Character Analysis Of Lennie In John Steinbeck's 'Of Mice And Men'

968 Words4 Pages

1. Lennie suffers from a mental condition; it makes him unaware of his action and causes him to kill Curley’s wife. For example, when George and Lennie first get to the farm Slim asks why they were there and left their old job, so George starts to explain why the left Weed, their old town, because Lennie,”like he is, he wants to touch ever’thing he likes. Just wants to feel it. so he reaches out to feel this red dress an’ the girl lets out a squawk, and that gets Lennie all mixed up, and he holds on ‘cause that's the only thing he can think to do” (Steinbeck 41). Also, at the beginning of the book when George and Lennie are walking to the new ranch after escaping weed Lennie wonders why they are going to a new ranch and George said,”'An' you …show more content…

For example, when Lennie was aggressively peting Curley’s Wife’s hair and she starts to scream Lennie started to panic and with,“Lennie’s other hand closed over her mouth and nose” and “from under Lennie’s hand was a muffled scream” (Steinbeck 91). Then he started to shake her around like a rag doll and after she stopped screaming ,“ He looked down at her, and carefully he removed his hand from her mouth, and she lay still” (Steinbeck 91). Then, after Lennie figured out what he had done,“He pawed up the hay until it partly covered her” (Steinbeck 92). If Lennie wouldn’t have killed Curley’s Wife he wouldn’t be in the situation of people wanting to kill him.Even though Lennie has a mental condition if Lennie wouldn't have started to talk, like George had said, he wouldn't have killed her and be in the trouble he caught himself in. Curley might have been mad at Lennie before but not enough to kill him, not until after Lennie made the mistake for killing his wife. Also, George would not have to make the hard decision to kill Lennie. Just like Candy’s dog, he thought it would be best if he killed Lennie and not Curley. Because of Lennie’s own actions, he caused his own death at the end of the