In of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, a main character named Lennie is put in a situation where he kills Curley’s wife (Curly is the son of their boss). Lennie should not be held accountable for the death of Curley’s wife because he is child-like. One way Lennie is child-like is through his misunderstanding of what is normal in society. For example, Lennie does not understand that it is not ok for someone to pet a woman’s dress. On page 11, it talks about how Lennie thought it would be a good, innocent idea, “Jus’ wanted to feel that girl’s dress---jus’ wanted to pet it like it was a mouse.” Also, Jim Crow laws were in place around the time this story was set, and Lennie could not seem to understand why Candy, an African American character
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The dream is described on page 6, “Someday -- we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs and----.” This is naïve of Lennie to think, because the perfect future does exist, and Lennie keeps driving them away from their dream with his own naïve accidents. For example, Lennie and George had everything laid out for them in Weed to earn money and buy their own land, until Lennie makes a naïve decision to pet a woman’s dress on page 11, “She yells and we got to hide in a irrigation ditch all day with guys lookin’ for us, and we got to sneak out in the dark and get outta the country. All the time somethin’ like that – all the time.” Lennie and George then were forced to relocate to somewhere new to start over. Lennie is child-like for believing in a naïve dream. Lennie also struggles to take care of things, as he can hardly take care of himself. George scolds him on page 10 about his failure to take care of the simplest of pets… a mouse, “To hell with the rabbits. An; you ain’t to be trusted with no live mice.” Lennie also kills his puppy on accident on page 87, “I was jus’ playin’ with him…an’ he made like he’s gonna bite me…an’ I made like I was gonna smack him…an’ I done it. An’ then he was dead”. Lennie is too child-like to take care of something else,
The dream is described on page 6, “Someday -- we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs and----.” This is naïve of Lennie to think, because the perfect future does exist, and Lennie keeps driving them away from their dream with his own naïve accidents. For example, Lennie and George had everything laid out for them in Weed to earn money and buy their own land, until Lennie makes a naïve decision to pet a woman’s dress on page 11, “She yells and we got to hide in a irrigation ditch all day with guys lookin’ for us, and we got to sneak out in the dark and get outta the country. All the time somethin’ like that – all the time.” Lennie and George then were forced to relocate to somewhere new to start over. Lennie is child-like for believing in a naïve dream. Lennie also struggles to take care of things, as he can hardly take care of himself. George scolds him on page 10 about his failure to take care of the simplest of pets… a mouse, “To hell with the rabbits. An; you ain’t to be trusted with no live mice.” Lennie also kills his puppy on accident on page 87, “I was jus’ playin’ with him…an’ he made like he’s gonna bite me…an’ I made like I was gonna smack him…an’ I done it. An’ then he was dead”. Lennie is too child-like to take care of something else,