Lennie Small Flashcards
1
Q
How is Lennie described?
A
- Opposite of George
- Huge, lumbering with “shapeless” features
- Often described in terms of animals: bears, dogs, horses
2
Q
How is Lennie’s surname significant to the novel
A
- Simply because it is ironic: he is not small
3
Q
What emotions and thought processes does Lennie’s character reflect?
A
- He is handicapped
- Incapable of grasping important concepts such as death and deep emotion
- Has no conscience to define actions through guilt
- He always thinks of physical consequences
- “George is gonna give me hell” “George ain’t gonna let me tend the rabbits”
- Sees George as his master
- Unaware of wider consequence
- Has a childlike wonder
4
Q
What significance does “petting” have to how Lennie is represented?
A
- In petting soft things, Lennie feels comforted and SAFE
- Society would usually disapprove of Lennie for his actions but he has no deep or wide conscience
- At the hearts of Lennie’s dream is safety, which comes from being able to pet soft things
5
Q
What makes Lennie dangerous? How?
A
- He has no intelligence or conscience and prodigious amounts of strength
- This means he doesn’t know when he is doing something wrong, so puts himself and George in danger
- George tries to protect him from people like Curley who scare him
6
Q
How is Lennie vital to the dream?
A
- He is the one that actually keeps it alive
- As his enthusiasm grows, George’s belief in it does too
- His innocence keeps it going
