Violence in Of Mice and Men
Curley’s wife is shown as sweet and innocent but when she is in Crook’s room she uses violence on him because she is more powerful than him as he is black and she is white
George admits that he has "beat the hell outta Lennie"
Carlson tells Candy that he will be glad to shoot Candy's dog for him, "right in the back of the head" so the dog will "never know what hit him," as if Carlson is doing Candy some sort of favour
When Lennie seriously damages Curley's hand in their fight, Slim's reaction is "this punk sure had it comin' to him."
Most of the characters accept the violence that is going on around them
Instead of using the word hands for Lennie’s hands, he uses ‘paws’ and by adding ‘huge’ in front of it, comparing him to a bear
Violence in the novel is physical and emotional
Candy says how the boss gave them whisky and allowed a fight to take place in the bunkhouse
Whenever Curley arrives there’s always a feeling of tension
Carlson is unconcerned about the death of Candy’s dog
Compared to the other characters, Lennie reveals a violence that’s unintentional
Lennie also does not think to fight back when Curley attacks him, but when he does it is with uncontrollable force
He has so little control over his own strength that he accidentally kills his puppy, and soon after, Curley’s wife
Yet Curley's wife is attracted to him because of the violence and strength and he had shown in crushing her husband's hand
The beginning of the novel sets this pattern, as the creatures at the pool are disturbed by George and Lennie's arrival
When Lennie accidentally