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How Does Lennie Small Present The Mental Disorder In Of Mice And Men

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To begin, Lennie Small displays severe signs of a certain mental disorder throughout John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men. The audience can clearly understand there is an issue with Lennie’s ability to think and act. However, the question lies on the actual mental issue, and after research, it is indisputable that the character suffers from a dissociative disorder. For those who do not know, a person with a dissociative disorder experiences immense amounts of stress in uncomfortable situations. “These disorders usually are associated with overwhelming stress, which may be the result of traumatic events, accidents, or disasters that may be experienced or witnessed by the individual” (Marks 17). While the reader is not informed much of Lennie’s past, it is without question uncanny to his behavior. …show more content…

From the beginning of the story, George always seems to get irked by Lennie’s lack of recollection. He cannot seem to remember anything George advises him, besides the American dream they share, which seems to be vividly engraved in his brain. George makes fun of him for this at times, while other times he gets understandably impatient. “‘I wasn't kicked in the head with no horse, was I, George?’ ‘Be a damn good thing if you was,’ George said viciously. ‘Save ever'body a hell of a lot of trouble’” (Steinbeck 23). George has gotten used to Lennie’s memory, but it is fairly new to the reader early on. With this being said, this points directly to dissociative disorder. “Dissociation is a disconnection between a person’s thoughts, memories, feelings, actions or sense of who he or she is….Dissociative symptoms can potentially disrupt every area of mental functioning” (What are Dissociative Disorders?). This makes sense, as it is evident Lennie’s brain is not operating the way it should. In conclusion, it is beyond obvious that Lennie Small in Of Mice and Men suffers from a dissociative

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