Lennie and George - The Difference Between Them

At the beginning of the book, Of Mice and Men, the author, John Steinbeck says that there are two men one behind the other. The second man, Lennie is described as a, "huge man, shapeless of the face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely." (2) When Lennie drinks from the pond, he drank with "long gulps, snorting into the water like a horse." (3) Lennie also does some strange things, for instance, Lennie found a dead mouse on the street and he had picked it up and put it in his pocket. Lennie had saved it so he could, "pet it with [his'] thumb [they] walked along."' (6) Lennie was a sweet man who is quiet. He just follow the first man, George where ever they went.

The first man, George was a who is a total opposite of Lennie. The first man was, "small and quick, dark of the face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part  of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a tin and bony nose" (2). George is very harsh to Lennie. If Lennie forgets what is happening, George will go out in rage. Lennie gets scared by George sometimes, and even asked if George wanted him gone.

Lennie and George in part 1

In part 1 of Of Mice and Men the author John Steinbeck describes Lennie and George very thoroughly. I feel that the book is going to use their personalities to make the book as realistic as possible. Lennie is a very big person he is very strong and kind of intimidates George. George has almost the exact opposite physical features than Lennie. He is small and slender but he is still very strong a little like Lennie. He is white but he has tan skin which hints to he was a farmer before he left where he came from. The rest of his features are sharp and bold. While I read this book I mainly focused on George and his actions. George acts as if he is Lennie's big brother because he is constantly making sure that Lennie isn't causing any harm to himself or anyone else. George doesn't really control his temper very well and is usually yelling at Lennie when he does something wrong. Looking at Lennie, he seems like a really nice person even though he causes a lot of trouble for George. When George referred to Lennie's tantrums in the book I thought that Lennie might have a mental disability such as Autism but I am going to have to read the book more in ordLennie er to find out.

Oh How George and Lennie are Different - Of Mice and Men

By: Olivia Thomas

     Just on the second page of the book John Steinback, the author uses carefully thought out paragraphs to distinguish the two. For George, the author writes: "The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose"(2) to describe his features. "Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely"(2) is what John Steinback used to describe Lennie. These two quotes were directly next to each other to draw out the two for us. The second quote's first five words were placed there for a reason; as you can tell from the two quotes those two are described to look quite different.
    Not only are their appearances made out to be quite different in the first section, but their mannerisms are too. When George and Lennie first mad it to the bank, George stood and took a breather. "His huge companion dropped his blankets and flung himself down"(3) is how Lennie reacted differently. George however "unslung his bindle and dropped it gently on the bank"(3). Lennie in this situation is made out to seem less careful and a little more unruly.
    These two major differences were placed just on the first three pages. Keep tuned into my blog as I'll keep uploading about Of Mice and Men for you!

Lennie and George - Of Mice And Men

            In the book Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck, the two characters by the name of Lennie and George are depicted as polar opposites. George is portrayed as small and slender but still strong. He is very quick and is "dark of face". (He has tan skin). It is also said that he has restless eyes and sharp, strong features like a bony nose.  Lennie is characterized as huge with a shapeless face. He also has large, pale eyes and wide, sloping shoulders. Whenever he walks, his arms hang instead of swing which could mean that he is not the happiest person in the world. After finding Lennie drinking from the pond, George scolds him for his actions. The question is, was he being protective over Lennie because the water could hurt him or was there another reason for his criticisms? George is not the nicest of people. In fact, he is very harsh when he speaks. For example, when "Lennie looked timidly over to him [George]" and asked, "'George? Where we goin, George?' The little man [George] jerked down the brim of his hat and scowled over at Lennie. 'So you forgot that awready, did you? I gotta tell you again, do I? Jesus Christ, you're a crazy bastard!'" (4). When Lennie was walking over to  George, it is said that he walks timidly. Is Lennie afraid of George and if so, why? In the story Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck, Lennie and George are portrayed as complete opposites. This cannot be coincidental, so the question is, why are they so different?

