Irresponsibility Int of Mice and Men

613 Words3 Pages
Of Mice and Men is a historical fiction novel written in 1937 by John Steinbeck. It follows the story of George and Lennie, two laborers who find work at a ranch in Salinas Valley, California. From the very beginning of the novel, the pair’s differences on their views of responsibility are astounding. George, the brains of the two, takes care of Lennie and acts as his guardian, finding the two of them work and keeping Lennie out of trouble. Lennie, on the other hand, has obvious mental problems and cannot take responsibility for even his own actions, and requires George’s guidance to keep him safe. In the entire novel, there are character examples of both irresponsibility, such as Curley and Lennie; and examples of responsibility, such as Slim and George. Sadly, not everyone is rightfully responsible, even in the fictional world. The majority of significant characters in this story have a person or thing that they need to protect or take care of, like George to Lennie, but not all of them took proper responsibility. The greatest act of failed responsibility in the novel, Curley’s neglect towards his wife, was a continuing plot line through the book. It finally comes to an end when the lonely woman is accidentally killed when she comes to Lennie looking for companionship. To emphasize Curley’s irresponsibility, he immediately decides to lead a manhunt for Lennie before knowing all the facts about his wife’s murder. Lennie was completely at fault for the murder, though; as another example of irresponsibility in the book, he chose to run away instead of staying with Curley’s wife’s body to claim responsibility for what he had done. Not every character in the novel is irresponsible however, as show by both Slim and George. A side character in the story, Slim (one of the ranch workers) takes care of his dog Lulu, who had given birth to a litter of puppies just before
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