Puppet vs. Human “If I was meant to be controlled, I would have come with a remote”. There is a difference between helping someone and controlling someone, and if someone was meant to be controlled, it would be clear. In John Steinbeck's novella, Of Mice and Men, George (one of the main characters), struggles to maintain a friendly relationship with his companion, leading to domination. George treats Lennie like a dog and tells him what to do and gives consequences if Lennie does not obey. George reveals to us that if people try to control others and don’t let them try living independently, by their own will, when not in their presence, unpleasant things can happen and they won’t be figuring anything out on their own. People cannot be …show more content…
As George yells at Lennie to hand it over to him, the narrator describes it as “like a terrier who doesn’t want to bring a ball to its master”(Steinbeck 9). George thinks he owns Lennie and that just by raising his voice he can overwhelm Lennie and get what he wants from him. Though Lennie physically dominates, he can’t cope with George being so mentally dominating. George uses him to do things that he thinks he is too superior to do. As Lennie proceeds to get wood for a fire, George hears splashing and knows it is Lennie and says “Poor bastard”(Steinbeck 8). Moreover, George feels that Lennie is not worthy of his help and even though something may have happened to him, George feels that it is not necessary to get up and check on him like any friend would do. Constantly being the puppeteer of one and pulling their strings could harm them once you are gone. Since George is always by Lennie’s side, the one time he leaves with his friends, Lennie can’t handle the situation he is in. ‘“I don’t want ta hurt you,” he said, “‘but George’ll be mad if you yell”’(Steinbeck 91). Lennie doesn’t have George by his side to tell him what he did was wrong, so he continues to hurt Curley’s wife without knowing what he’s doing is