Lennie vs. George

John Steinbeck describes George as "small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features... small strong hands, slender arms, a thin bony nose" (Steinbeck 2). George and Lennie are opposites. John Steinbeck uses many describing words about Lennie. "Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. his arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely" (Steinbeck 2). George and Lennie are also very different personality wise. George is very demanding and careful, but Lennie is shy and not very careful.

Foreshadowing in Part 1

In Part 1, John Steinbeck drops subtle clues on what may occur later in the novel. While George and Lennie are discussing what they are doing and why they had to leave Weed, it becomes obvious that Lennie has a mental disability and is extremely forgetful. This may get him in trouble in the long run if he doesn't remember what he's supposed to be doing or what is socially acceptable. Steinbeck also hints at that Lennie has to be constantly reminded that he shouldn't speak up when he sees the boss. This drops a few hints at what may turn out to be situational irony later in the book, and that Lennie may forget what he was told and begin to talk to the boss. Finally, John Steinbeck tells the readers what happened in Weed that made the duo have to leave. "Jus' wanted to feel that girl's dress- jus' wanted to pet it like it was a mouse -- Well, how the hell did she know you jus' wanted to feel her dress? She jerks back and you hold on like it was a mouse. She yells and we gotta hide in an irrigation ditch all day with guys lookin' for us, and we gotta sneak out in the dark and get outta the country." (11) Lennie wanted to feel a girl's dress and he went and grabbed the fabric and didn't let go. This, of course, scared the little girl and George and Lennie had to hide and an irrigation ditch and find new jobs. Their past in Weed and Lennie's socially awkward behavior could come back to haunt them later in the book. This is some of the foreshadowing I found in Part 1 in Of Mice and Men.

George and Lennie: Their Relationship and External/ Internal Differences

     In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the characters George and Lennie are portrayed as opposites, both in personality and physical features.  George and Lennie, the protagonists, must walk for miles to get to a ranch where they will work.  George is described as being "small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features.  Every part of him [is] defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, and a thin and bony nose" (Steinbeck 4).  Behind him walked Lennie, who was described as his "opposite."  Lennie is "a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little the way a bear drags his paws" (Steinbeck 4).  George's restless eyes and shrewd disposition  illustrates his cold and calculating nature; as opposed to Lennie, whose big eyes indicate that he has an innocent nature similar to a child.  In addition, George seems to be Lennie's leader or guardian figure, as he is leading him down the road.  Furthermore, when Lennie sees a pool of green water, he "…flung himself down and drank from the surface of the green pool, drank with long gulps, snorting water like a horse" (Steinbeck 4) George takes a more sensible approach to decide if the water is safe to drink, observing that it "looks kinda' scummy..." and "it don't really seem to be running" (Steinbeck 5).  While Lennie is impulsive and does not consider the water to be dirty, George logically assesses the situation.  This further supports the idea that Lennie has the mentality of a child, while George is his parental figure.  A thirsty child who had been walking a great distance would not have stopped to consider the water was unclean like George, they would plunge in and drink anyway, like Lennie.  If Lennie had an adult's mindset, George would not have needed to explain to him why the water was unsafe.  
     Some of Lennie's other behaviors also support his childishness.  Lennie is obsessed with collecting mice to care for, but consistantly kills them by smashing their skulls.  When George demands Lennie "give [the mouse] here!" (Steinbeck 7), Lennie's "closed hand [almost instantly] obeyed" (Steinbeck 7).  When George rebukes (ding!) Lennie by calling him a "crazy ba*****," Lennie replies timidly, like he is afraid to defend himself.  This is often the behavior of children who are being reprimanded by an adult.  After the mouse is taken away, "Lennie's lip quivered and tears started in his eyes" (Steinbeck 10).  George immediately rushes to comfort him, promising to let him keep the next mouse he finds as a pet.  Crying is a mechanism children often use to obtain wanted items from their parents, and Lennie tends to bawl whenever things do not go his way.  
    Although Lennie and George have a parent-and-son relationship, they are both extremely loyal to each other.  George gets aggravated by some of Lennie's peculiar behaviors and often calls him a "crazy bastard," but still rushes to comfort him when he gets upset.  Lennie, although sometimes hurt by George's insults, remains loyal and wants to make George happy.  When they were eating their supper, George explodes after Lennie asks for ketchup with his beans. "'...if I was alone, I could live so easy.  I could get a job 'an work, 'an no trouble.  No mess at all, and when the end of the month come I could take my fifty bucks into town and get whatever I want... 'And whatta I got,' George went on furiously. 'I got you! You can' keep a job and you lose me ever' job I get.  Jus' keep shovin all over the country all the time. An' that ain't the worst.  You get in trouble.  You do bad things and I got to get you out.' His voice rose nearly to a shout. 'You crazy son-of-a-b****.  You keep me in hot water all the time'" (Steinbeck 12).  Because George acts as Lennie's guardian, he is responsible for finding shelter and a stable job that can keep them togther.  Even after this outburst, Lennie insists he was joking about the ketchup and that "I don't want no ketchup.  I wouldn't eat no ketchup if it was right here beside me... I'd leave it all for you.  You could cover your beans with it and I wouldn't touch none of it" (13).  This symbolizes that, no matter what happens, Lennie would always "have George's back."  He would sacrifice his own happiness for the sake of George's well-being. Lennie even offers to run away into the woods so George could live a worry-free life, but George surprisingly refuses. This reveals that, despite their differences and unique relationship, George and Lennie would always remain loyal, even if it meant sacrificing their happiness. 

