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What are the themes in Of Mice and Men?
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Lennie's interactions with animals

Lennie has a fixation on small, soft animals and is known for accidentally killing them.

The Argument

Lennie has trouble understanding his strength. Throughout the novel, the reader sees him accidentally kill animals, most notably, a puppy. Due to Lennie's disability, he views the world in a very child-like manner. He is not able to fully understand nor acknowledge why these animals died and that he was being too rough with them. His child-like manner of speech and behavior contrasts strongly with the violent actions that he takes. In a way, this shows that much of his characterization involves a gradual loss of innocence, ultimately coming to a head when he kills the puppy and hides it. This ultimately leads him to unintentionally killing Curley's wife.

Counter arguments

Proponents

Premises

[P1] Lennie can't comprehend his strength. [P2] Lennie's inability to comprehend his strength leads him to accidentally killing animals. [P3] Lennie's actions with the animals represent a loss of innocence that progresses throughout the novel. [P4] Lennie's last accident (with the puppy) leads him to the situation that ultimately causes his death.

Rejecting the premises

References

This page was last edited on Wednesday, 13 May 2020 at 04:24 UTC

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