Loss of Innocence in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

996 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Character traits for lennie in the novel of mice and men

In Of Mice and Men, Lennie’s loss of innocence, which occurs in the form of his death (Steinbeck 106), impacts George both negatively and positively in ways that he loses his best friend, he loses hope on his dream, and he will have an easier life with no burden. A negative effect of George was that he loses his best friend. Lennie was all George had “because I [Lennie] got you [George] to look after me, and you got me to look after you …” (Steinbeck 14). The death of Lennie causes an impact on George in that he now has no one to be with. With Lennie gone, George is also unable to fulfill his dream of having his own ranch. Although George said that he never really believed that he would own a ranch, Lennie’s optimism gave him hope for a chance that it might come true (Steinbeck 94). Now that the optimism is gone, there is no reason for George to fulfill that dream. One of the positive effects that George has is that his life will be easier. Because Lennie had mental issues, George was always saving him from getting in trouble, such as when Lennie spoke to the boss when he wasn’t supposed to (Steinbeck 22). Even George said himself, “’If I was along I could live so easy … I could get a job an’ not have no mess.’” (Steinbeck 103). Along with an easier life, George will also have no burden. Lennie is always accidentally getting in trouble and George has to keep covering for him. George even says, “’Yeah, you forgot. You always forget, an’ I got to talk you out of it.’” (Steinbeck 23). With Lennie gone, George just has to fend for himself and, therefore, his life will be easier. Rue’s death, in The Hunger Games, represents a loss of innocence. This leads to Katniss having negative and positive effects on her (Katniss’s) life b... ... middle of paper ... ...ough negative effects are more prominent when mentioning a person growing up, there are also positive effects that follow, as life will continue to go on. Works Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1995. Print. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Random House, Inc., 2000. Print. Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 1999. Print. Narvaez, Darcia. “Playing violent video games: Good or bad?.” Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers. 9 Nov. 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. . Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York, NY: Penguin Group, 1993. Print. The Hunger Games. Dir. Gary Ross. Perf. Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Willow Shields, and Amandla Stenberg. Lionsgate, 2012. Film.

Show More
Related

  • Why Is Lennie Wrong

    690 Words  | 2 Pages

    George really helps him through problems that keep happening during the book. Lennie is incapable to live because he does not know his strength and George has to play the role as a living assistant for Lennie. Lennie does not mean to harm but because of his condition he essentially harms people. In the book it explains the trouble in weed and George explains “Well he saw a girl in a red dress and a red dress and he just wanted to feel it and when he touched it the girl just starts yelling and all he can think to do is hold on” ( Steinbeck 41). The quote states or explains how Lennie can scare or harm people.

    Read More

  • Elements, Concepts, and Betrayal in John Steinbeck Of Mice and Men

    1399 Words  | 3 Pages

    Steinbeck upon creating the novel in the 1930’s seen and was experiencing some of the things he wrote on. In the beginning he introduced to us a friendship between two opposite men. One man, George Wilson, is a little man compared to his companion. His friend, on the other hand, was a giant who was naïve as a new born baby. His name was Lennie Smalls. Lennie Smalls was a character that Steinbeck used to allow his audience to see that although he had a good heart and was seemingly helpless, that one day his strength would be the cause of his downfall. Questions on whether or not Steinbeck’s readers should believe in the image in which it is given or primarily based it on the novel being written in a bad environment from the first of the novel. Steinbeck knew upon writing that readers tend to cling and fall for the caring, loving, and misunderstood bad guy trying to prove his innocence against all evil brought to him. So Steinbeck created Lennie to try and portray this character to his audience. Steinbeck had to be sure that all elements presented in the novel were able flow good and complete the recipe (Krutch 29-30).

    Read More

  • The Vulnerability of Innocent Characters in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

    546 Words  | 2 Pages

    The harsh reality is one which hit everyone in America in the 1930. People found work hard to find and crime was on the uprise. This meant, unfortunately, that innocent people were the easy prey and, as we see in the Of Mice and Men, there were plenty of characters that were easy prey. Of Mice and Men characters have and do thing that make them vulnerable in way which do cause trouble. In this essay, that harsh reality and easy prey will be shown through to see which characters are the most vulnerable.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Archetype In Of Mice And Men

    699 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this book George is constantly taking care of Lennie and is always reassuring him that they will have their own land and be able to tend the rabbits. George doesn’t actually believe in this dream which shows how he is willing to say anything to make Lennie happy. Also, George is constantly bringing up how easy his life would be without Lennie, he said "God almighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could get a job a work, an no trouble (12). This quote shows how George is aware that Lennie is holding him back from making more money but how he choices to stay with him because they have a genuine friendship. George takes his parental figure role seriously and would never leave him.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast In Cold Men And Of Mice And Men

    1122 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is very apparent that each of the four characters in the two friendships feed off of each other. In Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie are very different, yet they need one other. George is a very independent, loyal, and caring person who takes care of Lennie because Lennie is unable to take care of himself. Although George makes it seem like he would be better off without Lennie, George makes it clear that without him he would be better off. This is evident because of this conversation h regularly had with Lennie” I could go get a job an’

    Read More

  • Human Experience In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    796 Words  | 2 Pages

    John Steinbeck explores human experience in the novella ‘Of Mice and Men’ in friendship, loneliness and marginalisation. He does this through the characters as explained thought the paragraphs below.

