How does Steinbeck's treatment of Lennie's murder affect the way the reader interprets the event? What does George's action suggest about justice—within the play and in the world as a whole? The natural world is often described as beautiful and peaceful in the book, though it's tempered with all sorts of awful occurrences.
Full Answer
Is Lennie a flat character in of mice and men?
Although Steinbeck’s insistent repetition of these characteristics makes Lennie a rather flat character, Lennie’s simplicity is central to Steinbeck’s conception of the novella. Of Mice and Men is a very short work that manages to build up an extremely powerful impact.
What does Steinbeck say about Lennie’s disability?
However, Steinbeck also makes clear to the reader the true nature of Lennie’s disability (‘“I wasn’t kicked in the head with no horse, was I, George?” “Be a damn good thing if you wa” George said viciously. “Save ever’body a hell of a lot of trouble”’ (Steinbeck, 1937 a, p. 26).
Does Lennie kill George Crooks?
Steinbeck’s version of Lennie does not kill in anger, although his menacing stance with Crooks when he believes George to be threatened suggests that he might. Instead, Steinbeck allows the incident to take on an element of sexuality.
How is Lennie’s sexuality problematic to the characters throughout the novel?
Lennie’s sexuality is problematic to the characters throughout the novel. George’s emphasis that Lennie is childlike seeks to deny it, and Lennie is excluded from the men’s visit to the ‘cat house’.
How does Steinbeck treat Lennie?
In their descriptions and interactions, Steinbeck shows the men's relationship: George takes care of Lennie, who is childlike and mentally handicapped, constantly giving him advice and instructions: Don't say anything tomorrow when we get to the ranch; come back here if there is any trouble; don't drink the water ...
What does Lennie's death symbolize?
Because George is forced to kill his friend himself, Lennie's death is not only the death of a single vulnerable person, but also the destruction of a rare and idealized friendship.
What happens after Lennie is killed?
After killing Lennie, George will never fulfill the dream of life on the farm. At the beginning of the novel, when George describes the dream to Lennie, he also describes other ranchers: “'They got no family. They don't belong no place.
How does George treat Lennie?
He treats him like a child because he gets into a lot of trouble, is really forgetful and Lennie's mind is like a minor's.
What foreshadowed Lennie's death?
When Carlson kills the dog, Candy confides to George that he wishes he'd done it himself instead of letting Carlson do it. This comment foreshadows George's decision to shoot Lennie himself, as he is Lennie's closest companion. Lennie's death at George's hand is a heartbreaking moment for George and for the reader.
Was George justified in killing Lennie?
He knew that Curley and his men would kill Lennie, he would suffer and/or be placed in jail. George made the justified decision of killing Lennie because it was the better choice of Lennie's foreseen future. Therefore, George was morally justified for shooting Lennie for merciful reasons.
What did George say to Lennie before he killed him?
What does George say to Lennie before shooting him? He tells Lennie that he is a bad man and that he deserves to die. He tells Lennie that he has no other choice but to shoot him since it's the law.
Why Lennie kills Curley's wife?
Lennie kills Curley's wife because of his inability to control his own strength and emotions.
What do Lennie's hallucinations symbolize?
The visions that Lennie had was his self-conscience telling him that he's a failure. They represent his fears coming true.
What is Lennie's mental illness?
Of Mice and Men is a story about an intellectually disabled man. Lennie's disability is central to the plot; if he were not intellectually disabled, the story would simply not work. It has also been suggested (Loftis, 2015, 2016) that Lennie exhibits characteristics of autism.
How did George treat Lennie when they were younger?
Answers 1. George used to tease and play pranks on Lennie when they were younger. He did this to Lennie untim Lennie almost drowned in a river.
How does George betray Lennie?
George Killed Lennie Wrong I tried and tried. I couldn't help it” (Steinbeck 101). Lennie knows the difference between right and wrong, but he does not know when he is doing the wrong thing. George was right to have killed Lennie because George would have had to keep covering up for Lennie's mistakes.…
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What is the significance of Lennie Small's death?
Today we are here to discuss the death of Lennie Small. George Milton and Lennie Small were migrant workers who traveled together, which is extremely rare. Lennie Small was not in any way small, he was large, simple-minded and usually unaware of his actions and surroundings. He was not able to comprehend his own strength. On the other hand we have George who is small ,witty and responsible. After Lennie's Aunt Clara death, George took the responsibility to take care of a mentally delayed grown man. George was a father figure for Lennie and took care of him dearly. They are linked together by a shared past, along with a dream of the future. George protected Lennie as a parent protected their infant from the dangerous world. George and Lennie took care of each other. Lennie and George truly loved each other. We quickly get a sense that George's speech about their dream farm was solely not for his own benefit. How many us are willing to take care of a mentally grown man …show more content…
What happened at the end of the book?
At the end of the book when Lennie had left the ranch for accidentaly killing Curley’s wife, George had found Lennie right in the spot he was told to go. To calm Lennie down, George talks about the dream about the ranch and the rabbits they had. “Lennie begged, “Le’s do it now. Le’s get that place now.” “Sure right now. I gotta.…
What are George's problems in The Veldt?
In “The Veldt” George’s problems stems from the desire to want provide the best for his children. George believes that good parenting is a combination of both providing for his children and giving them liberty to act how they please. When George bought the nursery he felt relieved that the pressure to be a good father was off of his shoulders and placed onto the house. By doing this George lost communication with his children and they began to rely on the nursery to convey their thoughts and emotions. George denies the need for a psychologist he is only denying his own doubts on the nursery.…
What is the meaning of "We can't sleep with him stinkin' around in here"?
