Responsibility Does Not Rest On the Mentally Handicapped
Robert Pekarek
Mrs. Varga
Honors English 1 B2
2 December 2013
Responsibility Does Not Rest On the Mentally Handicapped
Have you ever been so terrified that you couldn’t think? The novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck follows George and Lennie, two travelling farm hands. George is a clever guy with an almost parental authority over the physically powerful but childlike Lennie. Lennie follows George and only George’s instructions. Lennie’s handicap blinds him to what is actually happening. Because of his mental deficit, and because he is unable to understand the world around him, Lennie should not be held responsible for his actions.
To start, when Lennie first gets scared, his mind becomes muddled. Then, his muscles lock and he freezes. “And that gets Lennie all mixed up and he holds on cause that’s the only thing he can think to do” (Steinbeck pg 41). This is all Lennie can do. No one ought to be expecting more from him. In fact, even a human with an average IQ may go into shock during extreme situations. Who can blame a mentally handicapped individual for doing the same? Unfortunately, even fate is against Lennie. He is confronted with three frightening situations within a week’s time. Each time one of these situations occurs, and Lennie does an action that is “bad”, he becomes still more scared of the world outside his head. “But Lennie watched in terror the little man that he held” (63). This reinforces that fact that Lennie is acting out of fear.
Secondly, Lennie never wanted to injure anyone. “I don’t want to hurt you” (91). Lennie clearly states that it is not his intention to harm Curley’s wife. In fact, he didn’t want to hurt the mouse or the puppy either. These things only happened since Lennie did not understand his strength or how his actions marred others. “Why do you got to get killed?” (85) Lennie shows remorse over the puppy’s death. He did not do this because he is a cruel-hearted sinner. He did this because he did not realize the
Mrs. Varga
Honors English 1 B2
2 December 2013
Responsibility Does Not Rest On the Mentally Handicapped
Have you ever been so terrified that you couldn’t think? The novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck follows George and Lennie, two travelling farm hands. George is a clever guy with an almost parental authority over the physically powerful but childlike Lennie. Lennie follows George and only George’s instructions. Lennie’s handicap blinds him to what is actually happening. Because of his mental deficit, and because he is unable to understand the world around him, Lennie should not be held responsible for his actions.
To start, when Lennie first gets scared, his mind becomes muddled. Then, his muscles lock and he freezes. “And that gets Lennie all mixed up and he holds on cause that’s the only thing he can think to do” (Steinbeck pg 41). This is all Lennie can do. No one ought to be expecting more from him. In fact, even a human with an average IQ may go into shock during extreme situations. Who can blame a mentally handicapped individual for doing the same? Unfortunately, even fate is against Lennie. He is confronted with three frightening situations within a week’s time. Each time one of these situations occurs, and Lennie does an action that is “bad”, he becomes still more scared of the world outside his head. “But Lennie watched in terror the little man that he held” (63). This reinforces that fact that Lennie is acting out of fear.
Secondly, Lennie never wanted to injure anyone. “I don’t want to hurt you” (91). Lennie clearly states that it is not his intention to harm Curley’s wife. In fact, he didn’t want to hurt the mouse or the puppy either. These things only happened since Lennie did not understand his strength or how his actions marred others. “Why do you got to get killed?” (85) Lennie shows remorse over the puppy’s death. He did not do this because he is a cruel-hearted sinner. He did this because he did not realize the