How Does Steinbeck Create Sympathy For The Dog In Of Mice And Men

The initial paragraphs of John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men introduce Lennie and George, two migrant workers in search of a job. They dream of owning a posh ranch and tending to rabbits, in order to achieve this dream they are dependent on each other. However, they soon realize that attempting to achieve their dream will be strenuous and laborious. George takes care of Lennie, who is mentally challenged, while Lennie provides company to George. They continue to go after the dream, without realizing that they will never be able to obtain it. Motifs such as lightness and darkness, light representing the hopes and dreams while darkness representing reality continues to reinforce the theme of this novella: The American Dream is unachievable …show more content…
Carlson persistently suggests killing the dog, because he believes that because the dog is old, there is no point in caring for it. This describes his insensitivity and also his lack of sympathy towards the dog. The only person who seemed to genuinely like the dog is Candy, who continued to care for it. The dog consistently lived in pain, and was in need of some attention. Carlson suggests shooting the dog to put it out of its pain, when in reality, he dislikes the dog because of its smell. Finally, Candy is pressured into shooting the dog. The dog is betrayed by its companion, the only person who cared and nurtured for it. The dog also does not have a name, which signifies its insignificance in the world. Steinbeck also portrays ableism through Lennie, a man who is oppressed because of his intellectual ability. He is treated as an inferior by the men in the bunk house, especially George, his companion and only friend. When George is speaking with Slim he comments that Lennie “can’t think” for himself, but can surely “take orders”. George believes that Lennie doesn’t have the potential to succeed in life, because of his incapability. George still, doesn’t completely realize the impact Lennie has on his life. Without Lennie, George would be identical to many other workers during the Depression, alone and with nothing to anticipate or hope for in the future. The other men on the ranch believe that they have power over Lennie because he has trouble making decisions for himself. Because of Lennie’s innocence, the men think they can control and command him. Discrimination because of ableism also occurs when Crooks refers to himself as a “busted back n*****”. The men on the ranch already have no respect for Crooks because he’s black, with a busted back they think he is useless. They see him as someone who is weak, and