Similarities Between John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

It is often pointed out in the novel that while Lenny is by no means intelligent, he has physical strength far beyond the other men. Is this an accurate portrayal of mental disorders or mental illness? And what could have been done about it in the 1930s? It is never said if anything can be done about Lennys condition but this could be because of Georges own ignorance. Lenny’s hallucinations and memory are other points to be researched as well. Also, people would often call Lenny a lunatic. What was the public opinion on the mentally handicapped in that time? I will discuss the accuracy of these portrayals and support it with evidence.
Firstly, it is debatable what Lenny’s condition actually is. For the purpose of this discussion let’s assume it’s a common case, Down syndrome, and take a look at evidence that could support it. If it is adequately supported, you could see the accuracy with which John Steinbeck portrayed it. One reason I believe it to be Down syndrome is that those with Down syndrome experience a much greater risk to dementia and dementia related diseases. This could easily explain Lenny’s memory and his hallucinations. Emphasis is put in the beginning of the book on his inability to remember things. This could be connected

to Alzheimer’s disease which is caused by dementia. This could be dismissed as a really convenient coincidence or it could be a very accurate portrayal of Down syndrome by John Steinbeck.
Secondly, addressing Lenny’s strength and its accuracy.

Studies done by the National Center on Health, Activity, and Disability state that individuals with Down syndrome experience much greater muscle hypertonicity. Meaning Lennys muscles could stretch far more than a normal persons would, increasing the weight his muscles could bear and adding a great deal to his strength. This shows an accurate portrayal by Steinbeck. Lenny is also described as looking like a large baby, this also fits in the theory of Down syndrome as they generally have small muscle tone. Though tone has little bearing on overall strength. On the other hand those with Down syndrome are usually short or stocky; Lenny is described as being very large and

tall.
Another study by National Center on Health, Activity, and Disability points to those with Down syndrome having poor balance and visual perception difficulties. Lenny does give the impression of this clumsy, lumbering beast but with no visual perception problems I noticed. Many health issues are also brought up in the study, including heart problems and obesity among them. Issues like leukemia and an underdeveloped cardiovascular and respiratory system are also possible in those with Down syndrome. Nothing like this is mentioned in the novel so you could bring this as a point against John Steinbeck and an inaccurate portrayal.
In the 1930s people like Lenny had few options of treatment, and fewer humane ones. What could have been done to help Lenny was never discussed in the novel but in the 1930s there were some treatments. According to an encyclopedia of New Zealand, the mentally impaired were injected with large amounts of insulin and had surgery performed on the brain known as lobotomies. Electro-convulsive therapy was another treatment were they would shock the patient to induce convulsions, this proved ineffective at everything but treating depression. All of these treatments have severe effects on the person and were discontinued not long after they sought use. It was argued, and still is, that many of these treatments were incredibly inhumane and should never have been performed on anyone. This is relevant because it tells us a lot about public opinion on those mentally ill or handicapped at that time. They were hardly treated as human beings.
In 1911 New Zealand passed an act in with the goal of reducing the social stigma on the mentally ill. Lunatic became attendant and asylums were called hospitals. The UK followed with a similar act two years later, so we see the public opinion of the mentally ill get better over time. So a clear answer cannot be found on what it was like in 1930 America and if they would have realistically called Lenny a lunatic. The rest of the civilized world points mostly to that not being the case. This portrayal is not an easy one as John Steinbeck has made it, as I am sure opinions between people would differ greatly in that time.
At the end of the novel when Slim and George are talking about Lenny’s options, they mention that he would be put in a cage (maybe John Steinbeck was just keeping in line with Lenny being like a dog) and he would stay there for the rest of his life. It is likely that Lenny would have gotten a lobotomy or even had electro-convulsive therapy. A lot of them would not live through their treatments. So when Slim says that’s no life for a man, he is absolutely right and Lenny would have likely died no matter the path the story went.
Evidence supports that Lennys condition is Down syndrome. Upon analyzing Lenny’s actions and behavior, we see a consistent and a generally accurate portrayal of Down syndrome by John Steinbeck. Lenny’s strength is definitely accurate, his health is arguably inaccurate given the strong chance of serious health problems such as heart disease. As well as health, the options of treatment given to the mentally handicapped is inaccurate in the novel. Even so, the public opinion of the mentally handicapped seems mostly accurate. In conclusions, John Steinbeck took Lennys condition, probably Down syndrome, and represented it fairly well in the novel of Mice and Men.