Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck: Lennie Small
Jacobzen Chang
Mrs.Madrid
English T/T
10/7/12
Lennie Small
In the story Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Lennie Small struggles to perform the simplest of tasks, in the hardest of times. Lennie himself does not change much in the story, but he does change others. His unwavering innocent nature brings out the best in even the most callous of characters. Ironically, this goodness can lead to tragedy.
Lennie unwittingly persuades others to believe in his dream. He convinces Crooks, Candy, and even the reader! When you are a migrant worker, you lose sight of your aspirations and abandon all hope. It is mentioned quite often that many others had the same dream as Lennie, but failed. Take Crooks, for example. He had a bright future when he was a child, and his family even appeared to own their own ranch! Now, he only lives to prolong his dismal future. Candy knows that he is going to lose his job. These two characters know they have nothing left for them. Then comes along Lennie Small, the man who’s the least likely to succeed. He has the same longings that Candy and Crooks once had. However, unlike these two, Lennie hasn’t given up yet. He shows them what could be. With this newfound hope, Candy and Crooks both exhibit signs of joy. Regardless of the fact that this was short-lived, it still goes to show that with alittle bit of hope, anyone can be happy.
It is strange to think that the likes of Curley and his wife can show positive qualities. Once again, Lennie reveals the best in them. When Curley’s hand is crushed, he shows humility. All the rage he had released on Lenny came back to hurt him. He realizes that he was no match for Lennie, and complies with their request not to tell anyone. Sure, Curley did this partially out. of pride, but also out of some newfound humility. Curley’s wife opens up to Lennie as well, showing that she is not the ‘tart’ that the others think her to be. Maybe she realizes that she doesn’t always have to be cruel to attract
Mrs.Madrid
English T/T
10/7/12
Lennie Small
In the story Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Lennie Small struggles to perform the simplest of tasks, in the hardest of times. Lennie himself does not change much in the story, but he does change others. His unwavering innocent nature brings out the best in even the most callous of characters. Ironically, this goodness can lead to tragedy.
Lennie unwittingly persuades others to believe in his dream. He convinces Crooks, Candy, and even the reader! When you are a migrant worker, you lose sight of your aspirations and abandon all hope. It is mentioned quite often that many others had the same dream as Lennie, but failed. Take Crooks, for example. He had a bright future when he was a child, and his family even appeared to own their own ranch! Now, he only lives to prolong his dismal future. Candy knows that he is going to lose his job. These two characters know they have nothing left for them. Then comes along Lennie Small, the man who’s the least likely to succeed. He has the same longings that Candy and Crooks once had. However, unlike these two, Lennie hasn’t given up yet. He shows them what could be. With this newfound hope, Candy and Crooks both exhibit signs of joy. Regardless of the fact that this was short-lived, it still goes to show that with alittle bit of hope, anyone can be happy.
It is strange to think that the likes of Curley and his wife can show positive qualities. Once again, Lennie reveals the best in them. When Curley’s hand is crushed, he shows humility. All the rage he had released on Lenny came back to hurt him. He realizes that he was no match for Lennie, and complies with their request not to tell anyone. Sure, Curley did this partially out. of pride, but also out of some newfound humility. Curley’s wife opens up to Lennie as well, showing that she is not the ‘tart’ that the others think her to be. Maybe she realizes that she doesn’t always have to be cruel to attract