Survival Of The Fittest In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Herbert Spencer first used the phrase “survival of the fittest” in 1864, since then people disagreed on whether or not this is true. In John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men, he makes it clear that this phrase is true. Of Mice and Men tells the story of two friends named George and Lennie who dream of getting their own place, but their plans change when Lennie makes a mistake that they can’t fix. Throughout the story, everyone tries to avoid showing weakness by targeting weaker members of the ranch. Although the desire for power can control people’s actions and lessen the quality of life, ultimately, John Steinbeck uses the dogs, Lennie, and Curley's wife to prove that the weak face more challenges, and the weak don’t survive.
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First of all, Lennie’s inability to know his own strength constantly get him in trouble, and he shows that he doesn’t know his strength when he kills the mice, gets in a fight with Curley, kills the puppy, and kills Curley’s wife. When Lennie kills Curley’s wife George realizes that Lennie is a danger to himself and others, and Lennie will continue to cause trouble. Also, Lennie doesn’t understand why he shouldn’t talk to Curley’s wife. George instantly has a very strong opinion on her, which he shows when he says, “I don’t care what she says and what she does ... I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her. You leave her be” (32). Lennie, on the other hand, just says “Gosh, she was purty” (32). Furthermore, Lennie constantly depends on George to keep him out of trouble. This causes problems because George can’t watch Lennie all the time, and when George plays horseshoes with other members of the ranch Lennie gets in trouble by talking to Curley’s wife even though George told him not to. Ultimately, Lennie’s mental weaknesses get him in trouble and lead to his