Plot Of Land In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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Set in early 1930s in California, John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men tells the story of two men, Lennie and George. The story begins with George and Lennie traveling to a new ranch to find work because Lennie gets them both fired from their previous jobs. George and Lennie take this new job in order to achieve a shared dream of owning a small plot of land. Although George and Lennie have very different personalities, a shared dream keeps them inseparable. George is an intelligent man who makes plans in advance. He wants to own a plot of land so he can be his own boss and not have to take orders from anyone else. George clearly controls his friend Lenny throughout the story. For example, George tells Lennie to go to a specific spot if Lennie commits an inappropriate act so George will always know where to find him. George already knows that Lennie has gotten himself into trouble many times, so George plans …show more content…
While Lenny and George have the same dream of owning a plot of land, their reasons for owning this land are quite different. Lennie wants to own this land in order to tend to the rabbits since he is obsessed with touching soft things. An example of his dependence on George is made clear when the two are at their previous job, and Lennie sees a girl wearing a soft dress. Lennie reaches out to feel the dress which causes the girl to scream. Lennie is now in a troubling situation and is in need of George’s help. During another situation, Lennie exhibits a lack of self-control when he refuses to let go of Curley’s hand during an argument. Although George orders him to release Curley’s hand, Lennie continues to crush Curley’s hand until George slaps him in his face a few times. Based on these incidents, Lennie’s true character flaws are evident due to the following: his mental illness, his lack of independence, and his lack of