How Is Lennie Presented In Of Mice And Men

In the novel Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck, Lennie is a man who is mentally handicapped. With this handicap, Lennie has to rely on George, his friend and caretaker, to help Lennie make sense of situations he doesn’t understand. Lennie is seen in many chapters to be attracted to animals with soft fur. Whether it’s a mouse, a puppy, or the rabbits he plans to own, Lennie has a strong urge to pet soft things. This urge is Lennie’s desire. A desire is to want something that satisfies one’s self or is enjoyable. This becomes evident when Lennie and George are walking to the ranch, where their new jobs await. Everybody has desires, but some desires are stronger than others and can become obsessions. The author reveals Lennie’s desire to pet soft things first in the

Apparently, when Lennie was petting the puppy, it acted as if it was to bite Lennie. Lennie wanted to pretend as if he was going to hit the puppy, but he accidentally hit and killed the puppy. “’He was so little,’ said Lennie. ‘I was jus’ playin’ with him… an’ he made it like he’s gonna bite me… an’ I made it like I was gonna smack him… an’… an’ I done it. An’ then he was dead.’” (Page 87) Lennie never meant to kill the puppy, but his desire for soft things was so strong that when he went to threaten the puppy, he hit the puppy too hard and killed it. At this point, Lennie’s desire had become more of an obsession. “’Well, he said if I done any more bad things he ain’t gonna let me tend the rabbits.’” (Page 87) Lennie understands that since he has done something bad, George won’t want to let Lennie tend the rabbits they plan to have. Because Lennie was only focusing on his puppy at the time, it took Lennie a while to realize that he had done something that would upset George. He now thinks that George will not let him tend to the rabbits, which shows that Lennie’s desire has now become an