Lennie Small Analysis

Lennie Small: The Dreaming Child-at-Heart of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men Pursuers of the American Dream often fantasize about a future for themselves where they can find a place, settle down, and have a family. John Steinbeck, in his novel Of Mice and Men, expands upon this notion and puts it in the context of Great Depression-era California, where the American Dream that so many pursued was completely and utterly crushed. One case of these sorts of ruined aspirations being that of Lennie Small, one of two protagonists of Of Mice and Men. Lennie is a simple-minded but physically capable travelling labourer, whose brawn allows him to perform all sorts of jobs, but whose wit—or lack thereof—restricts him from fully understanding the world …show more content…
From the beginning of the story, Lennie’s hopes are built up only to be torn down by the disastrous nature of the Great Depression, being set up for failure by Steinbeck. From the very beginning it is made evident g Lennie’s overly aggressive petting could be a problem, with the killing of the mouse in the first chapter acting as foreshadowing to the the climax (Steinbeck 4). A common theme becomes visible in Lennie’s interactions with animals and people, as George recounts when he had to hit Lennie with a fence post in order to stop him from petting a girl’s dress to Slim (Steinbeck 23). Lennie’s accidental murderous petting rampage does not end with the dress or the mouse however, as he also accidentally kills the puppy he was going to take off of Slim’s hands (Steinbeck 42). Lennie was doomed to continue this pattern because of the nature of his character, in which right and wrong are not concepts in his head unless George is around dictating them. If one was not fit out to function properly in society, with Lennie being a prime example of this, then society would make no attempt to accommodate for them. This very logic being the reason that Candy’s dog was put down (Steinbeck 24). Lennie, by being put down in a manner resembling the death of Candy’s dog, is put out of his misery for what is believed to be his own sake and for the well-being of those around him. The cruel nature of society back then discarded anyone who was unable to achieve the American Dream themselves, and as much as George wanted Lennie’s version of the American Dream to come true, he came to realize how impossible it was. Lennie, like many other migrant workers during the Great Depression, latches onto either the one good thing in his life he can