Lennie Character Analysis

In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Lennie Small is described as a large man with a muscular build. Additionally, Lennie can be described as if he is a child because of the way he thinks and talks. To add on, Lennie acts like a child because of the way he looks up to George Milton, his travel companion and lifetime friend. John Steinbeck states, “Lennie, a man of tremendous size, has the mind of a young child. Yet they have formed a “family,” clinging together in the face of loneliness and alienation.” Dwayne Johnson would play the role of Lennie very well because of his massive build, and the way he played Bob Stone in the movie Central Intelligence. In the movie, even though he is a grown man, he acted like a child because he wore a

Lennie in of mice and men is someone we could probably all relate to one way or another in some aspects of his life. As in some way or another we have all been in some type of turmoil, and Lennie has to experience this type of turmoil every waking hour and day. As he is so kid like and naive he doesn't understand what is going on and why it’s going on. Because of this he must always be cared for by George which also puts a huge amount of guilt at all times on lennie as he feels bad for slowing george down and stopping him from having a good life, at least he thinks he’s stopping him.

Lennie Small is a character that readers are drawn to right from the beginning of the book. His innocence stands out from the grimey coverings of loneliness and hopelessness that the other characters wear. The reason Lennie is so innocent is because he has a mental handicap, one that prevents him from understanding complex human emotions such as guilt, or concepts such as death. In addition Lennie has trouble remembering things, “" I tried and tried [to remember]...but it didn't do not good." Consequently, Lennie has trouble fitting in with society. Ultimately his mental disability is what leads to Lennie's demise at the end of the book. Another trait that is an essential part of Lennie's innocent character is his devotion to his closest friend George. In fact, the only times Lennie is shown to be angry is when George is insulted or threatened. When Crooks, the crippled, black, stable hand, implies bad things about George, this devotion is clearly shown. “Suddenly Lennie's eyes centered and grew quiet, and mad. He walked dangerously toward Crooks. 'Who hurt George?' he demanded" When it comes to George, Lennie would deviate from the normal passive motives of his persona. More support can be found when George is the only one who can convince Lennie to “get him[Curly]” when Curly attacks him, as well as being the only one to stop him. Perhaps the most prominent support for Lennie's childlike innocence is in his utter belief of George and his dream. No matter how

Everybody has good and bad characteristics right? Lennie from the novel “of mice and Men” by John Steinbeck has many positive traits and negative traits. Lennie is always getting George frustrated, but Lennie cares about George as George cares for him. One positive trait that Lennie has is that he is very caring. “Suddenly Lennie’s eyes centered and grew quiet, and mad.

In the book Of Mice and Men, I believe that John Steinbeck succeeded in making Lennie a sympathetic character. I think Lennie is a sympathetic character because he can work hard and is good at it. Lennie is not a bright person which in my opinion keeps Lennie and George together. Also, Lennie does not change much over time besides when in chapter 3 he was becoming more optimistic. Mostly throughout the first few chapters Lennie does not change much though.

However, despite this, George stays loyal to Lennie and ultimately even makes the sacrifice to send Lennie to a better place as we read in the text Of Mice and Men “The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger.” Not out of frustration or malice did he pull the trigger but out of love for Lennie. Throughout the story, George remains dedicated to protecting Lennie and ensuring his well-being, embodying true friendship (Steinbeck 53). George's unwavering commitment to Lennie is very clear, as he consistently prioritizes Lennie’s needs above his own.

Steinbeck projects Lennie as a sympathetic character through his childlike characterization shown by his innocent actions and simple dialogue. In the first part of the book, George and Lennie are camping out by a river before they start their new job the following day. George scolds Lennie for being forgetful and reminds him that he shouldn't get in trouble at their new job. Lennie then put his hand in his pocket to check for the work card he doesn't have and George quickly notices that he has something in his pocket. When George then discovers that Lennie has a dead mouse in his pocket, he demands him to “Give it here”, but Lennie, responding like a child, begs to keep it saying, “Awe, leave me have it, George (Steinbeck 5).”Eventually, “Lennie’s closed hand slowly obey[s]” George's command and he gives up the mouse (Steinbeck 6). The fact that Lennie begged George to keep a dead mouse in his pocket just so he could pet it definitely shows his innocent childlike characteristic. The way he refuses to give it up makes the reader have sympathy for him since he is a grown man acting like a confused whiny child not understanding why he should

In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Steinbeck succeeded in making Lennie a sympathetic character. What makes him a sympathetic character is his childlike, kind, and unintelligent. Of Mice and Men is about two men, George and Lennie who are just arriving at their new job after getting kicked out of their last job. They arrive at their job searching for their American Dream. To be able to live on their own piece of land with their own harvest and their own animals. The second man Lennie is a big man who doesn’t understand how strong he is. He’s not the brightest and his kind, childlike features make you want to root for him. When things don’t go his way you feel bad for him. Steinbeck does a great job of making you feel sympathetic for Lennie

Lennie is a dim witted person who can't really control himself and likes to plan ahead and pet animals. Lennie fantasies and acts out what it would be like if they had a farm with different colored rabbits.

Lennie’s loyalty can be seen again at the end of the book with him going to the spot George told him to and saying, "I don't forget, you bet, God damn. Hide in the brush an' wait for George." With this, it’s good that Lennie went to the hiding spot because he could have suffered a worse death or fate than what he got. The last main characteristic of Lennie is that he is very strong and this is shown in the “Of Mice and Men” movie very well. The first time his strength is shown is when he and the rest of the workers are out in the field working and he is moving barley bags into a cart.

In all books there is that character that because of how the author describes them and the way they talk or how other characters talk about them you just can’t help but sympathize with them. In John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men that character is Lennie Small. The reader can sympathize with Lennie because he has a dream and he doesn’t really have anyone.

Lennie is an innocent sympathetic character and I feel sorry for what he has been through. For example, he has been yelled at and chased out of town because he wanted to stroke soft things. Steinbeck was successful at making the readers feel sorry for Lennie. He has made Lennie have an innocent intention of wanting to touch soft things but people don't get that, and that makes the readers feel sympathy for

The story “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck is one of the winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature. “Of Mice and Men” is about two characters George and Lennie. George is very smart, but short. Lennie on the other hand is the complete opposite. He is big and has a mind of a child. In “Of Mice and Men” George and Lennie have a dream to own a piece of land somewhere in California. In this story Lennie is being made sympathetic by Steinbeck so, then the story is more relatable. Steinbeck is doing this by showing Lennie to have some mental problems and also to make him act like a child in a manly ranch in California.

Another way that Steinbeck creates sympathy for the character of Lennie is by portraying him as childlike, with George taking the role of his father figure. For example,

The author, Steinbeck, uses his own personal experience to “serve as an inspiration…” (Johnson 1) when writing this particular story. His past experiences also helped him for the future. Lennie, of all characters, is the least dynamic. He undergoes a significant amount of change and develops throughout the story. He has been isolated with George throughout his life. His sole purpose in life is to make George happy and to own a farm with George and take care of the soft rabbits. Lennie is the most innocent and defenseless. He also is the largest and strongest, which does not help in certain situations. Lennie is the protagonist in the story. He gains the readers sympathy by his intellectual disability and helplessness. Lennie murders things by accident such as the mouse in his pocket, the puppy and Curley’s wife. He enjoys the touch of and somehow uses those murders and experiences to scare him from doing it again. George’s opinion means the most to him.