How does Steinbeck present the characters of George and Lennie, and their relationship, in Section 1 of the novel?

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Jack O’Neill                10DP

How does Steinbeck present the characters of George and Lennie, and their relationship, in Section 1 of the novel?

As the first characters to be introduced in the novel, Steinbeck needs to present George and Lennie in a way which explains in great detail about who they are and their relationship with each other and the novel itself.  I am exploring how Steinbeck presents their characters and their relationship through examining their individual characters and their relationship as a whole.

The first thing that Steinbeck mentions about George and Lennie is their appearance.  "Both were dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats with brass buttons. Both wore black, shapeless hats and both carried tight blanket rolls slung over their shoulders."  In the era in which this book was set, denim was the hallmark of workers, and as they are carrying blanket rolls, it is evident that they are migrant workers, moving from ranch to ranch.  

Steinbeck chooses to describe George first; this may connote George being the head of the two of them, almost a parent figure.  George is described as being "small and quick, dark of face with restless eyes and sharp, strong features."  This shows that he's quite fit and athletic, perhaps used to this sort of traveling as a migrant worker. His "restless eyes" tell the reader that, although he has been traveling for probably a long time, he is still eager to get to his destination.  

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Following George's description, there is a considerable amount of contrast when it comes to describing Lennie, "a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders."  He is metaphorically compared to a bear, dragging his feet and his arms hanging loosely.  Being compared to animal shows that he obviously has animal features, possibly mentally as well as physically, so he may not be as psychologically advanced as the average man of his time.  

After a relatively in-depth description of the two main characters of the novel, the reader is informed of their first ...

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A good analysis of the presentation of these characters at the start of the novel; there could be enhanced analysis at word level allowing for full consideration of Steinbeck's language choices. Although the title focuses on one area of the text it is still important to link findings to other sections of the novella. 4 Stars