Comparing and Contrasting George and Lennie

List some words that Steinbeck uses to describe Lennie. List some words that Steinbeck uses to describe George. How do these descriptions compare and/or contrast to one another?

In part one of Of Mice and Men, the two companions, George and Lennie, can clearly be seen as complete opposites, but they do have a few similarities. In the first couple of pages, Steinbeck uses these words to describe George, "... small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features ... small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose" (2), while he describes Lennie as, "... a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders..." (2). Here it is depicted through these words that they look completely different one another. The author even directly states this fact when he is using the words above to describe their differences, "Behind him walked his opposite..." (2). Another difference between the two is that George is very harsh and strict with Lennie when he uses strong language with him for being hard to deal with and to take care of. George scolds Lennie many times throughout part one, and I don't think that will change for a while, at least. But Lennie is always very sweet and sensitive (the sensitivity may be due to his mental disability). He, a grown man, cries at times when George gets angry with him. This is something you won't see too often, especially in the time period where the story takes place because men were stereotyped to be strong and tough, and that they don't have feelings (these things aren't true for all men, especially the feelings one). 
But as I wrote earlier, they do have some similarities. For example, they are wearing the exact same clothes, "Both were dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats with brass buttons. Both wore black, shapeless hats and both carried tight blanket rolls slung over their shoulders" (2). They are also both hard workers because George will work to get as much money as he can so he can afford a nice place to stay in the future (their dream place living on a ranch with the rabbits). We can tell that Lennie is also a hard worker when George says, "If he finds out what a crazy bastard you are, we won't get no job, but if he sees ya work before he hears ya talk, we're set" (6) What George is trying to say is that Lennie is mentally disabled, but not physically, so if the boss hears Lennie talk and constantly forget things, then he won't hire them because he'll judge Lennie for being a "... crazy bastard..." (6). For the most part though, these characters contrast more from each other than they are similar to each other.

Foreshadowing in OMAM

In the book, Of Mice and Men, the author, John Steinbeck, uses foreshadowing to give us an idea of what could happen in the future. In the very beginning of the book, we learn that Lennie has a disability. The main issue he has is he cannot remember things very well. George, his friend, consistently has to remind Lennie of where they are going and where they came from. Lennie also has trouble keeping a job because of his disability. George has a quick temper and gets angry at Lennie for getting them fired, "You can't keep a job and you lose me ever' job I get" (11). A couple days before they leave for the new job, George tells 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" (15). This foreshadows that Lennie will probably either lose this job or have trouble keeping it.

