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Autism thesis paper
Characterization of lennie in of mice and men
Explore the character of Lennie in the novel
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Shumay 1 Mikaela J. Shumay Jill Belof A.P English B10 3 February 2017 Of Mice and Men: Lennie’s Diagnosis While reading Of Mice And Men it is clear that the character Lennie has an unmentioned disability. Lennie suffers through many external and internal conflicts throughout the story, one of these conflicts being a severe mental illness. The reader is not aware of what this mental illness could be, but throughout the story it is clear that Lennie has common signs of autism. Autism is a mental disability often developed …show more content…
Throughout Of Mice and Men Lennie show’s many signs of childlike behaviour. George is constantly having to look after Lennie. The first sign of Lennie’s childlike behaviour is when he is carrying around a dead mouse in his pocket. When George confronts Lennie about the mouse, Lennie denies George and assures him that there is nothing in his pocket.According to Doctor Susan Sweda at Autism Research institute, lying and scheming are apart of acting like a child. Other indications of childlike behaviour throughout the novel could be the way George speaks to Lennie. George is constantly talking down to Lennie and telling him what to do in order for them to keep their jobs. “I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn’t have you on my tail. I could live so easy and maybe have a girl.” (7).This quote shows the reader that George is obviously angry about having to take care of Lennie. Lennie’s behaviour is unpredictable and immature. Childlike behaviour is common in people who have autism. Adults with autism are educationally behind others their
work, he states that Lennie is "…strong as a bull" and is "…a god damn
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
An excellent example of this view of the mentally handicapped can be found in John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, with the character Lennie. The other characters in this novel such as George and Curley treat Lennie as if he were a child all throughout the novel. George never lets him do any of the talking when t...
Charlie Babbitt figures out that his brother will never be “cured” because that is the way he really is. Charlie Babbitt expresses anger in the movie when his brother does not do things “normally” and he tells Raymond that “[He can not] tell [him] that [he is] not in there somewhere!” (Bass). What Charlie does not know is that Raymond’s autism is a part of him that he, nor anyone else, can change that and Charlie finds out that he has to accept Raymond for who he is. Charlie is put in a difficult situation where he has to learn how to accept his brother; in the story Of Mice and Men the character George is in a similar situation. George is a witty person who has to look after his thick headed friend Lennie, who gets himself into a lot of trouble. At the end of the book George accepts Lennie for who he really is and does not get angry at him or scold him about murdering Curly’s wife. After the murder Lennie asks George “[If he is] gonna leave [him]” (Steinbeck pg 103) George replies “No” (Steinbeck pg 103). George says this because he knows that Lennie has a mental disorder, and he accepts that Lennie is going to get in trouble and he finds no need to scold him or tell him he is leaving because it will not make any difference because Lennie is a troubled person. And no matter how many times George will scold Lennie or tell him to stay out of
Right off the bat, Lennie is described as lesser, and rather than helped he is given a “slap on the wrist”. To begin with, Lennie is always described as less capable or unable to do certain things to the extent of others. For example, at the beginning of the book George and Lennie were attempting to get a job. George always said, “He can do anything, just give him a try” (22). George implied that because Lennie was mentally disabled, the likelihood of him receiving the job is significantly less. Lennie being less likely to receive a job due to his mental disability shows discrimination and expresses how difficult it could have been for a mentally handicapped person to get a job during this era. Moving forward, rather than George helping Lennie, Lennie is put down and scolded for his mistakes. During a scene between Lennie and George, George exclaimed, “You forget. You always forget, an’ I got to talk you out of it” (23). As it is not necessarily Lennie’s fault, George is in the wrong to put down Lennie for his actions. However, rather than attempting to help Lennie, George puts him down for his mistakes and then is forced to apologize for his own actions later. Lennie is a prime example of oppression against the mentally disabled in Of Mice and
Back in the day far too often people looked down on or took advantage of people with mental or physical disabilities. Those are the kids nowadays that ride the short bus, are in a wheelchair, or their brain or other organs or limbs never completely developed so they have trouble completing simple everyday activities. About 15% of the people in the world today have either a significant mental or physical disability (according to Disabilities of America website). In John Steinbeck’s book Of Mice and Men, Lennie Small displays three common qualities of a person with mental disabilities. Lennie is innocent, loyal, and has amazing physical strength.
