John Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men - 1418 Words

Deserving of Sympathy Set in the sunny state of California, the fast paced life of two hardworking men, George Milton and Lennie Small, is followed from ranches all over America. The two men start off by making their way to a ranch where they will work doing various farm chores for pay. Lennie, a big man who has an unknown mental disability, is taken care of by George who is an old friend of his late Aunt Clara’s. The men hope to one day own a farm of their own where they will grow crops and tend to animals. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, some people might say Lennie is portrayed by Steinbeck as more deserving of sympathy due to his want to do well, but ending up doing more good than bad; however, everything George does is to†¦show more content†¦Passing this idea rapidly through his head, Lennie quickly moves, on forgetting the conversation that had only briefly passed. When placed under an intense situation, Lennie reacts in the wrong way while thinking he is trying to suppress the situation. Steinbeck shows this idea when Slim and George are talking about the confrontation between Lennie and the girl from Weed, â€Å"Well, he seen this girl in a red dress†¦ Just wants to feel it†¦So he reaches out to feel this red dress an’ the girl lets out a squawk...and he holds on cuz’ that’s the only thing he can think to do† (Steinbeck 41). Just like later on in the book when Lennie is feeling Curley’s wife’s hair, he holds on when she starts yelling. All he wants to do is quiet her down but ends up snapping her neck, ultimately leading to her death. Because Lennie could not control himself, some people feel sympathy toward him. While some people believe that Lennie deserves more sympathy over any character in the novel, Steinbeck clearly portrays George as the character deserving more sympathy. Almost always on the move to keep out of trouble, George has given up his life to keep Lennie safe an d happy. Although this life is a bit stressful for George as seen when he says, â€Å"†¦I could stay in a cat house all night. I could eat any place I want†¦Get a gallon of whiskey, or sit in