Similarities Between Lennie In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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The nineteen thirties happened a long time ago. Many things have changed since then, one of them is the treatment of people with disabilities. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Lennie Small, a man with a cognitive disability, is gruesomely mistreated. If he were to live his life nowadays, his treatment would be extremely different. If Lennie was born in say; nineteen eighty, his treatment would be different because; people would be more supportive of him and his cognitive disability, he wouldn’t be driven out of town multiple times, and his life wouldn’t have ended so abruptly because he wouldn’t be wanted dead by ranchers. Today, everyone would be much more supportive of Lennie and his cognitive disability. There are companies …show more content…

Another example is Acces Nysed, which is a program that assists individuals with disabilities with independent living, through training, education, rehabilitation and career development. Say Lennie were alive right now, he’d have these programs, organizations, and people aiding him, unlike the support (or lack thereof) that he received in the nineteen-thirties. In the novel, Lennie’s support was George and only George. And though George was pretty good about being kind to Lennie, and reminding him of things he’d forgotten, he was far from perfect. George constantly lost his temper at Lennie and reminded him about how much better off he would be if he were to fly solo. In the novel it says “‘God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy… An’ whatta I got,’ George went on furiously. ‘I got …show more content…

In the novel, Lennie’s life ended suddenly when he was “put down” by George. In the novel it says “‘Look acrost the river…’ He reached in his side pocket and brought out Carlson’s Luger; he snapped off the safety, and the hand and gun lay on the ground behind Lennie’s back… George raised the gun and his hand shook, and he dropped his hand to the ground again… George raised the gun and listened to the voices… And George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head. The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger. The crash of the shot rolled up the hills and rolled down again. Lennie jarred, and then settled slowly forward to the sand, and he lay without quivering.”(Steinbeck 105, 106). If he were alive today, he wouldn’t be wanted dead, therefore he wouldn’t need putting down. Lennie could’ve lived not only a happier life, because of the support and understanding, but also a longer one, if he were alive

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