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Something That Happened In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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Most teenagers spend some time during their high school English years reading a popular novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. What those same kids don’t know, is that Steinbeck didn’t originally name his novel the title it bears today. Critics claimed that “Something that Happened” was too simple. After much thought, the book title was changed to part of a line in the Robert Burns poem To a Mouse. What didn’t change, was the overall feel that this novel gives to those of all ages. The characters and the relationships between them in Of Mice and Men provides readers with a greater sense of what real friendship looks like.

Steinbeck was born in California in 1902. Through his own experience of growing up and working as a farm hand, he was …show more content…

Because Lennie has a mental disability, he comes off as very vulnerable and helpless. However, Lennie has unbelievable physical strength that is beyond his understanding. Throughout the story, the reader learns that Lennie views the world as a child would. His attraction to soft, fuzzy things gets him in trouble more times than not. First, he touches a woman’s dress in the town of Weed and causes a scene. The woman believed that Lennie was trying to touch her sexually. Simply wanting to feel the material of her dress never came to mind. This was the first sign that Lennie didn’t mentally understand that his actions have consequences. Once the two men are settled into the farm, Lennie is gifted a puppy from Slim – whose dog just had a litter. Again, because Lennie didn’t understand that he had to be gentle with the pup, an incident occurred and the puppy didn’t live. Curley’s wife discovers Lennie in the barn with the puppy and offers for him to pet her hair as it was soft. As most probably guessed, Lennie was unable to control himself when Curley’s wife no longer wanted her hair to be touched. Lennie snapped her neck in an attempt to get her to stop talking and ended up killing her as well. Lennie provides the story with a feeling of hope in the beginning. Everyone is rooting for him and wants him to live out the dream of owning and living on a farm with George. However, as the story unfolds Lennie shifts from a character to root for to a character to be nervous

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Lennie’s immaturity

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Curley’s wife convinces Lennie to stay and talk to her because the guys are playing a horseshoe tournament outside and none of them would leave until it was over. Lennie is still uneasy and tells her to go but she changes the subject to his dog and Lennie talks to her even though he is not supposed to. She keeps him talking even though he isn’t supposed to. She tells Lennie about her dream to become a famous actress. She uses her power to keep Lennie talking and when he tries to talk “she went on with her story quickly before she should be interrupted(pg. 88)

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Some hints Steinbeck portrays during the book are when he emphasizes Lennie’s love for petting soft objects and when everything he pet died. For example, when Lennie received a pup from Slim an incident occurred at the barn,”Lennie sat in the hay and looked at a little dead puppy” (Steinbeck 85). In the piece of evidence Lennie has a pet pup that was given to him by Slim. Lennie always loves playing with the dog and stroking its fur but Lennie was to rough with him and accidently kills it.

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Lennie is Autistic which makes it difficult for him to understand social communication and interaction. He also has poor self-awareness making him not know his own strength, because of that at the start he kills a mouse by petting it too hard, when the puppy bit him he smacked the dog too hard, and Curley's wife, Lennie went to touch hair because it was soft, but it frightened her causing Lennie to become scared when she started screaming. Even though Lennie didn’t know what he was doing and didn’t mean to do it, it would probably happen again putting Lennie and others in danger.

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Although Lennie has been instructed by George not to talk to her, he strikes up a conversation with Curley’s wife while the other men are playing horseshoes. As the conversation progresses, Curley’s wife offers for Lennie to feel how soft her hair is. At first Lennie is hesitant but in the end he can not resist. He enjoys feeling her soft hair, just as he did the mice and his puppy. When he does not let go when she asks, she begins to yell for help.

