How Steinbeck Develops Lennie in of Mice and Men

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In Steinbeck’s novel: ‘Of Mice and Men’, Lennie Small is one of the foremost characters. He is important throughout, as he allows Steinbeck to develop key themes through the novel. As readers we first come across Lennie whilst he is walking into the clearing along with George. Straight from the off, he is described as being physically massive; his size is emphasized by Steinbeck’s use of adjectives. Animal imagery is used to describe Lennie’s size, he is often compared to a bear to further emphasize his size and strength; his hands are regularly referred to as ‘paws’. Lennie is like an animal, not only appearance-wise, but also, he behaves instinctively instead of rationally. Being lead by your instincts can be dangerous, as Lennie had previously found out, he was thirsty, so he drank; unfortunately for him, what he drank was some stagnant water from a puddle, and got ill. The adjectives and short sentences Steinbeck uses, emphasizes Lennie’s limited knowledge; as Lennie uses sentences such as “Look what I done!”, and he uses an exclamation mark to show how happy Lennie gets over small, simple things. We are also reminded of Lennie’s child-like nature by his devotion to rabbits; the rabbits are an important part of the novel, as the rabbits are the way George keeps Lennie from getting into trouble. George often reminds Lennie that he ‘aint gonna get in no trouble, because if you do, I won’t let you tend the rabbits”. Lennie’s devotion to George is equally as strong; he does everything George tells him to do, simply because George is his friend. Lennie and George’s relationship is awfully significant in the novel because it allows Steinbeck to how that people need companionship, everybody, even grown men need someone to keep them company, or they will get too lonely; as Lennie says: “I got you, George! An’ you got me!” As a socialist,
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