    Read More

  • The Death of Innocence in The Catcher in the Rye

    1149 Words  | 3 Pages

    Holden identifies with, yearns for, and despises traits of the adult and child realms. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, fears becoming an adult who exhibits the characteristics that he holds complaints against. Throughout this Bildungsroman narrative, Holden searches for his identity. He tries to figure out his place either in the adult or child realm.

    Read More

  • Lennie's Mistakes In Of Mice And Men

    980 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lennie’s illness was seen as common and nothing to take concern over, which pertains to the vague yet soft sympathy from George whom “babysits” Lennie. George was an older brother to Lennie in a sense, helping him to get through life without any mishaps. However for George, Lennie’s illness determined their income and job status. In several incidences, Lennie overreacted in certain situations causing them to lose or leave their job spontaneously. At different points in the book, George became frustrated with Lennie: “You can't keep a job and you lose me ever' job I get. Jus' keep me shovin' all over the country all the time. An' that ain't the worst. You get in trouble. You do bad things and I got to get you out” (Steinbeck 12). This showed the overall frustration yet compassion towards Lennie, however extreme concern. According to Lennie, when he killed the puppy he said: “Why do you got to get killed, you ain’t as little as mice I didn’t bounce you hard” (Steinbeck 85). This really brought out the fact that Lennie’s illness was not to be tempered with, as he really couldn’t ever contemplate the harsh, unintentional things he’s done. When George and Lennie arrive at their new job, tension rises in the book and the author brings out that possible aspect of Lennie unintentionally doing something wrong which in turn would cause them to lose their job--or

    Read More

  • Analysis Of John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    2021 Words  | 5 Pages

    When asked about John Steinbeck’s career, people often refer to Steinbeck as a playwright, journalist, and a well-known novelist. The book Of Mice and Men is a popular novel by John Steinbeck and a required read for most high school students. Most of Steinbeck 's novels have a central theme focusing on the relationship between man and his environment. The American dream for George and Lennie, two of the main characters in Of Mice and Men, is to have a place of their own, to be respected, and to work hard for everything they earn and deserve. In Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, the land and a hope of a better life becomes the talisman of an American dream for Lennie and George that is left unfulfilled.

    Read More

  • Loss Of Innocence In Lord Of The Flies

    541 Words  | 2 Pages

    On my essay I will be writing about the book Lord of the flies. This book is written and narrated by William Golding. The setting of this story is in WW2. Where a bunch of kids are flying to a country but get shot down on the way. They manage to get to a nearby island where they get their bearings. The main characters are Ralph, Piggy, Jack, Simon. Then there are the little kids A.K.A the “littluns”.

    Read More

  • Of Mice And Men - The Importance Of George

    1823 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Of Mice And Men By John Steinbeck

    832 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1935, his novel Tortilla Flat established him as a popular and critical success but unfortunately his parents died before he achieved his first success.

    Read More

  • Character of Significant Growth in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

    885 Words  | 2 Pages

    George understands that he can’t hide Lennie from the world forever and that the natural order of things is that the strong pick off the weak, and he will eventually have to let Lennie go. This motivates him to seize reality, meaning he had to kill Lennie, which itself was a sign of tremendous growth in himself. Killing Lennie had many effects on George; one of them being that he became one of the men he’d tell Lennie stories about. George believed that he and Lennie were not like the other migrant workers – travelling alone and spending all their earning on a whim. When George would te...

    Read More

  • Causes Of Lennie In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    648 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of their greatest gains is that Lennie learns from his mistakes, and his memory seems to be always getting better. One example of this is when Lennie remembers to go to the wooded area by the creek, if he ever gets in trouble (Steinbeck pg 72). This helps George quickly find Lennie after he accidentally kills Curley’s wife. Another more grim gain is that George gains his freedom. Some people might say that Lennie was a burden to George, but now he has nothing holding him back. Even though it is clear that Lennie is George’s best, maybe only friend, George still did complain about how exhausting it is to take care of him. Throughout the conflict, these are some of the only things that the protagonists

    Read More

  • The Role Of Guilt In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    364 Words  | 1 Pages

    Many people think candy would feel more guilt if he had shot his dog, others may say he would feel more guilt if he had let Carlson shoot his dog as said in Of Mice and Men candy states, “i outta shoot my dog myself i should of let no stranger shoot my dog”(61).In the story of mice of men by john Steinbeck a man named candy had an old dog he was stinky and useless so a man named Carlson goes to put him out of his misery instead of letting candy shoot it himself it wrong of him to do that.

    Read More

More about Loss of Innocence in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Open Document