"Lennie is a massive, extremely strong man, who has no living relatives. He travels about the country searching for work with his companion, George. Lennie's Aunt Clara had asked George to take care of Lennie if she ever died."
" "
"The most obvious feature of Lennie's character is that he seems to be retarded somehow. He is a man who has the mind of a child. Slim is one of the first characters to notice this, remarking that Lennie is"
"*Jes' like a kid"
"and Curley's wife also comments on how he is"
"*Jus' like a big baby."
3
"Lennie doesn't know his own strength, and this is one of the things which lead to his eventual downfall. He realises that he is strong as a bull, but he can't judge how much force to use for certain actions. That is why he kills his pets, when he only intends to pet them and play with them."
" "
"It is this inability to judge his strength, combined with his desire to pet things and Curley's wife's desire to be petted and admired which leads to Lennie's inevitable death. The ability to judge one's own strength is one of the first signs of maturity, and it is important that Lennie doesn't have this ability."
5
"Despite the major flaws in his character he is amiable and friendly, and doesn't do any of the bad things he does on purpose."
" "
"He has a poor memory, and has to repeat things to himself many times to remember them. Even then, he still forgets them."
" "
"He has a sort of blind faith in George, trusting in George to protect him and look after his welfare. For example, remember the incident George describes to Slim when he told Lennie to jump in a river and Lennie obeyed, without a thought to his own wellbeing. This illustrates Lennie's trust in George, and also his immaturity."
1
"However, it must be noted that Lennie can still be quite crafty, as when he cunningly persuades George to tell him the story about the rabbits by threatening to leave him."
