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Of Mice and
Men: What's in a Name?
by Joshua Powell
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Some parents go to great lengths to choose their child's name while others
pick names from the air or follow a family tradition. An author is similar
to a parent, often taking hours or days to pick the perfect name to represent
their character or characters. John Steinbeck is no exception when considering
the two main characters of his novel, Of Mice and Men. The names
George Milton and Lenny Small are meaningful in the context of the story
and the characters.
In this tale of friendship and trust set in the 1930's, we are introduced
into the lives of two men, George Milton and Lenny Small. The role each
plays in their relationship is quickly established to the audience within
the first few scenes. However, a deeper analysis beneath the surface of
these character introductions will establish the nature of George and Lenny
prior to observing their personal habits, behaviors and actions. How could
we know their behaviors before hand? By simply analyzing their names we
can draw certain conclusions as to their individualism and perhaps draw
similar conclusions to the events that will take place as we read the novel.
The name "George" dates back to the times of the Greeks. This
name has its roots established in the Greek culture, as it is derived from
the Greek word, "georges", meaning "earth worker." This
name has coincidentally been entrusted to many national and respected leaders.
For example, our first president was named George, and we have had two presidents
named George Bush. England has endured rule under several Kings named George,
as has Greece. Thus George is respectively associated with leadership and
power and it is here where the meaning of George Milton's name becomes evident.
Steinbeck may or may not have selected the name "George" for such
reasons but the characteristics of the name are all too conveniently embedded
in our character to not be questioned or examined. George Milton is obviously
the stronger, dominant figure in Lenny and his relationship. George always
controls the situation and speaks for himself and Lenny as if they were
one singular person, similar to the way a leader may speak for his people
or country. Also, the very meaning of the name is all too coincidental for
the character's meaning. As mentioned above, George translated from Greek
does indeed mean "earth worker" and according to the English meaning,
it also means "farmer."
Lenny Small, the last name appearing to be an outright joke about his frame,
is also questionably titled. To fully breakdown the characteristics of Lenny
Small we must address him by his full name, assuming that Lenny is a short
form of Leonard. In analyzing this name we come to find that perhaps the
character is a contradiction from the beginning. Leonard is a Germanic name
meaning, "lion brave." Lenny Small, as we see, is anything but
"lion brave" and constantly demands direction and drive from George.
Why would John Steinbeck associate such a name with a character that he
developed as an extreme opposite? One may conclude that the association
of a lion may be used to compare Lenny's own strength to that of the animal
and yes, perhaps Lenny's mentality can be attributed to this as animals
are always seen as inferior to humans. Lenny is constantly downgraded as
an individual and in fact the only time he displays any superiority is when
he uses his strength, similar to the way a lion may display his superiority
to other animals.
Another conclusion one may draw from research involves the association of
saints to these two characters. Leonard is the name of a 5th century saint
who resided as the patron of peasants and horses. Lenny and George could
be viewed as peasants, aimlessly wandering the countryside in search of
a home, financially disadvantaged and always under the rule of a superior
figure (i.e. ranch bosses). Perhaps the association to this saint could
help explain Lenny's infatuation with petting soft things, as horses are
very soft to touch, and if we notice he seems to be the most relaxed when
he is settled in the barn with his pup, surrounded by horses.
However, more meaningful is the saint name associated with George's saintly
nature. St. George is a legendary hero for slaying a fire-breathing dragon
who threatened the city of Palestine. This allusion is extremely significant
to the novel. George plays the role of St. George, and Curley's wife could
be thought of as the city of Palestine, threatened by the fire-breathing
dragon portrayed by Lenny. The dragon invades the city and St. George slays
the dragon, similar to the way Lenny invades Curley's wife by killing her
and George in the end comes to the conclusion he must slay Lenny. One cannot
help but think Steinbeck had some insight into these legends and saints
when creating his characters and plot.
In the end we are left with either a handful of coincidences or a list of
qualities an author skillfully incorporated into what we now consider a
classic novel with underlying themes and complexities. Steinbeck has always
been regarded as a classic novelist and perhaps it is his use of subtle
symbolism that subconsciously helps us to relate to his form of character
development. Nonetheless, with all supposed symbolism aside, Of Mice
and Men will always be regarded as a great novel and contain valuable
moral sympathies no matter how far one may dissect implied meanings of a
character's individualism. |