Lennie In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

How thin is the line between stupidity and mental retardation? In the story Of Mice and Men, Lennie proves that there is a very thin line between the two. Lennie is physically strong but he is stupid. Therefore Lennie relies on his strength and George whom he obeys, like he is a stooge. Lennie doesn't think about what he does. Lennie is simply unintelligent. Therefore his only tasks are to accommodate his strong build which are given by his friend George who commands constantly him to do things. Lennie's stupidity forces him to rely on his strength, as well as be obedient to his more intelligent friend George because Lennie is too stupid to make his own decisions.

First, Lennie is a very stupid man, so stupid that he could be mistaken for the mentally retarded. He walks aimlessly with George for miles and miles before knowing where he is going. "Where we goin', George?"(Pg 4) asks Lennie after they have walked for nearly a day. Also lennie feels the need to pet a dead mouse while they are walking, which can only be described as childish and primitive. "Uh-uh jus' a dead mouse, George I didn't kill it. Honest! I found it. I found it dead."(Pg. 5) pleads Lennie.
He is not smart and doesn't have the intelligence to make his own decisions. Lennie does all of the physical work when he is walking with George. He must find wood for the fire and he must carry the wood back across the river. "You gonna get that wood?"(Pg. 10) George demands. Lennie has to do this simply because he is a large strong man. Lennie's only purpose is to serve people with his