So I forgot my password and it wouldn’t let me log in, so that was fun. Here’s my final!
Molly Avery
4/30/19
English 384
Professor Foss
Autism Within Of Mice and Men
In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men disability is shown throughout the entirety of the text in three of the most prominent characters. Although two of these disabilities are physical, mental disability is addressed in the story through the character Lennie. While readers appreciate the representation, they are never explicitly told what disability he possesses. He is often assumed to be intellectually disabled, but through close reading, one can conclude that Lennie is actually an autistic character.
Literary analysts are quick to shut down theories of Lennie being autistic due to the fact that Of Mice and Men was published before the first autistic diagnosis in 1943. While this does support the fact that Steinbeck did not write Lennie as an autistic character, it doesn’t make him any less of one. Most mental disabilities used to be classified as intellectual disability at the time the book was written. Since then though, doctors have broaden these terms to more accurately diagnose patients based off of the exact symptoms they display. Lennie shows multiple signs of having specific symptoms that fall on the autism spectrum, as is supported by the text. Despite what analysts say Lennie’s sensitivity to touch, lack of social skills, and incapability to control his body, prove him to be an autistic character.
Throughout the book Lennie has an obsession with touching various items that one could consider soft. This is first shown when Lennie finds a dead mouse in the very first chapter of the book. Multiple times throughout the first five pages Lennie attempts to discreetly reach into his pocket to pet the mouse, although this fails as George does eventually notice. Lennie argues that the mouse is a source of comfort for him, stating that he “could pet it with my thumb while we walked along,” (Steinbeck, 5). Although people on the autism spectrum can sometimes be sensitive to the things they touch, they can also adore the feeling of petting certain materials as well. This is shown through the story not just with the mouse in the beginning, but also with rabbits, dogs, hair, and clothing. Touching these things are usually comforting for an autistic person, and having it taken away may cause a distressed breakdown. Lennie shows the reader this when they learn about the backstory of what ran the two men out of their old town Weed. Back in their old work place, Lennie was fascinated by a young girls dress. Not knowing better, Lennie goes over to touch the fabric of the dress in a memorized state. The girl, obviously distressed by this unwanted interaction, begs him to let go. Lennie does not understand why he should, and is distraught at the idea that he cannot feel the fabric. He ignores the girls pleas, and continues to stroke it. The girl screams of attempted rape, and George and Lennie must skip town before harm can come to them. These two specific examples as well as other unstated ones prove that Lennie is sensitive to touch, whether it’s in a comforting way or disturbing way. Sensitivity to touch is just one of many common traits of an autistic person.
Another autistic trait that Lennie shows is a lack common social skills, that most men of his age would be aware of. A majority of people on the autism spectrum are usually socially incompetent in some way, and Lennie fits right into that. Of all the symptoms Lennie shows of being autistic this is the strongest. At the very beginning the reader learns of this incompetence when George has to give him specific instructions on how to act. “That ranch we’re goin’ to is right down there about a quarter mile. We’re gonna go in an’ see the boss. Now, look -I’ll give him the work tickets, but you ain’t gonna say a word. You jus’ stand there and don’t say nothing. If he finds out what a crazy bastard you are, we won’t get no job, but if he sees ya work before he hears ya talk, we’re set. Ya got that?” (Steinbeck, 6). Even with these instructions Lennie forgets them right away, and speaks up while they are meeting the boss for the first time. It is not only in the beginning of the story that the reader sees this though, it’s throughout the entire piece. Every single thing Lennie does is directly caused by his disability. Lennie doesn’t fit in with the rest of the workers at any point throughout the piece. When they go to play horseshoes, Lennie stays behind in the barn, and when the girl in Weed asks him to let go of her dress, he keeps petting it. George often has to take what people say to Lennie and repeat it to him through a filtered lens. Lennie lacks the ability to comprehend people’s demands and wishes, which is a trait an autistic person would show.
Another sign of proof that Lennie falls on the autistic spectrum is that Lennie fails to have control over his own body. He is described as a big man that often is not aware of his own strength. Throughout various points in the story Lennie often kills animals while trying to show them affection by petting them. He does this with mice, rabbits, and eventually Curley’s wife. Although many people can be unaware of their own strength, this is a symptom that points to autism. The worst of this problem occurs at the end when Lennie is petting Curley’s wife hair. She does not wish to have her hair touched and demands he lets go. Just like in Weed with the girl in the dress, Lennie does not understand why he must give up this simple pleasure and continues to stroke it. This angers her as she starts yelling at Lennie to let go. Not wanting George to be upset at her yelling, Lennie grows angry, and attempts to silence her. Unaware and incapable of controlling himself, he does this by accidentally killing her. Steinbeck describes her death quietly stating that “She continued to struggle, and her eyes were wild with terror. She shook her then, and he was angry with her. ‘Don’t you go yelling,’ he said, and he shook her; and her body flopped like a fish. And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck,” (Steinbeck, 87). This shows that Lennie is incapable of controlling himself, just as some people on the autism spectrum are unable to fully control their body at times.
By closely reading the text, one can conclude that Lennie is autistic rather than intellectually disabled. Readers may continue to reject, but the topic is irrefutable. Lennie appears intellectually disabled to readers, is because intellectual disability and autism share some similar aspects in how they affect a person. This should not be confused as the two being the same though. Lennie is an autistic due to his sensitivity to touch, absence of common social skills, and lack of control over his own body.
I pledge… Molly Avery
Word Count: 1170
CitationsSteinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. Modern Library, 1938.
