The Character 'George And Lennie In Of Mice And Men'

Natalee Stinebiser

Block 2/Langer-Williamson

14/3/16

Of Mice and Men prompt

In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, there are three important characters that George and Lennie meet from the new ranch they're working at: Slim, Crooks, and Curley. Without them and their roles in the story, it wouldn't be the same.

Slim, tall and ageless in appearance, and with God-like eyes that show his authority over everyone in the ranch, is the most respected man on the ranch, or "the prince"; even Curley respects him. For example, unlike Curley and the Boss, he doesn't have to wear high heel boots as he is already respected without needing to be tall or wear boots. This respect is shown as Candy seeks Slim's opinion when it comes to Carlson

wanting to kill his dog. At the end of the novella, Slim tells George that he did the right thing by shooting Lennie. Slim is not a judgmental person, which is quite ironic since he is racist towards Crooks, and he expresses this quality when he is understanding George's story about Lennie's troubles in Weed. Obviously, he's an understanding person, also, because he knows how difficult it must be to be in George's position, taking care of a man-child and lugging him around like baggage. Because of all of this, Slim is lonely since people see him more as a person to respect rather than a friend because of his position in the social hierarchy. Overall, he is a much admired person on the ranch.
Crooks, named this because his back is crooked from being kicked in the back by a horse, which shows how he's out of place, is the stable hand on the ranch.

He has deep eyes that symbolize that he has "seen a lot" and is the only black man on the ranch. In the ‘30s, even though slavery was abolished, the majority of people were still racist. The extremity of racial discrimination is shown in this novella a substantial amount of times. For example, Crooks is not allowed in the bunkhouse because of his color, so he has to sleep by himself with the ranch animals. Also, his room "leans off the side of the barn”, which could show that it's not well built, and so at the time is where a black person would have to stay. Because of this, it is shown that he has to rely on the whites for a place to stay because he doesn’t have any other option. This is expressed because when he heard about the "dream farm", he volunteered to work for no pay just for a place to stay and independence. Of course, George, a racist, was not okay with this, and Crooks withdraws his offer because of George's reaction. Because of this, he has become a lonely, ornery, and insecure. Although he faces discrimination, he is still a man with pride. He tells Lennie, the only person who doesn't see his color as any sort of issue, that his descendants are landowners, not slaves. Crooks wants to feel superior to somebody, so he uses prejudice against Lennie by trying to dwindle him. He agitates Lennie by saying that George was not coming back after he left. Also, he will not take charity from others just because he is black as he has dignity. Although he was black, in this time, he was extremely intelligent - "Gold rimmed spectacles hung on the wall". The color gold is a symbol of success and happiness, and this is ironic since he is treated badly for his color. Also, "hung on the wall" means that he had to put all of his intelligence away because of his skin color, but if he was white, he would be a very

successful person. The "tattered dictionary" also symbolizes his intelligence, but it could also that he is lonely and has literally nothing else to do but to read from a dictionary. In the end, Crooks knows that when he is no longer needed, he will be thrown out.
Curley, a thin, young, man with brown features and tightly curled hair, which could show that he's like a spring and jumps into action, is the boss' evil son. He's an "amateur boxer" and tries to fight people who are bigger than him constantly to prove his masculinity. For example, he picks a fight with Lennie, who is ginormous, and gets his hand crushed as George lets him fight back. Another way he proves to be "better than everybody” on the ranch is by marrying an attractive woman. His wife doesn't have a name, as it shows that she is his possession and just wants revenge. He doesn't let anybody talk to her, which is ironic since he neglects and beats her. This is made obvious because when Lennie kills Curley's wife, Curley doesn't run over to her like a loving husband he's meant to be, but he asks for Carlson's luger, which shows how she was more of a trophy to him rather than a human being. He is an egotistical man, as he wears high heel boots so that he feels superior, like his father, but he knows that Slim is the most admired man on the ranch.
As you can see, all of these characters plays an important role in the novella and brings essential elements to drive the plot of the story. Slim brings superiority and guidance, Crooks delivers an enlightening view on the severity of racism in his time period, and Curley provides conflict which drives the plot forward and adds interest to the story.