Character Development In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

SETTING

The book Of Mice and Men is set in two different places. It begins beside a stream, near to the Salinas River, which is a few miles south of Soledad, California. It then shifts over to a ranch, where the majority of the story is set. At the end of the novel, the setting comes back to where it began. George and Lennie begin their journey by the stream. They are on their way to a near-by ranch. The land surrounding them is thick in vegetation and has its own wildlife.The ranch, where the majority of the story takes place, appears isolated and lonely. It has a ranch house, a bunkhouse where the workers live, a barn, and a harness-room off the barn.

PLOT

Two workers, George and Lennie, have been let off a bus miles away from the California farm where they are to start work. George is a tiny, dark man with “sharp, strong features.” Lennie, his sidekick in

He experiences no significant changes or growth throughout the story and stays exactly as the reader encounters him in the beginning. Clearly put, he loves to touch soft things, is devoted to George and their vision of the farm, and has unbelievable physical strength. In almosr every scene in which Lennie is in confirms these characteristics.

George is a short-tempered but a nice and loyal friend, whose protests against life with Lennie never weaken his dedication to protecting his friend. George’s words, a warning to Lennie not to drink so much lest he get sick, set the tone of their friendship. George may be blunt and impatient at certain times, but he never deviates from his main purpose of protecting Lennie. Unlike Lennie, however, George does go through some changes as the story goes on. The reader learns that he is capable of change and growth during his conversation with Slim, during which he confesses that he once bullied Lennie for his own enjoyment. From this event George learned the lesson that it is not right to take advantage of the