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Lennie Small Analysis

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Imagine life as a child, walking down the street with big dreams of becoming a doctor or an astronaut. Now imagine the same exact thing, except now trapped in the body of an adult. The topic has been the subject of many movies and books for many years now. But adult life is already hard enough without being a child. Children are often seen as innocent, and in reality, they are. Children just are not ready for the outside. All of this exemplifies Lennie Small, one of the main characters in the John Steinbeck novel Of Mice and Men. Lennie Small suffers from a mental disability during a time in which not much is understood about them. This is why characters within the book, as well as the reader, perceive him as such. It is because of this trait, …show more content…

For one to be innocent they are free of corruption from the outside forces. Once again, this person also tends to the world in a generally good light. Innocence is a good trait, as these people see the good in life, but are often times ignorant as they refuse to acknowledge the bad in life. For example, when Lennie wanders into Crooks’ room, and Crooks begins to explain to Lennie what racism is. But to no avail, Lennie does not understand the concepts and still views the world as a good place. An example from the text states “ S’pose you couldn’t go into the bunk house and play rummy ‘cause you was black.” (Steinbeck 72) The reader can clearly see how innocent Lennie Small really is. He was unable to comprehend the concept of racism and still views people in a positive light. Because of his innocence, Lennie Small continues to retain his perspective that Earth is a good place and, conversely remains unable to acknowledge important life concepts such as …show more content…

Lennie is childish because a lack of ability to conduct himself as an adult is shown, as well as being unable to grasp worldly concepts. Additionally, Lennie is also innocent because he hasn’t been corrupted by the outside world, and still views the world and people in a genuine light. Finally, Lennie is also powerful as shown in his ability to wield immense physical power. All of these traits make Lennie the dynamic character that is displayed, simply just a kid in an adult’s

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