The journey in between what you once were and who you are now becoming is where the dance of life really takes place(unknown). Life is all about making choices. One is born, as his or her own person, and it is up to her to decide who she wants to be and become. In life, opportunities play their role. One can choose what she wants to do with her life and how big of an impact their decision can make.
The choices and the paths one takes can change a persons life now and forever. In Of Mice and Men characters can change their identity, but that does not mean they can change the basis of who they are. Decisions are a big part of life; they will take you where one needs to go to succeed (not succeed) in the real world. In John Steinbecks Of Mice and Men, many important lessons are learned that can and will take us through life. For example, people cannot simply just run away from problems. Also, when people try to set unrealistic goals, they don’t experience success.
Lennie can never change and he will always be the same guy who is unable to control his own strength. People who try to change their destiny often fail because they can change their identity. In general, people are born with certain personality traits, which stay with them for their entire lives. Changing one’s identity doesn’t change their personality.
Moving away and starting a new life can be an attempt to change one’s identity. Starting over can be for the better, but people stay the same more often than not. In the very beginning of the novel, George and Lennie are in a bar. In the bar Lennie sees a little girl with a bright, red dress. Lennies attracted to the color, and he has a tendency to touch what he sees.
He, therefore, approached the girl and starting feeling her dress. She tried to leave but Lennie anxiously got a quick grabbing of the dress. This frightened the girl, which therefore leads to her screaming and yelling rape. While all of this was going on Lennie was so scared and confused that he just kept a tight grab on the girl’s dress. Lennie being that who he is did not know any better, Well, how the hell did she know you jus wanted to feel her dress’she jerks back and you hold on like it was a mouse. She yells and we got to hide in an irrigation ditch all day with guys looking for us, and we must sneak out in the dark and get outta the country.
pg24. The incident that occurred exemplifies Lennies behavior. Lennie is a man of unlimited intelligence who seems unaware of its massive strength. After all of this has happened, Lennie and George decide that the best thing would beto change their identity and leave the town as soon as possible. As the novel progresses Lennie’s change of identity does not change who he really is.
Towards the end of the book after Lennie had just killed a pup:God damn you, he cried. Why do you have to get killed? You arent is so little as mice. He picked up the pup and hurled it from him. He turned his back on it. He sat bent over his knees and he whispered; Now I won’t get to tend the rabbits. Now he won’t let me.
Pg88Once again Lennie doesn’t comprehend the affect of his strength on lesser beings. Lennie could never change. He will never understand his size and strength in comparison with an average person or animal. Its fatalistic, but Lennie is who he is. Another example of someone attempting to change her identity is Curleyswife. Curley’s wife feels she could have been someone else, someone different,who would have been a better person then she is now.
She thinks by marrying someone she will not still be that same tramp that she is:I tell you I iant used to living like this. I could made something of myself. She said darkly, Maybe I will yet, I lived right inSalinas, she said. Come there when I was a kid. Well, a show came through, and I met one of the actors. He says I could go with that show.
But myold lady wound let me I don’t like Curley. He isn’t a nice fella. And because she had
