Lennie Small Character Analysis

The character of Lennie Small, though his age, is extremely childlike. He is quite submissive, and becomes fixated on ideas or what he is doing. Lennie does what he is told, allowing George to dictate how he behaves. When Curley begins to attack him, he starts crying, but reacts and fights back when George tells him to. He seizes Curley’s hand, and even as he is getting yelled at to let go, he does not release, and must be pried off of Curley. Afterwards, he begins to cry, “I didn’t wanta hurt him” (64). Also, multiple times throughout the book, Lennie asks George to tell him their dream for a better life, which includes buying their own land and raising animals. Lennie is obsessed with the prospect of caring for his own rabbits, and this plays into many of his actions. He wants something he can cherish and cuddle whenever he wants.
Lennie, despite any of his weaknesses, is a very loving character. This is most clearly shown in his relationship with his best friend, George. He consistently puts George first, wanting to please him and make him happy. In one instance, George …show more content…
A situation where this becomes clear is when he kills the puppy and Curley’s wife. His immaturity causes him to become obsessive, mostly with petting soft things. and he becomes a threat. Lennie had accidentally killed the puppy George had gotten for him when Curley’s wife waltzes in. She and Lennie speak for awhile, Curley’s wife pours out her feelings to him, and he tells her how much he likes to pet soft things, so she allows him to touch her hair. At first, all is well, but things take a turn for the worst very quickly. She begins asking him to let go, since she doesn’t want him to mess it up, but he holds on tighter, as he usually does. Thus, she starts screaming, and he covers her mouth so the others will not hear and get him fired. As he is holding on to her, trying to keep her quiet, he breaks her neck, which kills