How Does Steinbeck Create Sympathy In Of Mice And Men

The human condition is something we as people all experience, and through it we develop as people. Some people grow up having great lives, and others go through the worst of it. Most people, good lives or not share sympathy for one another and what they go through. The book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is an incredible novel that deals heavily with character sympathy. The story is about two migrant workers who travel to a ranch to work towards buying a stake of land later in life. There is a small cast of characters in this novel and all of which go through their own trials and tribulations. The author wants us to feel sorry for them, but mostly for the characters Candy, Crooks, and Lennie.

The author wants us to feel strong sympathy

At the beginning of the book, Lennie and George are walking and George finds out that Lennie is carrying a dead mouse, then he promptly takes it and throws it. After Lennie goes out to get some kindling for a fire, he takes mouse again, George finds out again, and George throws it again, and Lennie begins to breakdown and cry. George explain to Lennie, “I ain’t takin’ it away jus’ for meanness.”(9). Lennie had attached himself to that mouse emotionally, which caused the experience of him losing it to be much worse when it inevitably happened. Later in the book, Lennie accidently kills his pet puppy, which he had just been told he could have a day earlier. Lennie becomes very fearful of punishment, thinking George will infuriated with him. Lennie fearfully claimed, “An’ he’ll say, ‘Now jus’ for that you don’t get to tend no rabbits!’”(85) Lennie, like a young child, is more scared of being reprimanded for his actions, rather than being of afraid of what everyone on the ranch would think. Lennie’s childlike way of acting causes him a substantial amount of grief, which is one of the reasons we feel sympathy for