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.
Wart is a very good person, but his actions always seem to go overlooked by everyone. One prime example of this is when Kay brought the griffin head and Wart brought Wat as a reward for saving the trapped prisoners. Wat was a mad man but Wart believed that Merlyn could have cured him. Wart obviously has the right intentions and put the well being of others his top priority. When the boys come back home, everyone seems disgusted to see Wat back but everyone seems proud of Kay especially Sir Ector.
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.
The two main characters in john steinbecks novel of mice and men have two characteristics in common. The first characteristic is that they both have a big dream right now in the the book Lennie asked George to tell him why they're different from other ranchers so George said to Lennie, “Well, we're gonna get the jack together and we're gonna have a little house and couple of acres an' a cow and some pigs and...An live off the fatta the lan'...And have rabbits” (Pg,14-15).They are very loyal to each other, as well. George tells another,If I was alone I could live so easy. I could get a job an' work, an' no trouble...and when the end of the come I could take my 50 bucks and go into town and get whatever I want. But without Lennie, George would be alone and unhappy, he realizes: "Course Lennie's a nuisance most of the time, but you get used to going around with a guy and you can't get rid of him" (Pg.41).Lennie and George love one another; they know that their lives have meaning because they are friends.
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.
Dreams is also linked in with the bunkhouse because this is where George and Lennie discuss their dream ‘of living on the fat of the land’ ‘ Lennie tending the rabbits’ but candy over hears their conversation and wants to be part of their dream. This adds to the tragedy of the story when Lennie dies, because of this now all three of them have shattered dreams. This could show how the people during the American dreams back in the 1930’s do have hopes and dreams but most of their dreams do not come
Burn wants to tell that it really does not matter if you are a mouse or a men. Most things they do, do not work. Also this title of his book is a foreshadowing of the content of the book. Steinbeck compares the title to one caracter in this novella. This carecter is Lennie, who is like a four year old baby who always wants to get love by somebody and needs to touch soft things like the hide of a rabit, dog, mice or also the hair of a woman.
Of Mice and Men Journal Chapter One Today I met George and Lennie. George is, “small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features.”(2). Lennie was Georges opposite he was , “A huge man , shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws.”(2). they are looking for work. I think that they are both friends.
The book does a nice job of showing Lennie’s disability and his need for companionship. “I wisht George was here, I wisht George was here” (p.81). Lennie was always relying on George for the things he needed, he didn’t understand how to do things due to his mental disability. The 1939 movie conveyed Lennie as disabled but didn’t make it as drastic. Lennie’s disability was evident but not drastic, “You got enough beans there to feed four men” “Ahh, well I like em with ketchup”.
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.