OMAM

English Homework
Goodies VS Baddies

Lennie - A large, lumbering, childlike migrant worker. Due to his mild mental disability, Lennie completely depends upon George, his friend and travelling companion, for guidance and protection. The two men share a vision of a farm that they will own together, a vision that Lennie believes in wholeheartedly.
In the Of Mice and Men novella Lennie is a good and ever so gentle and kind person. He does not mean any harm to anybody however his strength surpasses his mind. He does not realises the power he withholds and does not know how to control it. Therefore Lennie can also be considered as a BADDIE because he has so much power that he might misuse it on more gentle skills. We can see that because it tells us that his Aunt Clara used to give Lennie little mice that he wanted to pet. However it was not working very well as he treated the mice too harsh to the point where he killed them.
In my opinion Lennie is a good character as it is what is inside that matters and if your thoughts are not to do it on purpose then it is a forgiveable thing.

George - A small, wiry, quick-witted man who travels with, and cares for, Lennie. George’s behaviour is motivated by the desire to protect Lennie and, eventually, deliver them both to the farm of their dreams. Though George is the source of the often-told story of life on their future farm, it is Lennie’s childlike faith that enables George to actually believe his account of their future.
In the Of Mice and Men novella, George is portrayed as a rather Good guy. This is because he is so care taking and so nice and he has the passion, patience and willingness to take care of Lennie no matter how difficult it is to do that, considering the fact that Lennie has mental disabilities and at times can be very annoying. This shows that he cares and no matter what he would not let go of that “bastard”. However he can be considered as a BADDIE because he often speaks of how much easier his life would be without Lennie and how much further in life he would have been.
From my point of view George is just trying to look very strong and that you cannot buy him or get to his heart with soft words, however this is all a mask that he likes to wear for respect. We can clearly see in his behaviour that he is just “a simple old softie” towards Lennie.

Candy- An ageing ranch handyman. Fearing that his age is making him useless, he seizes on George’s description of the farm he and Lennie will have, offering his life’s savings if he can join George and Lennie in owning the land. Candy is clearly portrayed as the innocent and good guy in the novella as he has a very old dog. Candy's dog is quite alike to his owner very old however they care a lot for each other and they have a strong dog-owner and vice versa love. He wants something more then he has now but his innocence and credibility makes him dream of a better life, full of wonderful things that they are unable to afford at the moment. Besides being innocent he is quite wise and he knows what to say at the right time. We clearly saw that because when Curley first appears he awaits for him to go and then checks if he is nowhere nearby and then he tells Lennie and George about Curley and his life.
Slim - A highly skilled mule driver and the acknowledged “prince” of the ranch. Slim is definitely the good person and besides everything, in my opinion Slim is the only one who seems to be at peace with where he is now and what he is doing. The other characters often look to Slim for advice. This proves how wise he is and how mature Slim and lets us understand his great personality and adult like features. He is able to answer for himself and show reasons for his decisions. For instance, only after Slim agrees that Candy should put his decrepit dog out of its misery does the old man agree to let Carlson shoot it. A quiet, insightful man, Slim alone understands the nature of the bond between George and Lennie and Slim is the one that lets everything pass by.

Curley’s wife- The only female character we have met in the story so far. She is always only mentioned in reference to her husband. The men on the farm refer to her as a “tramp,” a “tart,” and a “looloo.” Dressed in fancy, feathered red shoes, she represents the temptation of female sexuality and she is portrayed as a very bitter and innocent person that seeks love and appreciation. However her personality shows otherwise when she starts flirting with other guys on the ranch . Her personality is very fox like as she is intentionally trying to look innocent and as a victim, however behind all the sweet words she is more of the villain that is waiting for their moment to shine and show her true colours/

Curley - The boss’s son, Curley wears high-heeled boots to distinguish himself from the field hands. Recently married, Curley is plagued with jealous suspicions and is extremely possessive of his flirtatious young wife. Curley is depicted more as bad character and it looks more like he wants a lot of fame and to be followed and cherished. He is a confrontational, mean-spirited, and aggressive young man who seeks to compensate for his small stature by picking fights with larger men. Even though he is not as strong and powerful as he is making people believe the workers on the ranch still do what he says to keep their jobs intact.

Carlson - A ranch-hand, Carlson complains bitterly about Candy’s old, smelly dog. Carlson by far is the person that is characterized as the meanest. He does not have a very good personality and we can clearly see that in his actions. For example Carlson is the one that convinced Candy to allow his dog to be shot and Carlson is the one that did it. He shot the dog without much pain and not even a glimpse of regret. He is very emotionless and very manly and will not let anyone get through to him.

By Ana-Maria Cen 10 MEN