John Steinbeck once said, “Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts... perhaps the fear of a loss of power.” The theme of power and powerlessness is very prominent throughout Of Mice and Men. There are many examples including the time where Lennie killed the mouse that he kept in his pocket because he did not know how much strength he actually contained. The novella is about 2 migrant workers named Lennie, who has a mental disability, and George who find work in on a ranch in the Salinas Valley. Lennie often did not know the severity of his actions, which led to the killing of Curley’s wife, and the death of himself. The theme of power and powerlessness includes Lennie, Curley’s wife, and Slim. First of all, the theme of power and powerlessness
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The aspect of power pertains to Slim because he was able to quiet an entire room just by his presence. Slim and Lennie are two very different people. Slim has the authority to control a room by his presence compared to Lennie who does not understand or recognize his surrounding. Steinbeck said, on page ((((, “There was a gravity in his manner and a quiet so profound that all talk stopped when he spoke. His authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject, be it politics or love.” This proves that people respected his opinion and held him to a high standard. It also says that he is able to persuade a crowd just because of the amount of respect they hold for him. The aspect of powerlessness also applies to Slim because being a nice person and being expected to always be there for people is a burden. In the story, before Candy’s dog was killed, he looked to Slim for confirmation. Slim chose what he thought to he right choice even though his choice may have been wrong, although everyone went with it because they trusted him. On page (((, it says, “George fell silent. He wanted to talk. Slim neither encouraged nor discouraged him. He just sat back quiet and receptive.” This proves that Slim has a natural ability to draw people into opening up to him without encouraging it. He has no say in the matter. This talent of making people vulnerable lets in unwanted emotions. Because he is so quiet, people find that as an invitation to let out their
The aspect of power pertains to Slim because he was able to quiet an entire room just by his presence. Slim and Lennie are two very different people. Slim has the authority to control a room by his presence compared to Lennie who does not understand or recognize his surrounding. Steinbeck said, on page ((((, “There was a gravity in his manner and a quiet so profound that all talk stopped when he spoke. His authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject, be it politics or love.” This proves that people respected his opinion and held him to a high standard. It also says that he is able to persuade a crowd just because of the amount of respect they hold for him. The aspect of powerlessness also applies to Slim because being a nice person and being expected to always be there for people is a burden. In the story, before Candy’s dog was killed, he looked to Slim for confirmation. Slim chose what he thought to he right choice even though his choice may have been wrong, although everyone went with it because they trusted him. On page (((, it says, “George fell silent. He wanted to talk. Slim neither encouraged nor discouraged him. He just sat back quiet and receptive.” This proves that Slim has a natural ability to draw people into opening up to him without encouraging it. He has no say in the matter. This talent of making people vulnerable lets in unwanted emotions. Because he is so quiet, people find that as an invitation to let out their