What was the reason why that Steinbeck had someone with a mental illness in his book? The reason why is to give us an idea on what having a mental illness is like. In the book, Of Mice And Men, by John Steinbeck, there are 2 main characters named George and Lennie. George is shorter than Lennie, but Lennie has a mental illness. Lennie’s mental illness makes him act childish and not like his own age or like an adult.
This notion can be impacted by the time period in which the book takes place. Since the book was made during the 1930s, treatment and therapy for people who have a mental illness are not the same as today. “The use of certain treatments for mental illness changed with every medical advance. Although hydrotherapy, metrazol convulsion, and insulin shock therapy were popular in the 1930s, these methods gave way to psychotherapy in the 1940s.”(Sos.mo.gov 1). This…show more content… The character, Lennie Smalls has a mental illness. He acts childish and he does not act how he is supposed to act, like an adult. This notion can be impacted by the time period in which the book takes place. It can be impacted by how people in the 1930s were treated because the treatments and therapy in the 1930s for people with a mental illness was not as professional as treatments and therapy in 2017. It can also be impacted by his surroundings. His mental illness makes him distracted to things he likes easily. Since he really likes animals such as rabbits and puppies, as well as touching dead mice, makes him really distracted. Due to that, it can make his mental illness become visible to others but not to the people around him besides his partner, George. That can affect his goal with George which is moving to their worn house, having rabbits, and having
