Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.

In the story by John Steinbeck “Of Mice and Men,” Lennie Small is just a man who migrated to California where “he was employed to take care of the ranch in California’s Salinas Valley during the Great Depression” (Mazzeno 1). He had a friend by the name George who was intelligent than him. However, Barden found that “Lennie was mentally challenged and incapable of abstract thought” (quoted in Of Mice and Men 6), he was a strong man, but the reasons less like a small child. George was his friend; he used to follow most of the time because he used to give him directions and ideas most of the time. In the context, this behaviour is also contributing towards his indifferences than other characters in the book.

Although Lennie looked to be a strong man who was less competent and relied on George for guidance and follow-ups, but his presence seemed to be essential on the eyes of George when he came up with the idea of coming up with their ranch so that they can be their boss at all. According to John Steinbeck, “he dreamed that they should have a chicken and a rabbit farm with his friend George and he should be allowed to feed the rabbits” (Of Mice and Men 3). The next morning in the ranch, George and Lennie met Candy who is a bunkhouse cleaner. They talked to him especially how he performs his duty with one hand, but Candy replied to them that “he lost his hand in the same ranch and he is not perfect with one side that is why he was given swamping job” (pg. 29). All these discussions were after the boss has left them.

They continued with their discussion as usual. Lennie inquired information about the dream of their farm from George. In the process when George was retelling the story, Candy heard and requested to be included in their plan because he already had money for payment. George became excited since he calculated that after a month of work they would have secured the money they targeted. But Candy was a beat reluctant; he even asked them that “maybe after he has given them his money, they will make him dig the garden also if he is not good at it”. (Of Mice and Men pg. 29). After a short time Curley arrived where they were sitting when he saw Lennie, he tries to fight Lennie. Immediately after Curley left, Candy narrates to them that Curley is a boxer who fights giant men. He told them that “the vain of his ability as a prizefighter and a jealous of his slatternly bride” (Of Mice and Men 2).

After a while Curley’s wife entered, George does not like her at all; in fact, he warns Lennie to avoid her. She was searching for her husband. Even Barden said that “both Curley and his wife, who is not even given a name, have very little agency or nuance: they are captives of their impulse and behave mostly by the display of sexuality aggression” (quoted in Of Mice and Men 20). On the other side, Lennie saw her as pretty. When George was still making stories with Slim, he narrates to him their life experience with Lennie for a long time. He tells him that he used to play tricks to Lennie to the extent that he would do anything damn he tells him. He even added that “if he tells him to walk over a cliff, he will do. But that was not so much fun, and he never got mad about it.” (pg. 20). Having desire over something is normal that is not a big deal inside the storyline for the case of Lennie who looked Curley’s wife as being pretty on her eyes. But the question is, are their people who could do the thing they are instructed to do even if they are very risky, stupid or even abnormal? That is what Lennie tried to show the right away from the story of his friend George.

Later on, instead of fighting George, he picked Lennie to remember he even exposed his emotions to George for a fight by saying that George should get up for a fight with him so that “he should not laugh at him” (pg. 30). He then makes a brutal beating to Lennie until when his friend George tells him to fight back, but initially, Lennie suggested that “he does not want to fight” (pg. 27). But at last, he had no otherwise but to get involved in that close fight. The situation looks a beat abnormally. There is nobody who can give out his/ her body for beatings just because one has not released an okay. People usually try their best to defend themselves from their enemies. When they were fighting, Lennie smashed all the bones in Curley’s hands thoroughly and said that he never had the intention to hurt him.

Actually, before that fight, Lennie looked helplessly at George and then he got up and tried to fight back. His opponent Curley was balanced and well stable. He “slashed at Lennie with his left and then smashed down his nose with a right”. (Pg. 30). Even during the fight, Lennie requested George “to leave him alone in the fight he backed up to against the wall while Curley followed, slugging him in the face”. Lennie’s hands were still tangled on his sides, and Curley developed a fear to defend himself. (Pg.30).In a close fight even if the opponents are strong there should be a backup person, like for instance inside this story, Lennie seems to be courageous and believes in himself to the extent of rejecting assistance from his friend during the fight.

Since Lennie was somebody who liked petting soft things that looked hairy, he kills his puppy when he went in the barn. He decided to hide it so that he cannot get in trouble. In the process, Curley’s wife entered and sat next to Lennie. However, from the statement that Curley’s wife shouted created tension to Lennie. She said that those who killed her dog tonight never did well to her and other people too. She continued by saying that “whoever is listening to her can shoot her”. Instead, she says again that “she does not have a place to go and she cannot get more jobs” (pg. 31). Nevertheless, she allows Lennie to pet her hair. He pets it too hard and firmly that made, Curley’s wife to scream but unfortunately, the petting was stronger that resulted towards her death. The act looks a beat amazing; it is as if Lennie was doing it intentionally to kill Curley’s wife. When George appeared, “he was so shocked that he even suggested that they should swing her.” (pg.29). the two George and Lennie wanted to hide the evidence of what has happened, but they failed.

Lennie is not like other characters I the story; firstly he looks to be very troublesome even if George said he used to instruct him to do whatever he wanted and he used to do that is not real. He participated in a fight with Curley, where he smashed the bones inside Curley’s hand. He also killed a puppy and hid it so that he should not be I identified that he was the one who did it. Finally, he kills the wife of Curley just by petting her hair vigorously that ended up breaking her neck and died.

Work cited

“Of Mice and Men” Cyclopedia of Literary Characters, 4th Edition, May 2015, pp. 1752-1753. EBSCOhost, search. Ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=Ikh&AN=102943483&site=Irc-plus.

Barden, Tom. Of Mice and Meaning in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, May 2017, pp. 136-144. EBSCOhost, search. Ebscohost. Com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ikh&AN=127554086&site=Irc-plus.

Mazzeno, Laurence W. Film Adaptations: Of Mice and Men “Novel into Film. Sept. 2017. Pp. 1-3. EBSCOhost,search,ebscohost.com?login.aspx?direct=true&db=Ikh&AN=124596378&site=Irc-plus.

Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York, N.Y. U.S. A: Penguin Books, 1994. Print.