trouble was beyond his control because of his mental disability which is something else that makes a reader feel sympathetic for him. Also, the readers are solicitous towards Lennie because of how much he looks up to George. This is portrayed when Crooks asks Lennie what he would do if George never came back, “Well, s’pose, jus’ s’pose he don’t come back. What’ll you do then?”(Steinbeck 70). Because of his inability to comprehend information, he got extremely defensive and said, “George is careful. He won’t get hurt” (Steinbeck 70). This scene is crafted in such a way that it automatically
Lennie has always been told what to do by George. George really helps him through problems that keep happening during the book. Lennie is incapable to live because he does not know his strength and George has to play the role as a living assistant for Lennie. Lennie does not mean to harm but because of his condition he essentially harms people. In the book it explains the
Within the beginning of the story, the dynamic of George and Lennie’s relationship is introduced, one that is uncommon and presents a fatherly vibe. The readers are thrown into the novel at the height of the great depression, an economic catastrophe that shook the world. Within these dark time, an unlikely friendship is in full blossom and we are meet by Lennie and George setting up camp for the night by a riverbed. After the duo’s personalities are expressed, they begin to set up the idea of a commonly shared dream which exists according to Lennie “Because... because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you” (Steinbeck 14). Lennie is seen as a quite simple minded and extremely dim-witted character from just the first
George’s struggles with himself become apparent at the beginning of the novel. Steinbeck clearly lets the reader know that George has conflicting feelings about Lennie. He believed, “ ...if he was alone he could live so easy. He could go get a job an ' work, an ' no trouble” (11). George is basically telling Lennie that sometimes, he wishes he could live
All of this had added up and helped George justify his choice in shooting Lennie. He realized Lennie would never change, and although he didn’t mean to, he would always keep messing up their opportunities. It was also the only valid option he could choose for his friend. To have him locked up forever would eat away at George until there was nothing left, and to let Curley shoot him would fill him with guilt as he saw that it should have been him to do it. George also wanted Lennie to go out peacefully and without a clue what was happening. George knew that if he stood aside to let someone else carry out justice on Lennie, or let him see George with the gun, he would never forgive
George and Lennie have been struggling to keep a job due to Lennie getting into trouble. This always causes them to always move around and start from scratch. This novel also relates to having the American Dream with what they dream of building together. They want to get a ranch and raise a farm of rabbits. “We’ll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens” (Steinbeck 10). George especially struggles with keeping Lennie around, its drives him crazy with the amount of trouble Lennie gets him into. However George feels responsible for him and he is like a brother to him. George is not willing to quit on Lennie until the reach their dream of owning a ranch. “I seen hundreds of men come by on the road an’ on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an’ that same damn thing in their heads” (Steinbeck 74). However dreams are much more different than reality. Lennie is only a ticking time bomb however, he is unpredictable and extremely dangerous. After Lennie killed Curley’s wife, George soon realized that their dream was never going to happen. Lennie could not live in his perfect world with George, it was like trying to fly; impossible. “You...an’ me. Everybody gonna be nice to you. Ain’t nobody gonna be more trouble. Nobody gonna hurt nobody steal from em’”
George has always been looking after Lennie because of his mental problem. For example, while on their way to the new farm they will be working at George becomes frustrated with Lennie because he continues to forget where they are going. Lennie asks George where they are yet again and George responds angrily, “So you forgot that awready did you? I gotta tell again, do I? Jesus Christ, you’re a crazy bastard!” (4). This shows George’s minimal tolerance for Lennie’s special needs. He instantly loses his temper and treats him like a child. By treating him with little respect and annoyance, George sees Lennie as an inconvenience instead of a friend. George also explains how much easier his life would be without Lennie and blaming him for all his struggles. George says, "...if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an' work, an' no trouble. No mess at all, and when the end of the month come I could take my fifty bucks and go into town and get whatever I want. Why, I could stay in a cathouse all night. I could eat any place I want, hotel or any place, and order any damn thing I could think of. An' I could do all that every damn month. Get a gallon of whisky, or set in a pool room and play cards or shoot pool." Lennie knelt and looked over the fire at the angry George. And Lennie's face was drawn in with terror. "An' whatta I got,"
“I killed my best friend,” was the exact thought that hovered in George as he watched his best friend, Lennie, recumbent, cold, and still, on the grass by the riverbanks. In the book of Mice and Men, George faced the dilemma of knowing that he had killed the one he loved the most. Though it was no accident, it was for the good of Lennie. If Lennie had been allowed to live, he would only face the worst of what life has to offer. So instead of having to watch his best friend in pain, George took the initiative to end all of the cruelty of the world and send Lennie to a better place. Therefore, George was justified in killing Lennie.
Furthermore, throughout the story the reader is engaged with sympathy for Lennie because of his ironic characterization. The way Lennie is characteristics makes him an antithesis to
George understands that he can’t hide Lennie from the world forever and that the natural order of things is that the strong pick off the weak, and he will eventually have to let Lennie go. This motivates him to seize reality, meaning he had to kill Lennie, which itself was a sign of tremendous growth in himself. Killing Lennie had many effects on George; one of them being that he became one of the men he’d tell Lennie stories about. George believed that he and Lennie were not like the other migrant workers – travelling alone and spending all their earning on a whim. When George would te...
The connection between George and Lennie illustrates the adversity during their course towards achieving the American dream. Things Lennie did, either on accident or purpose, foreshadowed what was going to happen in the book and the way people acted impacted this. Like millions of other people, George and Lennie were affected during the great depression heavily, and dreamt of owning land of their own. They worked from place to place making barely any money, and didn’t have a real home. To add to this, Lennie got in trouble a lot and in the end George had to make the crucial decision to shoot Lennie so he wouldn’t have to deal with any more difficulty. George knew he had to do what was best for Lennie and himself.
George’s relationship with Lennie has made him selfless; his conversations, with and with out Lennie, are generally revolving around Lennie, although in the case of their dream-ranch George seems to find fulfilment for himself as well. Due to these altruistic tendencies that he shows throughout the novel, a danger is bestowed upon George; he tends to care for Lennie far too much, and too little for himself. In occasional moments, he escapes his sympathy and compassion for Lennie, and realises the burden that he causes. This usually results in George taking his frustration out on Lennie, which can often harm his simple mind, leaving Lennie upset and forced to confess to his own uselessness, and George feeling guilty for what he has caused. We can learn very little about George through his actual conversations, which made it necessary for Steinbeck to focus the novel on him in particular, and let the reader gain an closer insight on him through his actions. Generally, he seems to be caring, intelligent and sensible, but is greatly worn by the constant attention Lennie requires. This illustrates a major theme in Of Mice and Men, the dangers that arise when one becomes involved in a dedicated relationship.
As mentioned above, Lennie does not have very much control over his own life and behavior. His brutal actions are never intentional.