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Of mice and men lennie character traits
Of mice and men lennie character traits
Analysis of John Steinbeck
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Doing careless things can lead to the downfall of an individual. In Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, Lennie does careless and thoughtless acts that lead to the downfall of himself and others around him. The careless actions of Lennie were apparent through Lennie and the pups, Lennie and Curley’s wife, and Lennie and George. Thoughtless actions appear in many ways such as animal cruelty. Lennie likes to feel soft items such as velvet, fur and items such as puppies. In the introduction to the story and characters, Lennie was carrying a dead mouse just to pet it. He was traveling with George, his best friend, who acted fraternal to him. When George and Lennie went to work on a different ranch, Lennie was promised a puppy from Slim, the grave lead skinner. The pups were tiny and were newborns. Lennie’s instructions were to leave the pups in the nest. But on a frigid night, he takes one of the pups out. George said, “You get right up and take this pup back to the nest. He’s gotta sleep with his mother. You want to kill him? Just born last night an’ you take him out of the nest” (Steinbeck 43). Lennie had disobeyed Slim and George and took out the pup from the nest. Lennie really likes to pet pups, and that characteristic gets the best of him. Taking the pup out of the nest was a thoughtless idea and eventually led to the downfall of the pup. Lennie’s actions led to the death of a pup. Lennie had disappeared to the barn where the pups and horses were. He was visiting the pups. “Lennie looked at it for a long time, and then he put out his huge hand and stroked it” (Steinbeck 81). Lennie had killed a pup by hitting it in the head when it tried to bite him. He did not think hitting the pup in the head through and it lead to the downfa... ... middle of paper ... ...George terminated Lennie for a truly unknown reason. But the event would not have taken place if Lennie had not killed Curley’s wife or gotten them fired in weed. Ultimately, Lennie’s previous actions caused the downfall of himself and the downfall of George emotionally. Inconsiderate actions can lead to a person’s downfall. Different people broke down due to the actions of Lennie with the pups, Lennie with Curley’s wife, and Lennie with George. All in all, a person might be influenced by their thoughts to formulate poor decisions.. This knowledge can affect today’s society. People should think twice before choosing to do one thing or another, for if everyone made inconsiderate decisions, the world would not be able to reform, due to everyone’s selfish choices. Everyone would turn into selfish and unsympathetic people. These careless decisions do not benefit anyone.
As we journey through life, we must make difficult decisions, even when few options exist and the situation is grim. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the decision George faces after Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife is complicated, as none of his choices are good. The importance of his relationship with Lennie forces George to look at the big picture and act in Lennie’s best interests, even though the action he must finally take will result in a weight that he will carry forever.
work, he states that Lennie is "…strong as a bull" and is "…a god damn
Lennie is depicted in a very childlike manner throughout Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Accordingly, he acts in a manner that is persistent with a child in that his motivations precisely lead to his actions. He does not act in a pure sense of dishonesty, reflective of the purity that is peculiar to someone who is like a kid at heart.
Due to child like qualities, Lennie is a person which would be easy prey and a vulnerable person. Lennie is a vulnerable person who is quite dumb. His has an obsession for touching soft thing and this will often lead him in to trouble. But poor Lennie is an innocent person who means no harm to anybody. When he and Curley get into a fight Lennie is too shocked to do any thing. He tries to be innocent but, when told to by George grabs Curley’s fist and crushes it. George is Lennie’s best friend and Lennie does every thing he tells him to do as demonstrated in the fight with “But you tol...
An Ethical Dilemma. People were terrified and disfranchised, John Steinbeck created Of Mice and Men, which set place during the dirty thirties (time of the Great Depression), a time where strength could not overcome aloneness and alienation. The child-like character Lennie was one of the most misunderstood characters, even with his best friend and caretaker George. In the beginning, they were uncanningly together in a society of loners during the time, having only each other, so close many assumed they were brothers. Throughout the story George had vowed to take care of Lennie, however under the circumstances he faced he chose to shoot his best friend.
When someone cares for someone else they protect them even if it means hurting them in the end. In “Of Mice and Men” John Steinbeck tells the story of two migrant workers struggling to get by in life. One of the men, Lennie, is mentally ill and is constantly getting in trouble. He likes to touch soft things, even if he should not be touching them. Geroge, the other man, has to constantly take blame for Lennie’s actions. George’s relationship with Lennie is very meaningful yet dangerous at the same time. It is meaningful because George takes care of Lennie when no one else will, whenever Lennie gets himself into trouble George has to take the grunt of the outcome, and, in the end, George has to make a decision that not only affects his life but also Lennie’s, whether it is for the good or not.
