Lennie's Defeat

In life, we, as humans, are very often defeated by forces beyond our own control, no matter how much control over our lives we believe we have. These circumstances may include, but are not limited to, race, age, law, handicaps, natural disasters, illness, death, and even society’s beliefs or standards. In the book, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, George and Lennie are defeated by conditions out of their control. They had a dream. They wanted a farm to call their own. However, unfortunate circumstances, the very factors that led to their aforementioned defeat, made this achievement impossible. Their defeat is relative because it supports the themes of the book.

George and Lennie’s goal, their dream, was owning their own farm. Lennie wants

his own animals. It is mentioned throughout the book that soft surfaces comfort him when touched. For example, the mice his Aunt Clara used to give him. To quote Lennie on this, “I don’t know where there is no other mouse. I remember a lady used to give ‘em to me—ever’ one she got. But that lady ain’t here.” (Steinbeck, 1), and although he doesn’t remember that it was Aunt Clara, George quickly reminds him. He wants his own animals as a source of comfort, as he often feels threatened or confused. The soft feeling of an animal’s fur defuses the threatened feeling, and helps him forget the confusion. George wants a farm for control. Control over his own life. He can be his own boss. Choose when he’s going to work, and when he isn’t. Relaxation whenever he wants it also applies. Not when his current boss decides it. When he decides it. To quote George on this, “Well … we’ll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens. And when it rains in the winter, we’ll just say the hell with goin’ to work, and we’ll build up a fire in the stove and set around it an’ listen to the rain comin’ down on the roof…” (Steinbeck, 1), and this quote emphasizes that it would be his choice. They share this dream for motivation. Given their differing personal reasons for this dream, in order to share the dream, they must have a common reason. That reason is motivation. Their nomadic farm worker lifestyle isn’t always happy or bright, thus, they often need something to look forward to in order to push on, to not give up. This is the farm. If they give up, the farm is most certainly lost. Thus, these separate and shared reasons fuel their dream of owning their own farm.

Their eventual defeat was brought upon them by Lennie.

While there were other elements at play, Lennie had to do with the majority of them. Not only his mental disability, which often got both him and George into trouble, but his inability to recognize his own strength. This leads to him accidentally killing Curley’s wife. He snapped her neck without even realizing that he had. “And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck.” (Steinbeck, 5) - this quote tells what happened to her, and he does not know that he did it. Curley, given his already hostile disposition towards Lennie, is beyond furious. He intends to kill Lennie. So, in his cleverness, George misleads them, and goes to find Lennie at his sanctuary, where he goes whenever there’s trouble. George took Carlson’s gun with him, realizing and knowing what he had to do. When he found Lennie, they chatted for a while, and George made sure Lennie was distracted. He then raised the gun to the back of Lennie’s head and pulled the trigger, instantly killing Lennie. This is commonly known as a “mercy killing”. Another example of a mercy killing is bringing your pet, whether it be old, diseased, injured, etc, to the vet to have it put down, put to sleep, etc. George did this not only for Lennie, out of benevolence as opposed to what Curley might do, but for himself and for the greater good. Case in point, this unforeseen event dissipates the dream, as George shared it with Lennie, and with Lennie out of the picture, there’s no reason to continuing said dream, if a major part of it is gone and

unrecoverable.

George and Lennie’s defeat is important to the story due to its relativity to the story. By relativity, I mean that it supports the story’s themes. One of these themes is contained within the title. “Of Mice and Men” refers to a part of a stanza from a poem by Scottish poet Robert Burns. The stanza (in English) is “The best laid schemes of mice and men/ Go often askew/ And leave us nothing but grief and pain,/ For promised joy!”. That stanza is referring to how, just like mice, people rarely have power over their own lives, or, more precisely, their fate. Another topic for elaboration is the importance of friendship. George and Lennie’s friendship is important to both of them. Not only does it keep them motivated, much like their shared dream, but it also allows them to protect one another. It is often emphasized throughout the book that they are unique in their friendship, as most migrant farm workers travel alone. It also gives each of them someone to trust. To watch the other’s back. It also cancels any sort of loneliness they might experience otherwise. The last point I’ll elaborate on is that sometimes you must sacrifice your dreams in order to survive. A dream sacrificed by George is the farm. He could no longer achieve it after putting Lennie out of his misery, as it involved Lennie. George had to do this to Lennie in order to survive, as Lennie got them into a lot of trouble, and if it continued unhindered, there would be massive consequences, eventually, for both of them. These subjects are related to and supported by George and Lennie’s defeat by happenings outside of their command.

In conclusion, George and Lennie were defeated by forces out of range of their jurisdiction. Their attempted achievement was a dream they shared. Owning a farm of their own. This defeat was brought about by, not singlehandedly, but mostly, Lennie’s mental handicap. Their defeat is important and relevant because it supports the story’s moral lessons. This story teaches us that friendship is important, and that our dreams must sometimes be sacrificed in order for us to survive. George’s decision at the end of the book emphasizes the latter. By the same token, his friendship with Lennie throughout the book emphasizes the former.