Part 4 - Two Sides of Lennie

In part four, the readers get a good view of Lennie making a somewhat new friend with Crooks. Crooks is a black man. Lennie walks into Crooks' bedroom wanting to pet the puppies, George said he could tend to. Crooks got very mad at Lennie for just walking into his own private area because back in the time that the book takes place in, blacks and whites usually aren't ever in the same room. Because Lennie is much like a child, I think that Lennie doesn't understand much about how black and whites shouldn't be together.

When Crooks got mad at Lennie, I noticed that every time a character is either mad or is yelling at Lennie, like when George, or when Slim got mad at Lennie, he always does a small action and feels helplessly. In the book it doesn't always say he feels helplessly, but sometimes is shows that he will drop his head in shame, or lose his smile. For example, "Lennie smiled helplessly in an attempt to make friends" (68), when Crooks was mad. He also, "flapped his big hands helplessly" (68). 

After, Crooks supposes that George would never come back. Lennie got very defensive because he didn't get what Crooks meant. Lennie started to get very worried, and he was thinking, "He won't do it,' Lennie cried. 'George wouldn't do nothing like that. I been with George a long time. He'll come back tonight-----'… 'Don’t you think he will?"' (71). When Crooks was trying to explain that he didn't mean what he said Lennie said, "Ain't nobody goin' to suppose no hurt to George... Lennie growled back to his seat on the nail keg." (72) This shows how Lennie has a "lion" inside of him, like Isabel did, from the book Chains. Lennie was standing up for George, when usually George stands up for Lennie. This relates because Isabel from Chains, "became a "lion inside" and confronted Madam about selling Ruth; called her a "cow"; approached her in an intimidating manner (134). 

Referring back to how Lennie feels helpless at times when being confronted or yelled at, he will look for someone to have his back and speak up for him. On page 80, Lennie is looking for someone to have his back so he doesn't cause any problems. Most times when this happens he has George by his side to talk for him, but George was down in town. Because George isn't there, "Lennie looked to Candy for help, and then he looked at his lap again" (80). I feel that Lennie was trying to look for someone to help him, but knew Candy wasn't going to help him, so he felt helpless.