Lennie’s unintentional mistakes resulted in the sudden end for him, but was done in the best way possible. As Lennie would’ve been subjected to a life of loss, running and suffering, George correctly made the decision in euthanizing him. While contemplating whether or not to euthanize him, George knew he very well could but it wasn’t the easiest decision to make on his part. If George wouldn’t of made the decision he did, Lennie would’ve had to run for the rest of his life with no account of what happened or what to do due to his mental illness. He would’ve been seen as a criminal and hunted down like animal which is inhumane and cruel. Although his mishaps weren’t meant to be as extreme as they were, the consequences were foreshadowed throughout
“Trouble with mice is you always kill 'em. ” This quote was taken from the famous story, Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck. It is directed to one of the main characters, Lennie Small, and although seemingly inconsequential can describe him and his actions almost perfectly. Through this quote, the author expresses Lennie's inability to know his own strength, the reason he accidentally kills the mice. He consistently makes mistakes like these throughout the story. Mistakes that have consequences, and help to express important ideas to readers. Lennie Small is a static character with the mind of a child, used as an effective tool by the John Steinbeck to send messages to people all around the world.
Lennie's incredible need often causes him to be "a man [who] kills the thing he loves." Recurrently, the reader is reminded of the way in which Lennie inadvertently kills animals and frightens people. For example, at the pool George and Lennie reveal in their conversation the reason that they are traveling. Lennie got himself into trouble in the last town for petting a woman's dress "like it was a mouse." This obvious innocence foreshadows the inevitable end to Lennie's carelessness. Trouble follows the two men because Lennie cannot realize what he is doing wrong. George can only call him "a crazy son-of-a-bitch" and pretend that he does not want the responsibility of the childish man. However, the powerful simpleton never means harm to his victims or comprehends the complications to George that come from the things he does. His thoughtless manner in which he lives represents those who continue to hurt their loves because they cannot think beyond their own needs.
Strengths and Weaknesses play a huge roll within the story. Steinbeck explores different types of strength and weakness throughout the novel. As the novel begins, Steinbeck shows how Lennie possesses physical strength beyond his control, as when he cannot help killing the mouse. Great physical strength is valuable in George and Lennie's circumstances. Curley, as a symbol of authority on the ranch and a champion boxer, makes this clear immediately by using his brutish strength and violent temper to intimidate those who look down on him. Lennie means no harm at all. The reason why George and Lennie had to leave in the beginning of the novel was because it was believed that Lennie attempted to rape a woman there. Rape was not the case at all, when Lennie expressed his love for the touch of soft things, such as a dress or a mouse, this panicked the woman causing a chain reaction, and causing Lennie panic also. When Lennie accidentally kills the mouse, it foreshadows the future of Lennie and Curley's wife.
Lennie accidentally killing all of his pets establishes that the theme of this novel is death and loss. These pets consist of mice, dogs, kittens, etc. Lennie loves to feel and pet animals, but he does not know his own strength. He kills them without really noticing what he has done, until George tells him that he did something wrong. After being scolded, Lennie is very remorseful about what he did. Once, after being yelled at Lennie says, “I pinched their heads a little and then they was dead- because they were so little (13).” Lennie’s remorse is probably more for upsetting George than it is for actually killing the animal.
The characteristics of mice are simple and feebleminded. A mouse is helpless, timid and oblivious. Few characters in Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men possess such characteristics. Throughout the novel, Lennie exhibits the qualities associated with mice.
In the novel “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck Lennie has many traits that define him. One trait he has is he is very forgetful. Another trait he has is he is very reliant upon George. A final trait that Lennie possesses is he is very curious. These three ideas are all traits that Lennie uses to manage his life and they help him by staying positive. Although Lennie is mentally deficient, he can still maintain a healthy lifestyle by using his happiness.
Of Mice and Men is John Steinbeck’s plead on behalf of those suffering with their mental health. When reading the novel, multiple incidents occur that show the Lennie’s needs. For example, when Slim, a co-worker or Lennie and George’s inquires, George says, “Sure he’s jes’ like a kid. There ain’t no more harm in him than a kid neither, except he’s so strong” (22). Lennie kills mice, a puppy, and even a woman, without any ill intentions. Lennie does not mean any harm, but simply does not know quite how to act
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 this paper, I will focus on these characteristics.