Selflessness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

As kids, we were taught that selflessness seems to be the recurring characteristic in “heroes,” while selfishness is associated with the “villains.”. Such archetypes make it seem like people have to give everything to others to succeed. John Steinbeck’s, Of Mice and Men, shows how putting others who harm personal success before themselves or their passions, can inevitably lead to their downfall. Steinbeck shows George’s tragic and heroic downfall through his tone as it changes toward Lennie, and George’s character development throughout the novella. Although, selflessness and loyalty are important heroic qualities that we owe to society as just individuals. We must also decide when this leader of others harms our success and theirs. With extreme

Throughout Of Mice and Men, George becomes more independent and distances himself. We see this when he plays horseshoes and leaves Lennie alone, or when he starts trusting more people. As George became more comfortable in his surroundings, he gave Lennie too much independence causing him to kill Curley’s wife. As the novella plays out we see how George's selflessness became less apparent throughout the novella. When he killed Lennie, he was selfish because he finally wanted to make things easier for them both, which in reality was the selfless thing to do. So in the end he was shown as this hero who saved Lennie by killing him and also selfish by putting his own needs and wants before his own. George could never live the life he wanted with Lennie constantly dragging him down. Therefore, being selfish in certain situations is vital in order to

Steinbeck discusses how these migrant workers have “one overwhelming need” to have their own life “and stop wandering” (“Harvest”). Which is also a prevalent dream In his novella “Of Mice and Men”, wherein he expands upon this dream that the characters Lennie and George will have a place of their own. This dream is made apparent from the beginning, and both George and Lennie have a passion for this dream, but Lennie is constantly disrupting any chance of getting there. George takes a leadership role over Lennie and uses this passion for this life they could have to keep Lennie sane, Paull Fox implies that passion is what influences the want and motivation of leaders in his article “The Motive Power in Leadership”. Fox believes that passion is the “motor force” behind leadership (“The Motive”). So, we must decide when being this leader of others begins to harm our success and dreams. Humans have the desire to follow their dreams or passions. Along the way, some take extra responsibilities and certain circumstances make life hard. George giving up his dream to take care of Lennie is a perfect example of why society can’t always be