Explore the Ways in Which John Steinbeck Presents He Character of Lennie in ‘of Mice and Men’

In this essay I am dismission to be writing to the highest degree sensation of the m ain timbres in seat Steinbecks novelette Of Mice and Men. The story faces the travels and arising problems of twain migrant workers who lot an uncommon fri lay offship for the time and environment in which the novella is set. Lennie broken is the character I forget be exploring and I will skip off by giving a detailed explanation of his natural appearance and behaviour. Second I will look at his and the some other main character Georges kindred which will indeed be followed by Lennies relationships with other characters throughout the book.I will then go on to look at the foreshadowing in which Steinbeck displays in the story and last-placely I will conclude the story of its final climax. Steinbeck uses many different descriptions of Lennie Sm any in the novella. Often compared to animals, one of the starting time time descriptions of him is him cosmos compared to a bear. He was d ragging his feet a little, the means a bear drags his paws, is a promissory note which portrays an image of how physically large Lennie is composition too suggesting the extent of his strength.Lennie is also described to be shapeless of face, with large, nauseated eyes which compares intimately to a small innocent child who doesnt gain his surroundings. The imagery created in this facial expression begins to imply that Lennie, nevertheless though a grown man, does not have a opinion of his own, intimately young, while al counsellings having someone to direct him through life. disrespect his age, Lennie acts and speaks with immaturity due a mental disability. Slowly like a terrier, who doesnt want to bring a ball back to his master is a line Steinbeck wrote to emphasise Lennies immature personality.By comparing him to a terrier he becomes viewed as irrational with a very instinctive typeface to him. Steinbeck uses the word master which signifies how Lennie, unable to ma ke sensible decisions, commands a master or more so a carer. It stresses his crudety and also his loyalty to George. Furthermore in this novella Lennie doesnt intentionally entertain to do harm but that does not mean he is alone harmless. This is shown when Steinbeck writes I wasnt doing nothing bad with it, George.. jus stroking it. in the scene where George is demanding the dead mouse from Lennie. By writing this Steinbeck has suggested that the innocent Lennie is and both a victim and villain throughout his life. No librate how harmless he is within his mind, his strength betrays his personality leaving his child like mind, and puppet strength a threatening combination. Steinbecks first description of George and Lennies relationship demonstrates the fact that George is very frequently like a forefather jut out to Lennie.He is constantly mimicking George and following obediently which is described when they had walked in single file down the path, and even in the open o ne stayed one behind the other. This excerpt emphasises the dominance in the relationship and how Lennie is always following behind George because he wants to show him respect. Also Lennie imitates George with the uppermost precision, Then (George) replaced his hat, pushed himself back from the river, drew up his knees and embraced them.Lennie who had been watching imitated George exactly highlights this as it shows just how much Lennie looks up to George as if he is also a hero as well as a father figure in which he wants to make proud. It produces the thought that maybe all Lennie wants is for George to be proud of him and is symbolic to the fact Lennie looks up to George as a graphic symbol model. In the opening dialogue between George and Lennie the nature of their relationship is easily distinguishable when George says Lennie Lennie for beau ideals sake, dont drink too much.. ou gonna be disturbed like you was last night because it conveys how much George actually cares fo r and worries for Lennie without making it effectual too affectionate. He speaks down to Lennie in a patronizing fashion which also symbolises the authority in the relationship. In this novella one of the divulge things about Lennie and George is the dream they both wish to achieve. Due to Lennies childlike mind set and Georges fatherly role in Lennies life the dream becomes somewhat a bedtime story for Lennie. On some(prenominal) occasions Lennie pleads Come on George.Tell me. Please, George. Like you did before. which except emphasises how much of a child he is due to the fact it makes him calm, happy and approximately settled as if he were an infant going to bed. It could also portray the subconscious worries Lennie has so he feels the need to be reassured about their dream. Lennies relationships with other characters vary and progress throughout the novella. When slim, the jerkline skinner, is first introduced to Lennie and George he is taken aback by the oddness of the ir relationship with each other.He immediately sees Lennies lack of mentality and by and by on states to George it seems kinda funny, a cuckoo like him and a judicious guy like you travelling together which is the first opinion keep down reveals towards Lennie. At first he only sees the childlike Lennie but later on the situation explained he understands and views Lennie in a completely different light. Hes a overnice fella, guy dont need no sense to be a nice fella is a line which Steinbeck wrote to show clearly how Slim respects and likes Lennie as it emphasises that he doesnt just see the absence of intelligence but the nice guy hidden underneath the adolescent exterior.Even though Slim doesnt really get to hit the sack Lennie in this novella, his friendship with George allows him to understand Lennie and the position the two are in. Slim appreciates that Lennie is not a heavy-handed person when he says He aint mean, I stand see Lennie aint a bit mean which further emph asises the intelligence Slim possess to see behind the original comment of Lennie as a man and shows how his specks towards him have developed into somewhat respect. another(prenominal) relationship that Lennie has is one with the stable