The Power of Acceptance
11 Honors Lit
22 February 2012
The Power of Acceptance "But not us! An ' why? Because... because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that 's why" (Steinbeck 14). As Lennie Small unveils to be the strongest man on his ranch in Salinas Valley, many readers assume his life would be a breeze; however, for this shapeless faced man life becomes a challenge when the weaknesses of his character are shown, causing many conflicts to arise. Lennie finds motivation in the little things and preserves through it all. In John Steinbeck 's Of Mice and Men Lennie is a heart-capturing character who overcomes his irreversible circumstances while fighting through his horrendous conflicts, keeping readers and himself motivated at the chance of one day having a better life. Even as Mr. Small is known to be most physically fit character on the ranch, readers interpret Lennie as the weakest soul of them all. With a mental disability hanging over his head, Lennie struggles communicating with his co-workers and trying to understand his actions and their consequences. With George being his primary care taker, he must be patient and talk to him as one would talk to a child. "Well, look. Lennie- if you jus ' happen to get in trouble like you always done before, I want you to come right here an ' hide in the brush... Can you remember that? But you ain 't gonna get in no trouble, because if you do, I won 't let you tend the rabbits" (Steinbeck 15-16). On top of his struggle to comprehend different occasions he always seems to forget the events that occur. "I forgot. I tried not to forget. Honest to God I did, George" (Steinbeck 4). Due to the struggle of his handicap and his lack of memory skills many conflicts begin to arise. One of the physical conflicts Lennie has is the fight Curley pushes on him. Curley victimizes him and begins to beat him up. Lennie eventually fights back and does a lot of damage to Curley 's hand. Lennie does not protect himself at
22 February 2012
The Power of Acceptance "But not us! An ' why? Because... because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that 's why" (Steinbeck 14). As Lennie Small unveils to be the strongest man on his ranch in Salinas Valley, many readers assume his life would be a breeze; however, for this shapeless faced man life becomes a challenge when the weaknesses of his character are shown, causing many conflicts to arise. Lennie finds motivation in the little things and preserves through it all. In John Steinbeck 's Of Mice and Men Lennie is a heart-capturing character who overcomes his irreversible circumstances while fighting through his horrendous conflicts, keeping readers and himself motivated at the chance of one day having a better life. Even as Mr. Small is known to be most physically fit character on the ranch, readers interpret Lennie as the weakest soul of them all. With a mental disability hanging over his head, Lennie struggles communicating with his co-workers and trying to understand his actions and their consequences. With George being his primary care taker, he must be patient and talk to him as one would talk to a child. "Well, look. Lennie- if you jus ' happen to get in trouble like you always done before, I want you to come right here an ' hide in the brush... Can you remember that? But you ain 't gonna get in no trouble, because if you do, I won 't let you tend the rabbits" (Steinbeck 15-16). On top of his struggle to comprehend different occasions he always seems to forget the events that occur. "I forgot. I tried not to forget. Honest to God I did, George" (Steinbeck 4). Due to the struggle of his handicap and his lack of memory skills many conflicts begin to arise. One of the physical conflicts Lennie has is the fight Curley pushes on him. Curley victimizes him and begins to beat him up. Lennie eventually fights back and does a lot of damage to Curley 's hand. Lennie does not protect himself at
Cited: Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: The Viking Press Inc., 1937. Print.