“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step” (Lao Tzu). Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is about two migrant workers, Lennie Small and George Milton. These pair travel together to find various jobs, which is uncommon since most migrant workers are solo. Throughout the book, they meet a few new characters who impacted their decisions. Of Mice and Men has a constant theme that goes through it: Dreams. Several main characters have dreams and they are Lennie, Candy, and Curley’s wife.
The first character I will be talking about is Lennie. His dream was not achieved because of his mental illness. An example from the book is when it says, “Lennie was in a panic. His face was contorted. She screamed then, and Lennie 's other hand closed over her mouth and nose. ‘Please don 't,’ he begged. ‘Oh! Please don 't do that. George 'll be mad.’ She struggled violently under his hands. Her feet battered on the hay and she writhed to be free, and from under Lennie 's hand came a muffled screaming. Lennie began to cry with fright. ‘Oh! Please don 't do none of that,’ he begged” (91).
I chose this quote because it gives us a sense of Lennie’s mental disorder. In that scene, Curley’s wife attempts to flirt with him or tries to get his attention by letting him stroke her hair. Her flirtatious manner was a mistake resulting in her neck getting snapped. We know that the dream is coming to an end when George shoots Lennie and it says, “And George raised the gun and steadied it,