Lennie Flashcards
Lennie is described as a ‘follower’ at first
The reader instantly grasps at the fact that Lennie is a dependent character specifically on George.
‘Lennie looks at George helplessly for instructions’
This conveys to the reader that Lennie is not just innocent but also incapable of making any decision of his own which makes the reader feel anxious about Lennie’s character as a whole and how he’s always looking towards George for help; this imposes the question what will happen if George isn’t around? What will Lennie decide to do? This foreshadows to when Lennie was alone with Curley’s Wife and George wasn’t in the same room as him which doesn’t end well considering Lennie accidentally kills her by tugging too hard on her soft hair as a result of fear.
“George ain’t gonna let me tend no rabbits now”
This line confirms he’s incapable of differentiating right from wrong as if he is a child that may struggle with this at an early age. One might argue that he is a victim of himself in general as he can’t comprehend the seriousness of his actions which emphasises the vulnerability of those with mental health issues in 1930s America and the type of treatment they had faced as a result of their actions considering people did not know how to deal with them
‘snorts water like a horse’
‘covered his face with his huge paws and bleated with terror’
‘as strong as a bull’
Steinbeck uses animalistic imagery quite often when talking about Lennie throughout the novella; specifically strong animals. This could heighten how he’s capable of causing great harm to others, which foreshadows the tragedy of him accidentally killing Curley’s Wife. This possibly could link to his child-like characterises like not knowing to control his strength and knowing when to hold back. Even though he’s described as “strong”, the word “bleated” compares him more to a lamb connoting the fact that even though he’s strong physically, with the lamb being a symbol of innocence, he may be innocent and sensitive inside which encourages the reader to see him as a victim rather than a monster.
