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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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739 Words | 3 Pages

They use to make fun of my accent they would taunt me and say “Howdy y’all!” and act like a cowboy. In John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men setting of the 1930’s in Salinas Valley, California we meet the static and round character Lennie Smalls and his best friend George a dynamic character. While it is obvious to the reader that Lennie has a mental disability because of his actions, it is never directly stated.

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584 Words | 3 Pages

"We're born alone we live alone die alone. Only through love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone” Orson Welles. In John Steinbeck's novel, “Of Mice and Men”, Steinbeck focuses on the struggle of having a disability while struggling to get by during the American Great Depression on a Californian ranch life. Even though one may have to live around their disability, they do not let that become a big stepping stone in the life, whether they know about it or not. In John Steinbeck's novel, “Of Mice and Men”, Lennie Small, Carlson and Crooks are three great examples of how they keep living their lives despite the facts that they each have a disabilities to their lives.

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537 Words | 3 Pages

Of Mice and Men is widely revered as a masterpiece of fiction, and part of what makes this book have such a compelling story is the diverse characters; one of these characters named Lennie Small has distinct attributes due to a mental condition that ultimately affects how the plot progresses. At the beginning of the book, it is foreshadowed that an awful event happened at a place called Weed because of Lennie, and it is later discovered that Lennie accidentally scared a girl because he was trying to pet her dress; Lennie has an obsession with petting soft things and sometimes people; however, he does not realize how massive he is and as a result, he can scare or hurt them. Self awareness is a vital trait to have, for it can affect many aspects of a situation one might find themselves in; however, Lennie does not realize how large he is and as a result, scared the lady in Weed when he tried to pet her

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858 Words | 4 Pages

Nevertheless, she comes to find out that he is actually the opposite of what she originally thought. John Steinbeck wants to show that one cannot falsely judge others based off of the stereotype that people who talk funny are nuts. Lennie is a very kind-hearted person and cares for others. He might not seem like the smartest person, but misjudging him just because of that is wrong because he is actually a good human

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731 Words | 3 Pages

People today with mental disabilities are often criticized for not being “up to par” with everyone else in the world. This is true especially in the 1920’s, in which the novel Of Mice and Men takes place. Take Lennie Small for example, a large and hefty man, who has a mental disability. He, as a character, is blamed for the heinous act of murdering the antagonist’s wife, whose name is never revealed. It is true that Lennie does fracture her neck, but he does so without knowing.

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1305 Words | 6 Pages

In John Steinbeck’s 1930’s classic novella, Of Mice and Men, we are introduced to one of the main characters, Lennie Small. Lennie is developed as a mentally handicapped, who doesn’t know his strengths and weaknesses, who forgets everything, and who acts like a child. By this development, Steinbeck dehumanizes Lennie in order to show the mentally handicapped population has no chance of achieving the American Dream. Lennie doesn’t know his strengths and weakness, and how to control his strengths. At the end of chapter five, Curley’s wife comes into the barn, where Lennie is alone.

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1355 Words | 6 Pages

Lennie Smalls one of the main characters in the novel of Mice and Men, is impacted by the human rights issue of discrimination and living with an intellectual disability. “Intellectual Disability, formerly referred to as "mental retardation, is characterized by "significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior, which covers many everyday social and practical skills” (Death Penalty Info). Lennie exhibits several signs of having an Intellectual disability, for example, he has problems remembering things. George is constantly giving Lennie directions that he has to repeat several times to help him remember.

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711 Words | 3 Pages

Of Mice and Men is about Lennie and George in which Lennie decided to feel a girls skirt because he liked the type of material. So George went with Lennie to escape and not get in trouble and decided to go to a bunkhouse where they work and are provided with food and a place to live. George and Lennie are best friends and so they went together. Lennie has the mind of a 6 year old and needs to be with George. When quit their jobs, George planned out a dreamland of how they will live when they get enough money to move to their own house.

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1094 Words | 5 Pages

Oh, who you are is not where you've been. You're still an innocent, you're still an innocent.” Justification: Lennie is a dumbness makes him seem like a little kid, a kid with innocence. However, he is like a kid trapped in a very strong and tall body of a man. Therefore, he can do a lot of harm without wanting to.

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850 Words | 4 Pages

In 1937 in the midst of The Great Depression, John Steinback published ‘Of Mice and Men’. This story introduced two characters by the name of George and Lennie. The two friends travel across California looking for work. In the book, the author portrays Lennie a huge, strong, and slow learning man. With the authors indirect characterization about Lennie, some critics infer that Lennie is forgetful and never intends to hurt anyone.

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1144 Words | 5 Pages

Demitri hines Period 3 1/30/2018 In John Steinbeck 's classic novela of Mice and Men, we see the character Lennie smalls descending into the stereotype of being handicapped. During the time of the great depression the handicapped never reach there American dream. Steinbeck crafts Lennie a sincerely mentally handicapped man, as an archetype the mentally handicapped in our society in order to imply that the type of people are excluded from the american dream. Lennie doesn 't get to accomplish his american dream due to him being mentally handicapped, but also gets in trouble even though he doesnt mean to.

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857 Words | 4 Pages

Of Mice and Men: Lennie’s Mental Illness The novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, is a story about two men and their companionship. The story takes place in California during the Great Depression. The two men have a dream to one day own a farm of their own. This dream never comes true and they are forced to work for someone else on a ranch for the rest of their lives.

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1067 Words | 5 Pages

John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is a short novel that packs a punch and really looks back at America’s past and mistakes. Steinbeck paints a picture of the late 1920s and early 1930s through two men, George and Lennie. George looks after the mentally challenged Lennie and must take action by soon ending Lennie’s life. The characters in the novel all struggle with heartbreaking conflicts but, no one else suffers more than Lennie and George. These conflicts are often supported imagery in the text.

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513 Words | 3 Pages

In the novel “Of Mice and Men” John Steinbeck portrays the theme of social injustice throughout the story in the lives of several characters that include Lennie, Curley’s Wife, and the stable buck, Crooks. All of these characters are mistreated in some way, shape or form. The hardships that these characters faced help guide us to see the social injustice that is prevalent in the story. Lennie is a victim of social injustice due to the fact that he is mentally disabled. He is not treated fairly when he was accused of rape.

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1469 Words | 6 Pages

Lennie cannot change his mental disability nor can Crooks change his race, but due to these inalterable characteristics, Lennie hurts others unintentionally, and Crooks is hurt by others. “Naturalism does not deal primarily with individuals in themselves, but rather with social groups, settings, or movements…”( ), which relates to the story, because Lennie’s actions not only affect him and his future, but the other characters in the book. In Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, the concept of naturalism is portrayed through the experiences of Lennie, Curley’s wife, and Crooks. Lennie’s mental disability and physical strength often lead to trouble, because he can never fully comprehend his actions. When Lennie is the barn, he ends up

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