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What Does Lennie Petting Symbolize

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I wonder if the dead mouse Lennie was petting symbolizes and foreshadows something. I think that the dead mouse Lennie was petting symbolizes how Lennie he is unaware of his own strength, and that will cause him to destroy innocent things in the future. Because of this, I think that Lennie will get one of Candy’s puppies but will kill it accidently. I also think that Lennie killing the mouse on accident really literalizes the phrase: “Love you to death” because he loves the mouse and wants to pet it, which causes him to kill it.

I wonder if there is symbolism behind the meaning of the names “Lennie”, and “George”. If so, why? I think that there may be symbolism with the meaning of the names. This is because the name “Lennie” means “strong as a lion”. I think that this means that Lennie will not be able to control his strength throughout the book because his strength will be, “as strong as a lion”. There is symbolism with the name “George”, too. There …show more content…

I think that the author was trying to say that the dog, like candy, is old and people think worthless. I also think that the author was trying to foreshadow something bad happening to George and Lennie. This is because I have noticed that Candy’s relationship with his dog is alike the relationship of George and Lennie. Since someone else shot Candy’s dog, I think that maybe George or Lennie might ask someone to hurt the other person. Or maybe since Candy said that he should have killed his dog, George may hurt Lennie and vice versa.

What was the author trying to say when Lennie crushed Curley’s hand? I think that the author was trying to show that Lennie can crush anything easily, even if he doesn’t mean to. I also think that Lennie crushing Curley’s hand will foreshadow that he will crush something else further in the book too. Maybe an object? Or maybe their dream of the ranch they want to

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309 Words | 2 Pages

In the book of mice and men there are two characters named George and Lennie. George and Lennie were robust friends and had known each other from a young age. They worked and traveled together. Lennie was not completely sane and couldn 't help it. In the book of “mice and men” Lennie murders a lady.

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447 Words | 2 Pages

The problem with this is that Lennie is always getting in trouble because he loves petting soft things, but he would always end up hurting what he was petting or possible killing it. Lennie ends up killing a puppy that one of the ranch workers was going to let him have and he is scared George will be mad at him, when Curley’s wife, who is the wife of the ranch owner’s son, tries to comfort

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689 Words | 3 Pages

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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314 Words | 2 Pages

”I shouldn’t oughtta let no stranger shoot my dog.” It was Candy’s dog like lennie is george's friend. These events show how Steinbeck uses foreshadowing to the event of Lennie’s death in the book Of Mice And

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731 Words | 3 Pages

The point of physical violence has not been touched upon. In the midst of the rising action in the novel, Curley starts to beat Lennie because he was grinning at the thought of the ranch, but Curley thought that he was laughing at him. Lennie made a remark that he does not want to fight him. Consequently, Curley assaults Lennie, and he accepts it. It was only at George’s call for permission that Lennie crushed his hand.

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900 Words | 4 Pages

Killing Lennie “You hadda, George. I swear you hadda” (Steinbeck 107). Slim, one of the main characters in Steinbeck’s, Of Mice and Men, says this to George as they walk away from Lennie’s body. Slim helps George realize that he did the right thing by killing Lennie himself instead of letting someone else do it before he did.

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419 Words | 2 Pages

In John Steinbeck’s dynamic novel Of Mice and Men, the challenged Lennie’s harmless intentions results in heinous acts due to his decline in mentality and inability to control his own immense strength. In the beginning, Lennie’s simple love of soft things causes inconsequential incidents that quickly escalate into more severe offenses as the story progresses. By the end of the novel, Lennie’s uncontrollable strength and mental deficits leads him to commit unintended manslaughter. Stories of Lennie’s childhood show that from the beginning Lennie has enjoyed petting soft things but becomes hindered by his unmanageable physical power and child-like mind.

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749 Words | 3 Pages

In Chapter Three in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, there is a pressing scene in which Candy's dog meets his demise. Carlson first suggests Candy shoot his beloved companion and then turns it into a personal goal of his that the dog does not walk out of the room alive. He thinks the dog doesn’t have any real value, and is better off dead; this belief is a reflection of what happens when usefulness is outlived in this harsh society. The lonely silence that follows the killing shows the emptiness of the room, and the sorrow that follows. This scene is significant because it shows how the dog, who is a cripple and old, is a metaphor for Candy, who will soon outlive his usefulness; the dog is also a symbol of the loneliness the other men feel, and

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450 Words | 2 Pages

George prohibits Lennie from petting mice, making Lennie sad. While Lennie killing mice is a bad thing, Carlson killing Candy’s dog is actually isn’t. Carlson shoots Candy’s beloved dog to stop it from enduring any more suffering. Carlson recognizes the love that Candy feels for his dog, and lets Candy know that the way he would shoot him: “‘...He wouldn’t feel nothing...

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883 Words | 4 Pages

It is evident that Candy and his dog show similar traits; by both of them being old, not able to work how they used to, and not really needed on the ranch. Candy isn’t able to put in the amount of work that he wishes he could, and his dog can’t be the excellent sheepdog he used to be because he is much older now. Candy’s dog represents Candy through all the traits they share. This adds development to Candy’s character because when he chooses that it is best for his dog to go, life on the ranch remains the same after and this causes Candy to worry more about himself because he feels the same thing would happen if he were to

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1002 Words | 5 Pages

The dog bit Lennie and he threw the dog across the room and killed it. “God damn you, now I woke be able to tend the rabbits.” (85) “Maybe George won’t care.” (86) Lennie just killed a new born dog and the only thing he could think about was, what will George think?

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451 Words | 2 Pages

Candy´s dog is killed , simply for the fact that he is aging , and ¨ smells bad¨ . Due to his old age , he is rendered useless. Candy insinuates that the same will happen to him when he becomes incompetent of fulfilling his duties . The quote ¨ I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn´t ought to have let no stranger shoot my dog.¨ ( 89 ) symbolizes the companionship you also find in george and lennie.

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1163 Words | 5 Pages

However, the way in which Steinbeck implements this “colorful language” is key to understanding why he used it at all. Ordinarily, an author would describe a character by their physical human traits rather than accentuating animal-like characteristics, which is how Steinbeck depicts Lennie. As a result of the utilization of Lennie’s animal-like depiction, Steinbeck subliminally dehumanizes Lennie in the reader's mind and justifies the death of animals at the hands of their masters. Ultimately, in Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck dehumanizes Lennie to the reader through the use of animal imagery, in order to allow the reader to justify Lennie’s death at the hands of his best friend, George as a warranted act of

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573 Words | 3 Pages

The book Of Mice and Men is full of puzzling examples of the human condition, from Lennie and his mental disability to Curley only caring about his social appearance. With characters like these two, the book exploits the human condition that concerns circumstances life has given you. John Steinbeck brings to life what being a laborer in the American depression meant to the men and one woman who had enough personality to stand out. Steinbeck shows the human condition of men while they survive in the American depression.

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1023 Words | 5 Pages

Lennie is excited about them because they'll be furry and silky to the touch, but it also is known that Lennie tends get a little too rough with whatever he pets. This also acts as a distinct parallel to the very unattainability of Lennie and George's dream in the sense that it is so impossible to achieve the perfect lifestyle without a complication coming in the way. This is much like how Lennie’s ideal life involves possessing an abundance of rabbits to pet, where in all reality this can never happen, since Lennie is incapable of being gentle with any soft, cuddly animal that he desires. In the end, the reasons that displayed animal symbolism included Candy's dog getting shot, which foreshadowed future events, the origin and meaning of Of Mice and Men, and the theme of rabbits.

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