‘We can’t sleep with him stinkin’ around in here.’” (Steinbeck 44) C: Carl son wanted to end the life of the one thing which mattered most to Candy which was his dog. Candy had had that dog since he was a pup and he always tells stories of how it was the best sheep dog he had ever seen and how he had made lots of memories with that dog. This shows how cruel the people at the ranch could be because they didn’t care how much Candy loved that dog, and it took Carlson almost no regret of killing him.…
What was Steinbeck's idea for the novella?
Steinbeck’s idea with the novella was to ‘write a play in the form of a novel … [where I] constructed it in scenes and filled in the character descriptions and painted in the background’ (Steinbeck in Fensch, 1988, p. 9).
What does George do to Lennie?
Lennie follows George, even when the path widens to allow more space. George forces Lennie to hand over a dead mouse that is ‘not fresh’, an action that invites approval from the reader. George provides Lennie with food in an action designed to emphasise that Lennie would be helpless without him (‘How’d you eat.
Why does Steinbeck position the story?
Steinbeck positions the story so that the reader’s sympathies at the end of it lie with George, despite and indeed regarding his killing of Lennie. George kills Lennie in what is positioned as a kindly termination, a ‘putting out of his misery’, as one might an animal.
What is the disability in the book of Mice and Men?
526) that challenges societal conceptualisation of disability. It positions previous understanding of disability as ‘social oppression involving the social imposition of restrictions of activity on people with impairment’ (Thomas, 2007, p. 73), and seeks to question previously held notions and perceptions. As such, re-examination of texts through a Disability Studies lens allows a re-evaluation of those texts, while simultaneously recognising their historical and contextual significance. The Social Model of disability challenges the concept that disability is understood as an impairment within an individual but instead suggests a model where ‘disability (as opposed to impairment) is considered to be imposed over and above impairment by societal barriers’ (Chown et al., 2017, p. 724). This study encourages students to consider how much the character of Lennie is inherently impaired by his disability, and how much he is disabled by other characters’ responses to his impairments. It considers how the final act of the book can be explored in the classroom within a 21st century moral and ethical framework and how this might be used to challenge ableist rhetoric in students and society.
What is the story of mice and men about?
Of Mice and Men is a story about an intellectually disabled man. Lennie’s disability is central to the plot; if he were not intellectually disabled, the story would simply not work. It has also been suggested (Loftis, 2015, 2016) that Lennie exhibits characteristics of autism.
Is Lennie a human?
Lennie is not given sufficient human status to be able to care for animals as lesser than him. That status is given most powerfully to Slim, ‘the prince of the ranch, capable of driving 10, 16, even 20 mules with a single line to the leaders’ (Steinbeck, 1937 a, p. 36).
Does Lennie have intellectual disabilities?
The character directions in the book also provide support for the (presumably non-disabled) actor playing Lennie in the stage version written the same year, and invite that actor to indicate, physically, that Lennie has intellectual disabilities through stereotypical actions and behaviours.
How does Steinbeck achieve his goal of creating a protagonist who earns the reader’s sympathy?
Steinbeck achieves these two feats by creating a protagonist who earns the reader’s sympathy because of his utter helplessness in the face of the events that unfold. Lennie is totally defenseless. He cannot avoid the dangers presented by Curley, Curley’s wife, or the world at large.
Who is the least dynamic character in Mice and Men?
Of Mice and Men. Although Lennie is among the principal characters in Of Mice and Men, he is perhaps the least dynamic. He undergoes no significant changes, development, or growth throughout the story and remains exactly as the reader encounters him in the opening pages.
Is Lennie a flat character?
Although Steinbeck’s insistent repetition of these characteristics makes Lennie a rather flat character, Lennie’s simplicity is central to Steinbeck’s conception of the novella. Of Mice and Men is a very short work that manages to build up an extremely powerful impact.
Why does George kill Lennie?
George, in turn, kills Lennie to prevent him from being lynched or tried for murder.
Who is Lennie in Mice and Men?
"Lennie" refers to Lennie Small, the intellectually disabled character in John Steinbeck's famous novella Of Mice and Men, which tells the story of two Depression-era wandering farmhands, George and Lennie, who dream of getting their own stake and living "off the fat of the land." Their dream dies hard when Lennie accidently kills the young, beautiful, and flirtatious wife of a ranch owner's son and then tries to cover it up because he realizes that he has "done a bad thing." George, in turn, kills Lennie to prevent him from being lynched or tried for murder.
What is the setting of the book of Mice and Men?
They appear to relate to each other, however, each is essential trapped by their situation. In the end they are unable to help each other to escape their loneliness or to escape their own fate. Of Mice and Men is set in the farmland of the Salinas valley, where John
Who wrote the book "Wife Mice of Men of Mice and Men"?
It was written by Nobel prize winning novelist John Steinbeck. Steinbeck’s life influenced his literature, as he was in identical situations as the character he describes in his novel. Steinbeck was a migrant worker who also conveniently grew up on a ranch. He also wrote another book called ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ during this time period. We can imagine that his own
What is George's character in Mice and Men?
start of John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men, the uniqueness of George, as a character, is already noticeable. He is described as "small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp strong features" and has an obvious dominance over the relationship between Lennie and himself. This lets the reader know from a very early stage in the book that George is different, and probably the essential character. George's character seems to be used by Steinbeck to reflect the major themes of the novel:
