Characterization Of Lennie In Of Mice And Men

In the book, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Lennie Small appears to be one of the most interesting characters. The story is told about Lennie and his best friend, George Milton and their journey towards receiving a new job in a ranch in California during the Great Depression. In regard to appearance, Leenie is completely opposite to George. Lennie is “...a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely”(2). Based on his character descriptions and his interactions with others, it can be concluded that Lennie is childish, unintelligent, and he is motivated by his devotion …show more content…
This is made apparent by the way George talk to Slim about Lennie. He said, “[I] used to play jokes on ‘im cause he was too dumb to take care of ‘imself. But he was too dumb even to know he had a joke played on him”(40). Lennie is oblivious to what is happening around him and being unaware that he is being played by his best friend. Another case where he is shown to be unintelligent is when George needed to cover up the fact that Lennie is mentally retarded. He concealed it from the boss by saying that “He got kicked in the head by a horse when he was a kid. He’s awright. Just ain’t bright”(22). Furthermore, George tells Slim about how he tricked Lennie into almost drowning. Lennie is easy duped by George into jumping into the Sacramento River because of his commands. It is also common sense that if you are unable to swim, then you should not just jump into water because there is a risk of you drowning. Moreover, George also tells Slim that he should, “Jus’ tell Lennie what to do an’ he’ll do it if it don’t take no figuring. He can’t think of nothing to do himself, but he can sure take orders”(39). This shows how there is little faith in Lennie showing that he could be capable of using his intellectual knowledge to find a solution to something. Finally, he is ignorant since he repeats his mistakes. He is staying the same and not improving because he does not learn and improve upon his mistakes. A mistake that he still …show more content…
They display affection and endearment for each other by telling “...because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why”(14). This shows they will always be there for each other in times of need. Lennie is also dependant on George because George does all the talking on their behalf when he is giving an introduction of them to someone. For example, in an introduction to their new boss, George answered all of the questions that was supposed to be addressed to Lennie and it causes Lennie to stay silent while George is talking to people. Lennie is also motivated by George because he listens and follows George’s commands and everything he tells him to do. This is especially shown when Lennie gets into a fight with Curley. Lennie does not immediately fight back until he is told to by George to “Get him, Lennie. Don’t let him do it”(63). George prompts Lennie and provides reasons for his actions and behaviors. The basis of both George and Lennie’s drive for staying at the ranch is their shared vision of owning a farm. It has long been their dream to collaboratively establish a farm of their own, supported by earned money, and prosper from it. This aspiration is fueled by George’s words and consistent retelling of the ideal life that they both would live. In consequence, Lennie is drawn into the ambition and the hope of the farm with his rabbits become Lennie’s primary motive for