Of Mice and Men Weakness Quotes

The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose. Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely.

– John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men, Chapter 1. While George and Lennie dressed the same, that’s where the similarities end. George was small, Lennie on the other hand was huge. They may be friends, but we know they are not equal, as one walks behind the other, like a follower behind a leader. Lennie, the follower, is compared to an animal, a bear – a massive and sometimes violent creature.

“That ranch we’re goin’ to is right down there about a quarter mile. We’re gonna go in an’ see the boss. Now, look – I’ll give him the work tickets, but you ain’t gonna say a word. You jus’ stand there and don’t say nothing. If he finds out what a crazy bastard you are, we won’t get no job, but if he sees ya work before he hears ya talk, we’re set.”

– John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men, Chapter 1. George tells Lennie not to speak to the boss. For he knows that if the boss learns of Lennie’s disability, neither of them will get jobs.

George’s hand remained outstretched imperiously. Slowly, like a terrier who doesn’t want to bring a ball to its master, Lennie approached, drew back, approached again. George snapped his fingers sharply and Lennie laid the mouse in his hand. “I wasn’t doin’ nothing bad with it, George. Jus’ strokin’ it.”

– John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men, Chapter 1. This shows the relationship between George and Lennie. George has taken on the role of father to the simple, childlike Lennie who likes to catch mice and pet them. But because he can’t control his own strength, Lennie accidentally kills the pet mice that he hides from George inside his pockets.

He heard Lennie’s whimpering cry and wheeled about. “Blubberin’ like a baby! Jesus Christ! A big guy like you!” Lennie’s lip quivered and tears started in his eyes. “Aw, Lennie!” George put his hand on Lennie’s shoulder. “I ain’t takin’ it away jus’ for meanness. That mouse ain’t fresh, Lennie; and besides, you’ve broke it pettin’ it. You get another mouse that’s fresh and I’ll let you keep it a little while.”

– John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men, Chapter 1. Though a big man, Lennie is like a child. But he doesn’t know his own strength and when he pets mice usually ends up killing them. George really cares for him and there is a strong bond between them. But the relationship is a bit like a master and his dog, with George sometimes being very mean to Lennie, and then again very sympathetic.

“Well, we ain’t got any,” George exploded. “Whatever we ain’t got, that’s what you want. God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an’ work, an’ no trouble…An’ whatta I got,” George went on furiously. “I got you! You can’t keep a job and you lose me ever’ job I get. Jus’ keep me shovin’ all over the country all the time. An’ that ain’t the worst. You get in trouble. You do bad things and I got to get you out.”

– John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men, Chapter 1. George to Lennie. George is furious with Lennie for asking for ketchup. He says he could have an easier life if his friend weren’t around. George often gets annoyed at Lennie, as he has to always look after him and doesn’t really get any time on his own.

“Curley’s like a lot of little guys. He hates big guys. He’s alla time picking scraps with big guys. Kind of like he’s mad at ’em because he ain’t a big guy. You seen little guys like that, ain’t you? Always scrappy?”

– John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men, Chapter 2. Candy explains about Curley to George. Curley looks to assert his manliness by fighting. But his victims are always more vulnerable in some way than him. He takes an immediate dislike to Lennie because he is such a huge guy and attacks him in the bunk house.

“Well, Curley’s pretty handy,” the swamper said skeptically. “Never did seem right to me. S’pose Curley jumps a big guy an’ licks him. Ever’body says what a game guy Curley is. And s’pose he does the same thing and gets licked. Then ever’body says the big guy oughtta pick on somebody his own size, and maybe they gang up on the big guy. Never did seem right to me. Seem like Curley ain’t givin’ nobody a chance.

– John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men, Chapter 2. Candy on Curley, who goes after Lennie because he is big and he doesn’t expect him to fight back. Curley sees Lennie’s vulnerability and abuses it right away.

Lennie’s eyes moved down over her body, and though she didn’t seem to be looking at Lennie she bridled a little. She looked at her fingers. “Sometimes Curley’s in here,” she explained. George said brusquely, “Well he ain’t now.”
“If he ain’t, I guess I better look someplace else,” she said playfully.
Lennie watched her, fascinated. George said, “If I see him, I’ll pass the word you was looking for him.”
She smiled archly and twitched her body. “Nobody can’t blame a person for lookin’,” she said. There were footsteps behind her, going by. She turned her head. “Hi, Slim,” she said.

