Emotionally and Physically Crippled Characters in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

Emotionally and Physically Crippled Characters in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

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"Of Mice and Men is a novel in which the majority of the characters

are crippled, whether physically, socially or emotionally" is a very

astute statement. Many of the characters in the novel suffer due to

the time period the novel was set in. The 1930's were a terribly

lonely time for the itinerant, ranch workers, ranch wives and

Afro-Americans. Their lonely lives left them emotionally crippled, for

they didn't have much company. This was because they had been alone

for so long that they had chose to live isolated from other people.

Then there is the physically crippled who know what happens if they

outlive their usefulness. Next to that there's the physical barrier of

being a black person in a racial, conscious society. All in all, being

crippled physically, socially or emotionally was just a way of life

back in the thirty's.

Lennie is the major cause of George being crippled socially and

emotionally. Lennie's stupidity and carelessness constantly causes him

to unintentionally harm people and animals. When he gets into sticky

situations, George is there to help him get out of them. Ever since

Lennie's Aunt Clara died, George has felt that he has a sense of duty