Of Mice and Men Motifs
What is a motif?
George has to kill Lennie himself because he loves him the most. He doesn't want Curley to shoot Lennie like Carlson shooting Candy's dog.
Significance
George doesn't want to kill Lennie but he doesn't want someone that hates Lennie's guts to kill him either.
Significance
George truly wishes he lived alone but then feels like its his responsibility to take care of Lennie.
Significance
Motif
George shoots Lennie.
Motif
George shoots Lennie
himself.
Motif
Candy regrets that he didn't shoot his dog himself.
Motif
George says this a lot in the book, but he is only saying it. He really loves Lennie.
Motif
Carlson shoots
Candy's dog.
Motif
George wishes he wasn't burdened with Lennie's care
Lennie messed up their job in
Weed and George doesn't want
them to loose their jobs again.
Significance
Motif
George tells Lennie
not to talk to
Curley's wife.
Significance
George cares about Lennie and he knows Lennie wil do something stupid and George doesn't want Lennie to get hurt.
Motif
George tells Lennie
to return to the
campsite
Motif
Lennie was told
not to touch
soft things
Motif
Significance
Lennie's obsession with
touching soft things always
gets him in trouble.
Motif
Lennie goes to the
campsite
Motif
At Weed, Lennie
frightens the girl in
the red dress.
Incidents, images, or ideas
which appear repeatedly in
a literary work
Motif
Lennie frightens another girl, Curley's wife, by touching
her to aggressively.