Everyone has made mistakes and nearly every aspect of our society is affected by the mistakes that we make. In John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie try to find success in the harsh world of The Great Depression, but the mistakes they make along the way make their goals difficult to achieve. George and Lennie’s interactions show that some mistakes have unforeseeable consequences and if we don’t learn from them, we are doomed to repeat our mistakes. Lennie’s mistakes in Weed could have jeopardized the duo’s opportunity to work on the ranch. When Slim inquires why George and Lennie were run out of weed he promises to keep the reason a secret.(Steinbeck 41) Slim knows that if the boss heard about these events George and Lennie would at best be fired and at worst be handed off to the authorities and he also knows that Lennie didn’t think that trying to touch a woman’s dress would result in him being accused of a crime. Near the end of the novel, Lennie accidentally kills his puppy which puts him in the situation where he kills …show more content…
Curley's wife. When Lennie is mourning his dead puppy, he says “I di’n’t know you’d get killed so easy” (Steinbeck 86). If Lennie hadn’t accidentally killed his puppy then Curley’s wife probably wouldn’t have stopped to talk to Lennie in the barn. Throughout the story, George repeatedly makes the same blunders when trying to keep Lennie out of trouble.
When George is telling the story of how they were ousted from of Weed he says, “I was jus' a little bit off, and I heard all the yellin', so I comes running, an' by that time Lennie's so scared all he can think to”(Steinbeck 42). This proves that George knows that when Lennie gets scared he stops being able to function, but despite knowing this George still lets Lennie go wherever he wants without any supervision. Later in the novel, George leaves Lennie alone in the barn to go play horseshoes with the other men. Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife because no one is present to stop him and he has proven that he can’t stop himself(Steinbeck 91). George left Lennie alone in the barn so that he wouldn’t have to supervise Lennie, making Curley’s wife’s death unnecessary and, at the same time,
inevitable. George and Lennie show how the oversights we make lead to things that are unpredictable but, nevertheless, because neither George nor Lennie learn from their mistakes and this leads to neither of them being truly happy. The hope would be that George and Lennie could learn from their mistakes and avoid making them again, but they don’t for either selfish reasons or things that are out of their control. John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men shows that every lapse in judgment has an effect on our lives, but it also shows that if people learn from their mistakes they may be able to avoid making those mistakes again.
As we journey through life, we must make difficult decisions, even when few options exist and the situation is grim. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the decision George faces after Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife is complicated, as none of his choices are good. The importance of his relationship with Lennie forces George to look at the big picture and act in Lennie’s best interests, even though the action he must finally take will result in a weight that he will carry forever.
That ain’t no good, George.’”(Steinbeck 97). Because Lennie killed Curley’s wife, he committed a felony. George wanted Lennie to be thrown in jail at first. He wanted Lennie to be arrested because he thought it was the best thing for Lennie but then Slim told him it would not be good for Lennie. It would be bad for Lennie because Lennie would not understand his rights because he’s mentally challenged and locking him up in a cage would just hurt Lennie. George then realized he needed to kill Lennie so nobody would mistreat him. George is protecting others from Lennie.”’Lennie-if you jus’ happen to get in trouble like you always done before…’”(Steinbeck 15). George has been with Lennie for many years and he knows how Lennie will never learn and he will keep committing bad stuff. George knew something was going to happen at the ranch because Lennie has always done something wrong. George tried to prevent something from going wrong but he couldn’t. As a result he had to put down Lennie so he would not hurt anyone ever again. George felt the hard choice of killing Lennie was the right decision for George because Curley wanted to get his revenge, Lennie would be mistreated in prison and he was
This shows throughout the book with the many different mistakes Lennie makes. Lennie starts off by killing mice, then he kills a puppy and finally a woman! After Lennie kills Curley’s wife George responds by saying “I should of knew… I guess maybe way back of my head I did.”(Steinbeck 94). George knew it was gonna come to this and he probably also had a feeling Lennie was going to continue to kill more people or animals. Plus, when the character in the book; Candy asks who did it, George says “Ain’t you got anr idea?”(Steinbeck 94). That shows that George knew he was gonna have to do something about Lennie. George was going to have to do something about Lennie sometime, and after George killed a woman he knew there would be no other choice that to kill Lennie through non voluntary
One week after Lennie's death, George sits in the dark corner of a bar. The room is all but empty and dead silent. All the windows are shut, through the small openings come beams of dull light that barely illuminate the room. George stares at his glass with an expressionless face, but a heavy sadness in his eyes. The bartender comes towards him and asks if he would like something else to drink.
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.
Inconsiderate actions can lead to a person’s downfall. Different people broke down due to the actions of Lennie with the pups, Lennie with Curley’s wife, and Lennie with George. All in all, a person might be influenced by their thoughts to formulate poor decisions.. This knowledge can affect today’s society. People should think twice before choosing to do one thing or another, for if everyone made inconsiderate decisions, the world would not be able to reform, due to everyone’s selfish choices. Everyone would turn into selfish and unsympathetic people. These careless decisions do not benefit anyone.
Novels that exhibit what the life is like for the people at ranch can help readers reflect on how they might react in comparable situation. George and Lennie who struggle to transcend the plight of inerrant farmworkers are followed by the novel Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck. Readers are positioned to respond to themes through Steinbeck’s use of conventions that are dispirit. Themes such as Freedom and confinement, loneliness, and racism are pivotal in the novel and draw out a range of responses from the readers.
