Lennie and Sam live very different lives. However, they both face similar problems because of their illnesses. Having an illness can greatly affect a persons life and mental illness is no different. Like most illnesses, symptoms differ with each person and having support from family can greatly improve someone’s health. However, exterior influences can also have an impact because of the stigma surrounding mental illness.
Sam from I am Sam may has a mental illness, however he doesn’t let it control his life. Sam can live on his own with minimal help from others. He also supports himself and his daughter with his job at Starbucks. After careful consideration, Sam gets promoted at work and is now able to make coffee. For example, “We’ll come up with something that’s good for you…you have my word” (I am Sam) Sam is a very capable person, unlike Lennie from of Mice and Men.
Lennie needs quite a bit more help in his daily life than Sam does. This is an excellent example that shows peoples independence differs within a mental illness. Lennie relies on George for almost everything, food, money, clothes,
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People often don’t know how to act around these people because they don’t understand that sometimes they can say or do things that can make others uncomfortable. This should not be a judge of character. For example, George told people that Lennie was kicked in the head by a horse because he was worried that they wouldn’t hire them if they knew he had a mental illness. “he got kicked in the head by a horse when he was a kid. He’s awright. Just ain’t bright” (OMAM) George wasn’t really trying to understand and help Lennie. Where as in I am Sam his lawyer was really trying to help him and to be better understanding to people with mental illnesses even though it made her uncomfortable. “I just don’t know what to call you: Retard, mentally retarded, mentally handicapped, mentally disable,