Of Mice And Men Conflict Analysis

In the novella Of Mice and Men, Lennie and George, the main characters encounter many conflicts which relate to the central theme. The personalities of these two characters conflict in many ways, as they both have different views of the world. Together, the two live simple lives, traveling from farm to farm, but have a complicated relationship. George, a hardworking realist who sees the actuality of their situation, constantly keeps an eye on Lennie, who has a childlike innocence that causes him to perpetually get in trouble. In the novella, George’s main conflict relates to the responsibility he has to watch over Lennie. This responsibility often puts the duo in a position of trouble, which makes getting by on the farm difficult. Throughout the novella, George’s wavering internal feud is mentioned often, as he can’t move on because of Lennie, but cannot leave him behind. The main conflict of the novel is whether to compromise personal innocence for the sake of

Steinbeck alludes to the heron in the passage when he states, “The heron stood in the shallows, motionless, and waiting” (Steinbeck 99). The mentioned heron represents a powerful force which hovers over mankind, advising individuals to do what is morally correct. This force resides upon human nature in order to encourage right-doing, but instead of impeding upon actions, the force instead stands “motionless,” and contributes to internal decision making. Additionally, the symbol of the heron relates to the main theme of the novel because it is able to illustrate the internal struggle of guiltlessness. Because the heron symbolizes a force that does not interfere, but simply suggests a thought or an idea, the symbol includes a sense of genuine innocence. Overall, the heron mentioned in the pastoral scene symbolizes a powerful force beyond human instinct and is able to further the concept of innocence in the