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Dialect
Part 1
Explanation and Analysis—George and Lennie:
Despite being close friends, George and Lennie are heavily contrasted both physically and in temperament, serving as foils to each other throughout the novella. These contrasts are emphasized in the first description of the pair in Chapter 1:
Both wore black, shapeless hats and both carried tight blanket rolls slung over their shoulders. The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose. Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely.
Though they wear similar clothing and are traveling together in the same direction, George and Lennie are described by the narrator in opposite terms. Where George is small, “defined,” and restless, Lennie is large, “shapeless,” and moves slowly. The rest of the novel will further develop the contrast between these two men who are, in many ways, opposites. George soon proves to be a sharply intelligent man of ordinary strength and small stature. In contrast, Lennie suffers from an intellectual disability, but is incredibly strong and physically robust. These sharp contrasts soon prove to be central to their unusual but close relationship.
Related Themes:
