Why Lennie Is Important in of Mice and Men
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- Category: English: Novels
- Date Submitted: 03/21/2011 10:00 AM
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Why Lennie’s Character is Important to Of Mice and Men
Lennie is main character in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. But why is he important? Throughout the book, Steinbeck proves that Lennie is important for the story to work. He is a mentally challenged man, who tags along with George throughout the book. He has dreams and motives, just like any other character does.
To start off, the only person he has learned to trust is George, and it is important to be able to trust someone during the period of the great depression. He will never get to know someone as well as George. There is a bond developed through the years the two have spent together. They wouldn’t be so close if Lennie wasn’t challenged, because he would remember the terrible things George did to him as a child. He is obviously forgiving, because he is George’s best friend now. This may or may not be his choice, because he doesn’t remember anything. However, as George says in the book, “You (Lennie) can’t remember nothing that happens, but you remember ever’ word I say,”(Steinbeck, #). Through Lennie’s trust, he has learned to remember anything that George tells him. They truly were good friends, which makes his fate mean that much more to the reader.
Secondly, George and Lennie seem to share a dream. Their dreams, however, are not exactly the same. While George wants his own house, and Lennie agrees, really Lennie wants to be with George and the all-important rabbits. Lennie’s main dream, over anything else, is to pet soft things. His mind has been set on rabbits being the softest thing on Earth, and this makes him want to spend all his time with one. George tells him that when they get a house, they’ll get rabbits and Lennie can tend them. In the book, Lennie says, “I wish’t we’d get the rabbits pretty soon, George,” (Steinbeck, #). This quote explains his dream and his urgency to fulfill it. He says things like this constantly throughout the book, because his dream is to pet rabbits....
Lennie is main character in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. But why is he important? Throughout the book, Steinbeck proves that Lennie is important for the story to work. He is a mentally challenged man, who tags along with George throughout the book. He has dreams and motives, just like any other character does.
To start off, the only person he has learned to trust is George, and it is important to be able to trust someone during the period of the great depression. He will never get to know someone as well as George. There is a bond developed through the years the two have spent together. They wouldn’t be so close if Lennie wasn’t challenged, because he would remember the terrible things George did to him as a child. He is obviously forgiving, because he is George’s best friend now. This may or may not be his choice, because he doesn’t remember anything. However, as George says in the book, “You (Lennie) can’t remember nothing that happens, but you remember ever’ word I say,”(Steinbeck, #). Through Lennie’s trust, he has learned to remember anything that George tells him. They truly were good friends, which makes his fate mean that much more to the reader.
Secondly, George and Lennie seem to share a dream. Their dreams, however, are not exactly the same. While George wants his own house, and Lennie agrees, really Lennie wants to be with George and the all-important rabbits. Lennie’s main dream, over anything else, is to pet soft things. His mind has been set on rabbits being the softest thing on Earth, and this makes him want to spend all his time with one. George tells him that when they get a house, they’ll get rabbits and Lennie can tend them. In the book, Lennie says, “I wish’t we’d get the rabbits pretty soon, George,” (Steinbeck, #). This quote explains his dream and his urgency to fulfill it. He says things like this constantly throughout the book, because his dream is to pet rabbits....