Essay on The Naïve Man in ohn Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men

Innocence is a theme that few people in the world possess. In the times of John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, written in 1937 innocence was an even rarer trait than today. However Lennie is one of those few whose innocence was preserved throughout the novel. Because of his immature traits like Childish behavior, naivety, and devotion Lennie goes on to be one of the strongest moral characters in the novel Of Mice and Men. Lennie is very childish throughout this story. For a grown man Lennie has proven to be the most childish. In chapter one when Lennie and George are walking to the ranch, they decide to stop and have a drink. While Lennie is bent down to drink he notices his splashing makes ripples in the water. â€Å"Lennie dabbed his big†¦show more content†¦He thinks that he can yell at her and she will wake up, when that fails he decides to hide her body under some straw and runs for his hiding place. Lennie doesn’t understand what he has done wrong, or that he even did anything wrong. Through this Lennie shows how truly naà ¯ve he can be through his inappropriate actions. Not all of Lennie’s traits are detestable as Lennie also possesses the trait of devotion, a very admirable trait. Lennie proves time and again in Of Mice and Men how devoted he is to his brother-like friend, George. As stated previously, Lennie is a very childish and naà ¯ve individual making him slow to anger. That is why it is so remarkable the intensity of the anger and almost malice he has towards Crooks when he threatens the one person Lennie is devoted to most, George. â€Å"Lennie’s eyes centered and grew quiet and mad. He stood up and walked dangerously towards crooks. ‘Who hurt George?’ He demanded.† (Steinbeck 72). In just a short period of time Lennie went from a calm talk to Crooks to a near brawl over a â€Å"what if† scenario that had not even happened to George. Lennie would have fought to protect the person he puts on a pedestal. While Lennie is not the brightest character he does prove his devotion to George time and again. L ennie is an ingenuous man, innocent in all of the ways in the world. Due to him being slightly slower than others because of a