In the novel Of mice and men by John Steinbeck there are several characters which have an influence in the fate of Lennie in the novel.

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23/01/03        Of Mice & Men question        Daniel Royal

 Q. Apart from George, which characters in the novel do you think have the most influence over what happens to Lennie?

In the novel ‘Of mice and men’ by John Steinbeck there are several characters which have an influence in the fate of Lennie in the novel. George, a long time companion obviously has a very influential role in the life of Lennie in the novel, however there are other characters, which have a crucial role in Lennie’s downfall. These characters are the downtrodden Candy, the temperamental Curley and the outcast Crooks.

The basic characteristics of Candy are that he is old and depressed because he is lonely and he suffers from a disability. He is also a meddling gossip who seeks attention from the other workers at the ranch; he is a bitter man who relies on the companionship of his dog for friendship. In the novel ‘Of mice and men’ Candy is a significant influence on the impressionable Lennie who doesn’t view Candy with any prejudice but simply as a wise old man. This is displayed at the beginning of the novel when he decides to pass on his judgements about the ranch’s inhabitants to George and Lennie. Lennie being the more susceptible characters takes more heed of these warnings. George’s opinion of the people on the ranch, in particular Curley and Curley’s wife is deduced the thoughts of Candy. George then relays the information to Lennie, George thinks that by warning Lennie not to talk to Curley and his wife he may prevent any hostility such as what occurred at their prior workplace involving Lennie and a lady.

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                    As the novel continues a dramatic story unveils as unrest appears at the ranch. Lennie takes the advice literally from George and ignores Curley this infuriates the volatile Curley and therefore causes the unrest, which they had tried so hard not to provoke amongst their fellow workmates. Although the unrest is not entirely due to Candy and his advice to his peers it still has an influence on the deterioration of the relationship between Curley and Lennie which does directly lead to the tragedy at the end of the novel.

                                        Crooks (referred to as the nigger in ...

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