Lennie In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Of Mice and Men is a novella by John Steinbeck that takes place during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl in Southern California. Lennie Small, a dependent man with mental disabilities, is taken in by George Milton, who takes care of him after the death of his aunt. As the two had begun to travel together in order to find work, they became very close, forming a strong friendship. When George and Lennie are forced out of a job in Weed due to altercations between Lennie and a woman, they become ranch hands on a ranch in Soledad. Lennie who always seems to be getting in trouble everywhere he goes, inevitably finds it on the new ranch when he meets Curley’s wife. Lennie thinks she is beautiful and is sucked in by her flirtatious nature and

Lennie got into some trouble with a woman in Weed, and George unselfishly started his life over in Soledad in order to allow Lennie to start over. Even though he had a fresh start, Lennie was unable to maintain and control his behavior. Because of his mental disabilities, Lennie relied very heavily on George. This responsibility was a lot for George to juggle at this time, though he loved Lennie very much. Just like Candy’s dog, Lennie required a lot of care and constant attention and was causing others and himself pain. After killing the puppy, as well as Curley’s wife, Lennie knows he has messed up. He feels awful about what he has done and immediately begins to feel guilty. Though it is not his fault, Lennie’s behavior, no matter how hard he and George both try, can not be controlled. He did not mean to hurt her, but he killed Curley’s wife. It is seen many times in the book how much Lennie cares about others. He says many times that he never meant to hurt anyone or anything, and upon doing so becomes very upset. He had a hard time handling his emotions when he knew he had messed up. Killing someone would have sent Lennie off the deep end. If Lennie and George would have run away together, Lennie would have to live with constant shame and guilt for what he has done and be in fear of doing the same in whatever town they decided to work in next. George knew that Lennie would not live a happy life if he were to have