Because of his mental condition Lennie does not seem to understand that there is anything that could be changed. Lennie sees his whole life as a game, except when George tells him off. Perhaps Lennie’s only real anguish is when he accidentally kills Curley’s wife. Lennie’s visions while hiding in the brush give life to his own unvoiced worries about being a burden to George. He realises that he is not wanted around because he needs looking after. Lennie’s fright at the thought of George leaving demonstrates his ultimate helplessness. Lennie only appears to suffer at the end of the novel, and soon afterwards revises his shortcomings in life.
George, on the other hand, knows from the beginning what he is going through. He thinks he is really badly done by, and tries all the time to improve his lot. George’s suffering began long before the novel commences, with the trouble of caring for Lennie. George gets frustrated that he cannot just go off on his own and try to make a stake by himself. His problems really start, though, when Curley’s wife is killed. George ‘murders’ his travelling companion, his dependant, and his friend. This event would have profound psychological effects on George, but the story does not carry on long enough for the reader to see these effects. If the reader were able to find out what happened to George, then he would probably have a huge turnaround in his attitude, especially to life and friends. This is not a deficiency in the story, but leaves scope for the imagination of the reader, depending on their own attitudes and experiences.
Of Mice And Men contains some of the criteria for a tragedy, and yet it doesn’t quite fit. There are only hints at the edges of what is to come, and if those hints were developed to give more information about what the characters are thinking, it would become a perfect tragedy. Lennie, although going through his life with hallucinations, does not have the realization or understanding to class this novel as a true tragedy by the above definition, and George’s opinions are not full developed. Overall, John Steinbeck’s Of Mice And Men is a tragic story, but not a tragedy.