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Of Mice and Men is a short novella by, John Steinbeck, detailing on the fear society carries for the unknown. Steinbeck 's novella touched on a subject most do not explore but led us on a journey of self reflec. Starting from the beginning John was born on on February 27, 1902, in Salinas, California, and died 1968 writing his best-selling novel in 1937. It was in highschool that Steinbeck found his passion for writing then went to college at Stanford until 1925 but never did he graduate. After leaving Stanford and hitting rough spots on the way it was with Of Mice and Men Steinbeck was becoming well known in his time with his book becoming a popular and critical success, was selected by the Book-of-the-Month Club.

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John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men is a timeless classic. Within the novel emerges many themes and life lessons: loneliness, friendship, survival, and more. However, though these seem to be the most central ideas of the novel, none of them could have been concluded without one major element. That element is setting. John Steinbeck himself was born in Salinas, California and grew up in that fertile valley.

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In Chapter 1 George brings up the incident that has happened in Weed to the absent minded Lennie giving information to the reader stating “Jus’ wanted to feel that girl’s dress - jus’ wanted to pet it like a mouse…”. This gives basic information the Lennie may have a strong compulsion to soft materials, but in looking further into what George says is give a key point to an event that will happen in the future. George explains that Lennie has a possible problem with things being wild or making loud noise like when the girl screams Lennie clings to her like she is a mouse trying to squander her from moving and further and making more of a commotion. This is a relevant key that leads to the death of Lennie’s puppy. Whilst Lennie plays with the puppy it creates a quick and sudden motion as if the puppy was about to bite Lennie.

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He ain’t gonna let me tend the rabbits.’” Lennie was scared and did not know what was happening. Lennie’s mind, resembling that of a child, had assumed the worst. All he knew was that he was going to get in trouble and the worst possible thing that could happen to him in his mind is that he could lose the privilege of tending to the rabbits. And like many times before with Lennie killing multiple mice and a puppy, it was accidental.

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Irony is a different device that involves a discrepancy between expectation and reality. Irony can be used in many ways, verbal, situational, dramatic, and cosmic. Both “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson are well known for their great use of irony, but they each rely on different types of irony to get the theme and morale of the story across to the reader. The “The Yellow Wallpaper” mostly uses dramatic irony.

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Lennie Small is a character in Of Mice and Men that shows the true possible weaknesses that come with having a mental disability. Just because Lennie is strong, doesn’t always mean he can do good. While petting a puppy that was being mean to him, he got mad at it and hit it, accidentally killing it. After the puppy was killed, Lennie was in fear that when George returned to a dead puppy and Lennie wouldn’t get the rabbits he wanted. Even though he has an addiction, he may not always know when it is inappropriate to touch something soft.

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The next horrible act Lennie commits is caused by his fantasies of rabbits which lead to a fight between him and Curley that ends with Curley’s hand being completely crushed by Lennie’s out of control strength. Lennie cries “I didn’t wanta hurt him” (Steinbeck 64) and George says “Lennie was jus’ scairt... he didn’t know what to do” (Steinbeck 65). This proves that Lennie does not mean to harm people but due to his challenged mind and physical power it is

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Lennie is a great character to learn about and realize that you can be friends with people that are different than

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Of Mice and Men is John Steinbeck’s most successful early novel containing elements of social criticism shaped by this real life experience. Steinbeck drew his inspiration for the work from his experience living and working as a “bindlestiff” during the 1920’s. Instead of graduating from Stanford University, Steinbeck chose to support himself through manual labour whilst writing. His experience amongst the working classes in California lent authenticity to his depiction of the lives of the workers - who are the central characters of this novel; and the social issues that ensue. To further emphasize the loneliness of the itinerant worker Steinbeck then decides to set the novel near Soledad, California, a town name that means “Solitude” in Spanish.

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This relates back to naturalism, because Lennie gets himself into a situation that he cannot control. He does not understand that he has to be very careful with the puppy because it is so small, and he does not know his own strength. “What is clear is that Lennie’s body wins out over his mind repeatedly,- in the end with tragic consequences”(Keener 1215). Lennie is very kind- hearted, and never wants to hurt anyone. This quote explains that Lennie’s strength wins over his intentions.

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