Lennie Smalls

Words: 612
Pages: 3
Open Document
In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck emphasizes how social and physical power may both immensely influence the different ways a person acts around others through the use of specific characterization of the characters and figurative language. Often, characters with considerable power tend to feel more privileged and significant than those with lesser power who act more timid and passive. CLAIM: Steinbeck represents the concept of physical strength in the character of Lennie Smalls. ESTABLISH EVIDENCE: Initially, Steinbeck describes Lennie as, ”a huge man…[who] walking heavily, dragging his feet, the way a bear drags his paws” (2). EVIDENCE: The author continues this extended metaphor of comparing Lennie to a large animal by describing his hands …show more content…
There exists a social hierarchy during the setting of Of Mice and Men in which some individuals are automatically ranked higher than others. Establish Evidence: Crooks, who is a black man, is the stable buck for the ranch. Just because of his skin color, he is naturally placed at the bottom of this social ladder. Curley’s wife (even though she is a woman) is more powerful than the workers because she is related to the boss who owns land. In chapter four, Steinbeck depicts a scene where Crooks, Lennie, Candy, and Curley’s wife are all in Crook’s cabin. The scene expertly displays the fluctuation of the power ladder through the actions of the characters. Evidence: Crooks is fed up with Curley’s wife and decides to speak his mind when he exclaims, “I had enough, you got no rights comin’ in a colored man’s room. You got no rights messing around in here at all” (80). Analysis: For a moment, Steinbeck introduced a new power dynamic in which Crooks climbed ahead of Curley’s wife on the ladder. Establish Evidence: However, this moment of prestige instantly dissolves when Curley’s wife gets up into Crooks’ face, threatens to lynch him, and calls him the N word. In a flash, each person was again restored to their typical social status. Evidence: Crooks’ attitude, “had reduced...to nothing,” (81) his voice was “toneless,” and “everything that might [have been] hurt [was] drawn in.” In the same scene, Candy rises to the same level of power as Curley’s wife by bragging about the land he is going to buy, and by blackmailing her saying, “Curley maybe ain’t gonna like his wife out in the barn with us ‘bindle stiffs’”
Show More

Related Documents: Lennie Smalls

Lennie Smalls Inhumane

In 1937, John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men was published. At the end of the book Lennie Smalls who is mentally handicapped, was killed by his friend George because he was supposedly going to die anyways at the face of the law (106). Many people believe that this was right but it actually inhumane because he could of escaped, lived on the farm he wanted, and could of became mentally stable if he was not killed by his friend George. The first reason people think that Lennie's death was humane and…

Words 215 - Pages 1

Lennie Small And Crooks

the difference between a. and a. Lennie Small: Lennie is mentally disabled, and society does not provide the support he needs. He is often misunderstood and mistreated. His dependence on George illustrates his powerlessness. 2. What is the difference between a'smart' and a'smart'? George Milton: George is powerless in his responsibility for Lennie. He sacrifices his personal freedom to care for Lennie because there are no societal structures in place to support Lennie. 3. What is the difference between…

Words 205 - Pages 1

Lennie Small Analysis

The relationship between the keen yet frail George Milton and the hindered however solid Lennie Small is the point of convergence of Steinbeck's novella, and a surface perusing emphatically proposes that "fellowship" or "individual duty" is one of this current work's remarkable subjects. As the dumb Lennie obediently articulates, the two men are recognized from the majority of alternate characters in the story "in light of the fact that I inspired you to take care of me, and you motivated me to take…

Words 745 - Pages 3

Lennie Small Character Analysis

The character, Lennie Small, in Of Mice and Men, a novel by John Steinbeck, is a mentally disabled farmhand in California. Lennie, and his friend George, run into many problems throughout the story, due to Lennie’s disability. Anything Lennie is able to get his hands on, he manages to kill. Lennie doesn’t know how or why he is killing these people, and genuinely feels remorseful for his actions, despite the fact that he is unable to control himself. Ever since the novel's release, many comparisons…

Words 563 - Pages 3

Lennie Small Death Penalty Case Study

I'm writing this email due to the case of Lennie Small, to compare wether he deserved death penalty or does not, and in this case i'm against it. The case of Lennie is very different compared to others from the late 20th century and 21st century. For example, the case of Kelsey Patterson, who was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic in 1981. First, he was involved in two shootings, and in both occasions he stood in trail by dint of mental illness, then in 1992 he shot and killed two people in Palestine…

Words 321 - Pages 2

The Great Depression In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Raquel Rodr­iguez July 7,2014 Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck took place in a small working ranch in the Salinas Valley of northern California, sometime in the early 1900’s. The longer background to the novels setting is The Great Depression, originated in the U.S. and was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. Many people, especially men, lost their jobs due to personal income, tax revenue, profits, and prices that dropped. This affected…

Words 1085 - Pages 5

Of Mice and Men Essay

George and Lennie are developed as foils. To begin with, George and Lennie's physical attributes are completely different. In the book, George is written as a character that has a small stature. As the novella begins, Steinbeck describes George by saying, “The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features" (Steinbeck 2). Contrasting to George's small stature, Lennie's stature is big. Right after describing George, Steinbeck begins describing Lennie by saying…

Words 451 - Pages 2

How Does George Milton Deserve A Fair Trial

not determine Lennie’s verdict, that is your role as the jury. Mr. Small is a man with a severe mental disability. On the contrary, George Milton is a man with a healthy mind. Milton takes care of Mr. Small and steers him through a world he cannot comprehend. Later, Mr. Milton decides that Mr. Small kills Curley’s wife and should be put to death for it. It was not George Milton’s place to decide to kill Lennie Small, Lennie Small deserved a fair trial, not fatality. If anyone here today is responsible…

Words 562 - Pages 3

Hamlet: Of Mice and Men and Final Reason , Lennie Essay

kill his bestfriend Lennie Small so he does not have to hurt anyone or get hurt by anybody.Many believe George is guilty but lets explain why this belief is wrong and why some believe Lennie is the guilty one in this case. My first reason,is that Lennie is a man with anger issues that he can not control by himself. He always needs help from somebody else from stopping him from hurting others. Example,Curley's wife screams while having her mouth shut with a hand[59]. Lennie says, "don't make me…

Words 569 - Pages 3

Writing Techniques In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, is a novel about two migrant ranchhands by the names of George and Lennie. Lennie is mentally disabled, and George acts as a kind of caretaker for him. They’re like best friends. The story takes place in the 1930’s, and is told in the form of a social protest novel. Steinbeck uses many writing techniques to give a deeper meaning to the seemingly simple story. Some of these techniques include irony, paradox, and analogy. Irony is a contrast of discrepancy…

Words 640 - Pages 3