Lennie Small Adhd

Mental disability: any type of condition of the mind that affects a person and their normal day-to-day activity on a long term basis. Lennie Small, a poor, migrant farm worker in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, struggles with a mental disability: coexisting (has both of them) Autism and ADHD. Steinbeck includes Lennie’s character to portray how individuals should not be suppressed by their differences.

Lennie Small, a character in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, exhibits characteristics of Autism and ADHD. He portrays these symptoms through his nervous impulses, deteriorating memory, and frequent hand movement through petting soft things. There are many examples of social injustice throughout Of Mice and Men, but Steinbeck included Lennie

In the book, Lennie loves to pet soft things, such as mice, rabbits, puppies, and even Curley’s Wife’s hair. Constant or repeating hand moving is one of the key factors in Autism. An informational medical foundation, CHADD.org writes, in their article “ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder,” an article about the combined factors of having Autism and ADHD, “Many…have a strong interest in…touch…or in making repetitive movements…with their hands” (“ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder”). Towards the end of Of Mice and Men, Lennie and Curley’s Wife are talking in the barn about why Lennie likes rabbits – or petting them – so much. In the text, Steinbeck writes, "’I like to pet nice things with my fingers, [soft] things.’ " (Steinbeck 90). Lennie also hyperfixates on the puppies in the book, sitting and petting them for amounts of time. His memory is really bad, too. George always scolds him when he doesn’t remember any plans, and he never remembers any of them. All of these things are indications of his Autism; however, Lennie also shows signs of

Even though Lennie is not the brightest – and he doesn’t make the best decisions, he is overall a really good worker. Early on in the book, when Lennie and George show up to start their job, their employer suggests that George is using Lennie and that he might be no good, but George stands up for his friend. Steinbeck writes, “‘I ain’t saying he’s bright. He ain’t, But I say he’s…hell of a good worker. Strong as a bull’” (Steinbeck 22 and 23). Lennie may seem different from the others, and maybe he is, but he can work just as good – maybe even better than some of them. Steinbeck includes many characters with social injustices, Lennie being one of them. He is not physically separated from everyone else, but the other workers perceive him abnormally. Even though Lennie has a mental disability, it doesn’t affect how he works. He’s a strong and hard worker, nevermind the issues that differentiate him from the other