Lennie and George were the two best of friends. Although Lennie, is a main character, he is not very dynamic. “Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with tide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely.” (Steinbeck 2). So Lennie was a huge man, that was the complete opposite of his best friend.
Lennie is powerfully built and his strength gets him into many sticky situations throughout the book. George, however, is a smaller man who is much weaker than Lennie. In the book, Steinbeck pictures George for the reader as "small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp strong features" (Pg.2). He is Lennie's complete opposite in
He is described as ‘uncoordinated and clumsy’ and he was often teased and beaten because of this. The author describes him of having a look of ‘a cowering dog’ and I think this is a very good description of his character - he is always being beaten down by other people. He has ‘a stack of wild red hair’ and pale watery blue eyes. Overall, he is not very dashing at first sight, especially as in the previous paragraph, the author has just described how his father is completely the opposite - handsome and charming (when he needed to be). When Meshak (Mish) appears later in the book, he seems little changed; ‘a child in a man’s body’.
Also the fact that he does not respond to the actual context of Daisy’s statement, but rather with his opinion shows his dominance. Fitzgerald evolves the character of Tom into a hulking being. The physicality of Tom is carefully outlined as, “[… a sturdy straw-haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and supercilious manner” (7). The chosen adjectives all bring attributes of Tom’s physical appearance to life. His steadfast base is unfaltering.
Ralph and Jack have superficial similarities. Both are capable leaders but employ completely different leadership styles. Both are boys of action who like to put decisions into effect immediately. They are two of the oldest and tallest boys on the island. However, here the similarities end.
This is an immediate contrast to Lennie’s character because it shows that George is the opposite of Lennie; his character is well defined and alert. This makes us understand better why Lennie feels the need to stand behind George all the time and rely on someone who is more alert than he is. John Steinbeck gives the impression that Lennie always stumbled and did not know what to do with himself. The quote “dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws” give me the image that Lennie just slugs around and was so large and disconnected that he couldn’t pick up his feet. Steinbeck comparing him to a bear implies that he wanted the audience to get the impression that Lennie was as fumbling as an animal but also that Lennie was very strong, like a bear.
Does George need Lennie more or does Lennie need George more? Have you ever wondered how two people, who are completely different, can have such a good relationship? The perfect example of this can be found in John Steinbeck's classic novel 'Of Mice and Men'. These two characters are George Milton and Lennie Small, two itinerant workers. Lennie Small is a lanky,skinny man.
Yet the reality of it is that this man is a king of great power whom they will soon bow down to. Another example of how characters can be perceived throughout the novel is shown throughout the journey of the main protagonist, he was also perceived by his appearance as a small, witless, futile and incapable to carry the great burden before him. Yet as the novel heads towards its crucial climax, he completes the task that many people perceive as impossible for him and rose to be the only one capable of such a task. Another Internal representation of perception is a main character who is perceived as a vile and psycho creature. It is later on shown that the story of this creature is a sad one and he is not at all what he is perceived to be.
-Okonkwo (Chapter 4)” Furthermore, in the Ibo society, a man is respected if he is fearless and courageous. Okonkwo would be the quintessential representation of such an individual. He is seen as a man incapable of affection or compassion because he rules his household with fear and a heavy hand. One can infer these qualities of Okonkwo by the following quote in the novel “Things Fall Apart. “Okonkwo was also feeling tired, and sleepy, for although nobody else knew it, he had not
The different aspects of power that are prevalent in the novel are hierarchy, physical power, power of seduction, and the power of the American Dream. Steinbeck presents physical power in the novel in the form of Lennie. This is shown as Lennie is an immensely and abnormally, physically strong individual which is portrayed when Steinbeck describes him as he says “dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws”. This shows that Lennie has abnormal physical strength as his physical power makes him walk abnormally. Additionally the phrase “like a bear” and “paws” suggest that Lennie’s physical power is significantly immense that Steinbeck compares him to a bear which is known to have colossus amounts of physical strength; this also reinforces the fact that Lennie’s strength is abnormal and also suggests his strength is unhuman like.