Naturalism in Of Mice and Men
Naturalism in Of Mice and MenNaturalism is a literary style that displays action or thought that is derived exclusively from natural desires and instincts (The Reader's Digest Great Encyclopedic Dictionary, p. 901). John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men contains several instances of this element. Some of these are found when Lennie breaks Curley's hand, when Lennie kills Curley's wife, and when George kills Lennie.
When Lennie breaks Curley's hand, Lennie's honesty is contrasted with Curley's hotheadedness and arrogance. "Then Curley's rage exploded. . . . He crouched cowering against the wall. 'You tol' me to, George,' he said miserably,"(Steinbeck 68). This scene contributes to the novel the knowledge of the full extent of Lennie's honesty. The reader is shown that Lennie doesn't want to hurt Curley even when Curley is hurting him, and feels remorse when he is forced to go against his nature and inflict harm upon Curley.
When Lennie kills Curley's wife, it becomes apparent that Lennie's honesty is too stubbornly childlike for the good of himself or anyone else. "Lennie was in a panic. . . . And then he whispered in fright, 'I done a bad thing. I done another bad thing,'"(99). This scene makes the reader aware that Lennie is too honest to fit easily into society and not smart enough to...
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