Lennie's Character Development

The book Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck had a particularly interesting set of characters, most interesting because one main character’s personality, George, developed throughout the story. It is clear that the character who didn’t develop through the story, Lennie, had some sort of mental disability, though it isn’t stated, possibly because it didn’t take place in modern times and diagnosing might have been more difficult. As the story progressed, more characters were introduced, one of the first being Aunt Clara. Other characters included ‘the boss’, Curley, Slim, Carlson, Candy, Curley’s Wife, and Crooks. The most likable character was George because the reader was most able to understand his role in the story and felt empathetic for him as he seemed the most relatable character until the end. His

Although in the end of the story, he made a life-changing decision that would affect him forever, the position he was in was understandable. That action was unrealistic in comparison to modern times, where he would’ve reacted completely differently in the situation. Another character who was probably considered as the popular one in the story was Slim, who was described as a tall man who moved in a majestic manner only achieved by royalty and master craftsmen, a jerkin skinner, the prince of the ranch, capable of killing a fly on the wheeler’s butt with a bull whip without touching the mule, etc. Besides the fact that he was strong and good looking, he also had an authority that everyone respected him for. He was the glue that held everyone together in tough times and the strong one, physically and emotionally, of all the characters. Lennie, the big, strong, soft guy who had some sort of mental illness was also a bit lovable in the story because his simple morality was like that of a child. Until he accidentally killed the puppy, he was portrayed as a big man with a child’s mind and soul. George’s values in the story were quite