First, when Lennie sticks his head in the scummy water from the stream in the beginning of the book it shows his inability to think things through before he carries through with them. Another example includes when he grabbed the woman’s dress in Weed. He did not think it through when a normal fully mentally capable person would be able to think that grabbing a strange woman’s dress would not be appropriate. Similarly, he almost duplicates the situation except this time instead of finally letting go of the dress he accidentally killed Curley’s wife resulting in a worse outcome than the situation in Weed. Lennie is unable to think for himself in a safe and well opinionated manner, therefore, he needs someone like George to take care of him and prevent him from bad situations. However, the worse part about Lennie’s neverending trilogy of mistakes is that he does not learn from them. He makes the same mistake of killing multiple mice because he pets them too hard and never learns to be more gentle. George states in the novel ,”He’s awright. Just ain’t bright. But he can do anything you tell him.” (Steinbeck 22) This statement shows that though George is telling the boss how well he can work, he is also expressing how he doesn’t make decisions for himself and that he needs George to take care of him. George also says,” Yeah, you forgot. You always forget, an’ I got to talk you out of it.” (Steinbeck 23) This statement also portrays some of the reason he doesn’t learn from his mistakes. Lennie has a very difficult time remembering anything other than instructions that George gives him. George could not have just let Lennie go because he would not be able to make good decisions, nor could he take care of himself on his own, therefore George made the right decision to end Lennie’s
Following the beginning, Lennie is seen as a bit on the softer side contrary to George who was a heavy-tempered individual. We later find out that Lennie has a mental illness implied by language, communication and actions towards George and others. Demonstration of his illness was implied by: "I’d pet ‘em, and pretty soon they bit my fingers and I pinched their heads a little and then they was dead—because they was so little. I wish’t we’d get the rabbits pretty soon, George. They ain’t so little." (Steinbeck 4). Lennie’s childish personality and mistakes in the novel somewhat foreshadowed future events. George told Slim about the incident in Weed: “Well he seen this girl in a red dress...he just wants to touch everything he likes” (Steinbeck 41). George harshly remarked that his mistakes could get him in serious trouble, which was a vital, empowering statement within the novel that hinted at a dark
The theme that John Steinbeck amits from the novel Of Mice and Men is not everyone’s american dream can come true because one wants it to. This alludes to a famous poem by Robert Burns called “To a Mouse”. The theme of this poem is the greatest schemes of mice and men often go astray. Meaning that things do not always go as one plans it to. The novel is set in the Great Depression (1929-1939) in Southern California (near Soledad). Characters in the novel such as George and Crooks have obstacles that hold them back from achieving their own american dreams. George is held back from his by having to care of Lennie, who cannot take care of himself. Crooks is held back from his american dream because of his skin color.
As in all stories, characters are forced to make some of the toughest decisions. They must walk the line between right and wrong, a line that isn’t always clear. In the story Of Mice and Men, George Milton makes the unforgettable decision to shoot his friend, Lennie Small. While there is argument between whether George’s decision was right or wrong with no true answer, the ideas of morality and friendship play into his decision. There is also truth when saying that George did make the right decision to shoot Lennie. It is a scarring decision that he had to make, but the history, setting, and environment portrayed in this book makes this distressing choice the right one all the same.
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.
It’s clear that killing Lennie is the right thing to do, and George is manning up by pulling the trigger. We know this because Steinbeck gives a contrasting example of Candy, who says that he "shouldn't ought to of let no stranger shoot [his] dog" (39). Second, Slim says, "You hadda, George. " I swear you hadda" (107), and Slim is the novel's ideal man. His struggles against society carry on even after Lennie’s death.
“I’ll tell George I foun’ it dead...But he’ll know. George always knows. He’ll say, ‘You done it. Don’t try to put nothing over me.’ An’ he’ll say, ‘Now jus’ for that you don’t get to tend no rabbits! (pg 85).” Lennie considers hiding his mistakes so he won’t be scolded. Lennie knows that he can’t get away with anything when it comes to George since he knows when Lennie is lying all the time. “If you think George gonna let you tend rabbits, you’re crazier’n usual. He ain’t. He’s gonna beat hell outta you with a stick, that’s what he’s gonna do...George won’t do nothing like that. I’ve knew George since--I forget when--and he ain’t never raised his han’ to me with a stick. He’s nice to me. He ain’t gonna be mean. (pg 102)” Lennie’s fears are that he will face the consequence of his action and be hit by George. Lennie knows however that George loves him so he wouldn’t abuse him at least. “‘No,’ said George. ‘No Lennie. I ain’t mad. I never been mad an’ I ain’t now. That’s a thing I want ya to know.’ (pg 106)” George tries to comfort lennie by telling the standard parent thing of ‘I’m not mad at you.’ George makes sure Lennie knows one last time he cares for him before he has to hurt him. George holds a parental position over Lennie in the last chapters of the
He only thinks “George is going to give me hell” and is devoted to George like a dog with his owner. Lennie feels secure when he pets soft things and it makes him feel safe from the cruel world he is living in. He starts out petting a dead mouse in the novel and feels safe. Although people will disapprove of his actions, he does not see anything wrong in what he is doing. Lennie’s outrageous size and strength along with his lack of intelligence makes him dangerous to others. George is there to keep him in check and make sure he stays out of trouble. Lennie soon finds himself in trouble once again when he kills Curly’s Wife by snapping her neck on accident trying to keep her quiet when he was trying to help her. Lennie runs away to the riverside where George told him to hide if he was in any trouble. George and all the ranch workers go on a search for him. George knows exactly where Lennie is so he strays off from the rest of the men and finds Lennie. George tells Lennie to look into the river and imagine their rabbit farm he wishes to have