– John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men, Chapter 2. Curley’s wife thirsts for attention from the men because she herself is desperately lonely. She parades her power over the men because she herself feels weak.

Candy looked a long time at Slim to try to find some reversal. And Slim gave him none. At last Candy said softly and hopelessly, “Awright – take ‘im.” He did not look down at the dog at all. He lay back on his bunk and crossed his arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling.

– John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men, Chapter 3. Candy finally gives in and allows Carlson to take his dog and put him out of his misery. He doesn’t look at the dog, his friend that he loves, because he feels bad about having it put down.

Carlson laughed. “You God damn punk,” he said. You tried to throw a scare into Slim, an’ you couldn’t make it stick. Slim throwed a scare inta you. You’re yella as a frog belly. I don’t care if you’re the best welter in the country. You come for me, an’ I’ll kick your God damn head off.”
Candy joined the attack with joy, “Glove fulla vaseline,” he said disgustedly. Curley flared at him. His eyes slipped on past and lighted on Lennie; and Lennie was still smiling with delight at the memory of the ranch.

– John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men, Chapter 3. Candy is verbally attacked by the other men because they recognize how much of a coward and bully he is and only picks on people who can’t retaliate.

“A guy sets alone out here at night, maybe readin’ books or thinkin’ or stuff like that. Sometimes he gets thinkin’, an’ he got nothing to tell him what’s so an’ what ain’t so. Maybe if he sees somethin’, he don’t know whether it’s right or not. He can’t turn to some other guy and ast him if he sees it too. He can’t tell. He got nothing to measure by. I seen things out here. I wasn’t drunk. I don’t know if I was asleep. If some guy was with me, he could tell me I was asleep, an’ then it would be all right. But I jus’ don’t know.”

– John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men, Chapter 4. Crooks to Lennie. The themes of loneliness, the predatory nature of people, and discrimination are all addressed here.
Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land - John Steinbeck quote In Heaven

“I seen hunderds of men come by on the road an’ on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an’ that same damn thing in their heads. Hunderds of them. They come, an’ they quit an’ go on; an’ every damn one of ’em’s got a little piece of land in his head. An’ never a God damn one of ’em ever gets it. Just like heaven. Everybody wants a little piece of lan’. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It’s just in their head. They’re all the time talkin’ about it, but it’s jus’ in their head.”

– John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men, Chapter 4. A cynical Crooks on George and Lennie’s dream. He foresees their dream is going to end in eventual disappointment. What Crooks says can also be seen as a comment on the death of the American Dream.

“If I catch any one man, and he’s alone, I get along fine with him. But just let two of the guys get together an’ you won’t talk. Jus’ nothing but mad. You’re all scared of each other, that’s what. Ever’ one of you’s scared the rest is goin’ to get something on you.”

– John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men, Chapter 4. Curley’s wife on men. She speaks of how the men are driven by fears of failure and what dirt other men will get on them, rather than by banding together to fight a common cause. The survival of the fittest is a constant theme throughout the book.

A water snake glided smoothly up the pool, twisting its periscope head from side to side; and it swam the length of the pool and came to the legs of a motionless heron that stood in the shallows. A silent head and beak lanced down and plucked it out by the head, and the beak swallowed the little snake while its tail waved frantically.

– John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men, Chapter 6. With the use of powerful imagery and symbolism, Steinbeck paints a picture of the predatory nature of life and foreshadows Lennie’s imminent death.

She stood in front of Lennie and put her hands on her hips, and she frowned disapprovingly at him.
And when she spoke, it was in Lennie’s voice. “I tol’ you an tol’ you,” she said. “I tol’ you, ‘Min’ George because he’s such a nice fella an’ good to you.’ But you don’t never take no care. You do bad things.”

– John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men, Chapter 6. Lennie’s mental state has grown worse, having killed Curley’s wife. He hallucinates and sees his dead Aunt Clara and a giant rabbit.
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