The difference between George and Lennie

John Steinbeck described George by saying, "The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose" (2). Lennie was described as the exact opposite, "Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eye, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws" (2). Besides there physical appearance being the exact opposite, so is there personality. George is very harsh and demanding, while Lennie is very sensitive and shy.

Lennie and George Descriptions

In the first part, Steinbeck describes Lennie as "a huge man, shapeless of face, with large pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely" (2). Later in the book, Steinbeck describes Lennie as "His huge companion..." (3). We can infer that Lennie is a big strong man. This is the complete opposite of George who is "...small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose" (2).
Later in the book, you find they are more opposite. Lennie is a happy, naive person, except when George is mad at him, and follows George, who we can tell is a serious, angry person.We can see Lennie is happy when he answers to George's mean remarks to a happy smile. He is always trying to please George. We can see George is angry and serious because he is always mad at Lennie, like when he tells Lennie he is "...a crazy bastard!" (4) You can see he is always on edge.

George and Lennie - Roles in the story and foreshadowing

In the beginning of the book, John Steinbeck not only described George and Lennie as complete opposites, but he had also shown who was leading the two: "Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely" (2).

We can now see who clearly has the role of the leader, or even a parent: George. Meanwhile, Lennie is the follower, always depending on George to take care of him, and it's also shown that he is also very loyal to George as well. For example, though reluctant, when George tells Lennie to, "'Give it here!' Lennie's closed hand slowly obeyed" (6). Lennie is also portrayed very much like a child; though he is a grown man, when things don't go his way, he often starts crying. "He heard Lennie's whimpering cry and wheeled about" (9). 

Being the leader of the two, George takes care of Lennie and obviously cares a lot for him. "'Aw, Lennie!' George put his hand on Lennie's shoulder. 'I ain't takin' it away jus' for meanness. That mouse ain't fresh, Lennie; and besides, you've broke it pettin' it. You get another mouse that's fresh and I'll let you keep it a little while'" (9). However, there's also a tremendous amount of pressure on his shoulders. Having to continually take care of another man, having to find shelter, food, and then a job that'd keep the two of them together is terribly hard. George obviously wishes to have some free time for himself, time that he doesn't need to spend thinking about how to break Lennie out of trouble: "'Why, I could stay in a cat house all night. I could eat any place I want, hotel or any place, and order any damn thing I could think of. An' I could do all that every damn month. Get a gallon of whisky, or set in a poolroom and play cards or shoot pool'"(11).

This may be foreshadowing that perhaps sometime in the story, George will find a way to permanently get Lennie out of his life. After all, having to take care of another grown person without any help seems like a job no one would want forever. 

~ Kate_ChromtheChrommander

George Vs. Lennie (looks and behavior)

"The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin bony nose. Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and as he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely" (2)  This how John Steinbeck describes George and Lennie. These two men are walking all alone, and you can tell by the way that they treat each other that they are friends, however, these men could not look and act more differently.  The first man that Steinbeck is referring to is George.  George is a short, but strong, and his friend Lennie, is a tall, and muscular.  George is always keeping an eye out for his friend, Lennie.  Lennie however, isn't as careful about his actions.  For example; when Lennie saw a pond, he immediately ran down and took long gulps of the water.  George however, studied the water before claiming it was safe to drink.

                                     

Blog 1: optional prompts

Part 1:

(REMEMBER: These questions are OPTIONAL; you can respond to them in a post, or just used them as direction for what to focus on while you read)

1. There are examples of symbolism, foreshadowing, AND irony within just this first section! Identify one of these and explain.

2. List some words that Steinbeck uses to describe Lennie. List some words that Steinbeck uses to describe George. How do these descriptions compare and/or contrast to one another?