Themes And Motifs In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

There are so many themes, symbols, and motifs in the story “Of Mice and Men”, written by John Steinbeck. Although, the one that stood out to me was the motif of strengths and weaknesses. These are things that people are very familiar with and can relate to because we all have some of our own. Sometimes we do not even realize what they are, but when people read about other’s strengths and weaknesses it opens their eyes. And when people feel they can relate to the story or even with certain characters, it creates an emotional bond while reading that story. This is one of the main reasons people get so emotional and upset when George kills Lennie because maybe they have someone they are really close to, and they just could not imagine having …show more content…
He has the mentality of a child and some could argue a very young child with some of the clues given in the novel. Lennie has a hard time remembering things, which is why George always has to repeat himself and make Lennie repeat it as well. For example, when George tells him where they are going and when he tells Lennie where to hide if anything bad happens. Also, because of his mental immaturity, he tries to pet a woman’s dress because it looks soft, but Lennie does not see it as something inappropriate, and this causes them to lose their jobs. Lennie also does not completely understand rights and wrongs. He knows the just of it, but most the time he does not realize it is bad until afterwards, instead of seeing he is doing something wrong before it happens. An example of this could be when he started petting Curley’s wife’s hair. George had told him before to stay away from her because she is trouble, but he was too tempted to pet her soft hair and ended up killing her from it. Another way to show his simple-mindedness is in the beginning when he tells George that “a lady” gave him her mice. This is an example because the woman he refers to as “a lady” is his aunt and he does not even remember her. Although, because of his mental weakness, he becomes dependent on George because he takes care of him. This is what helps create their special bond because they realize they both need each …show more content…
In the beginning of the novel, he becomes very frustrated with Lennie. Mostly because Lennie caused them to lose their job, and then added on by other little aggravations. George lets these emotions get the best of him and he finally lashes out at Lennie. When he gets upset and this and tries to leave, George then calms down and realizes that Lennie cannot help it, he could not bear to just leave Lennie behind to fend for himself, and mostly that he needs Lennie just as much as he needs him. George also shows emotional weakness because he blames all of his troubles on Lennie. He says life would be so much easier without him around. This statement shows weakness because the readers know he cares for Lennie, so he should be strong and still support Lennie. Although, these moments of weakness are realized by George and make him a stronger person and a better friend for it. As a part of growing stronger through these situations, it causes George to also have emotional strength. Lennie is his best friend and he cares so much about him. So when he realizes that Lennie will be tortured and die a horrible death, he realizes what he must do. George knows there is no other way to help Lennie in this situation than to give him a quick and painless death. This is the hardest thing George has ever had to do, but he knows if he really cares about Lennie, then that is what he has to do to help him. This shows so much strength in