Of Mice And Men By John Steinbeck: Character Analysis

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is about the adventures of two men, Lennie and George. Lennie has some form of a mental disorder, and George cares for him. George is also a very mean and small man. They go from farm to farm looking for work. They meet new people and one of them becomes a friend. His name is Candy. Lennie's mental issues get him into trouble, causing him to kill another person, and to lose his life. But before all of that, Lennie and George had a dream. This dream strengthened the men and helped them push through. They had something to look forward too. Steinbeck develops the theme that dreams affect people's behavior in the 1930's through different characters.

Throughout the story, Lennie's behavior changed drastically

when he heard George talk about the dream. Lennie would go from being completely upset to being happy. In the beginning of the book, when the men are eating, George gets very upset at Lennie for asking for ketchup. Lennie felt bad and his face was "anguished" (11). George immediately felt bad about it, because he said really mean things. As time went on, Lennie started asking George to tell him "like he done before" (13). Lennie had heard this before, and as soon as George told him the dream he brightened up. "Lennie was delighted" (14 ), and he clearly felt better. George and Lennie were talking about their dream. George told Lennie about how they will get a farm, and Lennie goes to say that they will "live off of the fatta the lan" (14). This makes both men happier and the feeling of satisfaction comes into the air. This encourages Lennie and changes his mood. Steinbeck shows a strong knowledge that characters moods are effected by things that motivate them.

This dream changed Georges behavior too. Whenever Lennie asked him to speak, he changed his mood and spoke. When George got upset at Lennie, he immediately realized that he hurt Lennie’s feelings. When Lennie pleaded for him to tell the story, his mood changed. George "repeated his words… as though he had said them many times before" (13). George was transitioning. He went from a very angry person to a calm man. This is one main example of George finding a soft spot in his heart. Another example is when George tells Candy about the dream. Lennie had asked him to "tell about that place" (56). This was once again Lennie and George’s dream. George gets almost spellbound while thinking about the fantasy. George is entranced with his own picture of a future farm (58). This shows that despite George's mean stature, he can show signs of hope.

George and Lennie might have been two very different people, but they had similar feelings. They both shared a dream. That dream was for the both of them to get ten acres of land, and to put in a crop for themselves.(56,58) When ever they were in a bad mood, they would talk about their plan, and that would make them joyful. People can relate to many of the messages that happen in the book Of Mice and Men. One thing that they can relate to is dreams and how they can motivate people. John Steinbeck uses dreams to function the character's behavior.