To begin, Lennie has this big dream of George and him living on their own land, being their own bosses, and tending to his own rabbits. Lennie’s major obstacle in achieving his dream is that he is slower than most people for his age. Lennie acts like a child making George the responsible adult. Lennie also listens to whatever George says because Lennie looks up to George almost like he is his brother. Lennie also has a tendency to forget what he is told:
Crooks, Curley’s wife, and most defiantly Lennie are the outcasts on the ranch. The novel presents Lennie as a mentally challenged, but an unusually strong worker who travels with his friend George. George takes care of Lennie as if he was his own child and Lennie cares for George the same way. “I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you” (14). Lennie describes how he cares for George although he honestly just messes everything up for George. Lennie has the mind of a child and does not understand how to act and be an adult. Lennie continues to pet dead mice, feel shiny and smooth objects, and not know how to interact with other people. From time to time, George continues to care and try to make improvements with Lennie, but it just does not happen. Lennie continues to have the mind of a child and can never distinguish the different between right and wrong. Throughout the novel; from being a mentally challenged; tall, muscular man; Lennie is most definitely an outcast in the story Of Mice and Men.
Which is, can he stay with George? Or should he truly leave? Would George be happier without him to take under his wing? After this moment, in page 39, George is striving to convince Slim, the head skinner, how Lennie “ain’t no cuckoo… He’s dumb as hell, but he ain’t crazy.” George is undoubtedly trying to stand up for Lennie as best as he can, even though Slim can clearly see that Lennie has a mental disability and George could easily confirm it. This signifies how strongly George feels about Lennie and his well-being; George would rather give his disabled friend a shot at a job rather than leaving him and working on without him. As such, George’s repetition of Lennie not being “cuckoo” informs one of his feelings and thoughts towards Lennie. Because George is portrayed in Of Mice and Men as critical of Lennie’s mental disability, it is a key moment when George actually defends Lennie’s behavior and chances of a job. Lastly, page 85 tells of Lennie voicing out his worry about his dream of owning rabbits, - after accidentally causing his newborn puppy’s
John Steinbeck wrote a story about two men that only had each to depend on. Many of George and Lennie's struggles come from things they cannot control such as Lennie's mental issues. George and Lennie are very poor and they work on farms together, but they have to move a lot because Lennie always does something stupid. The greatest tragedy in Mice and Men was when Lennie was left alone with Curley's wife. She was the reason why Lennie ended up being killed. She knew of to manipulate others to get her way and that is what she relies on most of the time.
Lennie, like a mouse, is helpless. Lennie relies on George to think for him like mice rely on scraps of food from the dinner table to eat.
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.
Lennie was not very smart and couldn't do much by himself. He had to be told what to do or he wouldn't do anything at all. He fits all the profiles for a retarded person. He doesn't have any self-control. When he starts to panic he gets out of control and even kills Curly's wife because she starts to scream. Lennie loves animals and can't stop talking about them. He always says that when they get their own place that he wants lots of rabbits, his favorite animal. To him George is like his father figure, since Lennie never really had any parents. He is easily amused and panics quickly.
Lennie apologized to George for killing the mice; he told him that the reason for killing the mice was because “they bit my[Lennie’s] fingers” but he only “pinched their heads a little”(Steinbeck 10). Lennie’s guilt drives him to apologize about the mice but he appears to underestimate his own strength because he claimed that he vaguely pinched their heads, but Lennie being a vast man, that couldn't have been the case. He didn't know the consequences of pinching the mice even after he had done it so many times. This shows the lack of perception he holds, meaning he can't become cognizant of the things happening around him on his own, causing the reader to initiate sympathy for Lennie. Lennie’s immaturity is so big it can be misunderstood for cleverness. George sharply asks Lennie to give him the object from his pocket but he claims “ I ain't got nothin’”but later on admits he has a dead mouse but [George] insists to “ have it”,but George insisted to have the mouse then he “slowly obeyed”(Steinbeck 5-6). It appears as if Lennie was being clever but by handing the mice to George, his childish behavior is revealed. His ingenuous acts portray identically to a child influencing the reader to gain sensitivity to the way Lennie is treated. The way Lennie understands the world and process thoughts makes him mentally stable, for a child. Not only is he innocent but he is also ironically characterized.
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.