Role Of Mentally Ill People In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

In the 1930’s when John Steinbeck wrote “Of Mice and Men”, there was very little assistance available to mentally ill Americans. Society looked down upon them and, at times, didn’t even treat ill them as human. Steinbeck recognized this injustice and wrote “Of Mice and Men” as a way to say that we need to do more for those who can’t take care of themselves. He used one of the main characters, Lennie, to show us what life was like for mentally ill people in the early 1900’s. The way Lennie interacted with new people and his forgetfulness gave us an idea of some of the struggles mentally ill people both today in and in the 1930’s face.
Steinbeck not only provided insight as to what it was like to be mentally ill in the 1930’s, but through the characterization of George, we were able to see the impact that mentally ill people such as Lennie have on their caretakers. Steinbeck showed the good, the bad, and every moment in-between for Lennie and George. He told us a story of their connection, one that is not based on control or money, but a …show more content…
Lennie even acknowledges George’s caring attitude towards him by saying, “…I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you’” (Steinbeck 14). No matter what trouble Lennie gets into, George is always there to back him up. On the other side of the spectrum, Lennie is always ready to listen to George and stick by his side. At the end of the novel George realizes that he’s going to be killed eventually, so to sacrifice for his friend, he kills Lennie himself. This marked the point in which Steinbeck nearly shouted through the pages that their friendship was nothing less than authentic and has no ends. Despite having to escape Weeds, constantly “babysit” Lennie, and having to take his friend’s life, George voices that he’d do anything for his friend even though he’s a