Of Mice And Men Correctness

It is quite upsetting that with all of the modern day focus on political correctness we have yet as a human race to understand and assist the mentally disabled. Throughout the past many people were looked down upon and misunderstood. the worst of these offenses was directed toward the mentally disabled. Such a culture is revealed through Lennie, a disabled giant of a ban who can not remember the simplest of things and is obsessed with anything soft. Although the mentally impaired can be highly functioning members of society; they can be, at times, a burden to their caretakers. This is exemplified through the relationship between George and Lennie in the classic American novel Of Mice and Men. In summation, Of Mice and Men applies to the all-too-real …show more content…
The greatest issue George faces through his relationship with Lennie is the constant need to remind Lennie of what they need to do or what they have already done. Towards the beginning of the novel Lennie forgot what he had done in the last town they were in. George goes on to tell Lennie about how he had gone up to a woman to touch her dress because it looked pretty and soft and when the woman pulled away he gripped down and wouldn 't let go just as he had done with countless small animals (Steinbeck 6). This conversation is consistent with today 's situation surrounding the mentally disabled. In the modern day people affected by mental illness causing forgetfulness and short term memory loss rely on their care takers to remind them of things that have recently occurred or tasks that they are to do. This raises an important argument. Should those who cannot remember their tasks or the recent past be required to live in assisted living? The best point of view is that yes, those who suffer from memory loss should be required to live in assisted living. The novel provides an excellent example of what can happen when the care of a mentally disabled individual is left to a friend or relative. On page ten of Of Mice and Men George, for the first time, unloads all of his anger on to Lennie. The major issue is that Lennie doesn 't have the mental capacity to …show more content…
George goes through times when he is on Lennie 's side and encourages him to fight back against those who mistreat him such as on page 50 when he encouraged Lennie to fight back against Curly and even offered to fight with him because he is so perturbed by the way Curly singles out Lennie and tries to start fights with him. George later turns back on his promise to defend and support Lennie and ends up killing him because he fears for the well being of himself and others and worries that Lennie will continue to kill people even though he doesn 't know he is doing it. John Steinbeck illustrates the struggle the mentally disabled face in their relationships through his classic novel Of Mice and Men, using Lennie and George to exemplify this point. The knowledge of how the disabled were treated in the past helps us in this day and age to be more sensitive and compassionate towards those who differ from us. He shows through Lennie that no matter how many obstacles you face, no matter your afflictions, with the care and compassion of others you can make it to an