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Innocence In Of Mice And Men By John Steinbeck

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Is childlike innocence a benefit or a handicap? There are many different interlocking themes presented in the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. In this book, we follow the main characters, George and Lennie, as they get a job working in a vegetable field in California. Lennie’s childishness and lack of understanding lead to rising tension and finally a tragic turn of events when Lennie accidentally kills a woman. The men of the plantation are furious with Lennie and set out to kill him. Before they get to him, George, Lennie’s best friend, shoots him. The tragic thing about this is that it wasn’t really Lennie’s fault - well, it was, but he should not be held accountable. Why? Because he was innocent, maybe not in deed, but in heart and mind. Like a small child, he simply didn’t know any better. It is this theme that makes the book so interesting. In one conversation in the book, Steinbeck reinforces our belief that Lennie is innocent through the conversation of two other characters, Slim and George. “Sure he’s jes’ like a kid. There ain’t no more harm in him than a kid neither, except he’s so strong.” (Steinbeck, 47) In this …show more content…

His face was contorted. She screamed then…”(Steinbeck, 91). The situation escalates as Curley’s wife continues to scream. Lennie becomes more and more panicked: “...and he shook her; and her body flopped like a fish. And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck. . . And then he whispered in fright, ‘I done a bad thing. I done another bad thing.” (Steinbeck, 91). This outburst acts as a climax for the story as a whole, but the individual theme of innocence is right there with it. When Lennie acknowledges in fear that he has done wrong, he shows that he acted in a panic and lost control. My argument is that he didn’t know any better. When the girl started screaming, he became severely afraid of the trouble he would get from George. This caused him to act, and not knowing his own strength, he went too

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424 Words | 2 Pages

However, George could have stood up for Lennie instead of killing him. There is other options other than immediately killing. Lennie was not very smart and George knew that, George was not thinking of Lennie he was thinking of himself. In the passage, Of Mice and Men, George says “He’s dumb as hell, but he ain’t crazy.” This shows that George knows that he is not stupid.

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466 Words | 2 Pages

While petting Curley’s wife's hair he accidently killed her. George shot lennie so it would be less painful. George should not have killed lennie because they had plans for the future, and Lennie did not know any better as to what he was doing. One reason George should not have shot Lennie is George and Lennie had plans for the future.

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622 Words | 3 Pages

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said, “but George’ll be mad if you yell (page 85).” This quote illustrates why George's decision to kill Lennie was an intelligent choice, Lennie's tendency to harm women without provocation demonstrates that he deserved to

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731 Words | 3 Pages

The men in the bunkhouse defended Lennie. The text states: “‘You told me to George’... ‘I didn’t want to’, Lennie cried. ‘I didn’t want to hurt him.’” (Steinbeck 64).

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532 Words | 3 Pages

The main reason George killed Lennie is because Lennie would have killed somebody again. And the evidence is clearly there, the pet mice that he killed, the poor puppy that he accidently hit to hard, and especially Curley’s wife. He almost killed the girl in weed if he had gone any further. The sad thing is is that he doesn't know how strong he really is, nor does he know what he’s done wrong in the first place.

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450 Words | 2 Pages

After all the anger that George has shown towards Lennie, he utters these words now so Lennie can die with a sense of peace. George does not want to pull the trigger, but he knows that the further consequences of Lennie’s actions will only worsen. To save Lennie from Curley’s wrath, possible imprisonment, and perhaps years of suffering, George takes Lennie’s

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711 Words | 3 Pages

Of Mice and Men is about Lennie and George in which Lennie decided to feel a girls skirt because he liked the type of material. So George went with Lennie to escape and not get in trouble and decided to go to a bunkhouse where they work and are provided with food and a place to live. George and Lennie are best friends and so they went together. Lennie has the mind of a 6 year old and needs to be with George. When quit their jobs, George planned out a dreamland of how they will live when they get enough money to move to their own house.

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1047 Words | 5 Pages

George would protect Lennie at all costs even from himself. After Lennie kills a young woman, George decides it is better for Lennie to be dead rather than to be tortured and kept in a cell or a mental asylum. The decision of killing Lennie hit George like a train, but he knew it was something that was in Lennie’s own good. Knowing he could have an easier life without Lennie, George still kept him around because he needed George and George needed Lennie. George tells Slim “Course Lennie’s a God damn nuisance most of the time, but you get used to goin’ around with a guy an’ you can’t get rid of him.”

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1187 Words | 5 Pages

In 1937, John Steinbeck wrote the novella Of Mice and Men. In the novella Steinbeck showed the audience how the Great Depression affected people, but in partially two men and the people around them. The Great Depression challenged many families in economic, social, and mental ways. The Depression affected family of all shapes and sizes, the annual yearly income for a family went from being an average 2,300 to being 1,500 yearly. The novella Of Mice and Men, it is about the journey of two men, George and Lennie, and how their lives are affected by the Great Depression.

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942 Words | 4 Pages

When he gets scared he holds on to whatever he is holding and won’t let go. Does his mental state justify his killings? Should George have killed Lennie before he killed another human? George knew what Lennie was capable of. He had killed all those animals and he was very strong, who wasn’t to say he wouldn’t accidentally hurt someone badly.

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1102 Words | 5 Pages

In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, legality is often deemed less important than morality in terms of decision making. Multiple characters throughout the novel disregard the law in order to carry out their vision of justice. When Curley, the son of the ranch owner, discovers his wife’s body, he is furious. So furious that he plans to track Lennie, a new employee with an intellectual disability, down and murder him to get revenge for his mistake. Regardless of the law, Curley’s morals based on vengeance and masculinity drive him to kill Lennie.

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507 Words | 3 Pages

You ain’t so little as mice. I did not bounce you hard” (Steinbeck). This quote shows that Lennie did not know his own strength. He plays with the puppy, bounces it with his huge hands and at last he killed his puppy by accidentally.

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831 Words | 4 Pages

Webster's dictionary defines a sport as "An athletic activity that requires physical prowers or skill and often a competitive nature.” There are a ton of activities that fit that criteria; football, basketball,gymnastics, dance,and so many more, but what about cheerleading? It is extremely popular all around the world,and it does meet all those requirements. However people have debated over it for years. Cheerleading should be considered a sport.

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737 Words | 3 Pages

Of Mice and Men; A Literary Analysis “I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that 's why,” says George in the book Of Mice and Men. John Steinbeck wrote this book about two boys who took care of each other mentally and physically throughout. They endure many journeys together and are able to suffice over very little. They show the strength in friendships in many dissimilar ways and make diligent decisions that some may never be able to make. Of Mice and Men is not only about two friends and their journey together, but as well as giving one a deeper meaning of the book, such as showing the nature of their dreams, the characters as archetypes, and if the killing of Lennie is justified in the end.

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443 Words | 2 Pages

George killing Lennie is justified. Lennie was either gonna get killed by the other men or George. The other men were only doing it because they hated Lennie, George would have done it for the sake of Lennie’s safety and mental state. George would have felt guilty if he did not handle it himself. One reason George was justified in killing Lennie was that George had realized Lennie would never get better and their dream would never come true.

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