Lennie Forgetfulness Essay - 717 Words

In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the American Dream is proven to be an unobtainable commodity, as the attempt at living a fulfilling life by George and Lennie is mercilessly destroyed due to behavior derived from eccentricity and madness. Lennie’s eccentric behavior ceases George and Lennie’s dreams of buying their own farm and achieving the life they wanted and deserved. Lennie’s illogical actions, however, are not Lennie’s fault, as his mental handicaps, compounded by the unfavorable situations he is put in, are what induce Lennie to fail at succeeding in his goals. Although Lennie puts in an earnest effort in making his aspirations a reality, his coming up short resembles much of what the lower class experience when chasing their†¦show more content†¦Despite committing several destructive and irrational deeds, Lennie can be exempt from blame because of his mental impairments. When Lennie breaks Curley’s hand it is only becau se George convinced him to defend himself against Curley’s attack. Even after the attack Lennie cries,†I didn’t wanta hurt him†(Steinbeck, 64) This shows that Lennie’s intentions are always meant to be good and that he would never willfully hurt someone without proper justification. Lennie other eccentric acts such as incidentally killing mice and a puppy can be credited to the lack of voice of reason in Lennie, which is what George attempts to serve as. However, when Lennie is without the presence of George he struggles to make the correct decisions because he doesn’t know any better. Lennie’s eccentric behavior is significant to the theme because Lennie’s uncontrollable flaws are what prevent him from achieving his aspirations. Lennie’s dream of living on a farm and being able to tend to his rabbits is of high importance to him.Throughout the novel, one thing Lenny always remembers and is very passionate how he will â₠¬Å"tend to the rabbits† (Steinbeck,14). Unfortunately, Lennie’s hopes appear to be almost unobtainable from the start, as he and George are very poor and Lennie’s