Powerlessness is a parasite unkind to human beings. In the beginning, it may poke and prod at the mind, distracting but not disrupting one’s thought process. It lurks among the shadows making small appearances in the light until it suddenly latches on to one’s brain, detonating excruciating shockwaves through the body. By making use of the chaotic moments after the initial attack, it infiltrates and searches the brain’s internal systems until it finds the one thing that shapes us as individuals, the conscience. It dethrones one’s sense of judgment and usurps the throne, thereby beginning the new reign of a tyrant and leaving the host with no defense against his worst enemy, himself. In the story Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, powerlessness forces desperate actions to be made.
Lennie’s helplessness in the novel renders him, at various times, paralyzed and unable to make crucial decisions. For example, when Slim helps Curley get up after the fight where Lennie punches Curley, the omniscient narrator observes that Lennie is “still crouched fearfully against the wall” (65). Lennie’s crouched position indicates how the shame of giving in to Curley’s pugnacious nature has depleted his self-respect. Being
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The parasite which resides in many of us still lies in wait for the perfect opportunity to strike; and when it does strike, those of us affected will experience a spiral of emotions, analogous to that experienced by Lennie, Candy, and George in the Steinbeck novel. What is interesting about powerlessness is it is not something you can avoid, as we almost never have complete control over the situation we are placed in. Nevertheless, such as a parasite, it is something we must learn to cope with, and eventually conquer. For if we let powerlessness begin its reign in tyranny, we have lost control of the choices that define