Lennie Inhumane Analysis

Lennie’s Fault

Lennie, one of the two main protagonists, is a very dramatic character who can be found doing many questionable things, some, which are very inhumane and animal-like. From the very first page in the book, Lennie is known to be a very big person who is not the smartest. In every chapter there is at least one incident of him being compared indirectly or directly to an animal, and each time he is compared the topic is brought up that the similes written directly correlate to the economy at the time, especially in the working class. Lennie being compared to animals was written to prove that humans at the time were animalistic, to allude to the economy of the working class at the time, and to prove that negative occurrences can happen to anybody.

First of all, Lennie being compared to animals proves that at the time, humans acted inhumane and barbarous. When Lennie killed Curley’s Wife, readers were broken over whether to love or despise Lennie, and the way he handled it was very strange as well. It is stated that “[Lennie] pawed at the hay until it partly covered [Curley’s Wife]” (Steinbeck 92). This very disturbing visual displays an awful image of a poor, clueless man having to cover up for an awful mistake that would end up

killing him. The sentence alone is enough to convince readers that Lennie is an animal, but the fact that Steinbeck used the word “paws” pushes readers over the

edge. The fact that he is described so thoroughly as an animal directly correlates to the idea that all humans, whether mentally unstable or not, are animalistic.
Subsequently, Lennie being referred to as an animal relates to the economy of middle class people in the 20’s. Lennie is very different than many other people in many ways. One of the most obvious ways is when he performs actions. Lennie does anything without thinking twice, or even once. For example, when Lennie drinks from the pond and George says “[He’d] drink out of a gutter if [he] was thirsty”(Steinbeck 3), it hints at how animalistic he is, but it doesn't just prove himself, it also proves the economy. The economy at the time was going through huge struggles, and was barely functioning properly. This relates to Lennie because as he drinks this water, he has no idea that it could have bacteria that could destroy him, and the economy will do and try anything to stay alive, even if it corrupts them further.
Conclusively, Lennie acting like an animal just proves that negative occurrences can happen to anybody.

With all of the times that Lennie is compared to an animal, he may as well be one in the plot, and usually animals are portrayed as much less than humans, and can be killed off with no remorse in a book. After the climax, where Lennie kills Curley’s Wife, readers are on the edge of the seat when George grabs the gun and finds Lennie in the forest. When it is said that “the crash of the shot rolled up the hills and rolled down again”(Steinbeck 106), it is immediately understood that though he was killed off like an animal, the correlation between his animal traits and human traits proves that the worst can happen to

anybody.
Lennie is a very dynamic animal that represents the humans at the time, the economy at the time, and the fact that bad happens to anyone. Lennie and George were very dynamic
friendly characters who each had their faults. George’s fault was that he was a human animal, that is written just to build up love and then be destroyed very inhumanely like the puppies. The entire story, the entire time period, and the entire world can be summed up in to one simple character, and readers learn to love him. Lennie is a very vivid description of the world as it was, the world as it is, and, most importantly, the world to come.