Emma McNamara
Huntington
ENG1D
29 March 2017
Quite often, people say things they do not really mean, or make promises they cannot keep, but one’s actions are what overpower their words and reveal a person’s truest self. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the main characters George and Lennie prove the saying “actions speak louder than words” to be true. The three best examples of this saying coming to life in the novel are: George taking Lennie’s mouse and throwing it away to teach him how to act like everyone else, to greater, more serious situations such as Lennie accidentally killing Curley’s …show more content…
George wants to teach Lennie how to act like everyone else, therefore, when George realizes that Lennie has been hiding a dead mouse in his pocket, “[he] takes the mouse and [throws] it across the pool to the other side, among the brush.” (Steinbeck 6). Unlike Lennie, George understands that mice are small, dirty creatures that should not be kept as pets, and could easily be killed by Lennie’s strength. For Lennie’s own good, George takes the mouse from him. The action of throwing Lennie’s mouse introduces us to George as a stern, yet caring character who wants the best for Lennie, despite the unkind words he says to him at times. This shows us that Geroge’s actions actually do speak louder than his words because his actions come from …show more content…
Lennie often says things to George that would lead him to believe that Lennie has understood exactly what George is trying to tell him but that is not always the case . For example, when he says "oh, sure. I remember. In Weed" while George is explaining what they did at their last job. (6). Although Lennie says this, his repetitive actions of killing innocent animals eventually resulted in the death of Curley’s wife, an innocent human, proving that Lennie cannot remember instructions that other people give him. George demanded that Lennie "[doesn’t] even take a look at that bitch.” (32). Due to his mental disability, Lennie completely disregarded George’s orders, and touched Curley’s wife’s hair. Lennie wanted to continue touching her hair, but when she started screaming, he started shaking her until “her body filpped like a fish. And she was still for he had broken her neck.” (91). Furthermore, the act of killing Curley’s wife reveals that Lennie is incapable of following the directions of others and remembering important things, even if he says he
Huntington
ENG1D
29 March 2017
Quite often, people say things they do not really mean, or make promises they cannot keep, but one’s actions are what overpower their words and reveal a person’s truest self. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the main characters George and Lennie prove the saying “actions speak louder than words” to be true. The three best examples of this saying coming to life in the novel are: George taking Lennie’s mouse and throwing it away to teach him how to act like everyone else, to greater, more serious situations such as Lennie accidentally killing Curley’s …show more content…
George wants to teach Lennie how to act like everyone else, therefore, when George realizes that Lennie has been hiding a dead mouse in his pocket, “[he] takes the mouse and [throws] it across the pool to the other side, among the brush.” (Steinbeck 6). Unlike Lennie, George understands that mice are small, dirty creatures that should not be kept as pets, and could easily be killed by Lennie’s strength. For Lennie’s own good, George takes the mouse from him. The action of throwing Lennie’s mouse introduces us to George as a stern, yet caring character who wants the best for Lennie, despite the unkind words he says to him at times. This shows us that Geroge’s actions actually do speak louder than his words because his actions come from …show more content…
Lennie often says things to George that would lead him to believe that Lennie has understood exactly what George is trying to tell him but that is not always the case . For example, when he says "oh, sure. I remember. In Weed" while George is explaining what they did at their last job. (6). Although Lennie says this, his repetitive actions of killing innocent animals eventually resulted in the death of Curley’s wife, an innocent human, proving that Lennie cannot remember instructions that other people give him. George demanded that Lennie "[doesn’t] even take a look at that bitch.” (32). Due to his mental disability, Lennie completely disregarded George’s orders, and touched Curley’s wife’s hair. Lennie wanted to continue touching her hair, but when she started screaming, he started shaking her until “her body filpped like a fish. And she was still for he had broken her neck.” (91). Furthermore, the act of killing Curley’s wife reveals that Lennie is incapable of following the directions of others and remembering important things, even if he says he