Steinbeck presents Lennie as a childlike man. Lennie is
simple-minded. Next to George, Lennie is a large man:
Lennie is 'his opposite, a huge man, shapeless
of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping
shoulders.'
He would never
hurt anyone intentionally. Lennie doesn't know his own strength. He is strong and heavy
handed. He is mentally challenged:
Lennie is mentally handicapped: he cannot quite
remember what had happened in Weed; he speaks with a child's vocabulary; and he bursts
into tears when George makes him give up the dead mouse that he has been secretly
petting in his pocket.
Lennie
would never have broken Curley's hand if Curley had not instigated the
fight.
Likewise, Lennie only meant to quiet Curley's wife.
He never meant to break her neck.
George loves Lennie
unconditionally. Lennie loves George. The two of them are as close as family is. Lennie
trusts George. He has lived by his every word.
With simple
trust, Lennie has no idea what George is about to do. Lennie would never have believed
that George was about to shoot him. George meant everything to
Lennie.
No comments:
Post a Comment