Innocence In Of Mice And Men By John Steinbeck

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

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