buck, Crooks.Steinbeck enforces this unspoken friendship between the two because both are isolated from the rest of the ranch workers, Lennie because of his size and childish behaviour and Crooks because of him being black and being segregated from the rest of the workers. Although Lennie is visualized as the weakest mentally, he doesnt understand the unwritten code of racial segregation which brings out the intelligent side to him which is proven in the way he acts towards Crooks. When Crooks questions him about wherefore he has entered the barn Lennie replies with Nothing- I seen your light.I thought I could jus come an set which shows how innocent Lennie is and in a way how lonely he is as he goes to investigate the guess that he could conve rse with someone. It could also show that Lennie sees crooks as an equal conflicting the other men on the ranch who moreover see his colour. In this novella Steinbeck uses foreshadowing a great deal throughout the whole story. It appears everywhere, hinting on what will happen to different characters and the way the story will develop. It is used to show that Lennie will be getting in ail with Curleys wife, her death and also his death and the exact way in which he dies.The moment Curleys wife is introduced an ill feeling overcomes the automated teller machine signifying that Lennie will in fact be getting into some grade of mess involving her. George says at the very beginning I seen em toxicant before, but I never seen no piece of jail tease like her before. You leave her be is a quote from the novella which straight foreshadows Curleys wifes death because by having George tell him to leave her alone, its plain going to go the opposite way and something will end up bringing the pair together.another(prenominal) thing that adds to the foreshadowing of her death is Lennies tendency to get carried away with touching soft, silky and pretty things. throughout the novella the victims of Lennies harmless petting gradually get bigger, starting off with the girls dress in Weed, the mouse, progressing on to Curleys hand and the pup and finally ending with Curleys herself. The skirt, mouse, puppy and Curleys wife all link in with the need to touch soft things and the same answer even happen in each.Once they begin to panic or squirm Lennie reacts in a childlike way and doesnt know what to do so he simply doesnt let his contribute of that object go. Excluding Curleys hand which was purely down to animal and childish instinct, all the other incidents could connect to the idea that in Lennies naive mind, soft and pretty things relate to the dream that he and George have and formerly the victims begin to struggle it instantly alerts Lennie that the dream is escap ing him and he holds on in fear of letting go and loosing it.The foreshadowing of Lennies death occurs at different points throughout the novella. The break downing of candys tail being the main one. When Carlson is seek to persuade Candy into letting him shoot the traverse he says He aint no good to you, Candy. An he aint no good to himself. Whnt you shoot him, Candy? which is exactly how Lennie is viewed as a partner of George. Both the dog and Lennie are connected as they both in some way weigh down their owner and arent really useful to them.Another thing which foreshadows his death is Georges constant reminders of how his life would be easier without him. God youre a lot of trouble, I could get along so easy and so nice if I didnt have you on my tail. I could live so easy and maybe have a girl is a line which Steinbeck wrote to foreshadow what might happen in the end of the story as it is how George feels inside which he frequently tells Lennie at different points in the s tory. Lennies death, placed right at the end of the story, is no big surprise when it actually occurs. Beforehand Lennie and George are merely talking.Lennie is confused as to why George isnt shouting at him and this picky bit shows how much George secretly does care for Lennie and wishes that this didnt happen. No Lennie, I aint mad. I never been mad an I aint now. Thats the thing I want ya to know. is a line from George which symbolises that no matter what bad things Lennie has ever done, George only wants the best for him, even if that means effaceing him. Steinbeck uses the phrase never been mad to show that George is feeling guilty about his reactions towards Lennies mistakes in the past and trying to make it right.Despite the fact he has already make the decision to end Lennies life George still finds it difficult to do so which is portrayed when Steinbeck wrote that George brocaded the gun and his hand shook, and he dropped his hand to the ground again. This quote lays emp hasis on how challenging it is for George to follow through with his task. No matter how much of a dead weight Lennie is to him, they have still been together for a long while which adds to the fact George finds it so hard to kill him. The thing that played the most part in the decision George made to kill Lennie was Candys words, I ought to of shot that dog myself, George.I shouldnt ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog. because George understands that the death of Lennie is requisite and is going to happen one way or another whether it be now or in the next town when he does something else wrong. Georges decision is reassured by Slim right at the end of the novella when he says You hadda George, I swear you hadda because he understands the situation George is in and is trying to assure him that he made the right decision in cleanup spot Lennie. In conclusion, Lennie Small is a very complex character.The description of his character is very precise and so is his personality. Throughout this novella it is obvious that Lennies character is the one that undergoes the least amount of development. His childlike mentality and mind set prohibit any possible expansion of his character notwithstanding Lennies protection from George, devotion to him, and dreams of the farm make him the character that he is. His depiction of innocence during the course of the novella is a key reason why readers feel so much sympathy for him, and is the main way in which he is represented all throughout Of Mice and Men.