With Lennie’s mental condition, he would not be able to survive in the world by
himself without his companion George, especially during a brutal time like the
Great Depression. A father-son relationship is evident between Lennie and
George. Lennie is incapable of understanding serious situations or the severity
of his dangerous actions. In Weed, Lennie grabbed a girl’s dress because he was
attracted to the softness of it. When the girl started screaming, Lennie started
to panic and in confusion, gripped the dress tighter and would not let go.
Without George there to help Lennie understand the situation and run away from
Weed, Lennie could have gotten himself arrested. Not only is Lennie unable
to understand things, but also cannot control himself. Lennie cannot seem to
understand how dangerous he can be with his enormous size and strength. As Slim
remarks, “God awmighty I never seen such a strong guy”. Without much effort,
Lennie can destroy and kill things. When Lennie pets mice and they end up biting
his finger, he panics, and as a result squeezes their heads. The killing of mice
may not threaten Lennie’s survival, but this proves that Lennie is capable of
destruction. Without George around him, he might end up hurting another human
being. In conclusion, without George to help Lennie understand things and to
prevent him from destroying things, Lennie would get himself into lots of
trouble and would therefore not be able to survive.
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