Characterization In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Steinbeck uses both direct and indirect methods of characterization to developed the characters in Of Mice and Men. Each character is introduced and described differently through out the entire book. Not one character is like the other, and that's what's so unique about Steinbeck's work. Below four paragraphs characterize four different characters, and their role in the novella. The first character that will be characterized is George. George is a migrant worker who takes care of his mentally challenged best friend, Lennie. George is a small man who wants to own land someday and live of the fatta' the land. "'O.K. Someday—we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs...'"
Curley is the son of the owner of the ranch, and he lives on the ranch with his wife. Curley used to be a boxer and was very handy. "'This guy Curley sounds like a son-of-a- bitch to me. I don’t like mean little guys'" (Steinbeck 14). Curley is mean, small and likes to fight with big people, for example Lennie. He and Lennie got into a fight and Lennie crushed his hand. Ever since then, Lennie has been Curley's number one enemy on the ranch. "'I’m goin’,” he said. “I’m gonna shoot the guts outa that big bastard myself, even if I only got one hand. I’m gonna get ‘im'" (Steinbeck 48). He and his wife were newly weds and he is very protective over her. He gets upset when any man looks at her or even has conversation with her. Overall, each character has their own problems and obstacles that they overcome. All of the characters are different and each have a back story, that goes along with their personality. Steinbeck envelopes each character more and more each chapter, and this makes the reader curious about the characters. The story behind each character gives the reader a perspective about that specific character. How ever Steinbeck feels about a character, he expresses it through his writing to make you feel that same