Lennie Small
Lennie Small is a migrant worker like George Milton, his friend and travelling companion. Due to his mental disability, Lennie is completely reliant on George. Both share a dream of owning a farm together, a dream that Lennie wholeheartedly believes and wants to tend the rabbits at. He is described as a large, lumbering and childlike character, having a man's body but the mind of a child, as Slim observes, 'He's jes' like a kid' (p.47). A gentle and kind character, he has never learnt how to control his strong body and does not understand his own physical strength. Nearly every scene in which Lennie appears confirms these are his only characteristics. Lennie loves to pet soft things, such as small animals, dresses and people's hair, this leads to many disasters. His enthusiasm for the vision of their future farm proves contagious as he convinces George, Candy, Crooks, and the reader that such a paradise might be possible even though the dream is almost impossible and has been tried and failed many times before.
Steinbeck's repetition of Lennie's characteristics is key to the novel. Steinbeck makes Lennie the least dynamic character in the book, undergoing no significant development or change as a character and remaining exactly as the readers first impressions in the opening pages. Although this makes Lennie a flat character, Lennie's simplicity has a powerful impact.Since a tragedy seems to be inevitable, the reader must know from the start that Lennie is doomed, and must be sympathetic with the character because of his helplessness in the face of events and the fact that he is totally defenceless and is unable to avoid the dangers presented to him. He is a character whom Steinbeck sets up for disaster, a character whose innocence only seems to ensure his inevitable ending.
Steinbeck's repetition of Lennie's characteristics is key to the novel. Steinbeck makes Lennie the least dynamic character in the book, undergoing no significant development or change as a character and remaining exactly as the readers first impressions in the opening pages. Although this makes Lennie a flat character, Lennie's simplicity has a powerful impact.Since a tragedy seems to be inevitable, the reader must know from the start that Lennie is doomed, and must be sympathetic with the character because of his helplessness in the face of events and the fact that he is totally defenceless and is unable to avoid the dangers presented to him. He is a character whom Steinbeck sets up for disaster, a character whose innocence only seems to ensure his inevitable ending.